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College basketball rankings: Week 2 AP Top 25 – Kansas or Duke at 1?

By Connor Muldowney

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 06: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils is seen during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 06: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils is seen during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – NOVEMBER 09: Justin Smith #3, Rob Phinisee #10, Romeo Langford #0, Devonte Green #11 and Juwan Morgan #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers look on during the game against the Montana State Bobcats at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – NOVEMBER 09: Justin Smith #3, Rob Phinisee #10, Romeo Langford #0, Devonte Green #11 and Juwan Morgan #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers look on during the game against the Montana State Bobcats at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

I know, I know, West Virginia probably shouldn’t be ranked after a home loss to Buffalo, but the Bulls are the favorite to win the MAC and return multiple all-conference candidates. This isn’t me making excuses for the Mountaineers, who I believe should have won the game, but it does make sense as to why this team may have taken Buffalo lightly. West Virginia is better than it played in the season opener.

For the first time this season, we will see an appearance from the Big Ten’s Indiana Hoosiers in the AP rankings. They handled Chicago State in the opener and then smacked Montana State. In those two games, the Hoosiers out-scored their opponents 184-90, shooting 56 percent from the field. Freshman sensation Romeo Langford is living up to the preseason hype and Juwan Morgan is nearing a double-double average.

Gone are Isaac Haas, Vince Edwards, PJ Thompson and Dakota Mathias, leaving Purdue without major contributors from a season ago, but Carsen Edwards could be an All-American before the season’s over with. He’s averaging 26.5 points per game in two wins, one a close call against Ball State, and he’s already 9-for-21 on 3-point attempts. As long as he’s on, the Purdue offense will be just fine, but finding more scoring threats is imperative.

It seems like it’s been decades since Ben Simmons was running the show at LSU, but the Tigers are back in the polls thanks to star freshman Naz Reid’s early breakout (23.0 points per game) and both Tremont Waters and Ja’vonte Smart. The Tigers beat Southeastern Louisiana and held off a UNC Greensboro comeback effort. This offense is red-hot, averaging 93 points per game.

Usually a football school, Clemson returns one of the most talented basketball teams in 2018-19. The Tigers, led by senior guard Marcquise Reed, are off to a 2-0 start with victories over The Citadel and NC Central — both by 20 points. This team can shoot lights out and the emergence of Aamir Simms has been a pleasant surprise. The Tigers look to be serious ACC contenders.