Our first ever ASUN basketball power rankings as the Flames have made the switch from the Big South! Power rankings are based on games played through November 26th.
Note: National rankings are courtesy of KenPom.com. Arrows denote movement in power rankings since last ranking.
1. Lipscomb 5-1 #91
no change
The defending ASUN tournament champions have solidified themselves at the top of the conference through the first several weeks of the season. The Bisons own the best two wins in the conference as they have knocked off two top 100 teams in SMU and TCU. The Horned Frogs were ranked in the top 25 when Lipscomb knocked them off, 73-64. Head coach Casey Alexander’s squad has only lost to cross-town rival Belmont this year. ASUN preseason player of the year Garrison Mathews leads the way with 18.5 points per game.
This week: 12/1 @ Middle Tennessee, 12/4 @ Belmont, 12/9 vs Navy
2. Liberty 5-1 #123
no change
The Flames have shown well in their first season of ASUN play to this point, sporting a 3-1 mark against Division I opponents. Coach McKay picked up his 100th career victory at Liberty on Sunday against Savannah State. Liberty has a couple of good opportunities to pick up solid wins coming up this week. Scottie James is 2nd in the conference with 9.2 rebounds per game. He leads the ASUN with 74.3% shooting from the field.
This week: 11/28 @ Navy, 12/1 vs Georgia State, 12/3 @ Georgetown
3. NJIT 6-1 #208
no change
The Highlanders have been the early season surprise of the ASUN, winning 6 of 7 games to open the year. Most of the teams they have played have been ranked in the 200s according to KenPom. The only top 100 team NJIT is scheduled to play in non-conference is Houston on December 29th. Zach Cooks ranks 3rd in the ASUN in scoring as he averages 17.4 points per game.
This week: 11/28 @ Drexel, 12/1 @ UMass Lowell
4. North Florida 2-4 #201
no change
After the top 3 teams, who are a combined 12-3 against DI opponents this season, the rest of the conference is a combined 4-29 against DI competition. The North Florida Ospreys have faced a challenging schedule early in the season, and picked up a solid win against Southern Miss. Noah Horchler leads the ASUN with 11.2 rebounds per game.
This week: 11/27 @ Florida, 11/29 vs Florida A&M, 12/1 @ Charleston Southern
5. FGCU 2-6 #254
no change
Behind first year head coach Michael Fly, Dunk City has struggled adjusting. Since knocking off South Dakota State, the Eagles have lost 4 straight, allowing an average of 83.2 points per game during that stretch.
This week: 11/28 vs FIU, 12/2 vs Colgate
6. Jacksonville 3-5 #303
no change
Outside of the top 3 teams in the conference, Jacksonville is the only ASUN team with multiple wins over Division I opponents, having defeated South Alabama and Chattanooga. The Dolphins also have a couple of disappointing losses losing to 300+ rated teams Florida A&M and Western Carolina. JD Notae is 5th in the conference scoring 16.1 points per game.
This week: 12/1 vs South Carolina State
7. Kennesaw State 1-6 #331
no change
The bottom 3 teams in the league have just been bad so far this season, with a combined 0-15 mark against DI teams and all being ranked 331st or worse out of 353 Division I teams, according to KenPom. The teams are ranked in these power rankings in the order of how they were picked to finish in the preseason ASUN polls. Kennesaw State opened the season with an 11 point win over Oglethorpe, and have since lost 6 straight, with only one of those games being decided by single digits. Tyler Hooker leads the conference in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game.
This week: 11/27 @ Georgia, 12/1 vs Hofstra
8. Stetson 1-6 #339
no change
The Hatters nearly picked up their first DI win of the season, falling in overtime to VMI on Friday. They have lost 6 straight including the last 4 which all came to teams currently ranked 276 or worse. That game against Duke should be fun.
This week: 11/28 @ South Florida, 12/1 @ Duke
9. North Alabama 2-4 #334
no change
The Lions have fared well in their first few games as a Division I program, hanging tough with Saint Louis and Pittsburgh. First-year head coach Tony Pujol comes to UNA after assistant coaching stints at Wyoming, Appalachian State, VCU, and Alabama. Jamari Blackmon is 4th in the league in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game.
This week: 11/28 @ Toledo, 12/1 vs Jacksonville State
