Wisconsin was picked 12th in the unofficial Big Ten preseason poll. Pitt was picked seventh in the preseason ACC poll. In other words, both programs entered this season with question marks, which is among the reasons Sunday's championship game of the Greenbrier Tip-Off is so compelling.
It's a matchup of undefeated teams.
Wisconsin is 6-0 (with victories over Arizona and UCF) and slotted 15th in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Pitt is 6-0 (with victories over LSU and West Virginia) and ranked 18th in the Top 25 And 1. Both have two top-100 wins. So the winner of Sunday's game will conclude the third week of this season with a third top-100 victory, one that would ensure a place in Monday's Associated Press Top 25 poll.
The Pitt story is especially notable.
The Panthers were 51-69 through four years under Jeff Capel, leaving the Duke graduate on the so-called hot seat heading into the 2022-23 season. He responded by going 24-12 and advancing to the Round of 32 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Last season, he went 22-11. This season, he's 6-0. So, after starting 51-69 at Pitt, Capel is now 52-23 in the past two-plus seasons.
Pitt is one of three ACC schools in the Top 25 And 1. The others are No. 3 North Carolina and No. 11 Duke. Interestingly, no other ACC program is even in the top 40 at EvanMiya.com, which suggests the league could have multiple legitimate national championship contenders but still a relatively low number of teams that will eventually secure bids to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
As always, we'll see.
But, 20 days into this season, the ACC looks top-heavy once again. As evidence, consider that 14 of the ACC's 18 members are currently ranked outside of the top 50 at BartTorvik.com. For context, understand that 14 of the Big Ten's 18 members are currently ranked inside the top 50 at BartTorvik.com.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dajuan Harris finished with 17 points and six assists in Tuesday's 84-66 win over UNC Wilmington. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Duke. | -- | 5-0 |
| 2 |  | Johni Broome finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds in Monday's 102-69 win over North Alabama. The Tigers' next game is Monday against Iowa State. | -- | 4-0 |
| 3 |  | RJ Davis finished with 18 points and four assists in Friday's 87-69 win over Hawaii. The Tar Heels' next game is Monday against Dayton. | -- | 3-1 |
| 4 |  | Solo Ball finished with 12 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 81-46 win over East Texas A&M. The Huskies' next game is Monday against Memphis. | -- | 4-0 |
| 5 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Monday's 87-52 win over IU Indy. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against Auburn. | -- | 3-0 |
| 6 |  | Graham Ike finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 84-41 win over Long Beach State. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against West Virginia. | -- | 5-0 |
| 7 |  | Joseph Tugler finished with 17 points and four assists in Friday's 80-44 win over Hofstra. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Alabama. | -- | 3-1 |
| 8 |  | David Joplin finished with 29 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 80-69 win over Georgia. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Stonehill. | -- | 6-0 |
| 9 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Friday's 77-62 win over Baylor. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Tennessee Martin. | -- | 6-0 |
| 10 |  | Koby Brea finished with 22 points and two rebounds in Friday's 108-59 win over Jackson State. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Western Kentucky. | -- | 5-0 |
| 11 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Friday's 69-55 win at Arizona. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Kansas. | -- | 4-1 |
| 12 |  | Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 80-45 win over Marshall. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against NC State. | -- | 5-1 |
| 13 |  | Grant Nelson finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 100-87 win over Illinois. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday against Houston. | -- | 4-1 |
| 14 |  | Myles Rice finished with 20 points and six assists in Thursday's 69-58 win over UNC Greensboro. The Hoosiers' next game is Wednesday against Louisville. | -- | 4-0 |
| 15 |  | John Blackwell finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Friday's 86-70 win over UCF. The Badgers' next game is Sunday against Pitt. | -- | 6-0 |
| 16 |  | Jayden Nunn missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Friday's 77-62 loss to Tennessee. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against New Orleans. | -- | 4-2 |
| 17 |  | Adou Thiero finished with 23 points and six steals in Friday's 79-67 win over Little Rock. The Razorbacks' next game is Monday against Maryland Eastern Shore. | -- | 4-1 |
| 18 |  | Jaland Lowe finished with 22 points and six assists in Friday's 74-63 win over LSU. The Panthers' next game is Sunday against Wisconsin. | -- | 6-0 |
| 19 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 17 points and six assists in Wednesday's 71-54 win over Southern. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday against Oregon. | -- | 4-1 |
| 20 |  | John Mobley Jr. finished with 23 points and two steals in Friday's 104-60 win over Campbell. The Buckeyes' next game is Monday against Green Bay. | -- | 4-1 |
| 21 |  | Tre Johnson finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Friday's 67-58 win over Saint Joseph's. The Longhorns' next game is Friday against Delaware State. | -- | 5-1 |
| 22 |  | Caleb Love missed 10 of the 15 shots he attempted in Friday's 69-55 loss to Duke. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Davidson. | -- | 2-2 |
| 23 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 32 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 93-68 win over Southern Illinois. The Gators' next game is Thursday against Wake Forest. | -- | 6-0 |
| 24 |  | Ace Bailey finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 74-63 win over Merrimack. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Wednesday against Merrimack. | -- | 4-0 |
| 25 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 81-58 win over Georgia Tech. The Bearcats' next game is Wednesday against Alabama State. | -- | 5-0 |
| 26 |  | Matthew Murrell finished with 19 points and four assists in Thursday's 100-68 win over Oral Roberts. The Rebels' next game is Thursday against BYU. | -- | 5-0 |
