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The 2013-14 season opened in nifty fashion, with the heavily touted double-dip in Chicago last Tuesday night proving to be quite worthy of all the pre-hyperbole – as did the mega-frosh who were on display.

  This week’s feature game figures to be the Oklahoma State (No. 7) vs. Memphis (10) in Stillwater that could be re-played a week later in Orlando as part of the Old Spice Classic.

  The games that are a part of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off could be pretty cool, as well, notably a likely Virginia Commonwealth (No. 13) vs. Michigan (No. 14) semifinal clash Friday that would be a rematch, of sorts, of the Round of 32 contest of the NCAA Tournament won by the Wolverines last March.

 

Rank (Last Week)
Record
Comment
1. Michigan St. (1)
3-0
Opened the week by knocking off the perceived “most talented team in the country” then struggled to rally past Columbia at home. Go figure.
2. Kansas (2)
3-0
I lost track of how many guys Bill Self put into the game. And they all contributed significantly vs. Duke.
3. Duke (3)
2-1
Will Jabari Parker and Amile Jefferson be the Blue Devils’ primary low-post threats all season?
4. Kentucky (4)
3-1
The Wildcats will overwhelm most teams they face. But to knock off the really good opponents, Andrew Harrison will have to become a very good point guard.
5. Ohio State (6)
3-0
It was a tad painful to watch at times but the Buckeyes’ defensive effort at Marquette Saturday was truly impressive.
6. Louisville (7)
3-0
A better team than last season? It will take awhile to determine that but it sure looks a bit deeper, right?
7. Oklahoma State (9)
3-0
The Tuesday tilt with Memphis should reveal a lot about both teams.
8. Arizona (10)
3-0
It didn’t get as much attention, nationally, as it warranted but the win at San Diego State was among the most impressive of road wins so far.
9. Syracuse (12)
3-0
One of six ACC teams with 3-0 records – none of which are named Duke or North Carolina.
10. Memphis (14)
1-0
Its touted freshman class will get a taste of major college hoops against Oklahoma State.
11. Connecticut (15)
4-0
Could 6-1 Shabazz Napier (13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game) average a triple-double? It’s very unlikely but kind of cool to consider, eh?
12. Wichita State (16)
4-0
The “real” test for this club comes on Dec. 1 against Saint Louis.
13. VCU (NR)
3-0
The Rams proved what they are made up last Tuesday night in Charlottesville.
14. Michigan (11)
2-1
That wasn’t exactly an awful loss in Ames when one surmises that Iowa State may be vastly underrated, nationally.
15. North Carolina (5)
2-1

The Tar Heels certainly let things slip away when they seemed “salted away” down the stretch on Sunday.

16. Florida (8)
2-1
As the case with North Carolina and a few other short-handed teams right now, we have yet to set the “real” Gators.

THE NEXT 16 (alphabetically): Baylor (3-0), BYU (4-0), Colorado (3-1), Creighton (3-0), Gonzaga (3-0), Harvard (3-0), Indiana (4-0), Iowa (4-0), Iowa State (3-0), New Mexico (2-0), Oregon (2-0), Pittsburgh (3-0), UCLA (2-0), Virginia (2-1), Wisconsin (3-0) and Xavier (3-0).

TEAMS OF THE WEEK:

Arizona (win at San Diego State);

Belmont (stunner at North Carolina);

Kansas (victory against Duke);

Michigan State (held off Kentucky);

Virginia Commonwealth (win at Virginia).

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

Melvin Ejim (Iowa State) – The senior forward, making his debut after missing the team’s first two games with a hyper-extended knee, scored 22 points to go with nine rebounds and three steals in the Cyclones’ victory over Michigan;

Treveon Graham (VCU) – The junior swingman averaged 17.5 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds in wins against Virginia and Winthrop, including the winning 3-pointer in the former;

Jabari Parker (Duke) – The 6-8 freshman average 23.3 points and 8.3 rebounds over his first three games, including 27 and nine in the loss to Kansas Tuesday night;

Julius Randle (Kentucky) – After a wobbly first half (two points and five turnovers) against Michigan State , the left-handed, 245-pounder finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds in a loss to the top-ranked Spartans;

Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) – Despite being on the floor for only 25 minutes (largely because of first-half foul issues), Wiggins finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, and seemingly made every big play down the stretch, as the Jayhawks knocked off the Blue Devils.

Frank Burlison has been covering hoops for 30+ years for a variety of publications.

Follow Frank on twitter @FrankieBur. Also make sure to follow his website at www.burlisononbasketball.com. College coaching staffs interested in Burlison’s scouting service should contact him at [email protected].

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2 Comments

  1. I still think Kentucky is the

     I still think Kentucky is the best team and will be the best team come tournament time. They lost to Mich St. by only two, and Randle had 8 TOs, and the Harrison brothers were throwing bricks. Their transition defense will improve as they play together more.

  2. I still think Kentucky is the

     I still think Kentucky is the best team and will be the best team come tournament time. They lost to Mich St. by only two, and Randle had 8 TOs, and the Harrison brothers were throwing bricks. Their transition defense will improve as they play together more.

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