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College basketball power rankings: Duke is easy call as new No. 1

By Shayne Nissen

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 15: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils tries to get past Justin Roberts #2 of the Georgia State Panthers during the second half during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 15, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 15: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils tries to get past Justin Roberts #2 of the Georgia State Panthers during the second half during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 15, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
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6. Gonzaga 

Gonzaga received a huge win over Texas A&M this past Friday as they blew out the Aggies to the tune of a 30-point victory. Senior guards Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge led the team in the game with 16 points each and sophomore Filip Petrusev added 14 points of his own. For the entire season, Petrusev has led the Bulldogs with 19.7 points per game, the forward is proving to be just one of the many assets on this talented Gonzaga squad.

7. Maryland

Maryland was a team with plenty of hype of their own coming into this season, despite losing their best player in Bruno Fernando to the NBA draft. The returnees, however, are still very impressive as Anthony Cowan and Jalen Smith should be the anchors of a Terrapin team that should raise plenty of eyebrows this season. Smith has led the team so far this season with 14.3 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. With a young core of players behind them, the Terrapins have a legitimate shot at the Big Ten title this season.

8. Virginia

Different year, same system. That was proven in Virginia’s 48-34 victory over Syracuse in the first game of the season. Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers have a system, and despite losing some core players to their national championship season from last year, the system still works just fine. Defense and ball control, a very disciplined style of basketball has always been the model for them, and so has veteran players. The three top scorers this season for the Cavaliers are all upperclassmen, and senior Mamadi Diakite leads the way averaging 14.7 points per game so far this season. As boring as their style may be, it’s a proven winner, and why they end up in the top ten.

9. Texas Tech

The 2018-2019 runner ups are back and they are just as good as they were last year. This year though, they have been led by a freshman, as Jahmi’us Ramsey is averaging 19 points for the Red Raiders. Ramsey is helping a team that last year was known as a more defensive team, start to become a dynamic offensive team too. Against Houston Baptist, Ramsey had 25 points en route to a 103-74 victory. Behind Ramsey, the Red Raiders will look to get back to the final four this season.

10. Ohio State 

D.J. Carton has arrived in Columbus and he is electric. The Buckeyes had some hype behind them after barely making the NCAA tournament last season, and the freshman Carton had a lot to do with that. Carton had a huge game against the No. 10 team in the country in Villanova. A 76-51 victory for the Buckeyes, Carton totaled 11 points, five assists and five rebounds in the game. What should excite Buckeye fans the most though, is the freakish athleticism the 6-foot-2 guard brings, displayed by a posterizing dunk that sent the Schottenstein Center into a frenzy against the Wildcats. With a healthy mix of freshmen and veterans, this team looks already to be the best Chris Holtmann has had so far in Columbus.