The Other Top 25: James Madison skyrockets to No. 5

It’s no surprise that James Madison took the mid-major world by storm with its 79-76 overtime win at Michigan St. to begin the season last Monday. The Dukes demonstrated a flair for the dramatic three days later to defeat Kent St. in two overtimes. They moved to 3-0 with a 21-point win over Howard. That week earned JMU the No. 5 spot in this week’s Other Top 25 after being unranked in the preseason.

Four other teams joined the ranking this week. Princeton and North Texas tied for 14^th. Saint Louis came in at 21, and Bradley was slotted 22.

1. Florida Atlantic (3)

The Owls, who were No. 10 in the AP preseason top 25, opened the season with a 75-62 win over Loyola Chicago Wednesday. They led by 13 at halftime. Vladislav Goldin led four players in double figures with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

2. Memphis (1)

The Tigers picked up a big 70-55 win at Missouri Friday after trailing by 14 in the first half. They outscored the SEC foe by 29 the rest of the way. Jahvon Quinerly notched 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. They’re 2-0 with a win over Jackson St. as well.

3. San Diego St.

The Aztecs split their two games during the opening week. After defeating Cal State Fullerton 83-57 Monday, SDSU fell to BYU 74-65 Friday. Jaedon LeDee scored a career-high 27 points in the win over Fullerton.

4. Boise St.

The Broncos topped Vanguard in their opener before knocking off San Francsico 63-58 Sunday. They led the entire game against the Dons. Tyson Degenhart led with 17 points followed by 15 from each of Max Rice and Chibuzo Agbo.

5. James Madison

The Dukes won all three of their games, highlighted by defeating then-No. 4 Michigan State on the road in overtime. They topped Kent St. in double overtime and Howard 107-86. Terrence Edwards Jr. leads five players in double figures at 21 points per game.

6. Saint Mary’s (1)

The Gaels opened their season with wins over Stanislaus St. and New Mexico before falling to Weber St. Sunday. In the victory over the Lobos, SMC outscored the opposition by 15 in the first half. In the loss to the Wildcats, the Gaels were outscored 30-10 over the final 13:48 after they led by 16.

7. Duquesne

The Dukes are 2-0 following wins over Cleveland St. and Charleston. They topped the Vikings 79-77 behind Dae Dae Grant’s 21 points. In their 90-72 win over the Cougars, they scored 57 points in the second half. Grant scored 22, and Kareem Rozier scored a career-high 20 points.

8. New Mexico

The Lobos split their two games with a 92-55 win over Texas Southern before falling at Saint Mary’s 72-58. Jamal Mashburn Jr. posted a team-high 15 in the win, while Donovan Dent matched that output in the loss.

T-9. Drake

The Bulldogs won their season opener 85-70 over Lipscomb by outscoring the Bisons by 19 in the second half. Reigning MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries balled out with a career-high 36 points. He led that second half surge with 23 points following halftime.

T-9. Colorado St.

The Rams are 2-0 after wins against Louisiana Tech and Wright St. They routed the Raiders 105-77 Friday. Isaiah Stevens notched 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting to go along with a program-record with 14 assists.

11. Nevada

The Wolf Pack claimed a pair of wins, highlighted by an 83-76 win at Washington Sunday night. It jumped to an 11-point lead at halftime. Kenan Blackshear posted a career-high 31 points, six rebounds and five assists.

12. Dayton

The Flyers split their two contests with a 16-point win over SIUE and a five-point loss at Northwestern. In the game against the Wildcats, they overcame a 10-point deficit at half by pulling even in the first three and a half minutes. DaRon Holmes II notched 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half.

13. Liberty

The Flames won their two games with a blowout over Mid-Atlantic Christian and a 12-point victory against Charlotte. Kyle Rode powered the win over the 49ers with 23 points. He scored 17 in the second half on 7-of-8 shooting.

T-14. Princeton

The Tigers secured a 68-61 win over Rutgers in the season opener. A pair of players had career nights. Matt Allocco matched a career-high 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Xaivian Lee tallied career-highs with 16 points and five assists. They followed that up with a 74-67 win over Hofstra to move to 2-0.

T-14. North Texas

The Mean Green won both opening-week contests: 83-77 against Northern Iowa in overtime and 75-64 over Omaha. Aaron Scott posted career-high 26 points in the win over the Panthers. He followed that up with 18 against the Mavericks. CJ Noland also scored 18 in that game, which was a career high.

16. Grand Canyon

The Antelopes earned a pair of blowout wins. They knocked off Southeast Missouri by 21 points and Northern Arizona by 34. Tyon Grant-Foster is averaging 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.

17. Yale

The Bulldogs are 2-1 following a blowout win over Vassar, a 15-point loss at Gonzaga and a three-point victory at Loyola Marymount. Bez Mbeng posted a career-high 28 points in the win over the Lions.

18. Charleston

The Cougars began the season with a 71-69 win over Iona in a matchup of NCAA Tournament teams from last season. Ante Brzovic led the way with 16 points and gave them the lead for good with a layup with 34 seconds left. They fell to Duquesne by 18 on Friday.

19. Akron

The Zips began the season with an 81-75 win at Summit League favorite South Dakota St. They moved to 2-0 with a 72-54 win against Southern Miss. Nate Johnson and Mikal Dawson are leading the way with 13.5 points apiece.

20. UNC Wilmington

The Seahawks began the year with a 39-point win over Mount Olive. They then topped UNC Asheville 83-66. They led by 19 points at half and were paced by six players in double figures. Maleeck Harden-Hayes notched 16 points.

21. Saint Louis

The Billikens are 3-0 with wins over Southern Indiana, Lincoln (Mo.) and Illinois St. Terrence Hargrove Jr. is averaging a team-best 16.0 points per game.

22. Bradley

The Braves secured a pair of overtime wins: 73-71 over UAB and 72-66 against Utah St. They led 40-24 at halftime over the Blazers. Malevy Leons the way with 11 points and eight rebounds. Christian Davis put the game against the Aggies on ice with a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in OT.

23. Tulane

The Green Wave picked up double-digit wins over Nicholls and Northwestern St. Three players are averaging at least 19 points per game: Kolby King (21.0), Kevin Cross (20.5) and Collin Holloway (19.0).

24. Furman

The Paladins topped North Greenville by 16 before racing past Belmont 99-76. JP Pegues led the way against the Bruins with a game-high 23 points after not playing in the opener.

25. Iona

The Gaels split their opening week with a 71-69 loss at Charleston and an 88-81 win at home over Sacred Heart. The game against the Cougars was a back-and-forth affair. In the win over the Pioneers, they scored 13 of the final 14 points. Idan Tretout posted 34 points in the victory.

Others Receiving Votes:

Loyola Chicago 21; Santa Clara 16; UAB 15; St. Bonaventure 10; Northern Iowa 7; VCU 6; Weber St. 6; Vermont 4; Davidson 4; Kent St. 3; Richmond 3; Toledo 3; Saint Joseph’s 2; Western Carolina 2; Eastern Kentucky 1; Middle Tennessee 1

Dropped from Ranking:

UAB (T-11); VCU (T-13); St. Bonaventure (T-13); Northern Iowa (T-19); Loyola Chicago (25)

Previous Top 25 Ranking

Preseason