Hello, to see last week’s NCAA Top 100 Teams heading into opening day, click here.

1. Kansas Jayhawks (Big 12 #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #8) (Last Week: 2)

After beating #9 ranked UNC on Friday night, the Jayhawks move up to #1 in this week’s rankings. Lawrence, KS native, Zeke Mayo, scored 40 points off the bench in their first two games against UNC and Howard. Mayo is the key #2 option for Kansas behind Hunter Dickinson for the Jayhawks to be legitimate contenders. While Kansas relied heavily on their size against the Tar Heels, Mayo is the spark plug wing the Jayhawks lost in Kevin McCullar last season. Kansas plays a neutral court game against Michigan State before heading back home to face Oakland this week.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #6) (Last Week: 1)

Alabama moves down 1 spot due to no fault of their own. Alabama handled business, beating UNC Asheville by 56 and then beat a good Arkansas State team (98th in these rankings) by 9 on Friday night. The Crimson Tide dropped a whopping 110 points against Asheville and have done a lot of what fans have expected early in the year, as they have the #2 offense in the nation per KenPom and play at the second fastest tempo. Alabama plays McNeese (52nd in these rankings) before going on the road to play Purdue (11th in these rankings)

3. Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCC #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #4 ) (Last week: 3)

Arizona State (71st in these rankings) gave Gonzaga all that they could handle, but Gonzaga showed why they were my pre-season national champions on opening night, where they beat Baylor (11th in these rankings) by 38 points. Early on, the Zags are #1 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency metric and they’ll likely rival Alabama for that #1 spot all season. Gonzaga has a matchup with UMass Lowell on Friday.

4. Auburn Tigers (SEC #2) (1-0) (KenPom: #1) (Last week: 13)

Auburn moves up from 13th to 4th after blowing out a good Vermont team by 51 and then beating Houston (8th in these rankings). Despite two Auburn players nearly getting into a fist fight on the plane to Houston, which resulted in an emergency landing, this was an excellent opening week for the Tigers. The Auburn starting backcourt struggled against Houston, so that’s something worth monitoring but again, the Tigers couldn’t have had a better week. Freshman Thad Pettiford was incredible against Houston. Auburn plays Kent State this week.

5. Iowa State Cyclones (Big 12 #2) (1-0) (KenPom: #10) (Last week: 5)

The Cyclones only played one game last year and beat the hell out of Mississippi Valley State, who is ranked dead last in KenPom. That didn’t move the needle for me, so they will remain at #5. Iowa State plays Kansas City on Monday.

6. Duke Blue Devils (ACC #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #3) (Last week: 6)

Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg isn’t the only Duke freshman living up to the hype. While Flagg is averaging 15.5/9/4 and 4 stocks per game, it’s Kon Knueppel (18.5 PPG) who’s Duke’s leading scorer. Duke started the season blowing out both Maine and Army. A big development for Duke is Tyrese Proctor’s ability to knock down 3s. In his first two seasons, Proctor shot 33.6% from 3 on 312 total attempts. So far this year, Proctor hit 7 of 14 attempts. In fact, The Blue Devils are shooting 41.8% from 3 as a team early on. The Blue Devils have a neutral game against Kentucky (#23 in these rankings) for the Champions Classic on Tuesday and then play a home game against Wofford on Saturday.

7. Arizona Wildcats (Big 12 #3) (2-0) (KenPom: #7) (Last week: 7)

The scary thing about Arizona is their depth. In their first game, they only had three guys score in double figures. In their second game, they had four. However, aside from All-American, Caleb Love, every guy who scored in double figures in the second game was different than those in the first. While most expected Motiejus Krivas to be Arizona’s starting center, it’s been Tennessee transfer, Tobe Awaka. Awaka dropped 18 points and grabbed 15 points in the Wildcats’ 58 point win over Old Dominion. Arizona has wins by 29 and 58 this season and only Trey Townsend in the season opener has played more than 23 minutes in either game. Arizona has one game next week, as they travel to Wisconsin (82nd in these rankings).

8. Houston Cougars (Big 12 #4) (1-1) (KenPom: #2) (Last week: 4)

Houston was #1 on KenPom going into their game against Auburn. After the loss, the Tigers moved to #1, and the Cougars are #2. Despite the loss, there’s very little to be concerned about with the Cougars. The biggest issue, however, is figuring out who will fill the void Jamal Shead left from last season. Thus far, Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan has filled in admirably. Houston has a matchup against Louisiana this week.

9. UConn Huskies (Big East #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #5) (Last week: 9)

There was some skepticism about UConn only returning one starter from last year, but sophomore Solo Ball has stepped up in a big way. After two games, Ball is averaging 15 points per game. Pairing Ball’s contributions to Alex Karaban’s and Aidan Mahaney’s productivity give UConn some reliability that they’ll need to three-peat. Through two games, Dan Hurley’s squad is top ten on offense and defense per KenPom. Next week, UConn has a matchup against KenPom’s 335th ranked Le Moyne.

10. Tennessee Volunteers (SEC #3) (2-0) (KenPom: #9) (Last week: 11)

The Volunteers went into KFC Yum! Center and beat Louisville (50th in these rankings) by 22 points. While fans already knew that Zakai Zeigler was awesome, it might be North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier who becomes a household name. Lanier is averaging 18.5 points through the Volunteers first two games and many have speculated he can be this years Dalton Knecht. Tennessee plays Montana and Austin Peay next week.

11. Baylor Bears (Big 12 #5) (1-1) (KenPom: #24) (Last week: 10)

Very few coaches in the country would be willing to schedule Gonzaga (3rd in these rankings) and Arkansas (21st in these rankings) in the opening week of college basketball. Not Scott Drew. As a result, the Bears split the two games. After losing to Gonzaga by 38, the Bears played John Calipari’s Arkansas squad, played a zone that Arkansas struggled with the entire game, and handed Calipari his first loss as the Razorbacks coach. Baylor faces Sam Houston State on Tuesday and then Tarleton State on Sunday.

12. North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC #2) (1-1) (KenPom: #16) (Last week: 8)

The Tar Heels issue against Kansas (1st in these rankings) was the same issue many anticipated they’d have all season: size. The Tar Heels had no answer to Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson. Additionally, UNC’s game against Elon was a little concerning. It took the Tar Heels far too long to put the Phoenix away. It was a tie game with 7:12 left in the second half. UNC only plays American this week and will need to prove they can put away mediocre teams early on.

13. Creighton Blue Jays (Big East #2) (2-0) (KenPom: #18) (Last week: 12)

Creighton dropped from 12th to 13th in these rankings due to no fault of their own. In the season opener against UTRGV, fans were wowed as Ryan Kalkbrenner shot 20 of 22 and scored 49 points. That game was without Pops Isaacs. In their second game against Fairleigh Dickinson, Kalkbrenner scored 22 points in 24 minutes and shot 9-10 from the field. In total, Kalkbrenner is averaging 35.5 points per game and shooting 90.6% from the field. We may have our early candidate for National Player of the Year. Creighton plays Houston Christian and then Kansas City this week.

14. Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #11) (Last week: 14)

Purdue opened the season with Fletcher Loyer scoring 21, Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, Braden Smith, dropping 12/8/15, and 7’3″ freshman Daniel Jacobsen scoring 13 and 7. Since then, Jacobsen broke his tibia and will redshirt the remainder of this season. Meanwhile, Smith is averaging 11 points and 11 assists. Purdue is rock solid and we know Matt Painter is a phenomenal coach, but this team does not have a Zach Edey on the roster. Purdue has a tough week, as the play Yale on Monday and then host the Crimson Tide (2nd in these rankings) on Friday.

15. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12 #6) (2-0) (KenPom: #12) (Last week: 15)

Texas Tech is good. They won both games they played handedly without starting point guard Elijah Hawkins. JT Toppin is a legitimate Big 12 caliber player. On KenPom, the Red Raiders are 16th on offense and 13th on defense. While we keep reiterating that the Big 12 is the best conference in the sport, Texas Tech flies under the radar a little bit. They aren’t as good as the conference’s top five teams, but they might be closer to those five than the next tier of teams. The Red Raiders play Wyoming this week.

16. Cincinnati Bearcats (Big 12 #7) (2-0) (KenPom: #13) (Last week: 18)

The Bearcats are the 6th Big 12 team in the top 13 of KenPom. While the Dan Skillings breakout is well underway, evidenced by his 17/11 in opening night, the Bearcats beat Morehead State by 27 without Skillings in their second game. They’re good, they’re deep, and they’re well coached. The Bearcats will host Nicholls State this week.

17. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (ACC #3) (3-0) (KenPom: #57) (Last week: 19)

The analytics don’t love Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons only scored 64 points against Coppin State and 80 points against North Carolina A&T and there was a little bit of a panic regarding the offense. Then on Sunday, Wake Forest beat Michigan on a neutral court. While they only scored 72 points, the Demon Deacons have demonstrated that they will continue to win big games however they need to. They play USC Upstate on Wednesday before traveling to play a road game against Xavier (18th in these rankings) on Saturday.

18. Xavier Musketeers (Big East #3) (2-0) (KenPom: #53) (Last week: 16)

Despite being 2-0, the Musketeers struggled this week. They beat IU Indy and Texas Southern by a combined 23 points. However, sometimes a win is a win, and Xavier was one of my Final Four picks going into this year so I’m not selling any shares of the Musketeers. The Musketeers play Jackson State before Wake Forest (17th in these rankings) come to town on Saturday.

19. Ole Miss Rebels (SEC #4) (2-0) (KenPom: #61) (Last week: 21)

This is another team that analytics isn’t high on. Some of that has to do with the Rebels squeaking by Grambling State (265th on KenPom on day of game) by 2. Star guard, Matthew Murrell has been underwhelming so far this year, averaging just 9.5 points in the Rebels’ first two games. Ole Miss plays South Alabama before having a matchup with Colorado State (80th in these rankings) in a semi-home matchup.

20. Indiana Hoosiers (Big Ten #2) (2-0) (KenPom: #41) (Last week: 22)

So far, so good for Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers. While it’s been speculated that this will be Woodson’s last in Bloomington, he’s excelled in their first two games. That isn’t saying much, given the Hoosiers played two sub-300 KenPom teams to start the year. The Hoosiers’ next game is against South Carolina (92nd in these rankings).

21. Arkansas Razorbacks (SEC #5) (1-1) (KenPom: #35) (Last week: 20)

The Razorbacks move down one spot after their week with a win over Lipscomb but loss to Scott Drew’s Baylor. John Calipari couldn’t figure out how to break a zone almost the entire game despite Abou Thiero’s 24 points. Thiero and Boogie Fland were the only two Razorbacks to score in double figures against Baylor. They have one matchup this week against Troy.

22. Texas A&M Aggies (SEC #6) (1-1) (KenPom: #17) (Last week: 17)

Despite the five spot drop, I don’t think A&M’s loss to UCF in a true road game will end up being that detrimental to their resume by season’s end. UCF is 51st in these rankings and is a borderline bubble team. There is no shame losing to them on their home court. However, Wade Taylor IV will need to be better. He shot 4 of 15 from the field in that UCF game. The Aggies play Lamar before having the Ohio State Buckeyes (28th in these rankings) come to town.

23. Kentucky Wildcats (SEC #7) (2-0) (KenPom: #30) (Last week: 24)

While Kentucky hasn’t played any top tier opponents yet, they beat relatively decent teams in Wright State and Bucknell. In fact, Kentucky beat Wright State by 41 and Bucknell by 28. That’s exactly what we’d expect from Kentucky, John Calipari or not. So far, Mark Pope has done just fine but tomorrow will be his first real test, as the Wildcats take on Duke in the Champions Classic.

24. Illinois Fighting Illini (Big Ten #3) (2-0) (KenPom: #19) (Last week: 25)

Illinois has played two sub-300 KenPom teams so far but took care of business each time so far. The offense seems to be elite, as they’ve dropped 112 and 90 in each of their first two games. Reclass freshman, Will Riley, dropped 31 points for the Illini in their season opener while Tomislav Ivisic dropped 18 in their second game. Illinois will be a scrappy Oakland team on Wednesday.

25. St. John’s Red Storm (Big East #4) (2-0) (KenPom: #15) (Last week: 26)

The Red Storm are ranked in the AP Poll for the first time in 5 years. They started the season by beating Fordham by 33 (Fordham beat Seton Hall in their second game) and then beat MAAC favorite Quinnipac by 23. The scary thing is that neither Kadary Richmond or Deivon Smith have gotten going yet this season. The ceiling for this St. John’s team is high. The Red Storm have a home matchup against Wagner on Wednesday before playing the Pitino Bowl in MSG, as they’ll face off against Richard Pitino’s New Mexico (45th in these rankings) squad.

26. Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East #5) (2-0) (KenPom: #14) (Last week: 27)

My biggest skepticism with Maquette was I wasn’t sure who outside of Kam Jones would be able to help Shaka Smart’s team maintain the level of success they’ve had the last few seasons. However, David Joplin and Chase Ross have also stepped up alongside Jones. Jones, Joplin, and Ross have combined to average 65 points per game for the Golden Eagles. Marquette plays Central Michigan before facing off in a home game against Maryland (40th in these rankings).

27. Florida Gators (SEC #8) (2-0) (KenPom: #23) (Last week: 28)

The Gators got off to a slow start against USF but ultimately won that game by 15. After that, they beat Jacksonville by 21. This is another pretty good offense, as they scored 98 and 81 points in those two games. The Gators play Grambling before facing off in a road game against Florida State.

28. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten #4) (1-0) (KenPom: #21) (Last week: 30)

While the Buckeyes only played one game opening week, they picked up a massive win against the Texas Longhorns. Bruce Thornton scored 20 points and Micah Parrish scored 17 in the win. Meechie Johnson had just 6, and it’s only a matter of time before Coach Diebler gets him going, too. The Buckeyes face Youngstown State before traveling to play a road game against Texas A&M (22nd in these rankings).

29. Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12 #8) (2-0) (KenPom: #51) (Last week: 29)

If there’s anything Kansas State has done early, it’s shoot the ball well. They shot 43.4% from three so far this season, which is 38th in KenPom early on. Coach Tang will need to find a way to get their $2 million man, Coleman Hawkins, in the fold, as Hawkins is averaging just 8.5 points through their first two games. The Wildcats have a matchup against LSU (84th in these rankings) this week.

30. Oregon Ducks (Big Ten #5) (2-0) (KenPom: #22) (Last week: 31)

The Ducks have five players averaging double figures early on in the year, and none of them are star guard, Jackson Shelstad. Once Shelstad gets going, 30th could end up being too low for the Ducks. They play Portland before having a matchup with Troy this week.

31. Texas Longhorns (SEC #9) (1-1) (KenPom: #27) (Last week: 23)

32. BYU Cougars (Big 12 #9) (2-0) (KenPom: #32) (Last week: 32)

33. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Big Ten #6) (1-0) (KenPom: #60) (Last week: 36)

34. Mississippi State Bulldogs (SEC #10) (2-0) (KenPom: #20) (Last week: 38)

35. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (ACC #4) (2-0) (KenPom: #46) (Last week: 39)

36. VCU Rams (A10 #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #36) (Last week: 40)

37. USC Trojans (Big Ten #7) (2-0) (KenPom: #55) (Last week: 41)

38. Providence Friars (Big East #6) (2-0) (KenPom: #72) (Last week: 35)

39. Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten #8) (2-0) (KenPom: #33) (Last week: 45)

40. Maryland Terrapins (Big Ten #9) (2-0) (KenPom: #31) (Last week: 46)

41. Dayton Flyers (A10 #2) (2-0) (KenPom: #28) (Last week: 47)

42. Clemson Tigers (ACC #5) (2-0) (KenPom: #26) (Last week: 48)

43. Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten #10) (1-1) (KenPom: #29) (Last week: 34)

44. Memphis Tigers (AAC #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #37) (Last week: 50)

45. New Mexico Lobos (MWC #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #58) (Last week: 52)

46. UCLA Bruins (Big Ten #11) (1-1) (KenPom: #34) (Last week: 33)

47. Grand Canyon Lopes (WAC #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #71) (Last week: 43)

48. Saint Mary’s Gaels (WCC #2) (2-0) (KenPom: #43) (Last week: 54)

49. St. Louis Billikens (A10 #3) (1-1) (KenPom: #115) (Last week: 37)

50. Louisville Cardinals (ACC #6) (1-1) (KenPom: #69) (Last week: 44)

51. UCF Knights (Big 12 #10) (2-0) (KenPom: #63) (Last week: 58)

52. McNeese State (Southland #1) (1-1) (KenPom: #121) (Last week: 42)

53. Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten #12) (2-0) (KenPom: #42) (Last week: 57)

54. Nevada Wolfpack (MWC #2) (2-0) (KenPom: #56) (Last week: 62)

55. TCU Horned Frogs (Big 12 #11) (2-0) (KenPom: #50) (Last week: 63)

56. Utah State Aggies (MWC #3) (2-0) (KenPom: #47) (Last week: 64)

57. SMU Mustangs (ACC #7) (2-0) (KenPom: #62) (Last week: 65)

58. Washington Huskies (Big Ten #13) (1-1) (KenPom: #81) (Last week: 49)

59. Boise State Broncos (MWC #4) (1-1) (KenPom: #45) (Last week: 55)

60. West Virginia Mountaineers (Big 12 #12) (2-0) (KenPom: #75) (Last week: 69)

61. San Francisco Dons (WCC #3) (2-0) (KenPom: #77) (Last week: 70)

62. UAB Blazers (AAC #2) (1-1) (KenPom: #100) (Last week: 53)

63. NC State Wolfpack (ACC #7) (2-0) (KenPom: #59) (Last week: 71)

64. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (ACC #8) (2-0) (KenPom: #66) (Last week: 72)

65. Syracuse Orange (ACC #9) (2-0) (KenPom: #85) (Last week: 66)

66. Northwestern Wildcats (Big Ten #14) (1-1) (KenPom: #38) (Last week: 67)

67. Missouri Tigers (SEC #11) (1-1) (KenPom: #54) (Last week: 61)

68. Villanova Wildcats (Big East #7) (2-1) (KenPom: #48) (Last week: 51)

69. Pitt Panthers (ACC #10) (2-0) (KenPom: #25) (Last week: 75)

70. Princeton Tigers (Ivy #1) (3-0) (KenPom: #86) (Last week: 74)

71. Arizona State Sun Devils (Big 12 #13) (2-1) (KenPom: #67) (Last week: 79)

72. Santa Clara Broncos (WCC #4) (1-1) (KenPom: #87) (Last week: 68)

73. Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big Ten #15) (2-0) (KenPom: #70) (Last week: 73)

74. Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten #16) (2-0) (KenPom: #44) (Last week: 85)

75. Butler Bulldogs (Big East #8) (1-1) (KenPom: #104) (Last week: 56)

76. Saint Joseph’s Hawks (A10 #4) (1-1) (KenPom: #112) (Last week: 59)

77. Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (ACC #11) (1-1) (KenPom: #92) (Last week: 60)

78. Georgia Bulldogs (SEC #12) (2-0) (KenPom: #74) (Last week: 76)

79. San Diego State Aztecs (MWC #5) (2-0) (KenPom: #52) (Last week: 77)

80. Colorado State Rams (MWC #6) (2-0) (KenPom: #78) (Last week: 78)

81. Oklahoma Sooners (SEC #13) (1-0) (KenPom: #39) (Last week: 81)

82. Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten #17) (3-0) (KenPom: #40) (Last week: 83)

83. Loyola Chicago Ramblers (A10 #5) (3-0) (KenPom: #89) (Last week: 84)

84. LSU Tigers (SEC #14) (2-0) (KenPom: #49) (Last week: 86)

85. High Point Panthers (Big South #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #107) (Last week: 89)

86. Wichita State Shockers (AAC #3) (2-0) (KenPom: #80) (Last week: 93)

87. Charleston Cougars (CAA #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #111) (Last week: 96)

88. Virginia Cavaliers (ACC #12) (2-0) (KenPom: #88) (Last week: 90)

89. California Golden Bears (ACC #13) (2-0) (KenPom: #134) (Last week: 91)

90. Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten #18) (2-0) (KenPom: #68) (Last week: 92)

91. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (MWC #7) (1-1) (KenPom: #93) (Last week: 87)

92. South Carolina Gamecocks (SEC #14) (1-1) (KenPom: #76) (Last week: 80)

93. UC Irvine Anteaters (Big West #1) (3-0) (KenPom: #64) (Last week: 100)

94. North Texas Mean Green (AAC #4) (2-0) (KenPom: #73) (Last week: 97)

95. Stanford Cardinal (ACC #14) (2-0) (KenPom: #79) (Last week: 98)

96. Washington State Cougars (WCC #5) (2-0) (KenPom: #101) (Last week: Not ranked)

97. Bradley Braves (MVC #1) (2-0) (KenPom: #99) (Last week: 88)

98. Arkansas State Red Wolves (Sun Belt #1) (1-1) (KenPom: #110) (Last week: 94)

99. North Florida Osprey (ASUN #1) (3-0) (KenPom: #139) (Last week: Not ranked)

100. Chattanooga Mocs (SoCon #1) (0-2) (KenPom: #156) (Last week: 82)