By: William Smythe

1. North Carolina

Who should be here: Houston

Shame on North Carolina for their cupcake schedule. In light of their four wins against mid-majors – nearly all of which entailed some serious stress – the Tar Heels have done nothing to convince America that they are worthy of the top spot. I can’t emphasize this enough: do NOT hold high expectations for teams that pulled off a Cinderella run in a prior tournament as a middling seed! That’s not to say that the Tar Heels won’t hang around the top 10 for the rest of the season – I’m sure they will – but there’s a host of teams behind them who have actually challenged themselves early into non-conference play. I’d take Kelvin Sampson’s Houston over any team in the country at the moment, and especially over a Carolina team who struggled against Gardner-Webb and UNC-Wilmington.

If the ‘Heels can escape the Phil Knight Invitational and either Iowa State or Villanova unscathed, they’ll earn more respect on the national stage. Keep in mind they’re a contender in nearly every game with senior forward Armando Bacot (18.3 ppg, 11.8 rpg) at the helm. It’s entirely possible that North Carolina only plays one or two ranked teams in all of November and December, especially considering that former no. 20 Michigan has already dropped out of the AP Poll. Hubert Davis’ crew needs a statement win against no. 11 Indiana to go along with a triumph in the Phil Knight Invitational; if not, we’ll say we were right all along. 

2. Houston

Who should be here: North Carolina

It only took a half of the Oregon/Houston matchup to convince me that the Cougars are far and away the cream of the crop. They waltzed into Eugene – facing three seven-footers and a basketball court that is quite literally the ugliest in CBB history – and shut down the Ducks en route to a 66-56 victory on the road. Preseason all-American guard Marcus Sasser (16.6 ppg) didn’t even play much in the first half due to foul trouble, yet freshman Terrance Arcenaux (9.0 ppg) wreaked havoc as a defensive pest and shined as a lightning-quick player in transition. You can argue that none of the Cougars’ first five games has been remotely close. Unlike the ‘Heels, they’re executing as they should against inferior competition. 

In Sampson’s system, the defense never rests. Guards Arcenaux, Sasser and Jamal Shead are as close to locksmiths as you can get on the perimeter, while freshman forward Jarace Walker has shown defensive prowess in a scheme predicated on chaos. The Cougars prey on turnovers and will make you pay in transition. It’s no wonder that year-in and year-out Houston finds themselves highly ranked in terms of scoring defense, while their offense will be able to hang with the best of them – largely thanks to Sasser and Walker. Upcoming games against no. 18 Alabama and no. 5 Virginia will finally test the Cougars before AAC play begins.

3. Kansas

Who should be here: Kansas

The Jayhawks haven’t blown me away, but let’s consider that Bill Self is coming off a four-game, self-imposed sanction from 2017’s FBI investigation. A 69-64 triumph over no. 7 Duke has catapulted Kansas into the third spot in the AP Poll – but hey, they really should be thanking Gonzaga, Kentucky and Baylor for their shortcomings. This is a new roster, full of pieces continuing to gel as the Jayhawks turn to – gasp – small ball. Freshman guard Gradey Dick (16.8 ppg) and junior forward Jalen Wilson (24.5 ppg) carry the Kansas offense on their backs and will undoubtedly be focal points of Self’s agenda once he returns. 

Hey, Kansas, I do have to ask about what happened against Southern Utah three days ago. A 82-76 win against a sub-mid-major in the ‘Phog? I’ll give you guys one letdown pass, and that’s it. I don’t actually believe that the Jayhawks will struggle against the likes of Texas Southern and Harvard in the coming days; what embodies college basketball more than Kansas beating Duke by five and then Southern Utah by six? Kansas isn’t the sexiest team out there, yet you can always bet on Self to fly under the radar and lead his team to a Big 12 Championship. Excellence, not greatness, is expected in Lawrence once again.

4. Texas

Who should be here: Texas

I am so unbelievably tempted to fade Texas because I predict their eventual demise. Texas? A basketball school in the post-KD era? Not so fast. However, a coaching change, dynamic transfer and new arena have brought the excitement back to Austin amidst the football program’s mediocrity. The reason for Texas’s ascendance? A 92-73 thrashing of Gonzaga at home. The ‘Horns – whose win looks even better after Gonzaga’s subsequent blowout of former no. 4 Kentucky – deserve a spot in the top-five after securing a major resume booster for March. Now, Beard and company will have a brutal stretch in early December against no. 10 Creighton and no. 16 Illinois – two teams who have recently defeated top-20 teams (no. 21 Texas Tech and no. 8 UCLA, respectively). 

I foresee Texas splitting the two contests, a result which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. If sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter (18.0 ppg, 40% from three) catches on fire like he did against Gonzaga, the Longhorns may have an easier road than they expected in some serious non-conference matchups. Moreover, the depth at Beard’s disposal will allow him to wear opponents down, especially against a team like Creighton who is dangerously reliant on their starting five for production. I’m betting on the Longhorns’ gradual decline, but there’s a chance they prove me wrong as they head into the belly of the beast. 

5. Virginia

Who should be here: Virginia

I’m so happy for my Virginia Cavaliers and the way in which they have played these past few days. It’s been a traumatic, emotional week for the program and all of Charlottesville, yet these young men made us all proud to be Wahoos after claiming two top-20 victories in the Continental Tire Main Event. If there were any doubts about Coach Tony Bennett’s effectiveness as a coach, we can safely put them to rest. A near-blowout over no. 7 Baylor and a late surge against no. 16 Illinois have launched the Cavaliers into the top five – a whopping 11 spots above their previous ranking. Do they deserve it? 100%. Does anyone have a better resume than the ‘Hoos at the moment, and more importantly, have any teams played two teams in the Top 25 and won both? 

The answer is no. A pitch-perfect start for Bennett’s squad – anchored by junior guard Reece Beekman and a balanced offensive attack – looks to re-write the narrative after bowing out in the NIT last season. Beekman is, in my opinion, the nation’s finest defender, and erased Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. (21.2 ppg) after his 29-point performance against UCLA. Virginia will lean on Beekman more as they take on Michigan, Houston and North Carolina, while senior guard Armaan Franklin (16.0 ppg) and forward Kadin Shedrick (10.8 ppg, 5.8 ppg) will play their roles as drastically-improved scorers. Virginia’s matchup with no. 2 Houston will be particularly note-worthy after last season’s embarrassment against the Cougars. A matchup of mind-numbing defenses, masterminds of the game and underrated programs will take place on December 17, a game which may have many AP Poll implications.  

6. Gonzaga

Who should be here: Creighton

7. Baylor

Who should be here: Gonzaga

8. Duke

Who should be here: Baylor

9. Arkansas

Who should be here: Arkansas

10. Creighton

Who should be here: Duke