TOP 25
UK still No. 1, thanks to Wall
Rider was the first to cause damage in this year’s poll, taking down previously No. 23 Mississippi State, knocking the Bulldogs back into anonymity and becoming an early Cinderella. But the story remains at the top, where freshman John Wall saved Kentucky against Miami (Ohio) in his college debut with a pull-up jumper from 15 feet for a 72-70 victory. Even more priceless, however, was Redhawks coach Charlie Coles grilling a Lexington-based reporter afterward for asking him how a game against a Wildcats team with at least four first-round NBA prospects got away.
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Kentucky (2-0) | Wall’s game-winner vs. Miami (OH): good or bad omen? | 1 |
| 2 | Kansas (2-0) | Aldrich is the answer. Self: “Get it to the big fella!” | 2 |
| 3 | Texas (1-0) | An understated 47-point win is a nice start. | 3 |
| 4 | Michigan St. (2-0) | Primetime drama vs. Zags can’t shake confidence in Izzo. | 4 |
| 5 | Villanova (2-0) | GMU, which plays ‘Nova on Thurs., once tried to sign Reynolds. | 5 |
| 6 | Purdue (1-0) | Losing Lewis Jackson (foot surgery) for the season hurts. | 6 |
| 7 | West Virginia (1-0) | Most disappointing for WVU is weak non-conference sked. | 7 |
| 8 | Connecticut (3-0) | Rockville’s Jerome Dyson scored 9 in a row to put away Hofstra. | 8 |
| 9 | Butler (1-0) | Rally past Davidson doesn’t mean as much as it would’ve last year. | 9 |
| 10 | UNC (3-0) | Most intriguing non-con game yet is Thurs. vs. Ohio State | 10 |
| 11 | Tennessee (2-0) | Mercy rule should be invoked when it’s 66-14 at half | 11 |
| 12 | Washington (3-0) | Namesake thing for Isaiah Thomas? A bet his dad lost | 12 |
| 13 | California (2-0) | Upset bid for Syracuse vs. Golden Bears at MSG? | 13 |
| 14 | Ohio State (2-0) | Turner (19.0 ppg, 17.0 rpg) bolting up NBA draft boards | 14 |
| 15 | Duke (3-0) | Krzyzewski-ville ought to be renamed Cupcake-ville | 16 |
| 16 | Minnesota (2-0) | Off-court troubles for Royce White overshadowing Gophers | 17 |
| 17 | Maryland (2-0) | Vasquez still searching for his shot, but no matter, for now | 18 |
| 18 | Georgetown (2-0) | Outside of Monroe, Hoyas still deficient down low | 15 |
| 19 | Dayton (1-0) | Flyers stock will soar with solid showing in Puerto Rico | 19 |
| 20 | Michigan (1-0) | Old Spice Classic always reeks of poor atmosphere | 20 |
| 21 | Clemson (2-0) | George Mason beat Liberty by 4 — Tigers beat them by 40 | 21 |
| 22 | Siena (2-0) | After trouble Temple gave Hoyas, anxious to see them vs. Saints | 22 |
| 23 | Illinois (2-0) | Brandon Paul (21 ppg) a huge in-state recruit for Bruce Weber | 24 |
| 24 | Oklahoma (2-0) | Jeff Capel not afraid to play former club, VCU, in Richmond | 25 |
| 25 | Georgia Tech (1-0) | Take an early lunch Thurs.: GT vs. Dayton, 11:30 a.m. | NR |
HEATING UP
Memphis, Gonzaga » The Tigers and Bulldogs proved their still contenders — and will earn a place in the poll at some point — with near upsets of Kansas and Michigan State, respectively.
Also » Texas, Clemson, Tennessee
COOLING DOWN
Georgetown » The Hoyas earn honors as the only team to win and still drop thanks to an atrocious 46-45 nailbiter over Temple in which they had more turnovers and fouls than field goals.
Also » Cal, Purdue, Kansas
GAME OF THE WEEK
2K Sports Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer) final, Friday, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
With four quality teams — No. 10 North Carolina, No. 13 California, No. 14 Ohio State and Syracuse — squaring off in the semifinals tonight at Madison Square Garden, the championship game promises to be good. Defending national champion UNC (3-0), rolling behind G Marcus Ginyard, who back after a redshirt season (foot), faces Ohio State (2-0), getting huge production from 6-7 Evan Turner (19 points per game, 17 rpg, 7 apg). In the other semifinal, perimeter-oriented Cal (2-0), led by PG Jerome Randle (20 ppg) meets Syracuse (2-0), which has been lifted by Iowa State-transfer Wesley Johnson (13.5 ppg).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jerome Dyson, UConn, guard
When Hasheem Thabeet and A.J. Price departed for the NBA, the lead roles at No. 8 UConn fell to backcourt standouts Kemba Walker and Dyson, a 6-foot-3 wing from Potomac, who missed the Huskies’ run to the Final Four with a torn meniscus. Tuesday night in the NIT quarterfinals, Dyson showed he’s recovered, scoring 15 points in the final 7:11 as the Huskies overcame a 9-point deficit to subdue Hofstra, 76-67. Most encouraging for Huskies fans is that Dyson did it by driving to the hoop. Ten of his 15 points down the stretch came at the free throw line.
STORY LINES
1. Overrated? » Three of the nation’s top four teams, playing at home, were taken to the wire by unranked foes, raising the question: How good are these teams? No. 1 Kentucky had the closest call, needing a pull-up jumper from freshman John Wall with 1 second left in his college debut to subdue Miami of Ohio, 72-70. No. 2 Kansas sweated out a 3-point shot at the buzzer by Memphis guard Elliot Williams in a 57-55 win. No. 4 Michigan State avoided its first non-conference home loss since 2003 as Durrell Summers hit the big shots in the closing minutes as the Spartans overcome a 13-point deficit against Gonzaga, 75-71.
2. Tourney Time » Without invitational tournaments, November would be a vast wasteland of mismatches. But there’s plenty of enticing games this week and next. Three top 15 teams are in the 2K Sports Classic today and Friday. In the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which begins today, No. 5 Villanova gets top billing, but the strong field also includes No. 19 Dayton, No. 25 Georgia Tech, George Mason and Indiana. Next week’s eight-team Maui Invitational features No. 17 Maryland, Arizona, Cincinnati, Gonzaga and Wisconsin. In the NIT, play will resume Wednesday at Madison Square Garden with No. 8 Connecticut facing LSU and No. 15 Duke taking on Arizona State.
3. Curb Your Enthusiasm » The NCAA is cracking down on unnecessary celebration, establishing a “zero tolerance policy,” but there has been little evidence of the crackdown so far. The policy is aimed at individual players showing up other individual players on other teams – standing over a player after a dunk or a rejection, flexing and pointing. Will the policy be enforced closely when games become more crucial and emotional in January? Will the enforcement be heavy-handed and uneven, as seen in NCAA football games this fall? It will make for an interesting season, as the rule surely will be invoked at some point, perhaps costing a team a victory. Stay tuned.
