College basketball power rankings: Houston sets an early tone

5. Week 2 College Basketball Rankings – Duke Blue Devils

• Record: 2-0
• Last Week: Won 71-44 vs. Jacksonville, Won 84-38 vs. South Carolina Upstate
• This Week: Vs. No. 5 Kansas 11/15, vs. Delaware 11/18

The Jon Scheyer era is off to a fast start for Duke as the Blue Devils easily won both of their buy games to help their fabulous freshmen get acclimated to the college basketball lifestyle. Tuesday’s date with Kansas in the Champions Classic will be a ton of fun to see how the baby Blue Devils stack up against the reigning champs.

4. Week 2 College Basketball Rankings – Kentucky Wildcats

• Record: 2-0
• Last Week: Won 95-63 vs. Howard, Won 77-52 vs. Duquesne
• This Week: Vs. Michigan State 11/15, Vs. South Carolina State 11/17, At No. 2 Gonzaga 11/20

The Wildcats took care of business in Week 1 and now have a pair of tough non-conference games on tap for Week 2. The Champions Classic will see Kentucky square off against a Michigan State outfit that gave Gonzaga fits before a trip to Spokane on Sunday night for an epic showdown with the Bulldogs. Winning both of those games will significantly raise the ceiling of Kentucky’s season.

3. Week 2 College Basketball Rankings – North Carolina Tar Heels

• Record: 2-0
• Last Week: Won 69-56 vs. UNC Wilmington, Won 102-86 vs. Charleston
• This Week: Vs. Gardner-Webb 11/15, Vs. James Madison 11/20

The preseason No. 1 drops two spots in these rankings on the basis of style points as the Tar Heels failed to put away either UNC Wilmington or Charleston until very late in the game. North Carolina will look to play a more complete brand of basketball this week with two more buy games on tap.

2. Week 2 College Basketball Rankings – Gonzaga Bulldogs

• Record: 2-0
• Last Week: Won 104-63 vs. North Florida, Won 64-63 vs. Michigan State
• This Week: At No. 12 Texas 11/16, Vs. No. 4 Kentucky 11/20

The Spartans gave Gonzaga everything they could handle but the Bulldogs deserve tremendous credit for outlasting Michigan State to improve to 2-0. The fact that the game was played on an aircraft carrier could have impacted Gonzaga’s performance but the Bulldogs will need to step up significantly with a brutal week on tap that includes a road trip to No. 12 Texas before No. 4 Kentucky comes to Spokane to kick off a six-year series on Sunday night in the season’s top non-conference clash.

1. Week 2 College Basketball Rankings – Houston Cougars

• Record: 2-0
• Last Week: Won 83-36 vs. Northern Colorado, Won 81-55 vs. St. Joseph’s
• This Week: Vs. Oral Roberts 11/14, Vs. Texas Southern 11/16, At No. 21 Oregon 11/20

No team was more impressive than Houston in Week 1, which dominated both of its opponents and won on a neutral floor against St. Joe’s. The Cougars have an interesting trip to Oregon on Sunday as the Ducks will look to make up for a flop against UC Irvine with a huge upset over a top national title contender.