Predicting the College Basketball AP Top 25 Poll for Week 2: Kentucky Moves to No. 1

Just three ranked teams lost to unranked opponents in the first week of the college basketball season, which was highlighted by the top four teams in the AP Top 25 poll competing in the Champions Classic.

Here’s what we predict the college basketball AP poll will look like in Week 2. As a reminder, this isn’t a personal ballot, this is a prediction of how AP poll voters will collectively vote.

 

Dropped from the rankings: No. 23 Purdue

25. VCU (2-0)

The Rams beat St. Francis (PA) 72-58 and North Texas 59-56 to stay undefeated through the first week of the season. VCU committed 18 turnovers against North Texas but so did the Mean Green.

 

24. Auburn (2-0)

The Tigers beat Davidson 76-66 in the Veterans Classic to improve to 2-0. Samir Doughty is the team’s leading scorer through two games at 15.5 points per game.

 

23. Baylor (1-1)

The Bears lost to Washington on Isaiah Stewart’s game-winning layup with 30 seconds left, after Baylor beat Central Arkansas 105-61 in its season-opener. Jared Butler scored a team-high 30 points in the win.

 

22. LSU (1-0)

The Tigers defeated Bowling Green 88-79 in their season-opener thanks to 21 points apiece from Javonte Smart and Emmitt Williams.

 

21. Arizona (2-0)

The Wildcats scored at least 90 points in each of their first two games – a 91-52 win against Northern Arizona and a 90-69 win over Illinois on Sunday. Freshman Nico Mannion scored a team-high 23 points with nine assists in the win and fellow freshman Josh Green added 20 points.

 

20. Saint Mary’s (1-0)

The Gaels won their neutral-court season-opener against Wisconsin 65-63 in overtime behind Jordan Ford’s 26 points.

 

19. Xavier (2-0)

The Musketeers won their first two games by significant margins – 76-57 against Jacksonville and 81-63 against Siena. Tyrique Jones and Naji Marshall are both averaging 18.5 points per game.

 

18. Washington (1-0)

The Huskies should climb into the AP Top 25 poll after a 67-64 win over No. 16 Baylor. Nahziah Carter led the team with 23 points.

 

17. Ohio State (2-0)

For the second year in a row, the Buckeyes opened their season with a 64-56 win against Cincinnati. In their next game, they beat UMass-Lowell 76-56. Kyle Young is Ohio State’s leading scorer through the first two weeks, averaging 14 points per game on 85.7 percent shooting.

 

16. Utah State (2-0)

After a perhaps closer-than-expected 81-73 win over Montana State in its season-opener, Utah State rolled Weber State 89-34 in its next game. Sam Merrill is averaging 21 points through two games.

 

15. Florida (1-1)

After a 15-point win over North Florida, Florida suffered a 12-point home loss to Florida State on Sunday – the Gators’ six straight loss in the rivalry. Florida shot the ball terribly against Florida State’s athleticism (28 percent from the field, 4-of-22 from three) and the Gators committed 16 turnovers.

 

14. Oregon (2-0)

The Ducks are 2-0 after wins over Fresno State (71-57) and Boise State (106-75). Anthony Mathis scored 30 points on nine 3-pointers against Boise State.

 

13. Memphis (2-0)

The biggest storyline for Memphis basketball in the first week of the season has been off the court as top recruit James Wiseman was ruled ineligible by the NCAA but the he played against UIC after receiving a temporary restraining order, which means we could have a monumental stare-down between Memphis and the NCAA as we wait to see who blinks first. On the court, the Tigers have looked strong, beating South Carolina State 97-64 and UIC 92-46.

 

12. Texas Tech (2-0)

Virginia’s defense in the opening week of the season got a lot of attention but let’s also pay respect to Chris Beard and the Red Raiders’ defense despite its own share of significant roster turnover. Texas Tech held Eastern Illinois to 60 points then Bethune-Cookman to 44 in its first two games. Neither of those teams are world-beaters but the early returns suggest the Red Raiders will have another top-flight defense.

 

11. Seton Hall (2-0)

Seton Hall is 2-0 but the Pirates’ biggest concern is the health of preseason All-American Myles Powell, who left their game against Stony Brook with an ankle injury. Seton Hall scored 105 points in its season-opening win over Wagner.

 

10. Villanova (1-0)

The preseason top-10 Wildcats have only played one game so far, a 97-54 win over Army. Freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Early scored a team-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting in Villanova’s win. Next up is a road game at Ohio State on Wednesday.

 

9. North Carolina (2-0)

The Tar Heels are 1-0 in ACC play after a season-opening win over Notre Dame, 76-65, in which freshman Cole Anthony put up 34 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

 

8. Gonzaga (2-0)

The ‘Zags beat Alcorn State 95-64 in their season-opener then Arkansas-Pine Bluff 110-60 in their second game. Through two games, Filip Petrusev is Gonzaga’s leading scorer with 40 points in two games and Corey Kispert has 38.

 

7. Virginia (2-0)

The Cavaliers held both of their first two opponents, Syracuse and James Madison, to 34 points. Virginia’s season-opening 48-34 win at the Carrier Dome was really impressive for the reigning national champions, who lost their three best players to the NBA in the offseason.

 

6. Maryland (2-0)

The Terrapins opened their season with a pair of lopsided victories against Holy Cross (95-71) and Rhode Island (73-55). Both Jalen Smith (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Aaron Wiggins (13 points, 13 rebounds) recorded a double-double against Rhode Island.

 

5. Louisville (2-0)

The Cardinals opened the season with a decisive win on the road in conference play, 87-74 at Miami, as five players reached double figures, led by Jordan Nwora’s 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting. On Sunday, Louisville won 78-55 against Youngstown State.

 

4. Michigan State (1-1)

The Spartans lost their season-opener to Kentucky 69-62 but bounced back with a home win over Binghampton. Next up is a road game at Seton Hall on Thursday.

 

3. Kansas (1-1)

The Jayhawks shot the ball better than Duke from the field (46 percent to 35.9) and 3-point line (44 percent to 33), and out-rebounded the Blue Devils 40 to 30, but Kansas lost after committing 28 turnovers – many of which were unforced errors. Kansas won its next game at home against UNC Greensboro 74-62, while taking much better care of the ball (10 turnovers) and making 10 threes.

 

2. Duke (2-0)

The Blue Devils were the lowest-ranked team in the Champions Classic but thanks to a balanced scoring attack, they beat Kansas 68-66. Sophomore point guard Tre Jones scored a team-high 15 points, while fellow starters Cassius Stanley, Michael Hurt and Vernon Carey Jr. scored 13, 11 and 11 points, respectively.

 

1. Kentucky (2-0)

The Wildcats knocked off No. 1 Michigan State 69-62 behind freshman guard Tyrese Maxey’s 26 points off the bench. Kentucky didn’t shoot great – 38 percent from the field and 33 percent from three – but they got to the free throw line 32 times and shot 78 percent from the stripe. Defensively, Kentucky held Michigan State to 5-of-26 3-point shooting.

 

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