The 2022-23 men’s basketball season has worked its way through the first three weeks of the regular season. It is past time for us to update our ASUN Power Rankings for the first time since the season has started.
Note: National rankings are courtesy of KenPom.com. Arrows denote change in power rankings since previous ranking.
1. FGCU #142 (6-2)
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The Pat Chambers era in Fort Myers has started off with a bang. The Eagles opened the season with an eye-popping, 13-point win at USC. FGCU has dropped games to San Diego and Tennessee, but has since run off four straight wins over Northern Kentucky, Drexel, UMKC, and Georgia Southern.
This week: 12/4 vs FIU, 12/7 @ FAU
2. Lipscomb #164 (5-2)
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The Bisons had a disappointing season opener, falling at South Dakota by 8. Since then though, Lipscomb has only lost to Notre Dame with very solid wins against Belmont, Chattanooga, and Navy. Could Ahsan Asadullah’s final season in Nashville prove fruitful?
This week: 12/5 vs Trevecca Nazarene, 12/9 vs Alabama A&M
3. Liberty #103 (4-3)
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It has been a bit of an up down early season for the Flames. The loss against Alabama looked bad at the time, but the Crimson Tide are a legit top 25, maybe top 10 team. Southern Miss is much better than was originally expected. Liberty has bounced back with two nice performances in wins over Bradley and Delaware State.
This week: 12/2 vs Maryland Eastern Shore, 12/6 vs Clarks Summit
4. Queens #206 (6-2)
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It has been a a very strong start to the Division I era for Queens as they are playing their first season at the highest level after moving up from Division II. Wins over Marshall, Green Bay, Morgan State, and Bowling Green have proven that this team will be part of the conversation in the ASUN this year.
This week: 12/3 vs Paine, 12/9 @ High Point
5. Jacksonville #152 (3-2)
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The Dolphins have only played three Division I opponents so far and one of those was a 27-point loss at Duke in the opener. They also have a really nice win over Campbell by 21 and then lost to a very good UAB team, 80-61, on Wednesday. So, we don’t really know how good they are yet.
This week: 12/3 vs Trinity Baptist, 12/7 @ VCU
6. Stetson #244 (4-2)
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The Hatters have been one of the surprises of the ASUN so far this year. They picked up wins over Florida State and South Florida to open their season. Losses against Niagara and Campbell by a combined six points have followed.
This week: 12/4 @ Florida
7. Bellarmine #240 (2-6)
no change
The record doesn’t look good but the defending ASUN champions have played a very difficult schedule already. The Knights have already played Louisville, Clemson, Duke, UCLA, and Kentucky. Bellarmine did open the season with a win over Louisville who has certainly struggled to open the year, but that’s still a marquee win for the Knights over an in-town rival.
This week: 12/4 vs Alice Lloyd, 12/6 vs Wabash
8. Eastern Kentucky #267 (4-3)
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You never know what to expect out of EKU on any given night. So far this season, the Colonels have close wins over Georgia State and UNC Asheville while barely falling against Western Kentucky. They then lose by 14 to Texas A&M Commerce. Two tough tests for EKU on the road this week.
This week: 12/2 @ James Madison, 12/7 @ Tennessee
9. Kennesaw State #216 (4-3)
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In their last two outings, the Owls got beat by 24 against Campbell but bounced back and nearly knocked off VCU, falling by 3. Which one is the true version of this year’s Kennesaw State? We may not know for a few more weeks but it is probably somewhere in the middle.
This week: 12/2 @ Mercer, @ Charleston Southern
10. Austin Peay #243 (3-5)
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The ASUN newcomer faced a tough opening to the regular season, with losses to NC State and Purdue. The Governors have Division I wins over South Florida and Albany, but they have dropped three straight, including a one point loss at Western Kentucky on Wednesday.
This week: 12/3 vs Tennessee State, 12/6 vs Kentucky Christian
11. Jacksonville State #220 (3-4)
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It’s been a disappointing start to the early season for the new look Gamecocks. Their lone wins have come against Elon, North Dakota State, and Shorter. Losses include Illinois Chicago and Northern Colorado.
This week: 12/3 @ ETSU,12/8 @ Utah
12. North Florida #219 (2-4)
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Like normal, the Ospreys have played a very challenging schedule to open the season. They began the year at Gonzaga and Washington and have also played at Kentucky already. They were competitive against the Huskies and against a very solid Duquesne team. UNF also has a 6 point win over South Carolina State.
This week: 12/3 @ High Point, 12/6 @ Houston
13. Central Arkansas #324 (4-4)
no change
The fact that UCA is near the bottom of these power rankings despite a .500 overall record early in the season is evidence as to how much improved the ASUN is this year. The Bears have picked up wins over DI teams in Little Rock, Rider, and Idaho State. Their losses have come against Wichita State, Niagra, Northwestern State, and Loyola Chicago.
This week: 12/6 vs Arkansas State
14. North Alabama #323 (4-4)
no change
North Alabama started the season 4-1 with their DI wins coming against 300+ ranked KenPom teams in Alabama A&M and Hampton. Since then, they have lost three straight against teams ranked in the top 125 (UC Santa Barbara, Georgia Tech, Memphis).
This week: 12/3 @ Morehead State, 12/7 vs Alabama State
