College basketball rankings: KenPom's top teams heading into … – 247Sports

Thanksgiving Week might have officially started, but it will truly get underway this week with a number of college basketball holiday tournaments that represent arguably the most exciting week of non-conference play. And that should provide a pretty good indicator of which teams are truly playing like the nation’s best squads early on, and which teams have real work to do. Some teams have already made strong early impressions, taking advantage of opportunities against other top teams. And statistics website KenPom has those teams ranked on their efficiency so far, with said efficiency adjusted for caliber of competition.
It’s worth noting that these rankings change and update with every game played, but also that there’s still a preseason component to them, which will gradually lessen and lessen before it leaves the rankings at some point midseason.
When paired with the human polls, these rankings can provide a real idea on which teams have been the best and most efficient early this season.
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Here are the top 25 teams in KenPom’s rankings entering Thanksgiving Week:
The Cougars have a slight edge for the No. 1 spot a this point, thanks in large part to boasting KenPom’s No. 1 adjusted defense. And while three of Houston’s five wins came over a teams ranked below 200, the Cougars beat Towson (No. 143) by 16 and added a 10-point win over No. 33 Utah. With both those wins coming on neutral courts. Dayton is up next. The Cougars’ defense is represented by the sixth-best 2-point field goal percentage unit, while Houston also ranks fourth in turnover rate. The offense currently ranks 13th.
The Cougars’ opposite, Purdue brings the nation’s No. 1 offense to bear and the No. 13 defense. And like Houston, Purdue has a double-digit top 50 win, with Purdue trouncing No. 43 Xavier by 12. Reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey sits first in KenPom’s own National Player of the Year rankings for this year, thanks in large part to leading the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes at 10.4 (!!!). While Edey is one of the nation’s deadliest interior forces, the Boilermakers are also passing (fourth in assist rate) and shooting (fifth in 3-point field goal percentage) the ball exceptionally well.
The No. 1 team in both polls, Kansas showed its mettle in coming from behind against No. 13 Kentucky at the Champions Classic in a five-point win. Kansas currently ranks first in adjusted tempo — something likely to slow as the Jayhawks move on — and third in effective field goal percentage. That helps Kansas rank No. 9 in adjusted offensive efficiency, though early on, the Jayhawks actually rank higher in adjusted defensive efficiency, at No. 2, behind only Big 12 foe Houston. Hunter Dickinson ranks second to Edey in the NPOY formula.
KenPom doesn’t account for injuries, and it will be interesting to see how Stephon Castle’s absence impacts the Huskies in the short term. For now, the defending national champions rank in the top seven on both offense (sixth) and defense (seventh), the only team in college basketball to do so. UConn’s first game against a top 200 team comes on Sunday against Indiana at Madison Square Garden. And the Hoosiers will have to work hard to account for the size of Donovan Clingan, who is shooting 73.2% from 2, the best mark in the country, while grabbing 47.4% of the available offensive rebounds, which is second.
The Crimson Tide are higher here than in the polls, thanks to playing and scoring at a blistering pace, averaging just shy of 102 points per game. How does a team get there? Alabama is second in effective field goal percentage and third in 3-point field goal percentage, while the Crimson Tide have the third-fastest average possession length on offense. That’s the kind of pace that Oats favors, which has helped Alabama put up the nation’s second-best offense and No. 24 defense.
The Wildcats have the best win in college basketball to date, when Arizona went to Cameron Indoor Stadium and left with a 78-73 victory over now-No. 12 Duke. Tommy Lloyd’s bunch is playing with their typical speed, and while they’re shooting well, they’re also grabbing almost 47% of the available offensive rebounds, leading to extra chances. More importantly, Arizona has defended at a high level early on (eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency), which comes from Kylan Boswell’s growth and the addition of Keshad Johnson through the portal. Bringing the No. 7 offense was perhaps expected, but the defense has been a pleasant surprise.
How legitimate is this Gonzaga team? The Bulldogs have a nice win over No. 71 Yale by 15 points, but we’ll get a better idea when Gonzaga plays No. 2 Purdue in the opening round of a stacked Maui Invitational that also includes Kansas, Tennessee and Marquette, among others. KenPom tracks stats against other Division I opponents, and Gonzaga only has one such game, the victory over Yale, with a Division II win as well, so it’s not worth getting too much into the specific stats at this point. If Gonzaga can make its 3-pointers the way it did against Yale, that would help.
The Bluejays are solid defensively (29th) but elite offensively (No. 4) after turning things over to Trey Alexander following the transfer of Ryan Nembhard. Alexander currently ranks fifth in KenPom’s NPOY formula, and Creighton is second in the country in 2-point field goal percentage as a team (70.3%) while leading the nation in 3-point rate, taking 54.9% of its shots from behind the arc. There are few things more dangerous than a sweet-shooting team that plays to its strengths, while also boasting the ability to generate high-percentage looks inside the arc because of spacing.
When Rick Barnes’ teams have tough offenses, look out. The Volunteers brought back several key pieces from last year’s Sweet 16 team — and added more, including getting Zakai Zeigler back healthy — and so far that’s paid off with three double-digit wins, including a 10-point victory at Wisconsin. The Volunteers have the No. 3 defense, which is certainly expected, but it’s the No. 22 offense that could make Tennessee dangerous. The Volunteers are often dangerous in early-season tournaments — like winning last year’s Battle 4 Atlantis — and should be considered a favorite to win a loaded Maui Invitational.
With so many newcomers, it could be a little while before the Bears hit their stride. So it’s impressive that Baylor landed a six-point win over No. 15 Auburn in South Dakota, and the Bears haven’t been tested again since. The offense has continued its strong run after last year’s offense-first, offense-second guard-oriented team (No. 2 last year, No. 5 this year), while the defense has taken a major step forward to the No. 25 defense in the country. If Baylor can consistently defend at that level this season, the Bears will be a factor in a stacked Big 12.
11. Marquette — Last year’s Big East champions made a pretty solid statement with a seven-point win at Illinois. Marquette has the No. 8 offense so far, and the No. 21 defense.
12. Duke — Few teams have challenged themselves like Duke so far, with the Blue Devils splitting games against Michigan State (win) and Arizona (loss). The No. 11 offense performs opposite a pretty strong defense (No. 18).
13. Kentucky — The Wildcats’ freshmen have stepped up well with the lone loss coming to Kansas at the Champions Classic. The offense (No. 10) is ahead of the defense (No. 39) right now.
14. BYU — A pleasant early surprise, BYU has three blowout wins over teams well down the rankings, but also a nine-point victory over a ranked San Diego State squad. BYU has the No. 19 offense and No. 17 defense so far.
15. Auburn — Bruce Pearl’s team is playing fast and sharing the ball well, and is only a six-point loss to Baylor from being undefeated. The Tigers have the No. 18 offense and No. 22 defense.
16. San Diego State — Bouncing back from a loss to BYU with double-digit wins over top 100 teams in Long Beach State and Saint Mary’s is solid. The Aztecs have the No. 9 defense and No. 32 offense.
17. Texas A&M — The Aggies also have a pair of top 100 wins, in this case Ohio State and SMU, both on the road. A&M is better offensively (No. 16) than defensively (No. 32) right now.
18. Mississippi State — Keep an eye on the Bulldogs, who have been playing without key players but are still 4-0 with the No. 5 defense and No. 51 offense in the nation.
19. Virginia — The Cavaliers are off to an efficient 4-0 start with the No. 12 defense and No. 36 offense. A win over top 35 Florida is the highlight so far.
20. Texas — The Longhorns have been without Dylan Disu, but have rolled regardless, with the No. 10 defense and No. 39 offense so far.
21. North Carolina — The Tar Heels have actually dropped slightly from No. 17 to No. 21 despite three wins of at least 16 points. The No. 20 offense leads the way for the No. 30 defense so far.
22. Iowa State — The Cyclones are higher here than in human polls, thanks to the No. 4 defense in the country, while the offense has been solid early on, at No. 62.
23. Colorado — The Buffaloes’ biggest win is a victory over Towson, but so far Colorado has taken care of business with the nation’s 14th-best offense and 44th-best defense.
24. TCU — The Horned Frogs have climbed slightly after four-straight blowout wins over teams ranked 280th or worse in KenPom’s standings. TCU has the No. 15 defense, but ranks No. 43 on offense.
25. Michigan State — Michigan State came into this season at No. 13, and after two losses, the Spartans sit at No. 25. Michigan State has KenPom’s No. 52 offense but No. 11 defense.
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