Charleston continues to rack up victories and continues to jump up the Other Top 25 ranking. The Cougars, who entered the AP Top last week for the first time since 1991, have won 15 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the country. They find themselves tied for No. 2 in this week’s Other Top 25.
Since winning the Charleston Classic back in November, the Cougars have defeated the likes of Kent State, Towson and Stetson. The Cougars earned double-digit victories at North Carolina A&T and at home against Delaware this past week.
Dalton Bolon leads a balanced scoring attack of five players in double figures. The graduate guard, who poured in 22 against NC A&T, is averaging 12.9 points per contest. He is followed by Ryan Larson (11.1), Reyne Smith (10.6), Pat Robinson III (10.6) and Ante Brzovic (10.2).
Charleston sits 51st in the NET ranking and 84th in KenPom. The Cougars are set to visit UNC Wilmington Wednesday night in a matchup of two teams in the Other Top 25.
UNC Wilmington is also streaking and finds itself at No. 18 this week. The Seahawks have won 13 straight consecutive games, which broke the program’s mark of 12 set last season.
In UNCW’s most recent victory, a 66-61 win over NC A&T, Maleeck Harden-Hayes netted a career-high 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting.
The reigning CBI champions are led by Trazarien White, who is posting 14.1 points per game. He’s the lone Seahawk averaging in double figure.
Meanwhile, New Mexico, the country’s final unbeaten fell in this week’s Other Top 25 following its first two losses of the season and dropped to No. 6. The Lobos, who were ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2014, suffered their first defeat at Fresno State 71-67 Tuesday. They followed it up with a seven-point loss to UNLV in front of a sold-out crowd at The Pit Saturday.
UNM won their first 14 games of the year, the second-best start to a season in program history. Over the past week, its NET ranking dropped from 18 to 50.
Richard Pitino’s squad looks to bounce back tonight against Oral Roberts before it travels to San Diego State Saturday night.
Three teams entered the Other Top 25 this week: Oral Roberts at No. 20, Liberty at 22 and Marshall at 25.
The Other Top 25: Jan. 9, 2023
| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Points | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Mid-Major Madness – All Posts…