20. Arizona
Record: 8-2
Last week’s ranking: 25th
AP ranking: 19th
Coaches’ poll ranking: 19th
Games last week: W 79-57 vs. UC Irvine, W 79-60 at Missouri
Games this week: vs. Grand Canyon (12/14), vs. Texas A&M (12/17 in Houston)
Breakdown: Given the many injuries, not to mention Allonzo Trier still being sidelined for undisclosed reasons, it’s amazing that Arizona is 8-2 through ten games. Head coach Sean Miller has only seven available scholarship players, which takes away any margin for error that the Wildcats enjoyed with a full allotment of players. On Saturday Arizona pulled away from Missouri in the second half to win by a comfortable margin, and while Missouri isn’t very good it should be noted that they took Xavier to overtime last month. Kadeem Allen and Lauri Markkanen are among the leaders for the Wildcats, with freshmen Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons (19 points apiece vs. Missouri) also figuring prominently in the offensive attack. Arizona will face another test Saturday when they play Texas A&M in Houston, with the Aggies having good size and depth in their front court.
19. Notre Dame
Record: 9-1
Last week’s ranking:20th
AP ranking: 21st
Coaches’ poll ranking: 21st
Games last week: W 87-72 vs. Fort Wayne, L 74-66 vs. Villanova
Games this week: vs. Purdue (12/17 in Indianapolis)
Breakdown: Notre Dame moves up a spot despite losing to the top-ranked Wildcats Saturday, due in large part to the fact that they were a Herculean effort from Villanova’s Josh Hart away from leaving Newark with the win. Mike Brey’s team needed a quality performance to get the “wait and see” crowd to buy in, as Notre Dame’s best wins came against Colorado and Northwestern. Even in defeat Notre Dame, which boasts on of the best offenses in college basketball, managed to gain some believers. Steve Vasturia and Matt Farrell scored 18 points apiece to lead three Notre Dame players in double figures Saturday, and they aren’t going to shoot 6-for-22 from three in many games this season.
18. South Carolina
![Frank Martin](https://heavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/625981528.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=780)
Even without Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina head coach Frank Martin demands the best from his team (Getty)
Record: 8-0
Last week’s ranking: 21st
AP ranking: 16th
Coaches’ poll ranking: 15th
Games last week: Idle
Games this week: vs. Seton Hall (12/12 in Brooklyn), at South Florida (12/17)
Breakdown: The Gamecocks didn’t play at all last week, giving head coach Frank Martin time to work with a team that’s currently without the suspended Sindarius Thornwell. Without him Duane Notice and P.J. Dozier will do more of the heavy lifting offensively, but nothing really changes defensively. South Carolina will still get after opponents for a full 40 minutes, which will be key Monday night against a Seton Hall team that has quality scoring options both inside and on the perimeter. According to KenPom.com the Gamecocks are currently ranked in the top five nationally in four defensive categories: adjusted efficiency (5th), effective field goal percentage (2nd), three-point percentage (4th) and two-point percentage (4th).
17. Saint Mary’s
Record: 7-1
Last week’s ranking: 15th
AP ranking: 20th
Coaches’ poll ranking: 20th
Games last week: L 65-51 vs. UT-Arlington, W 84-53 vs. UC Irvine
Games this week: vs. Western Kentucky (12/14)
Breakdown: Randy Bennett’s Gaels haven’t been all that active when compared to other teams in college basketball, as they’ve played just seven games entering Sunday. On Thursday Saint Mary’s suffered its first defeat of the season, with UT-Arlington going into Moraga and limiting the Gaels to just 51 points. In the loss Saint Mary’s shot 8-for-27 from three and 31.4 percent from the field, with forward Jock Landale being the lone scorer in double figures. The Mavericks managed to make things difficult for Saint Mary’s with their defensive ability, and the Gaels put forth their worst performance of the season as a result. With Emmett Naar and Joe Rahon manning the guard spots, that won’t happen very often this season. Sunday night the Gaels bounced back with an 84-53 win over UC Irvine.
16. Purdue
Record: 8-2
Last week’s ranking: 17th
AP ranking: 15th
Coaches’ poll ranking: 16th
Games last week: W 97-64 vs. Arizona State in New York, W 77-53 vs. Cleveland State
Games this week: vs. Notre Dame (12/17 in Indianapolis)
Breakdown: Purdue took the trek east for the Jimmy V Classic last Tuesday, and they whipped Arizona State in every facet of the game in the 33-point victory. Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan are an incredibly difficult interior tandem for opponents to match up with, and Purdue’s been a very good three-point shooting team as well. The Boilermakers are ranked fifth nationally in three-point percentage, making 44.1 percent of their attempts, with Dakota Mathias, Vince Edwards and P.J. Thompson among those benefitting from the spacing that comes with having two big men who demand so much attention in the post. Saturday’s opponent, Notre Dame, isn’t the biggest team so that will be another matchup where Matt Painter looks to take advantage of the edge in size that his team will have.
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NCAA Basketball Rankings: Heavy’s Top 30 for December 11