From Downtown’s Top 25 December Teams
With almost a month of distance between the start of the season and today, the season has had immense developments so far. The preseason #1 ranked team in the country lost 3 times, as did From Downtown’s preseason #1 ranked team. It is moments like these that demonstrate that, no matter how smart someone is, they can never truly predict what will happen come season start. Therefore, From Downtown has taken the mantle at not only proving this point by making more bad predictions, but also chronicling the most successful teams of the 1st month of the season. Come December, we will check back in with this list and analyze if each team was ranked too highly, too low, or just right. Enjoy!
**NOTE: These rankings are as of 10:00 AM on Saturday, December 3rd, and do not account for any developments in between this time and the time of publication
UConn - UConn rolled out to a 9-0 start of exclusively double digit victories, including fellow From Downtown ranked teams Iowa State and Alabama. They are the only team in KenPom to have a top 10 offense and defense, and Adama Sanogo looks like one of the best players in the nation. From Downtown’s preseason pick to win the Big East seems to be exceeding even that expectation, and while it is not the only reasonable pick for #1, this team looks like the best team in the country right now!
Houston - Houston has been mauling their opponents. With the exception of a strangely close Kent State game, Houston has won every game by double digits, including 47 and 48 point victories against North Colorado and Norfolk State respectively. Houston has given no reason to doubt them, and they are the #2 ranked team on this list as a result.
Texas - While UConn and Houston may be having the most dominant performances, Texas has the most dominant resume. Victories over fellow top 25 teams Creighton and Gonzaga (in convincing fashion) and Tyrese Hunter emerging as a superstar have elevated this team to great heights. Alongside a test against Illinois on Tuesday, Texas plays Stanford in the American Airlines center in Dallas later this month, which should be quite the spectacle.
Purdue - Purdue’s strong wins against Duke and Gonzaga elevated them to here. From Downtown was similarly high on Purdue, but nobody could have expected such a dominant performance in the Phil Knight Legacy. Matt Painter looks like a top 3 coach in the sport right now, and he has elevated his ragtag team of players all outside of the top 85 of their high school classes to the top echelon of colleges.
Virginia - Virginia has been similarly indomitable, winning the Main Event with marquee victories against Baylor and Illinois. Tony Bennett is putting his team in position to regain the throne more recently held by Kansas and Baylor. Virginia and the aforementioned Purdue both struggled against a terrible Florida State team, but nonetheless, Virginia rounds out the top 5 teams in the nation.
Indiana - Trayce Jackson-Davis has always been a rockstar, but the surrounding talent around him is fantastic this year. The Hoosiers pulled out wins against strong Xavier and UNC teams, and their individual players have all been performing incredibly well. Expect the Hoosiers to have a return to their blue blood form in year 2 under Mike Woodson.
Arkansas - Arkansas may have gotten 3rd place at the Maui Invitational, but that was without their best player, Nick Smith. Anthony Black and Ricky Council IV have been tremendous leaders in Smith’s absence, and they managed to rally from behind double digits to overtake SDSU and win. When Smith returns, expect Musselman’s team to have a legitimate shot at making their 3rd straight Elite Eight run!
Maryland - Maryland was nowhere near the top 25 preseason rankings, but they have continued to impress with some marquee wins. Their victory against Illinois is the 1st win that was not by more than 10 points, and they dominated strong opponents Providence and Miami to win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Head Coach Kevin Willard is performing incredibly, and the Terrapins crack the top 10 as a result.
Tennessee - The Volunteers suffered an errant loss to Colorado to start the season, but have since then more than recovered. They won the Battle for Atlantis against the Kansas Jayhawks, and have looked dominant ever since. Josiah Jordan-James really elevated his gameplay from last year, which has given this team the jump. Be on the lookout for Tennessee as a contender in a fraught SEC.
Kansas - While the Jayhawks lost the Volunteers, they have remained incredibly strong. Jalen Wilson is averaging an absurd 22 points a game, and a supporting cast of Gradey Dick, Kevin McCullar, and Dajuan Harris have helped the Jayhawks past Duke, Wisconsin, and Seton Hall. They are a force to be reckoned with in a strong Big 12.
Arizona - Arizona has a host of fantastic wins, but they also have a terrible loss to Utah where they missed 24 3-pointers. Despite From Downtown having jinxed the Wildcats, this team is still a legit title contender despite starting Pac-12 play on the wrong foot. Tommy Lloyd is coaching a pace of basketball not yet seen since UNLV’s 1990 championship team, and they are nonetheless an extremely formidable program almost sure to climb up the rankings in December.
Auburn - Auburn is quietly one of the best teams in the nation. They have yet to lose, and Bruce Pearl’s team is performing incredibly well on defense. While they are not doing the best on the offensive side of the ball, that can be attributed to growing pains of a team that lost Jabari Smith in the offseason. Auburn’s strongest beaten opponent is Saint Louis, and they barely scraped by Northwestern. They will look for freshman Yohan Traore to continue to improve as a scorer when they are truly tested in the month of December, and that will be a must-watch game.
Alabama - Alabama played in the most exciting game of the season so far, with a 4OT win against UNC in the 3rd place Phil Knight Invitational Game. As a result, they jumped up the rankings. Nate Oates has been great in his stint with the Crimson Tide so far, and he will hope to make a surprise push in the SEC.
Duke - Despite losing to both Purdue and Kansas, Duke has looked very strong against a host of good opponents. Kyle Filipowski has been an incredible star thus far, but Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively have not lived up to the hype so far. Duke also has a very hard schedule and a new coach, but they have been doing well so far. Being able to defeat Xavier, Ohio State, and Boston College is a quietly strong resume, but they will hope to defeat Iowa and cement themselves as a strong contender this season.
Iowa State - One of the biggest surprise stories of the season thus far has been Iowa State. Their wins over UNC and Villanova look less impressive right now, as those teams are skidding. Nonetheless, their only loss is to #1 From Downtown team UConn, and they look extremely strong. TJ Otzelberger has been a fantastic head coaching hire, and Iowa State will hope to maintain the mojo against St. John’s, Iowa, and Baylor in the month of December.
Creighton - Creighton has 2 losses on their schedule, but they are to Arizona and Texas. Creighton is a strong team led by South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman, and returners Ryan Kalkbrenner and Arthur Kaluma. This team is very strong, but one thing Bluejays fans are concerned about is the ceiling of this team, as they have struggled against teams better than them despite beating teams worse than them. Nonetheless, look for Creighton to emerge as a Big East contender this month.
Illinois - Illinois has exclusively lost to top 10 teams, and has been very impressive so far. Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr. was electric in Illinois’ marquee win against UCLA, and his supporting cast is a list of role players happy to let him in the limelight. Brad Underwood has done an impressive job with this program, and will hope to finally get Illinois back into the second weekend of the tournament.
Mississippi State - Nobody expected first year head coach Chris Jans to trot out to a 7-0 start, including beating a Marquette team that defeated Baylor, and a Utah team that defeated Arizona. Tolu Smith has made the jump his senior year, and is leading this team to some great wins. Chris Jans may be looked back at as the best head coaching hire of this year’s carousel, and the Bulldogs might end up being a contender in the SEC.
Marquette - Marquette was similarly not impressive to start the season, but that changed with a big win against Baylor in which they looked completely dominant. Marquette has only lost to top schools Purdue and Mississippi State. In fact, Purdue got more trouble from Marquette than either Gonzaga or Duke, and Shaka Smart is coaching his predominantly veteran cast to great heights. Marquette will likely not contend with UConn or Creighton, but expect this team to be a fierce competitor in the tournament.
Baylor - Baylor has taken a bit of a skid, losing to both Virginia and Marquette. While these would normally be respectable losses, Scott Drew’s squad has incredibly lofty hopes for the season. Keyonte George has still yet to be the electric player he was heralded as entering college, but Baylor has a strong resume with wins against Gonzaga and UCLA. This team is a big uncertainty, and will be a top team to monitor as the season progresses.
Gonzaga - Gonzaga had high hopes entering the season, but their aggressive schedule has landed them in hot water. They have 3 losses, but those losses are to Purdue, Baylor, and Texas, all of which are incredible programs. In addition, Gonzaga has wins against Kentucky, Michigan State, and Xavier, and Drew Timme is a potential player of the year. Gonzaga’s position outside of the Power 5 might benefit them, as conference play will be easier, but Gonzaga has definitely not lived up to their expectations in November.
UCLA - The Bruins got licked by both Illinois and Baylor, but they still have an all-star cast and great coach in Mick Cronin. Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez return alongside freshmen Amari Bailey and Adem Bona. With so many stars, it makes sense that the team is experiencing some growing pains. Expect the Bruins to make a return to form in conference play this December.
Miami - The illustrious, hallowed walls of the Watsco Center can hardly contain the incredible Hurricanes roster. This team is led by a team of incredibly talented, strong-willed, and generous players, and iconic Head Coach Jim Larrañaga received his 700th win this season. The Hurricanes have only lost to Maryland, and have big wins against UCF and Rutgers. This team may fall off in ACC play, so monitoring this incredible institution will be important in December.
Kentucky - Kentucky lost to MSU and Gonzaga, but they still have a fantastic roster and coach. Oscar Tshiebwe averages well over a double double, and Cason Wallace is one of the best defenders in the country. John Calipari is an all-timer at the head coach position, but the Wildcats are desperately trying to escape their fumbled 2021 and 2022 seasons (missing the tournament, then losing to St. Peter’s). Fortunately, Kentucky will still have the chance to contend in 2022.
UNC - UNC is thoroughly disappointing their fans, but the fact remains that they have an incredible roster. Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, and Leaky Black are all fantastic players individually, but they are having trouble playing as a team. Therefore, UNC took losses to Iowa State, Indiana, and Alabama. Having 3 losses in the top 25 is not the worst thing it could be, and Hubert Davis will hope to lead this team back into the national spotlight in the coming month.
