The ASUN men’s basketball conference season begins this weekend as all teams have finished their non-conference schedule. These rankings are based on the on-court performance thus far this season and not preseason rankings. League play will look much different this year with everyone playing Friday and Saturdays in back to back contests at the same venue.
Power rankings are based on games played through December 29th.
Note: National rankings are courtesy of KenPom.com. Arrows denote change in power rankings since previous ranking.
1. Liberty 8-3 #106
no change
The Flames have finished non-conference play with two top 100 wins, over Mississippi State and South Carolina, and all three losses coming against top 75 teams – Purdue, TCU, and Missouri. Outside of those 5 games, Liberty hasn’t been tested, beating St. Francis PA, South Carolina State, Alcorn State, and three non-DI opponents by at least 16 points. Perhaps the most concerning the thing for the rest of the ASUN is how McKay’s team has scored 82, 91, and 108 points the last three times out. We will learn a lot about how the regular season race for the Flames this season will fare as Liberty takes on perhaps their two toughest challengers in the first two weekends.
This week: 1/1, 1/2 @ Lipscomb, 1/8, 1/9 vs FGCU
2. Florida Gulf Coast 5-2 #233
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The Eagles have had the best non-conference season behind Liberty including the next best win behind the Flames’ Power Five wins. FGCU knocked off Miami (FL), 66-62, before falling to Florida International, 85-69. They also defeated Georgia Southern, 73-60. Could they be returning to their status of contending for conference titles?
This week: 1/1, 1/2 vs North Alabama, 1/8, 1/9 @ Liberty
3. Jacksonville 6-4 #303
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The Dolphins defeated New Orleans and South Carolina State in the last two weeks with losses at Miami (FL) and Kansas State. They played the Hurricanes close, only losing by 9, before getting thrashed by the Wildcats, 70-46. Jacksonville has a favorable start to conference play, taking on two teams near the bottom of the ASUN.
This week: 1/1, 1/2 @ Kennesaw State, 1/8, 1/9 vs North Florida
4. Lipscomb 5-5 #219
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The Bisons only have wins over teams ranked 300+ and non-Division I teams. Not a very impressive resume for a team expected to compete for a regular season title. We will know how serious their regular season title hopes are by the end of the weekend.
This week: 1/1, 1/2 vs Liberty, 1/8, 1/9 @ Bellarmine
5. Stetson 2-4 #244
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After opening the season 0-4, the Hatters have rebounded with two wins, including their only Division I win this season, beating Florida Atlantic, 78-69. Their three Division I losses came against teams all at or in the top 100 in Miami (FL), Florida, and South Florida. Of course, they also have the season opening loss to Emmanuel.
This week: 1/1, 1/2 vs North Florida, 1/8, 1/9 @ North Alabama
6. Bellarmine 1-3 #260
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The newest member of Division I and the ASUN has only played 4 games so far this season, including three tough matchups. They lost to Duke (76-54), Chattanooga (77-68), and Notre Dame (81-70) while knocking off Howard (84-63). Bellarmine will certainly win some conference games and should be competitive, but we don’t have a great feel for just how good they can be yet this season.
This week: 1/1 vs Transylvania, 1/2 vs Mount St. Joseph, 1/8, 1/9 vs Lipscomb
7. North Alabama 4-2 #265
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The Lions have only played two Division I games so far this season, dropping both of them, first at home to Troy, 62-57, and then at Indiana, 87-52. Again, another team very difficult to get a good gauge on so far this year.
This week: 1/1, 1/2 @ FGCU, 1/8, 1/9 vs Stetson
8. Kennesaw State 3-5 #348
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The Owls have three wins over non-Division I teams, but at least they haven’t lost to one. Kennesaw State’s losses came against UAB, Creighton, Belmont, Samford, and Mercer.
This week: 1/1, 1/2 vs Jacksonville, 1/8, 1/9 @ North Florida
9. North Florida 2-8 #296
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The Ospreys are having a tough start to their rebuild after losing several starters and key contributors from last year’s co-regular season champion squad. UNF began the season 0-7, before picking up a win over FIU, 80-77, followed up by a loss to non-DI opponent Flagler, 73-66.
This week: 1/1, 1/2 @ Stetson, 1/8, 1/9 vs Kennesaw State
