| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn | @Houston might be the single best win any team gets this entire season. |
| 2 | Gonzaga | This team is really really really good. ASU was not a great matchup for them. |
| 3 | Kansas | Not as sold on Kansas as national media is but they're very good. |
| 4 | Duke | Yeah this team is very good. |
| 5 | UConn | Probably should have them a bit lower but you won't catch me doubting Dan Hurley. |
| 6 | Houston | Can't drop them too far, I still think this is one of the best teams in the country. |
| 7 | Kentucky | It's extremely weird to say that I think a Kentucky team is underrated but I really think this one is. Mark Pope is one hell of a coach. |
| 8 | Arizona | Yeah they're very good. |
| 9 | Iowa State | Also very good. |
| 10 | Tennessee | Extremely impressed by that destruction of Louisville. |
| 11 | North Carolina | Extremely impressed with this team from the Kansas game. |
| 12 | Alabama | Very good. |
| 13 | St. John's | Rick Pitino is cooking something. |
| 14 | Cincinnati | Very good. |
| 15 | Marquette | Good. |
| 16 | Illinois | Has been the most impressive Big Ten team so far in my eyes. This team is hella talented. |
| 17 | Utah State | Going all in on the Aggies; I think this team is legit legit. Mountain West down year be damned. |
| 18 | Purdue | Definitely a step back from last year but this team has looked decently solid. |
| 19 | Mississippi State | Have really impressed me so far. |
| 20 | Ohio State | Maybe Jake Diebler is just a good coach. |
| 21 | Texas Tech | Good. |
| 22 | Memphis | I hate ranking a Penny Hardaway-coached Memphis team and am fully expecting them to fall apart but they have two very solid wins which is something few teams can say. |
| 23 | Florida | Good. |
| 24 | Oregon | Good. |
| 25 | North Florida | They still play @ Georgia, Nebraska, and Florida. They've shot up 114 spots in kenpom from preseason and I really think they could put together an at-large resume. Definitely wasn't on my bingo card. |
Next 5: Pitt, Penn State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Clemson