The 2022-23 college basketball season is now underway and week 1 featured some exciting games with great performances. The Power 36 is here after the first week of action.
1. North Carolina (1): The Tar Heels didn’t disappoint this week and took care of business for a pair of wins.
2. Houston (6): The Cougars are looking the part in one week as a title contender. Jarace Walker will be a big-time addition.
3. Gonzaga (2): The Zags had to come back from 12 down to beat Michigan State on the USS Abraham Lincoln behind Drew Timme’s 22.
4. UCLA (4): The Bruins’ offense is rolling through week one and they look every bit a Final Four contender.
5. Kansas (5): The Jayhawks have a new leader in Jalen Wilson and he’s up to the challenge.
6. Indiana (7): The Hoosiers are showing they’ve got plenty of offensive options and they are defending well.
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7. Duke (9): The Blue Devils aren’t at full strength but clearly have the talent to be in the title mix.
8. Baylor (11): The Bears have another rising star in Keyonte George.
9. Creighton (10): The Bluejays are going to be an offensive juggernaut.
10. Kentucky (3): Not having Oscar Tshiebwe makes it hard to fully judge the Wildcats just yet.
11. Texas (12): The Longhorns may just have the pieces in Chris Beard’s second year to make a conference title run.
12. TCU (8): The Horned Frogs had a major scare against Pine Bluff before pulling it out. They were back to looking like a Big 12 threat in a win over Lamar.
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13. Arkansas (13): The Hogs aren’t at full roster potential yet while Nick Smith Jr., gets healthy.
14. San Diego State (20): Saw first hand how good the Aztecs’ offense will be this season with transfers Jadeon LeDee and Darrion Trammell to join Matt Bradley and Nathan Mensah.
15. Illinois (14): The Illini have a new name to remember in Dain Dainja, a transfer from Baylor. He’s lighting it up for the Illini so far.
16. Purdue (22): Zach Edey is showing how dominant he can be as the primary focus in the middle.
17. Florida (21): Colin Castleton is living up to his SEC Player of the Year potential so far.
18. Arizona (31): The Wildcats are going to be entertaining to watch again and Kerr Kriisa dropped a triple-double on Friday.
19. Michigan State (15): The Spartans had a 12-point lead on No. 2 Gonzaga only to lose on a late-possession miss. Michigan State is going to be a Big Ten title contender.
20. Colorado (NR): The Buffaloes followed up a road loss at Grambling State with a stunning 12-point win over No. 11 Tennessee in Nashville.
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21. Dayton (18): The Flyers are getting A-10 player of the year performances from DaRon Holmes II.
22. Michigan (16): The Wolverines got a mighty scare from Eastern Michigan but Hunter Dickinson poured in 31 in the win.
23. Virginia (29): The Cavs proved they will be able to score this season by putting up 73 and 89 in their first two games.
24. Wisconsin (NR): The Badgers beat Stanford by 10 in a game at the home of the Milwaukee Brewers for a huge first-week confidence boost.
25. Alabama (30): Brandon Miller. Remember the name for the Tide.
26. UConn (36): The Huskies have an all-American big in Adama Sanogo and can challenge for the Big East title.
27. Auburn (24): The Tigers are holding teams below 60, showing that defense does carry over from last season despite new personnel.
28. Tennessee (27): The Vols lost in Nashville to Colorado by 12. I’m going to give the Vols a bit of a pass here. I still think the Vols are are going to be an SEC title contender.
29. UC Irvine (NR): The Anteaters had the upset of the week by taking out No. 21 Oregon rather easily.
30. Rutgers (19): The Scarlet Knights are winning the games they are supposed to so far at 3-0, something that hurt them a year ago.
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31. Ohio State (28): The Buckeyes have the squad to climb a lot higher and will likely do so here soon. Having Justice Sueing back is huge news in Columbus.
32. Miami (17): The Hurricanes will step the schedule here soon and that could mean a climb.
33. Xavier (33): The Musketeers will get a massive test this week by hosting Indiana.
34. Iowa (35): Kris Murray is picking up where his brother, Keegan, left off a year ago.
35. Texas A&M (34): The Aggies are still awaiting some early tests to see where they should be slotted.
36. Texas Tech (32): The Red Raiders aren’t at full strength yet with Fardaws Aimaq on the shelf but it hasn’t affected them, so far.
Dropped out: USC (23), Wyoming (25), Villanova (26).
Player of the week:
Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State: Johnson was never supposed to play again when he collapsed at Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020 as a member of Florida. The senior wing has made a remarkable comeback. Just being on the court was a victory. But actually scoring 13 in the opener against Rio Grande and then 16 in a win at Cal to lead Kansas State to a 2-0 start was simply magnificent. Bravo.
Team of the Week:
UC Irvine: The Anteaters shocked No. 21 Oregon in Eugene with a dominating 69-56 win. DJ Davis scored 24 and made six 3s in a game that was never close. The Anteaters are off to a 2-0 start. There is no guarantee they can keep this up and get out of the Big West ahead of UC Santa Barbara and/or Hawaii. But this is the kind of win that could be remembered in March if they get to the Dance as a team that has the goods to pull off an upset.
