TOP 25
Syracuse storms into the picture
The Orange stormed into Madison Square Garden and into the national conversation with last week’s wins over Cal and North Carolina, but the top third of teams in our the rankings still haven’t cracked. The bottom fell out for the Bears, who dropped all the way out of the rankings, along with Dayton, Siena, and Oklahoma — teams that are all good enough to get back in but don’t deserve to be there now. A full slate of tournament games from Orlando to New York to Anaheim could shake things up over Thanksgiving weekend.
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Kentucky (5-0) | The setting in Cancun is absurd, but Wildcats thrive anyway | 1 |
| 2 | Kansas (3-0) | Boy, did ESPN freak out over Sherron Collins’s turned ankle | 2 |
| 3 | Texas (4-0) | Varez Ward left win over Pitt in a wheelchair. Not good | 3 |
| 4 | Michigan St. (4-0) | Izzo can become winningest MSU coach ever this weekend | 4 |
| 5 | Villanova (5-0) | ‘Cats got better winning PR title but still have a ways to go | 5 |
| 6 | Purdue (4-0) | E’Twaun Moore a star but Boilermakers are well-balanced | 6 |
| 7 | West Virginia (2-0) | West Coast swing finally is a chance to see these guys play | 7 |
| 8 | Connecticut (3-0) | Huskies, Blue Devils headline this week’s hoops at MSG | 8 |
| 9 | Butler (3-0) | Turkey Day NFL games will be terrible. Bulldogs-Gophers won’t | 9 |
| 10 | Tennessee (4-1) | Vols’ frenetic play inspires little faith in March | 11 |
| 11 | Washington (4-0) | Hosting upstart Montana has trap game written all over it | 12 |
| 12 | Syracuse (5-0) | Wesley Johnson early frontrunner for transfer of the year | NR |
| 13 | North Carolina (5-1) | Went from outstanding to shocking over two games at MSG | 10 |
| 14 | Duke (4-0) | PG County’s Nolan Smith leads Devils with 22 ppg and 6 apg | 16 |
| 15 | Minnesota (3-0) | Haven’t faced Butler since a triple-overtime win in 1973 | 17 |
| 16 | Michigan (2-0) | Seriously, hoops instead of NFL. UM plays Creighton at noon | 20 |
| 17 | Ohio State (4-1) | Can’t beat North Carolina when you miss your first nine 3s | 14 |
| 18 | Georgetown (3-0) | A chance to eliminate negative assist-to-turnover ratio | 15 |
| 19 | Clemson (4-0) | 30 straight wins in November will be tested in Anaheim | 21 |
| 20 | Illinois (2-0) | Already have 20+ FT attempts in three games | 24 |
| 21 | Cincinnati (4-0) | After ’Cats beat Vandy, how could win over MD be an upset? | NR |
| 22 | Maryland (4-1) | Vasquez team-high 19 points, team-high five missed 3s | 18 |
| 23 | Gonzaga (4-1) | Showdown with Cincinnati finished too late on Wednesday | NR |
| 24 | Memphis (3-1) | No alcohol, cigarettes, or soda, ever, says coach Josh Pastner | NR |
| 25 | Georgia Tech (3-1) | Yellow Jackets had Flyers on the ropes before caving | 25 |
HEATING UP
Purdue » Up-and-down, action-packed win over Tenn. was not only entertaining but a sign of the Boilermakers’ mettle.
Also » Cincinnati, Gonzaga
COOLING DOWN
Ohio State » Four-point loss to UNC wasn’t indicative of how poorly the Buckeyes played in most of that contest.
Also » Maryland, Tennessee
TOP 25 GAME OF THE WEEK
Butler vs. Minnesota, Thursday, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
How about this for an opening-round matchup? In the 76 Classic in Anaheim the two best teams in the field, Butler (3-0) and Minnesota (3-0), meet. The Bulldogs boast Horizon Player of the Year, 6-8 Matt Howard (9.7 points per game, 7.7 rpg), 6-8 perimeter standout Gordon Hayward (15.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), and 6-3 guard Shelvin Mack (13 ppg, 5 apg). Tubby Smith’s Gophers have drilled three overmatched opponents behind a cast that includes the top nine scorers from last year’s NCAA team.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Vernon Macklin, Florida, center
The 6-foot-10 junior never fit in at Georgetown, but Gators’ coach Billy Donovan has found some utility for the Portsmouth, Va., native. Macklin is averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds for a Florida (4-0) team that is trying to rebound from consecutive seasons out of the NCAA Tournament after winning titles in 2006 and ‘07. Macklin has combined with freshman G Kenny Boynton (19 ppg) on a team that has a deep rotation and a defensive identity. Florida plays No. 4 Michigan State (4-0) in the Legends Classic Friday in Atlantic City. The winner will face Rutgers (2-1) or UMass (2-2) in the title game Saturday.
STORY LINES
1. Surging Syracuse » The lone unranked team in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic, Syracuse dominated the event last week at Madison Square Garden, rolling to decisive victories over California, 95-73, and defending national champion North Carolina, 87-71. The tournament was a showcase for the Orange’s length, athleticism and defensive prowess, all epitomized by tournament MVP Wesley Johnson, a transfer from Iowa State, who had 42 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks in the two games. Syracuse also got big stuff from a pair of locals. C Arinze Onuaku (Episcopal) had 15 points and 7 rebounds in the title game, while 6-7 reserve Kris Joseph (Archbishop Carroll) added 20 points and 16 boards in the tournament. The next big test for No. 12 Syracuse (5-0) comes Dec. 10 at Florida (4-0).
2. Reversal of Fortune in ACC-Big Ten? » For 10 years, the ACC-Big Ten Challenge has been an annual exercise in demonstrating the talent gap between the leagues. But this season might be different as the Big Ten has six ranked teams to four for the ACC. The Big Ten has a 35-62 overall record in the series and never won the Challenge, but closed the gap with a respectable 5-6 showing last year. Next week’s most hyped game will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA final as No. 4 Michigan State plays at No. 13 North Carolina (Tuesday). Wake Forest, 8-1 in the Challenge, travels to Mackey Arena to face No. 6 Purdue (Monday). No. 14 Duke, 10-0 in the Challenge, plays at Wisconsin (Wednesday). No. 22 Maryland, 7-3 in the Challenge, plays at Indiana (Tuesday).
3. Lost opportunities for Wannabes » Three teams that were expected to step up from obscurity took bad losses last week, indicating they may be relegated to their usual status. Richmond (4-1) of the Atlantic 10, coming off a 20-win season, lost at Colonial Athletic Association also-ran William & Mary, coming off a 20-loss season. Much was expected of Oregon State (1-3). But the Beavers lost at home to Sacramento State. That coupled with a 67-43 embarrassment at the hands of lowly Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, could have coach Craig Robinson (brother of first lady Michelle Obama) seeking government work. Siena (3-1) of the MAAC, coming off a 27-8 season and a strong two-game showing in the NCAA Tournament, might not be ready to step up this year after a 73-69 loss at Temple.
AREA INTELLIGENCE
MARYLAND
Going into Wednesday’s third-place game against Wisconsin in the Maui Invitational, the Terps were 4-1 and trying to solve their shooting woes (36 percent in a loss to Cincinnati Tuesday. Next up is a game at Indiana (2-3), part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
NAVY
Guards Chris Harris (37 points) and Jordan Sugars (24 points) erupted for their respective career highs Tuesday as the Mids avenged a 2008 loss to Towson, 87-70. Navy (2-3) hosts Mount St. Mary’s (2-1), which has wins over Loyola and American.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
Freshman Lasan Kromah (Eleanor Roosevelt High) was named the Atlantic 10 co-rookie of the week after averaging 15.3 points and shooting 53.6 percent in the Colonials’ three season-opening victories. But it was fellow freshman Bryan Bynes who had four 3-pointers in a 65-50 win over Princeton that improved GW to 4-0.
GEORGETOWN
Head coach John Thompson III has used a very slim rotation in Georgetown’s first three games. Junior F Julian Vaughn is the only starter not averaging at least 32 minutes on the floor. Junior F Nikita Mescheriakov, who made nine starts and averaged 13.9 minutes last year, has played just six minutes per contest so far, scoring one point.
GEORGE MASON
The Patriots (3-2) play Saturday night at Tulane (1-3) in preparation for an interesting matchup Wednesday at surprising George Washington (4-0). GMU F Luke Hancock (9.8 points per game, 6 rpg, 4 apg) has already won two CAA Freshman of the Week awards.
