(James Madison University's Raekwon Horton rises up for a jump shot over Michigan State's Malik Hall during the Dukes' shocking 79-76 overtime upset of the Spartans. JMU is ranked #25 in this week's Tommy 25 behind a 3-0 start to the season.)
The Tommy 25, Nov. 13, 2023
Ranking | Team | Preseason |
1 | Purdue | 1 |
2 | UConn | 4 |
3 | Kansas | 5 |
4 | Arizona | 15 |
5 | Creighton | 6 |
6 | Tennessee | 13 |
7 | Marquette | 7 |
8 | Duke | 2 |
9 | Arkansas | 8 |
10 | Texas A&M | 11 |
11 | FAU | 9 |
12 | Houston | 10 |
13 | Miami | 12 |
14 | Texas | 17 |
15 | USC | 18 |
16 | Gonzaga | 14 |
17 | Baylor | 19 |
18 | Villanova | 16 |
19 | Michigan State | 3 |
20 | Colorado | 20 |
21 | Alabama | 22 |
22 | Memphis | 25 |
23 | St. John's | 23 |
24 | Virginia | NR |
25 | James Madison | NR |
Dropped out: San Diego State (21), Maryland (24)
Just out: Oregon, Michigan, Kentucky, North Carolina, BYU, Mississippi State, San Diego State, Illinois, Iowa State, St. Mary's, Wisconsin
Quick Hits
Friday night's slate of games was incredible. Kylan Boswell and Arizona (2-0) impressed us with their win over Duke (1-1) at Cameron Indoor causing the Wildcats to jump 11 spots to #4 in this week's ranking.
Dalton Knecht is looking like an early SEC Player of the Year contender for Tennessee (2-0), dropping 24 in the Vols' 80-70 win at Wisconsin (1-1) on Friday night. We had Knecht on the All-SEC Second Team in our season preview, but the Northern Colorado transfer has exceeded those expectations to begin the year.
We've got some early freshman phenoms! USC's (2-0) Isaiah Collier, Baylor's (3-0) Ja'Kobe Walter, and Auburn's (1-1) Aden Holloway all looked the part of five-stars against high-major competition in the season's opening week.
The Big Ten has some problems on their hands with Michigan State (1-1), Maryland (1-2), and Indiana (2-0) all in early crisis mode. The Spartans shot 6.5% from three in two games and were upset at home, while the Terrapins suffered two mid-major losses at the Asheville Championship. The Hoosiers are still unbeaten but have looked very rough in wins against FGCU and Army. IU has UConn (2-0) on Sunday and should be terrified.
Michigan State's struggles don't mean we can discount James Madison (3-0)! The Dukes beat MSU at the Breslin Center, edged out a quality Kent State (1-1) team in double overtime on the road, and put up 107 points on Howard (1-2)—an NCAA tournament team from a year ago. JMU justifiably come in at #25 in this week's ranking.
Looking Ahead
The final edition of the Gavitt Games between the Big East and Big Ten commence this week. Our favorite matchups are Michigan/St. John's tonight, Marquette/Illinois on Tuesday, and the DMV showdown of Maryland/Villanova on Friday.
Michigan State takes on Duke and Kansas battles Kentucky at the United Center in Chicago for Tuesday night's Champions Classic. Duke and Michigan State are looking to avoid a 1-2 start, while Kansas and Kentucky are both looking for an early statement win.
The Charleston Classic, the Myrtle Beach Invitational, and the Bahamas Championship are under way later this week, giving us a nice appetizer to next week's Thanksgiving week tournaments. All three tournaments have decent fields, and we're never turning down day basketball on a weekday.
St. Mary's and San Diego State face off in the Continental Tire Main Event on Friday. Both the Gaels and the Aztecs picked up opening week losses, and the Main Event represents a crucial opportunity for both mid-majors to grab one or two quality non-conference wins.
You can follow me on Twitter @tommy_marq for more analysis during the week!