Here’s our updated power rankings based on games played as of December 8, 2013.
Note: Division ranking in parenthesis. National rankings are courtesy of KenPom.com. Arrows denote movement in overall Power Rankings. since previous power rankings.
1. (1st North) Radford 6-2 #225 2
The Highlanders are playing good basketball right now. They have won 6 of 7 games since their season opening loss to George Washington. Radford’s only losses are to top 100 Virginia Tech and George Washington. Mike Jones’ squad is being led by preseason all-conference selection Javonte Green. The Brunswick, Virginia native is averaging 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds on the season. We’ll see how long they hang on to the #1 spot as the first 2 weeks our #1 team has lost immediately following their #1 ranking in our power rankings.
2. (1st South) Charleston Southern 3-4 #147 1
In their only game this week, Charleston Southern lost to Delaware in a rematch of their previous meeting on November 10th where the Buccaneers upended the home-standing Hens 95-93. The Blue Hens led by as much as 20 in the 2nd half before CSU’s comeback attempt fell short. Charleston Southern had 5 players score in double figures led by Sheldon Strickland and Will Saunders who each scored 15. The Buccaneers may end up being the best team in the conference, but they have been inconsistent early on.
3. (2nd S) Winthrop 5-2 #189 1
The Eagles dropped their lone contest of the week 81-63 to Virginia Tech. In the loss, freshman Keon Johnson led the Eagles with 15 points. Winthrop struggled from the floor shooting just 39% from the field. Guard Andre Smith was 1 for 10 from 3-point range. The Eagles are off until December 15th when they host Appalachian State. Are the Eagles back?
4. (3rd S) Coastal Carolina 4-5 #216 no change
The Chanticleers went 2-0 this week with home victories over Western Carolina and UNC Wesleyan. Head coach Cliff Ellis utilized a change in the starting lineup to rejuvenate the Chants following a 2-5 start to the season. Ellis inserted Josh Cameron, a JUCO transfer, as starting point guard, replacing South Carolina Transfer Eric Smith. Cameron responded making 6 out of 10 3-pointers against UNC Wesleyan on his way to 21 points and 5 assists. Cameron also had 17 points in his first start against Western Carolina.
5. (2nd N) VMI 5-4 #256 no change
The Keydets have been a different team at home this season. VMI is 5-0 inside Cameron Hall, and they have won their home contests by an average of 21 points. On the road, VMI is 0-4 and are losing by an average of 21 points a game. If the Keydets can figure out their road woes, they can contend for the Big South North Division championship.
6. (3rd N) Liberty 4-5 #231 2
Liberty has rebounded nicely from their 1-5 start as the Flames have won 3 consecutive, and have moved up the KenPom rankings 70 spots during that time. The Flames have improved their efficiency on offense, while stepping up their intensity on defense holding each of their last 4 opponents under 34% shooting from the field. Liberty is the top scoring defense in the conference as they are limiting their opponents to just 64.3 points per game.
7. (4th S) Gardner-Webb 5-5 #241 no change
The Runnin’ Bulldogs split their 2 games this week with a 3 point home loss to Wofford and a 12 point road win to the Citadel. Gardner-Webb has the potential to be a contender in the Big South South’s Division, but will their chemistry be there under 1st year head coach Tim Craft. Texas A&M transfer Naji Hibbert, is extremely talented, and he leads GWU in scoring at 13 points per game.
8. (4th N) High Point 3-4 #208 2
The Panthers lost in their only game this week, 80-45 at Georgetown. High Point is struggling a bit now as they seek to find an identity without Allan Chaney who has, unfortunately, been told his career is over due to lingering health issues. Without him, HPU is a much different team, the Panthers have lost 2 straight since he left the Wofford game early with a defibrillator scare. How long will it take the North Division favorites to figure it out, and how good can they be without Chaney?
9. (5th N) Campbell 4-4 #295 no change
The Campbell Camels lost 69-50 to UNC-Wilmington in their only game of the week. The Seahawks went on a 14-0 run midway through the 1st half that led UNCW to a 41-25 halftime lead. Campbell never got closer than 8 points the rest of the way. The Camels shot just 36% from the field and were an abysmal 2/13 from the charity stripe.
10. (5th S) UNC-Asheville 1-7 #270 no change
UNCA did not play any games this week. 8 games into the Nick McDevitt tenure has definitely been a disappointment. The Bulldogs are 1-7 with their losses coming by an average of 18 points per game. Sure that stat is skewed by 30+ point losses to top 10 teams Kentucky and Duke, but UNCA has double digit point losses to Charlotte, Rhode Island, and East Carolina. We may not learn much about the Bulldogs until they get into conference play as 3 of their next 5 games come against sub-DI competition.
11. (6th N) Longwood 3-7 #324 no change
Longwood beat West Virginia Tech 95-80 early in the week before losing at home by 9 to a very good Eastern Kentucky team. Tristan Carey has picked up where he left off last season though, as the senior guard is averaging over 19 points a game including 49 points combined this past week. It’s doubtful Carey will be able to lead the Lancers to very many wins this season though.
12. (6th S) Presbyterian 3-8 #346 no change
Presbyterian actually had a very good week by their standards. The Blue Hose went 2-1 with a road win over UNC-Greensboro 21 and a 33 point win over Division II Montreat. I wanted to move PC up in this week’s power rankings, and was ready to, until they fell at home by 15 to the #308 team according to KenPom. Sorry Presby, you may be stuck in the cellar all season.
