The 2020-21 college basketball season is one filled with change, so over here at the Power Rankings, we're making changes too. Of course, you can still find our top 16 teams in the country every Monday morning, but we're adding a few wrinkles this season. We will hand out awards -- Player, Team, Win and Coach of the Week -- and ask questions of three teams that struggled in the week that was. In other words, fewer meandering words in the introduction from me; we're going to dive right into the best and brightest in college basketball each week.
And as far as the rankings go, expect plenty of change there, as well. The upcoming week will be no different. With V Week starting Tuesday -- go here for more information -- there are four marquee games on the docket on back-to-back nights: Kentucky vs. Kansas and Michigan State at Duke on Tuesday; and Illinois vs. Baylor and Gonzaga vs. West Virginia on Wednesday.
Team of the Week: Gonzaga Bulldogs
It's not often we're going to put the No. 1 team in the country in this spot, but the biggest talking point coming out of the first week of the season was how dominant Gonzaga looked as compared to the rest of college basketball. Mark Few's team would've been No. 1 in my preseason top 25 had those rankings come out after Andrew Nembhard received his waiver to play immediately, and with the Florida transfer in the fold, there's not a better offensive team in the country. Scoring 102 against Kansas and then beating Auburn by 23? No team had a better week.
Player of the Week: Javonte Perkins, Saint Louis Billikens
It would have been easy to go with Iowa's Luka Garza, but I have a feeling we'll be making plenty of references to him throughout the season. So let's go with Perkins. He had 22 points in 20 minutes in the opener against SIU Edwardsville and followed it up with 32 points and five assists in a four-point win over LSU. Perkins also hit eight 3-pointers in the two games. A year ago, Perkins came off the bench for the Billikens. He played extended minutes but was the team's third option, behind Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French. With French out for the first two games, Perkins saw his chance to emerge -- and took advantage. I also want to give a special mention to Ohio guard Jason Preston, who had 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists in a two-point loss to Illinois. Preston went toe-to-toe with All-American Ayo Dosunmu and almost willed the Bobcats to a win in Champaign.
Win of the Week: Richmond Spiders 76, Kentucky Wildcats 64
It was always going to be one of the three top-10 upsets in this spot, but Richmond's was the most impressive for a couple of reasons. First, it was by double figures, and Richmond absolutely dominated the second half. Second, it came on the road, in Rupp Arena. Chris Mooney has an experienced, veteran group on his hands, and it was just too much for Kentucky late in the game. Kentucky had no answers for the Spiders, who took the Wildcats completely out of their offense. Richmond's Blake Francis had 18 points, but Jacob Gilyard's five steals and six assists stole the show. It was a banner week for the Atlantic 10, but Richmond looked like the best of the bunch.
Coach of the Week: Mike Young, Virginia Tech Hokies
There's something about Young and beating top-three teams in November. Last year, the Hokies beat Michigan State at the Maui Invitational; and this year, Young took Virginia Tech to the Mohegan Sun tournament and knocked off Villanova. Young took the game on less than a day's notice and dealt with an assortment of issues during the contest: His team went down by 12 in the final nine minutes; both of his point guards fouled out; and the Hokies were called for an offensive foul in the final second of regulation. But Virginia Tech came out firing in overtime and took down Nova.
Three teams with questions
UCLA Bruins: After Mick Cronin's team won 11 of 14 to end last season, the expectations were high for UCLA. But the Bruins opened the season with a 15-point loss to San Diego State then needed three overtimes to beat Pepperdine. We'll reserve judgement until Johnny Juzang and Jalen Hill get healthy, though.
Memphis Tigers: Memphis started the season with a 17-point win over Saint Mary's, and it looked like a sign of things to come. It was the same aggressive defense as last season, just with more offensive weapons. But then the Tigers lost to Western Kentucky and VCU, and last season's issues returned. Against VCU, they shot 6-for-23 from 3 and turned it over 19 times.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: This was supposed to be Josh Pastner's best team since taking over the Yellow Jackets, a team that could push for an NCAA tournament appearance. Thus far, that seems like a reach. They lost in four overtimes to Georgia State in the opener then lost by 10 to Mercer on Friday. There's talent on this roster, but the Yellow Jackets have to show it in upcoming games versus Kentucky and Florida State.
Power Rankings
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (2-0)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: vs. West Virginia (Wednesday), vs. Baylor (Saturday)
Here's your national title favorite after one week. Gonzaga entered the season as the AP No. 1. Then it added Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard. Then it dominated Kansas and Auburn in Florida. The quintet of Nembhard, Jalen Suggs, Joel Ayayi, Corey Kispert and Drew Timme is going to be a juggernaut on the offensive end. Suggs got most of the headlines early, but Timme totaled 53 points and 16 rebounds in the two wins.
2. Baylor Bears (2-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: vs. Illinois (Wednesday), vs. Gonzaga (Saturday)
We didn't get to see a possible Baylor-Villanova matchup, but the Bears will square off with Illinois this week in a marquee battle. The thing to watch with Baylor entering the season was going to be what it did up front with Freddie Gillespie and Tristan Clark no longer on the team. And so far, former UNLV transfer Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua looks like a factor. Against Washington, he had 12 points and nine rebounds, which follows up positive preseason buzz.
3. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: vs. Western Illinois (Thursday)
We mentioned Luka Garza earlier, and for good reason. The Wooden Award favorite was his usual dominant self during the first two games of the campaign. He had maybe the most prolific performance of his career on Friday with 41 points and nine rebounds against Southern, missing just one shot and making three 3-pointers. That followed a 26-point, 10-rebound effort against North Carolina Central in the opener -- in only 24 minutes.
4. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: vs. Baylor (Wednesday), TBA (Saturday)
If you like guards, this is your team. Ayo Dosunmu is the All-American, and he lived up to those expectations in Week 1, including yet another clutch performance in the close win over Ohio. But the emergence of freshman Adam Miller is a huge boost for Brad Underwood, as he came out of the gates with 28 points against North Carolina A&T. Fellow freshman Andre Curbelo came off the bench to score 18 against Chicago State. And that doesn't even factor in starters Trent Frazier and Da'Monte Williams.
5. Wisconsin Badgers (2-0)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: vs. Green Bay (Tuesday), at Marquette (Friday)
Wisconsin opened with a pair of comfortable wins, and it was pretty much as expected for the Badgers. Greg Gard started the same five players who finished last season on a tear, and it was once again the frontcourt duo of 6-foot-11 Nate Reuvers and 6-foot-10 Micah Potter leading the way. When those two are making outside shots and finishing around the rim, it's a nearly impossible task for opposing defenses.
6. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0)
Previous ranking: 18
This week: vs. Gonzaga (Wednesday), at Georgetown (Sunday)
There might not have been a better trio of triumphs last week than those by West Virginia, which beat South Dakota State, VCU and Western Kentucky to win the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic in South Dakota. While none of those teams is a top-25 outfit, South Dakota State and Western Kentucky are favorites in their leagues. The biggest bright spot? Mountaineers sophomore guard Miles McBride stepped into the starting lineup and averaged 16.3 points over the three games.
7. Houston Cougars (3-0)
Previous ranking: 21
This week: vs. South Carolina (Saturday)
I was high on Houston entering the season, and seeing the Cougars dismantle a deep and talented Texas Tech in the first half on Sunday night guaranteed they would rise up the rankings. The Cougars forced turnovers, took advantage of mistakes and then used their experience and defense to overcome a long scoring drought to end the game. Kelvin Sampson has an elite perimeter group -- but freshman Tramon Mark coming off the bench to contribute in all three games was good to see.
8. Duke Blue Devils (1-0)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: vs. Michigan State (Tuesday), vs. Bellarmine (Friday), vs. Elon (Sunday)
It wasn't a vintage Duke performance against Coppin State in the opener, but freshmen Jalen Johnson and DJ Steward provided a sign of things to come. Johnson is a skilled, versatile offensive player, and he went for 19 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Steward is an elite scorer who can really shoot, and he finished with 24 points off the bench. Could Jeremy Roach and Steward move into the starting lineup against Michigan State?
9. Kansas Jayhawks (1-1)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: vs. Kentucky (Tuesday), vs. Washburn (Thursday), vs. North Dakota State (Saturday)
Losing to Gonzaga is something that a lot of teams will do this year, so we're not going to crush the Jayhawks in the rankings for that. We also got some answers on how Kansas' rotation is going to look this season. Christian Braun will be more of an offensive go-to guy than it seemed initially; he went for 30 points in the win over Saint Joseph's. Jalen Wilson, who redshirted last season, averaged 12.5 points off the bench. Bill Self needed scoring this season, and Braun and Wilson could be two providers.
10. Tennessee Volunteers (0-0)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: None
No games for Tennessee last week after the program shut down due to positive COVID-19 tests, including one from head coach Rick Barnes. The Volunteers had to cancel games against Charlotte and VCU in the Volunteer Classic, and they won't be able to play Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic on Wednesday. Right now, they're scheduled to open the season Dec. 12 against Cincinnati.
11. Michigan State Spartans (2-0)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: at Duke (Tuesday), vs. Detroit Mercy (Friday), vs. Western Michigan (Sunday)
I'll be honest: I had very few expectations that Josh Langford would return to be a significant factor for the Spartans this season. He hadn't played in almost two years. And while he isn't back to his pre-injury form, Langford starting both games so far -- and contributing -- is a plus for Tom Izzo. Michigan State looks likely to go nine deep this season, and if that bench quartet continues to include Rocket Watts, Gabe Brown, Malik Hall and Marcus Bingham, the Spartans will have as much bench firepower as anyone.
12. Creighton Bluejays (1-0)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: vs. Nebraska-Omaha (Tuesday), vs. Kennesaw State (Friday)
Well, the ridiculous 3-point shooting from Creighton to end last season didn't quite carry over to the 2020-21 campaign: The Bluejays went just 8-for-35 from behind the arc in the opener against North Dakota State. On the plus side, Antwann Jones scoring 11 points and handing out four assists from the wing was a good sign for Greg McDermott. And the coach stuck with mostly an undersized lineup despite the arrival of 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner and the return to health of 6-foot-11 Jacob Epperson.
13. Virginia Tech Hokies (3-0)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: vs. VMI (Thursday)
Last year, Virginia Tech couldn't carry its momentum from beating Michigan State into a consistently successful ACC season. But the Hokies are built better than last season, and they also weren't even at full strength over the weekend, as sophomore guard Jalen Cone didn't play due to injury. Wofford transfer Keve Aluma garnered some buzz during his redshirt season, though, and he delivered. He had 19 points against Radford, then went for 23 points and eight boards against Villanova.
14. Villanova Wildcats (2-1)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: vs. Hartford (Tuesday), at Texas (Sunday)
Villanova's biggest issue in the season's first few games was its inability to consistently keep out dribble penetration -- an area first exploited by Boston College and further taken advantage of in stretches by Arizona State and especially Virginia Tech. It'll be something to monitor moving forward. In terms of early standouts, they don't get much better than Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. He is in the midst of a huge breakout sophomore campaign, averaging 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds through three contests.
15. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0)
Previous ranking: 15
This week: Maui Invitational (vs. UNLV, Alabama or Stanford, TBA)
I said it multiple times entering the season, but North Carolina's five best players on paper consisted of one point guard and four post players. How would Roy Williams handle that? Thus far, it looks clear that R.J. Davis is going to be a factor next to point guard Caleb Love. Davis had 11 points and took nine shots in the opener. Up front, Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot are once again starting, but Day'Ron Sharpe is going to be a rebounding machine off the bench. Five-star freshman Walker Kessler logged only five minutes.
16. Richmond Spiders (2-0)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: at Charleston (Wednesday), vs. Furman (Saturday)
Richmond lost much of its preseason luster when Nick Sherod, a double-figure scorer and the team's best shooter, suffered an injury that will keep him out the entire season. But Sunday's win over Kentucky showed the Spiders should still be the Atlantic 10 favorite. Blake Francis and Jacob Gilyard -- an elite defender -- make up one of the best backcourts in the country. Grant Golden is an inside-outside threat up front. And Nathan Cayo is taking a step forward this season; he averaged 20.5 points in two games.
Dropped out: Virginia (No. 4), Kentucky (No. 5), Texas Tech (No. 14), Arizona State (No. 16)
In the waiting room
Oregon Ducks: Dana Altman's team hasn't yet played a game, and he also doesn't yet have an answer on St. John's transfer LJ Figueroa's eligibility. The Ducks are hoping to open their season this week against Seton Hall.
Texas Longhorns: There's a ton of talent on this roster, and it will be put to the test this week at the Maui Invitational in Asheville, North Carolina. Sophomore forward Kai Jones is a breakout candidate; he had 14 points and eight boards in the opener.
San Diego State Aztecs: Maybe we underestimated how good the Aztecs would be without Malachi Flynn. They dominated UCLA by 15 points in the opener, and then handled UC Irvine on Friday. This year's group might be more balanced -- but Matt Mitchell is the guy for the Aztecs.