Trivia time: What’s the significance of Nov. 14 and Nov. 19?
…
…
Answer: Nov. 14 is the last time an opponent was able to keep it within single digits against Michigan, and Nov. 19 is the last time an opponent kept it within single digits of Arizona.
Right now, it’s those two and everyone else. And they seem to be getting even better. Michigan has scored 100-plus points in five of its last six games. Arizona is dominating with defense, with only Florida (1.07 points per possession) and UConn (1.06 PPP) scoring a point per possession against the Wildcats this year.
But two teams that won big this weekend — Purdue and Houston — might eventually join Michigan and Arizona in that top tier. The Boilermakers and Cougars’ presence in their respective conferences suggests neither Michigan nor Arizona is going to cakewalk to a conference title. More on those two below.
Also this week, I celebrate the pick-and-roll maestros (Purdue’s Braden Smith and Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson), Gonzaga’s hook kings, Vanderbilt’s thieves and Caleb Wilson’s twitchiness. Plus, is Duke a legitimate title contender without a true Robin? And is Kentucky back?
Thanks to those of you who follow along every week.
Writer’s note: This is the final Top 25 of 2025. With a light slate of games this week, I’m taking next Monday off. Thanks to everyone who follows along each week. See you in 2026.
Dropped out: St. John’s
Keeping an eye on: Saint Louis, Clemson, Miami, LSU, Utah State, UCLA, Seton Hall
5. Purdue (11-1, 2-0 Big Ten)
Purdue scores more points than any team in college basketball off post-ups and pick-and-roll rolls, according to Synergy, and the magic of Smith is a big reason why. These are the kind of post feeds only Smith can deliver:
When it comes to rolls, the threat of the roller benefits Purdue almost as much as when Smith can hit him. The Purdue rollers shoot 69 percent, per Synergy, so defenses will do anything they can to take that away. Auburn’s Elyjah Freeman (circled below) cheats so far up the floor that his man is so far away from him that he’s not even in the picture.
Smith is going to burn this coverage every time, and it’s just a matter of whether the Boilermakers can make a wide-open shot:
So how do you get Trey Kaufman-Renn a short roll opportunity when Auburn is doing everything in its power to take it away?
Purdue puts TKR in a spot where his man is going to tag the roller, which means he’s going to get the ball in space. Then Smith runs into a dribble handoff and the pocket is there:
Even misses can look beautiful in the Purdue offense.
Smith is also an expert at creating the maximum amount of space for his shooters by using his eyes and dragging the defense so far over that it cannot recover:
Smith had a season-high 14 assists in Saturday’s 88-60 rout of Auburn. He also had 10 more potential assists in this game. He’s going to have a 20-assist game at some point.
6. Gonzaga (12-1)
Synergy has been tracking shot types with full-season data since 2009-10. No team has ever made 70 percent of its hook shots in that time. This season, there are five over that mark, with Gonzaga at 70.5 percent. Out of the 46 hooks the Zags have made, Braden Huff and Graham Ike have accounted for 42.
What makes the Zags stand out in this category is they’re the only one of that group attempting more than two per game — they attempt 5.1 — and only 53 teams attempt even three per game. In that group, the second-best percentage is Ohio at 59.5 percent.
Most hot shooting starts will likely regress, but you could argue that will not be the case for Ike and Huff, who are about to face easier competition for two-plus months in the West Coast Conference. They’ve both shot higher percentages in WCC play than non-WCC games over the last two seasons. Gonzaga played its ninth game against a high-major on Sunday — beating Oregon 91-82 — and it will not play another until the NCAA Tournament.
7. Houston (11-1)
Houston hasn’t been at its best in the first two Players Era Festivals, but it has been exactly what coach Kelvin Sampson needed to get his team’s attention and turn the Cougars into one of the best teams in the country coming out of it.
Last year, the Cougars were 4-3 at the end of Players Era and went 31-2 the rest of the way, the best record in college hoops over that stretch. This season, Houston didn’t have as many analysts questioning its legitimacy after Players Era — the Coogs went 2-1, losing to Tennessee — but they weren’t looking like a title contender the first month of the season.
Well, Sampson has had time to wave his wand, and Houston looked elite again on Saturday in a 94-85 win over Arkansas, which has been playing at a high level the last few weeks.
What’s changed is that the offense has become elite. Through the end of the Players Era, Houston ranked 62nd in adjusted offensive efficiency at Bart Torvik. Since it ended, Houston has the sixth-best offense in college basketball. That’s a small sample size, but Houston has the weapons to really be hard to guard, with the combination of Kingston Flemings’ speed, Emanuel Sharp’s shooting and slashing, Milos Uzan’s shooting and float game, Chris Cenac Jr.’s spacing from the four spot — a threat from the mid-range and 3-point line — and JoJo Tugler’s putting pressure on the rim as a roller and lob threat. November disappointment at Players Era could turn out to be the inflection point in Houston’s season for the second consecutive year.
8. Duke (11-1)
Cam Boozer has been fantastic and is playing at a National Player of the Year level, but everything seems to revolve around him. That was costly in Saturday’s 82-81 loss against Texas Tech. Over the final eight minutes, Boozer scored all of Duke’s points in the half court outside of a spot-up 3 from Cayden Boozer, which Cam Boozer set up with his penetration.
Can the Blue Devils win a national title without a reliable secondary scorer? Right now, Isaiah Evans, averaging 11.8 points per game, is second in scoring for Duke. Evans scored just 4 points on four shots against the Red Raiders.
Since 2000, only two national champs — UConn in 2011 and Louisville in 2013 — have won a title with a second-leading scorer averaging under 12 points per game. It’s not like Duke’s offense is laboring. Surrounding Boozer with shooters has worked well, but almost every basket is either Boozer scoring, kicking it out or out of a set design that gets the shot it intended. It’s hard to beat elite teams without a second player who can go off script and get a bucket when his team needs it.
11. Vanderbilt (12-0)
Vandy’s speedy backcourt of Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner combined for 20 steals last week in wins over Memphis and Wake Forest. The Commodores are scoring 6.5 points per game on transition layups that come as a result of a steal, and 27 of those steals have come from the Miles/Tanner combo.
They are as good as I’ve seen at getting denial steals, and this was my favorite from last week because it shows how Tanner never gives up on a play:
Vandy, now 12-0, has yet to play a Top 25 team, but smacking Wake Forest 98-67 on the road Sunday is a statement win. In its three games against high-majors, Vandy has won by an average of 20.7 points. The first ranked opponent will likely come on Jan. 7 when the Commodores host Alabama.
13. North Carolina (11-1)
The twitchiness of Caleb Wilson has generated a lot of attention because of his dunks. He has 37, the second-most in the country, according to Synergy.
It obviously comes in handy there, but what makes Wilson special is how quickly he can get to the ball. It helps him get to lobs and rebounds, and defensively, it allows him to make plays in disadvantageous situations like this one:
And this one:
Wilson actually had a few immature plays down the stretch of Saturday’s 71-70 win over Ohio State — including that missed box out of Devin Royal — but he can fix his mistakes quickly and he fills up a box score (20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks against the Buckeyes) because of his physical gifts.
20. Texas Tech (9-3)
Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson played 40 minutes against Duke. In the second half alone Saturday, Texas Tech set Anderson 34 ball screens and seven ghost screens. Anderson could be challenging Purdue’s Smith as the best pick-and-roll player in the country.
Anderson either set up a teammate or took the shot himself on 16 of the second-half possessions; the Red Raiders scored 26 points on those possessions, 1.625 points per possession.
It was a masterclass by Anderson and Texas Tech offensive coordinator Jeff Linder, either getting Anderson on an island against a matchup they liked:
Or forcing a defender to go over a screen:
And then after he made two tough off-the-dribble 3s, Anderson drew two defenders and hit JT Toppin on the roll:
The beauty of that design is that by emptying out the left side, there’s no one to get a high tag on Toppin, who is awesome at that push hook in the lane. That’s a low-percentage shot for most, but not Toppin. Anderson and Toppin scored the final 25 points for the Red Raiders and 29 of their final 31, and setting endless ball screens for the crafty point guard ended up being a winning strategy.
24. Kentucky (8-4)
Coach Mark Pope was allowed to pull out the Nintendo cartridge, blow on it and put it back in the system. The Wildcats are a new team with Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance. In Quaintance’s debut on Saturday, the Wildcats outscored St. John’s 31-13 with both Lowe and Quaintance on the floor.
Pope has redesigned his offense to fit Lowe, who is getting a healthy dose of high-ball screens. Lowe is the one player on the roster who can make passes like this:
That is ideal for Otega Oweh, who was more aggressive attacking the rim in Saturday’s 78-66 win. And it’s a nice feeling knowing you have a cleanup crew, with Quaintance able to gather offensive rebounds.
Here’s what Quaintance’s impact on the defensive end looks like:
This is what it was supposed to look like for Kentucky. High energy, Lowe with the ball in his hands and UK’s physicality and size wearing down the opponent. Quaintance seemed to raise everyone’s effort with his motor. It was only one game, but a very encouraging one for the Cats. Last week, I wrote that if it went right, the Lowe/Quaintance combo would make the Cats an NCAA Tournament team and help them finish around fifth in the league. It’s possible I’ll want a do-over on that. The version of the Cats that played Saturday could contend for an SEC title if they play that hard every game going forward.
