JBL | The Quadaily 25, 2028 Season (Day 9): Now With Sustainable Format Maybe
Please Welcome...
Oklahoma State (22rd): The Cowboys entered the poll after defeating Syracuse and Creighton, both on the road. They probably should have entered the poll yesterday, but that's what one gets for doing a poll at 1am. (Note: #18 was neglected in yesterday's poll, so each team slid up a spot. It's likely the Cowboys would have moved in, had that transgression not been overlooked.) The Cowboys currently rank 13th in threes made per game, and are 32nd in 3pt%. They are also tenth in the nation in free throw percentage, and are 12th in bench scoring. They currently rank best in the Big XII in scoring, at 77.7 points per game. They're also 1st in the conference in FG%, at 47.6% (43rd nationally). This is even with leading scorer, Frank Tucker-Smith, shooting just 42.4% from the field. So far, with OK State, this is a collaborative effort.
Illinois (23rd): The Quad isn't a big fan of this placement, but the Fightin Illini will get a great chance to prove their standing today, when Gonzaga comes to town. They also have Missouri coming in a week. They haven't played anyone yet, which isn't their fault. With so much movement at the bottom of the poll, and The Quad, while being appreciative of Pitt and St. John's, not believing of their standing in The 25 just yet, Illinois is the choice. Neils Martin has been solid, averaging 16.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg, taking his place as the focal point in the offense. It remains to be seen if their efficiency from deep--they rank 12th nationally with a 53.3% clip from beyond the arc--can be sustained. They have been adept at being able to run (9th in transition points per game), thanks to their strong rebounding (17th in defensive rebounds per game). However, one has to wonder what happens when a team slows them down and runs them off the line. They rank just 62nd in the nation in points per game. Overall, it feels like this whole thing is not a sustainable product, and some lean offensive days are ahead. For today, though, the Fightin Illini are flying high.
Notes: Duke has proved their standing so far, handling three teams that have been ranked in this poll. They have beaten Gonzaga, Ohio State, and Purdue. For the Boilermakers, that marked their second straight loss to a top team. They fell to Texas by one on Day 4...North Carolina, meanwhile, has slowed themselves down a bit. They're ninth in pace, and 19th in scoring. They were sixth and fifth in those categories last year, respectively...this might be bad news for Baylor fans: Ilinois State, a ten-win team last year, went into Baylor and handled the Bears, 77-68. Signs point to a rather lean year in Waco...Pitt got their way to 4-0 by upending Penn State, 60-58. Penn State had a chance to win the game, but Alexander Krysko's three at the buzzer fell off the rim. Pitt held a 54-39 lead with 7:11 left, only to see the Nittany Lions storm back...there are several teams in the AP Poll you won't find here, including LSU (18th), Minnesota (21st), San Diego State (24th) and St. John's (25th). Overall, The Quad feels like teams ranked here have done more with their schedules early on. Also, the AP voters are quite overreactive on chucking teams. Since this is a daily poll, you may question some choices. We're playing the long game here, friends.
Oh, and since there's an interesting bet placed at the 40ish Minutes of Hell podcast (give it a listen, those guys are superb), through four games, Jack Dawkins is averaging exactly 22.0 points per game. (The bet is an over/under on whether Jack would average 22.0). With UConn's bent towards a more defensive approach, it seems more feasible that Jack will do it. Then again, he posted 31 against Syracuse to bring that average up.
While it will be difficult to honor individual efforts in this piece, we did want to highlight Kenny Easley, a freshman at Coppin State. He posted 17 points and six boards, going 7-7 from the field, and 3-3 from the line. His PER on the day was 57.0. His ORtg/DRtg was an astonishing 185.8/82.2. (The Quad looked at efforts over 25 minutes per game, and this stood out). That's an incredible game.
Day 9
1. Duke (4-0, 1)
2. Indiana (3-0, 2)
3. Kansas (4-0, 3)
4. North Carolina (4-0, 5)
5. Michigan State (2-0, 6)
6. Arizona (2-1, 4)
7. Southern Cal (2-1, 7)
8. Connecticut (4-0, 9)
9. Texas (3-0, 10)
10. Washington (3-0, 11)
11. Georgetown (1-1, 12)
12. Arkansas (2-2, 8)
13. Michigan (3-0, 13)
14. UCLA (2-1, 14)
15. Memphis (1-1, 15)
16. NC State (3-0, 16)
17. Colorado (3-0, 17)
18. Kentucky (3-0, 18)
19. Virginia (3-0, 19)
20. Florida (1-1, 20)
21. Missouri (3-0, 22)
22. Oklahoma State (3-0, NR)
23. Illinois (3-0, NR)
24. Purdue (1-2, 21)
25. Kansas State (3-1, 25)
Next: Pitt, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Villanova, St. John's
Dropped Out: Ohio State (23), Cincinnati (24)