College Basketball Power Rankings: 2016-17 Week 11

College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 11

Jan 7, 2017; Villanova, PA, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) reacts after making a three point shot against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. Villanova defeated Marquette, 93-81. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

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Dec 17, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Shake Milton (1) goes to the basket against the Hampton Pirates during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Southern Methodist won 105-72. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /

24. SMU Mustangs

A coaching change plus a major personnel overhaul made SMU a bit of an afterthought entering the season, but the Mustangs have emerged as a top-25 squad with a shot at the AAC title.

SMU fell just short of what would have been a huge road win on Thursday night against Cincinnati in a hard-fought two-point loss. The Mustangs won comfortably at Tulane three days later to move to 5-1 in the AAC and 14-4 overall.

While there aren’t a lot of good wins on SMU’s resume outside of a blowout victory over a fringe top-25 team in TCU back on December 7, the Mustangs haven’t suffered any bad losses either. SMU has won 11 of its 12 past games and owns the No. 24 spot in the KenPom ratings thanks to a balanced offense and terrific rebounding. Former assistant Tim Jankovich has been one of the most underrated coaches in the nation after abruptly being asked to take over for Larry Brown in July.

The most surprising thing about this SMU team is its depth on offense, as five different Mustangs are averaging at least 10 points per contest. Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye has been a revelation with 17.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game after playing sparingly in Durham.

SMU will host struggling Connecticut on Thursday night before taking on a sneaky good Houston team on Saturday evening.