Important news from the past week in college hoops, including two Florida schools headed in opposite directions and the state of point guard play at four programs.
#6 Florida obliterates Florida State...at Florida State
No team in college basketball has been as dominant as Florida in the first month of the season. The Gators' hot streak continued on Wednesday when they traveled to Florida State and pounded the Seminoles into submission, 72-47. They've now faced three teams that were four-seeds or better in last year's NCAA Tournament...and blown them all out. Next weekend's road meeting with #8 Arizona should be fantastic. Meanwhile, Florida State has been terribly disappointing. The loss to the Gators was their fourth home defeat already this season. Including losses to Mercer and South Alabama. Yuck.
Validation for the Fighting Illini
Entering the season, no one expected much from Illinois. Then they won the Maui Invitational by dismantling Butler, which turned some heads. Then they extended their undefeated start to 9-0, which got them a national ranking at thirteenth overall. And then on Saturday, they scored one of the most impressive wins of the season by beating a really, really good Gonzaga team on the road, 85-74. Brandon Paul, who first became a somebody almost a year ago when he dropped 43 points to beat Ohio State, is playing out of his mind once again. The Illini can beat anybody when their shots are falling, since they take more three-pointers than almost any other team in Division I. They should be taken seriously.
Riding Baylor's roller coaster
You can't find a more schizophrenic team than the Baylor Bears. Their most recent three-game stretch is truly baffling: a home loss to College of Charleston, followed by a road win at Kentucky, where John Calipari had previously been undefeated, followed by a home loss to Northwestern. Good luck deciphering that.
Examining some key point guard developments
A few programs entered the season with the most important position on the court -- point guard -- up in the air. Here's how things have solidified (or not) for those teams.
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse: He hardly even played last year as a freshman. Now, he might be the best point guard in the country, or at least headed that way. He's averaging a ridiculous 10.4 assists per game, which leads the nation; the next-closest player is at 8.6. Syracuse is undefeated so far, which isn't a surprise given how many of their baskets are easy layups or dunks thanks to Carter-Williams.
Quinn Cook, Duke: He was the Blue Devils' biggest question mark. And his clutch play down the stretch is a huge reason why his team already has six wins over likely NCAA Tournament teams. He's averaging 5.7 assists per game and making nearly half of his threes.
Mark Lyons, Arizona: Lyons transferred from Xavier to be the senior leader of a very young, very talented Arizona team. The results have been mixed. Arizona is undefeated and ranked #8 in the country, thanks in part to Lyons' 13.4 points per game. But he also has more turnovers (19) than assists (18). He's a two-guard at heart, not a pure point. This might come into play when #6 Florida comes to town next weekend.
Ryan Harrow, Kentucky: Harrow could be the most important player in the country. The NC State transfer is only now getting into the swing of things thanks to an illness, and he just had his first productive game on Saturday in a win over Portland. If John Calipari can mold Harrow into even an average point guard, then the players around him will all get better too, a scary thought for the rest of the country. If Harrow fails, Calipari will be forced into converting Archie Goodwin into a point guard, which isn't his natural position. The first scenario could equal a Final Four berth; the second one could equal an NIT showing.
A Set of Subjective Power Rankings
1. Indiana
2. Duke
3. Michigan
4. Florida
5. Louisville
6. Syracuse
7. Kansas
8. Ohio State
9. Arizona
10. Cincinnati
11. Michigan State
12. Illinois
13. Gonzaga
14. Kentucky
15. Creighton
IN: Illinois (because of that fantastic win at Gonzaga)
OUT: Missouri (because last year's sixth man Michael Dixon left the program)
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