Comcast SportNet's Buckets' list: It's been an odd start

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An odd start to the college hoops season got odder this week, as no one seems to want to stay in the 7-25 range in the rankings. Conference play should be extremely interesting. But before that, there's still plenty of important non-conference games to play out.  Let's get right to the poll.

POWER POLL

1. Kentucky - Holding strong by playing lights-out defense, and not letting any teams into games. Combine this with their early win over Duke, and the 'Cats look as though they'll be here for a while.

2. Oklahoma - 1-2 doesn't change.  My faith in the Sooners is paying off early; they blew out Wisconsin this past week, and multiple players (Buddy Hield, Ryan Spangler) look like All-Americans.  We'll learn a lot about them next week, when they face Villanova on Dec. 7.

3. Maryland - The Terps are starting to learn how to play together.  We'll see just how far along they are when they face UNC on Tuesday.  Melo Trimble hasn't exactly been himself this season, which doesn't bode well for the rest of the nation.

4. Michigan State - The Spartans got a surprising amount of praise for beating Providence on Sunday, considering many had the Friars as a bubble team.  Regardless, they're playing far better than many of Tom Izzo's teams this early in the season.  Worry: Is Denzel Valentine wearing himself down too early? 

5. Villanova - A terrible shooting display at the Preseason NIT was more than made up for by suffocating defense.  The 'Cats are now ranked ahead of Kentucky (along with 350 other teams) as the nation's best defensively, according to Ken Pomeroy.  They're also Jeff Sagarin's No. 1 team in the country.

6. Kansas - So much talent and already a few nice resume wins.  Beating UCLA and Vanderbilt back-to-back was no easy task.  My only worry with this potentially great team is when multiple players in their lineup decide to have "off nights" in the same game.

7. Iowa State - You may have noticed I left the Cyclones out of my power poll last week. I find them to be the most overrated team in the country and wasn't impressed -- at all -- with how they played early on. But they're starting to figure things out, so I'm reluctantly placing them here for now.

8. Duke - The ACC will come around later in the year (or maybe not . . . ), but for now I'm gonna go with Duke here.  The team has the most growth potential and the edge in coaching over the rest of the conference.

9. Virginia - The Cavaliers recovered nicely from their loss to GW by waxing everyone they played, and are starting to resemble last year's version. However, they have a really tough run of games approaching that will let us know if they're going to be as dominant as they were in '14-'15.

10. North Carolina - Almost lost both games last week, but found ways to win in the final three minutes. Sign of a good team. Looks like Marcus Paige is being rushed back, as he will be playing against Maryland Tuesday night.  Risky move.

11. Xavier - Want to get the attention of the rest of the country?  Follow up an impressive win over USC with an absolute drubbing of Dayton.  The Flyers looked really, really good until the Musketeers demolished them by 29.  Villanova has a legit challenger in the Big East.

12. Purdue - Very steady team.  Only one game this past week, but it was another impressive win as the Boilermakers stay undefeated.

13. Syracuse - This one came out of nowhere.  After some very uninspired victories early on, the Orange went into the Battle 4 Atlantis and came away with the title.  Beating UConn and Texas A&M was no joke, as everyone on the roster seemed to hit their full potential (at least for a weekend).

14. Gonzaga - Probably have them a little too low, but other teams are just playing better.  The Zags suffered their first loss of the season to A&M before beating UConn in the consolation game in Atlantis.  They should find their way back up soon.

15. Cincinnati - The Bearcats are now 7-0, thanks to a fairly uninspiring win over Nebraska followed by a very nice win over George Washington.  Cincinnati is also big with the nerds (Pomeroy, Sagarin, etc)

LOCAL FLAVOR

-- Tough week for UConn, but probably a good one in the long run. The Huskies went 0-2 at the Battle 4 Atlantis, but the losses most likely help the resume. No reason to be upset about losing to Syracuse and Gonzaga.  The Huskies could use a win over Maryland or Ohio State early in December. (This week: 1-2) Projection: 7-8 seed in NCAA Tournament

-- Providence College gave Michigan State a heck of a fight on Sunday, but in a losing effort. Once again, this helped -- not hurt -- the resume. Kris Dunn continues to put up mind-boggling stats without shooting the ball particularly well.  Prior to this, the Friars got a monster win over Arizona, which likely takes them off the bubble . . . where they never should've been in the first place. (This week: 3-1)  Projection: 7-8 seed in NCAA Tournament

-- Boston College firmly removed itself from the postseason radar with a week to forget.  A 3-0 start to the season was wiped away with losses to Michigan State, UC Irvine, and Santa Clara. This was more par for the course. (This week: 0-3)  Projection: Misses NCAA Tournament

-- Rhode Island did exactly what it was supposed to do this week: Two wins over teams it should've beaten sandwiched around a loss to Maryland.  The Rams can still stay the course and find a way in with some big conference wins. (This week: 2-1)  Projection: Last 4-8 out of NCAA Tournament

-- UMass stayed undefeated with a nice win over Clemson, but the Minutemen came back down to Earth when they were run out of the gym by Creighton.  With a light non-conference schedule, their only chance at the dance this season would be to impress in a loaded A10. (This week: 1-1)  Projection: Misses NCAA Tournament

-- Welcome to the local flavor, Northeastern!  Only one game this week, and boy did the Huskies make it count: They handed Miami its first loss of the season on a buzzer-beater, giving them a great resume win.  Unfortunately, resume wins don't cut it in the Colonial.  They'll have to win their conference. (This week: 1-0)  Projection: 16-seed in NCAA Tournament by way of winning their conference

MUST-SEE GAMES THIS WEEK

-- Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.: Maryland vs. North Carolina

-- Wednesday at 7:15 p.m.: Louisville vs. Michigan State

-- Saturday at 3:15 p.m.: Arizona vs. Gonzaga

POTENTIAL FUTURE CELTICS TO WATCH

Marcus Paige - He could go anywhere in the first round. He'll probably be rusty, but the UNC point guard returns to the floor Tuesday night against Maryland.  Will be interesting to see how big an impact he makes right off the bat.

Kyle Wiltjer - Another late first- or early second-round product.  He's 6-foot-10 and really stretches the floor. Reminds me of Kelly Olynyk with a better 3-point shot.  Questions as to whether he's built for the NBA strength-wise, but could be a bargain later in the draft.

HOT CLICK OF THE WEEK

-- Multiple angles of Quincy Ford's game-winning buzzer beater to give Northeastern the improbable win over Miami.

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