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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Volume IV of the Power Rankings, in which Oklahoma cracks the top two, the secret of Brandon Ingram\u2019s success is revealed, and much more:\r\n\r\n\r\nCollege Hoops Power Rankings\r\n\r\n&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t1\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t1Michigan State Spartans\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;1\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;11\u20130\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These were the quietest weekdays of the regular season\u2014finals week or post-finals week for most teams\u2014so I\u2019m using the first two sections to address a big-picture topic: the lack of truly elite teams in 2015\u201316.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is what it looks like when you compare a snapshot of kenpom.com\u2019s adjusted efficiency rankings from this time last season vs. the present (thanks to Ken Pomeroy for providing the historical data):\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u200B\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The top five teams at this point in \u201814\u201315 (Kentucky, Duke, Virginia, Wisconsin and Louisville) were all stronger than kenpom.com\u2019s current \u201815-16 No. 1, Virginia. Pomeroy suggested that NCAA tournament seeds be numbered 2\u201317 this season, since no one is profiling, statistically, like a classic No. 1, and I tend to agree.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up: &lt;/strong&gt;12/19 at Northeastern, 12/22 vs. Oakland (in Auburn Hills, Mich.)\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t2\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t2Oklahoma Sooners\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;4\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;7\u20130\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, let\u2019s zoom out on that 2014\u201315 vs. 2015\u201316 comparison and see where the gap in quality begins to shrink:\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The big difference is still the top 5 to 6\u2014the gap between last year\u2019s elites and this year\u2019s is significant. After that, things narrow, but it does take until the No. 18 spot for a \u201815\u201316 team to be better than its \u201814\u201315 peer. This could be the year of weak No. 1s but stronger 5s-10s.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 vs. Creighton, 12/22 vs. Washington State (in Honolulu)\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t3\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t3Kansas Jayhawks\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;3\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;8\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week, Kansas coach Bill Self talked about his frontcourt rotation being an unsolved puzzle, in the sense that he has six guys who can justify playing time, and only 80 minutes to divide between them. Self is using some of KU\u2019s December games to experiment with rotations so that he has a better sense of what works heading into Big 12 play. \u201CI don\u2019t want to go into February saying, \u2018You know, I think, maybe ...\u2019 because that\u2019s not the best way to do it,\u201D he told the &lt;i&gt;Topeka Capital-Journal&lt;/i&gt;.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One experiment has been giving senior center Hunter Mickelson more action\u2014and the combination of the former Arkansas transfer at center and Perry Ellis at power forward is intriguing. They\u2019ve only played 71 offensive possessions together this season, according to HoopLens.com data, but Kansas is averaging 1.49 points on those possessions, as opposed to 1.18 in all other situations. The Jayhawks made their big, second-half run against Oregon State on Dec. 12 with a Mickelson-Ellis frontcourt. While that combo was hardly the sole reason for KU\u2019s comeback, this sequence was particularly impressive:\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 vs. Montana, 12/22 at San Diego State\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t4\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t4Maryland Terrapins\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;5\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;9\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My one-third-of-the-way-into-the-season Impact Transfer Rankings:\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Damion Lee, SF, Louisville:&lt;/strong&gt; The former Drexel star is scoring with mind-boggling efficiency as the Cardinals\u2019 top option. He\u2019s averaging 18.8 points per game with a 141.0 Offensive Rating\u2014the highest of any player in the nation who\u2019s using at least 20% of his team\u2019s possessions. (Louisville\u2019s runner-up: Cleveland State transfer Trey Lewis.)\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Tyler Cavanaugh, PF, George Washington:&lt;/strong&gt; He was a bit player at Wake Forest two years ago, but has emerged as the go-to-guy for one of the nation\u2019s surprise teams, averaging 16.1 points and 7.8 boards.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Rasheed Sulaimon, SG, Maryland:&lt;/strong&gt; He\u2019s been the Terps\u2019 glue guy, complementing star point guard Melo Trimble by shooting 45.0% on threes, dishing out assists as a secondary ball-handler (including 10 against Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday), and playing more minutes than anyone on the roster. (Maryland\u2019s runner-up: Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter.)\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Ryan Anderson, PF, Arizona:&lt;/strong&gt; The ex-Boston College big man has stepped in and become the Wildcats\u2019 highest-usage scorer (averaging 15.6 points per game) and second-best rebounder, and might be even more valuable to their frontcourt rotation than injured center Kaleb Tarczewski.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Duncan Robinson, SG/SF, Michigan:&lt;/strong&gt; He started his career hidden at D-III Williams College, but Robinson is no longer a secret. He\u2019s arguably the most dangerous designated shooter in the country, making 60.9% of his treys, and attempted 5.8 of them per game.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 vs. Princeton (in Baltimore), 12/27 vs. Marshall\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t5\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t5Iowa State Cyclones\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;8\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;9\u20130\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I\u2019m cautiously excited for the Saturday debut of Marquette transfer Deonte Burton for Iowa State. Excited because SI\u2019s Breakout Sophomore Formula tabbed Burton for potential stardom back in 2014, after a season in which he (in very short spurts) used possessions at a higher rate than all but one major-conference freshman: Duke\u2019s Jabari Parker. Excited because teammate Georges Niang described Burton as a \u201C\u200Bfreak of nature\u201D due to his athleticism and aggressiveness. Excited because Burton is a ridiculous dunker, even when he\u2019s wearing Timberland boots:\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But I\u2019m cautious because Burton has already run afoul of two coaches, first Buzz Williams and then Steve Wojciechowski at Marquette, and what Iowa State coach Steve Prohm has been saying about Burton suggests that we shouldn't expect instant stardom. \u201C\u200BDeonte\u2019s a terrific player,\u201D\u200B Prohm told the &lt;i&gt;Des Moines Register&lt;/i&gt;, \u201Cbut we\u2019ve just got to slowly work him into the lineup, in practice, and in games.\u201D\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up: &lt;/strong&gt;12/19 vs. Northern Iowa (in Des Moines, Iowa), 12/22 at Cincinnati\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t6\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t6Kentucky Wildcats\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;6\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;9\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Point guard Tyler Ulis hasn\u2019t been the long-range weapon for the Wildcats that he was last season, when he shot 42.9% from deep; he\u2019s made just 28.2% of his threes thus far. Has Ulis just hit a cold streak, or has something changed?\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a freshman, 36% of Ulis\u2019s shots in halfcourt situations were off the catch, and he scored an amazing 1.55 points per attempt, according to Synergy Sports Technology. As a sophomore, 28.6% of his shots in halfcourt situations are off the catch, and he\u2019s scoring just 0.41 points per attempt. We\u2019re still in the very-small-sample stage, but I\u2019m curious if this huge change is, in some way, a result of how he\u2019s getting his catch-and-shoot three feeds. Last season, Kentucky had post-up scoring threats in Karl Anthony-Towns, Trey Lyles, Dakari Johnson and (sometimes) Willie Cauley-Stein who could attract defenders and kick the ball out to the perimeter; this season, UK\u2019s one frontcourt scoring threat, Skal Labissiere, is more of a face-up operator. I watched all 22 of Ulis\u2019s catch-and-shoot attempts on film &lt;strong&gt;and just one has come on a post-up kick-out; all the others came on passes from fellow guards&lt;/strong&gt;. This is the most rare action in Kentucky\u2019s offense:\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up: &lt;/strong&gt;12/19 vs. Ohio State (in Brooklyn, N.Y.), vs. Louisville\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t7\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t7Virginia Cavaliers\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;9\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;8\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, I wrote a few thousand words on the retirement of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, which is relevant here because Virginia\u2019s Tony Bennett\u2014and not Ryan\u2019s preferred successor, interim coach Greg Gard\u2014is thought to be athletic director Barry Alvarez\u2019s No. 1 candidate for the job. Bennett grew up in Wisconsin, played at UW-Green Bay, was an assistant in Madison under his father and Ryan, and Bennett\u2019s parents still live in the state. Wisconsin could offer Bennett a raise on his annual salary, given that Ryan was making $2.75 million in 2015 and Bennett was at $2.1 million at Virginia.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But the Cavaliers did a smart thing this off-season, trying to \u201CWisconsin-proof\u201D Bennett\u2019s contract by adding in a $3 million buyout if he leaves before March 15, 2018. Wisconsin boosters would need to come up with a sizable chunk of that to lure Bennett away\u2014and that\u2019s if he even wants the job, given the very attractive situation he has in Charlottesville. His teams compete for ACC titles without having unrealistic expectations from the fanbase, he\u2019s already in one of America\u2019s best college towns, and even though he\u2019s losing stars Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill after this season, Bennett has another strong team coming back in \u201816\u201317. I suspect he'll be able to get back to the NCAA tournament with rotation that includes London Perrantes, Darius Thompson, five-star recruit Kyle Guy, Marial Shayok, Isaiah Wilkins and Memphis transfer Austin Nichols, who\u2019s an elite power forward. All of which is to say that I think Gard, or a different candidate such as Northern Iowa\u2019s Ben Jacobson, is more likely to be at the helm of Wisconsin next season than is Bennett.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up: &lt;/strong&gt;12/19 vs. Villanova, 12/22 vs. Cal\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t8\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t8Duke Blue Devils\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;7\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;9\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Power Rankings made a major discovery (!) this week, uncovering the secret to Brandon Ingram\u2019s success: Duke\u2019s freshman star only plays well in games where he makes his first three-point attempt.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The primary focus of every Coach K offensive gameplan, moving forward, should be to get Ingram a clean three-point look as early as possible.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 vs. Utah (in New York), 12/28 vs. Elon\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t9\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t9North Carolina Tar Heels\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;2\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;8\u20132\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My preference is to write about the order of the rankings as little as possible, but this is one of those occasions that warrants an explanation. Why have a two-loss UNC team in the top 10, and ahead of undefeated Purdue and Xavier? The first part of the answer is that the Heels should be evaluated as a one-loss team, given that they\u2019ve only lost once with Marcus Paige in the lineup; the second part is that they have quality wins (by eight points over title-contender Maryland, and by 33 over Atlantic-10 title-contender Davidson); the third part is that I still think they\u2019d beat everyone ranked below them on a neutral court. Do I have concerns about UNC after our projection system forecasted them as the No. 1 team in the preseason? Definitely. The Heels\u2019 defense hasn\u2019t made the kind of strides it needs to be regarded as a clear title favorite, or even the clear ACC favorite; as of now they're merely one of four very good teams in the ACC, along with Virginia, Duke and Louisville.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 vs. UCLA (in Brooklyn, N.Y.), 12/21 vs. Appalachian State\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t10\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t10Purdue Boilermakers\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;10\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;11\u20130\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Saturday, Dec. 19 is a big day in college hoops: Villanova-Virginia, North Carolina-UCLA, Duke-Utah, Kentucky-Ohio State, Iowa State-Northern Iowa, Arizona-UNLV, but the game I might be most interested in is Butler-Purdue in Indianapolis. Mainly because the Boilermakers\u2019 defense, powered by two-headed center A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas, has risen to No. 1 in kenpom\u2019s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, and I\u2019m looking forward to evaluating them against a top-flight offense. Butler ranks sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency, has co-stars in gunner Kellen Dunham and linebacker/playmaker Roosevelt Jones, and efficient interior scorers in Tyler Wideman, Kelan Martin and Andrew Chrabascz. If the Boilermakers lock down Butler\u2019s offense, I\u2019ll be willing to move them higher in my top 10.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up: &lt;/strong&gt;12/19 vs. Butler (in Indianapolis), 12/22 vs. Vanderbilt\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t11\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t11Xavier Musketeers\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;13\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;10\u20130\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Musketeers blog Banners on the Parkway asked a reasonable question this week: Has Xavier ever been this good? The topic warrants discussion because analytically, Xavier has not been this good: It currently ranks ninth in adjusted efficiency, which is higher than any previous Chris Mack team ever finished\u2014or any Sean Miller or Thad Matta team, for that matter. Matta\u2019s 2004 Elite Eight team is the standard-setter, finishing 15th that year with its excellent trio of guards in Lionel Chalmers, Dedrick Finn and Romain Sato. My favorite Xavier team, the one that had Jordan Crawford and Tu Holloway as its starting backcourt in \u201809-10, and lost in double-OT to Kansas State in the Sweet 16, missing a shot to steal Butler\u2019s Final Four thunder, finished ranked 17th in efficiency. While the current Xavier squad could analytically outpace those two, it doesn\u2019t have the same level of backcourt talent, and that makes it slightly less of a threat in the NCAA tournament. Myles Davis, Edmond Sumner, Remy Abell and (if you want to call him a guard) Trevon Bluiett are great, but they aren\u2019t Crawford-Holloway-Mark Lyons or Chalmers-Finn-Sato.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up: &lt;/strong&gt;12/19 vs. Auburn, 12/22 at Wake Forest\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t12\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t12Miami (FL) Hurricanes\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;11\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;8\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Hurricanes haven\u2019t played since Dec. 8, so there\u2019s nothing new to report or analyze on this front. But since I touched on the best-teams-ever topic in the Xavier blurb, it\u2019s worth noting that Miami\u2019s current efficiency ranking (12) is higher than its final ranking when it earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and won the ACC in 2013. That team was ranked 30th in efficiency at this point last season, and finished 12th.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 vs. Charleston, 12/22 at La Salle\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t13\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t13Villanova Wildcats\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;12\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;8\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As ugly as the Wildcats\u2019 loss to Oklahoma was, I still like their chances of upsetting Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday. The Cavaliers\u2019&amp;nbsp;defense looked fantastic against West Virginia in the Jimmy V Classic, but the Mountaineers were the perfect team for the Pack-Line to suffocate: they couldn\u2019t shoot, they relied too much on offensive boards for success, and they didn\u2019t have passing big men to beat Virginia\u2019s post double teams. Villanova is pretty much the opposite: When not on military bases in Hawaii, the Wildcats are a pretty strong shooting team; they have one of the game\u2019s best passing centers in Daniel Ochefu, and their guards and wings are adept at making basket cuts to exploit double-teams. Villanova\u2019s core group has performed well in true road games, too; last season in February and March, they won at Providence, Butler and Xavier, and on Dec. 1 of this season they looked impressive in a win at St. Joe\u2019s.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 at Virginia, 12/22 vs. Delaware\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t14\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t14Providence Friars\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;14\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;10\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last week\u2019s Ben Bentil injury news turned out to be nothing more than a scare. The Friars\u2019 breakout-star forward was X-rayed (results: negative) after a nasty ankle injury against Boston College on Dec. 9, was seen on crutches and in a boot the following day, wasn\u2019t expected to start or even play against Bryant on Dec. 12 ... but he suited up, played 25 minutes off the bench, scored 16 points, and was moving so fast and displaying such explosiveness that refs, apparently, couldn't even count his steps:\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 vs. Rider, 12/21 at UMass\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t15\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t15Arizona Wildcats\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;15\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;10\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Like Bentil, Arizona\u2019s Kadeem Allen has toughed it out through a Dec. 9 ankle injury to avoid missing any games\u2014which is a big deal for the Wildcats, seeing that Allen has locked down the starting point-guard job over Parker Jackson-Cartwright, and has proved to be an invaluable defender. Arizona is at its best offensively when Gabe York and Allonzo Trier are playing the 2-3 spots, but neither is an elite (or even strong) defender, and so having Allen alongside them at the 1 is an effective complement. He\u2019s a physical, 6'3\" guard whose advanced stats show a high rate of defensive activity, as he leads the Wildcats in steal percentage (4.5) and is, surprisingly, tied for third among rotation players in block percentage (3.2).\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up: &lt;/strong&gt;12/19 vs. UNLV, 12/22 vs. Long Beach State\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t16\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t16Baylor Bears\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&amp;nbsp;\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tlast week:&amp;nbsp;16\r\n\r\n\trecord:&amp;nbsp;8\u20131\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lester Medford looked like a liability in Baylor\u2019s Nov. 16 loss at Oregon, scoring just two points and committing six turnovers (against one assist), but he\u2019s been a different player in December, emerging as a reliable, playmaking point guard. He was a key to the Bears\u2019 Dec. 6 win over Vanderbilt\u2014as SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell wrote then, Medford was fearless in crunch time, scoring 11 points in the final eight minutes\u2014and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 34-to-3 this month. Baylor has enough quality offensive options that it doesn\u2019t need Medford to score the way Pierre Jackson did a few seasons ago; Medford\u2019s role is to limit mistakes, keep feeding Rico Gathers, Taurean Prince and Johnathan Motley, and contribute the occasional clutch bucket.\r\n\r\n\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next up:&lt;/strong&gt; 12/19 at Texas A&amp;amp;M, 12/23 vs. New Mexico State\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;h3&gt;The next 16&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;17. Louisville\r\n18. Butler\r\n19. UCLA\r\n20. SMU\r\n21. George Washington\r\n22. West Virginia\r\n23. Cincinnati\r\n24. Texas A&amp;amp;M\r\n25. Wichita State\r\n26. Gonzaga\r\n27. South Carolina\r\n28. UNLV\r\n29. Oregon\r\n30. Utah\r\n31. Dayton\r\n32. Monmouth\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/12/17/power-rankings-michigan-state-oklahoma-kansas-maryland>