College basketball rankings: Michigan survives scare vs. Buffalo, remains No. 6 in Top 25 And 1

USATSI

Most good teams not participating in the Champions Classic opened this week against terrible competition — evidence being how 14 of the 24 schools ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll that have already played a game won their opener by at least 20 points.

It’s been one blowout after another.

It’s mostly boring.

So give Michigan coach Juwan Howard credit for challenging his team and actually opening this season with a quality opponent. The Wolverines didn’t schedule some bottom-tier program from a low-major league. They instead started Wednesday with a game against Buffalo, which is the preseason favorite in the MAC thanks in part to the return of all-league players Jeenathan Williams and Josh Mballa, a duo that combined to average 32.9 points last season.

It was a five-point game with less than seven minutes left.

“Juwan probably got a couple of more gray hairs,” said Michigan sophomore Hunter Dickinson, who is the main reason the Wolverines pulled away for an eventual 88-76 victory. The 7-foot 1 center took 17 shots, made 11 of them and finished with a team-high 27 points and six rebounds. Five-star freshman Caleb Houstan added 11 points while making two of the four 3-pointers he attempted.

“He’s such a great shooter — and the way our offense is designed, he’s going to have a lot of open shots,” Dickinson said. “He’s got a really good opportunity to score a lot for us.”

With the win, Michigan remains No. 6 in Thursday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Four of the Wolverines’ next seven games are also against top-100 KenPom teams. The biggest is a road game at North Carolina on the first day of December.

Top 25 And 1 rankings

Biggest Movers

Rk	Teams		Chg	Rcrd
1	Gonzaga	Chet Holmgren finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks and six assists in Tuesday’s 97-63 win over Dixie State. The Zags’ next game is Saturday against Texas.	—	1-0
2	UCLA	Johnny Juzang finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Tuesday’s 95-58 win over CSU Bakersfield. The Bruins’ next game is Friday against Villanova.	—	2-0
3	Texas	Marcus Carr finished with 10 points, seven assists and three rebounds in Tuesday’s 92-48 victory over Houston Baptist. The Longhorns’ next game is Saturday at Gonzaga.	—	1-0
4	Kansas	Ochai Agbaji finished with 29 points on 17 shots in Tuesday’s 87-74 victory over Michigan State. The Jayhawks’ next game is Friday against Tarleton State.	—	2-0
5	Villanova	Justin Moore made six 3-pointers and finished with 27 points in Tuesday’s 91-51 victory over Mount St. Mary’s. The Wildcats’ next game is Friday at UCLA.	—	1-1
6	Michigan	Hunter Dickinson finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Wednesday’s 88-76 victory over Buffalo. The Wolverines’ next game is Saturday against Prairie View A&M.	—	1-0
7	Memphis	Emoni Bates finished with 17 points, four assists and four rebounds in Tuesday’s 89-65 win over Tennessee Tech. The Tigers’ next game is Saturday against North Carolina Central.	—	1-0
8	Duke	Paolo Banchero finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday’s 79-71 victory over Kentucky. The Blue Devils’ next game is Friday against Army.	—	2-0
9	Baylor	The Bears lost four starters from their team that won the national championship but should remain near the top of the Big 12 thanks to the return of Adam Flagler, Matthew Mayer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, and the enrollment of five-star wing Kendall Brown and Arizona transfer James Akinjo. Baylor opens the season Friday against Incarnate Word.	—	1-0
10	Arkansas	Chris Lykes got 16 points off the bench in Tuesday’s 74-61 win over Mercer. The Razorbacks’ next game is Saturday against Gardner Webb.	—	1-0
11	Purdue	Zach Edey finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday’s 96-67 win over Bellarmine. The Boilermakers’ next game is Friday against Indiana State.	—	2-0
12	Alabama	Keon Ellis finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday’s 93-64 win over Louisiana Tech. The Crimson Tide’s next game is Friday against South Dakota State.	—	2-0
13	Houston	Marcus Sasser finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Tuesday’s 83-75 overtime victory over Hofstra. The Cougars’ next game is Friday against Rice.	—	2-0
14	Kentucky	UK allowed Duke to shoot 52.8% from the field in Tuesday’s loss to the Blue Devils. The Wildcats’ next game is Friday against Robert Morris.	—	1-1
15	N. Carolina	Caleb Love and Brady Manek combined for 42 points in Tuesday’s 83-67 victory over Loyola Maryland. The Tar Heels’ next game is Friday against Brown.	—	2-0
16	Oregon	Will Richardson finished with 20 points and four assists in Tuesday’s 83-66 win over Texas Southern. The Ducks’ next game is Friday against SMU.	—	2-0
17	Illinois	Jacob Grandison went 7-of-10 from the field and finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Tuesday’s 71-47 victory over Jackson State. The Illini’s next game is Friday against Arkansas State.	—	2-0
18	Ohio St.	E.J. Liddell finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in Tuesday’s 67-66 victory over Akron. The Buckeyes’ next game is Friday against Niagara.	—	2-0
19	Florida St.	Malik Osborne finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday’s 105-70 win over Penn. The Seminoles’ next game is Sunday against Florida.	—	1-0
20	Tennessee	Kennedy Chandler finished 7-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-4 from three, in Tuesday’s 90-62 victory over UT Martin. The Vols’ next game is Sunday against East Tennessee State.	—	1-0
21	Maryland	Qudus Wahab finished with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks in Tuesday’s 83-69 win over Quinnipiac. The Terrapins’ next game is Thursday against George Washington.	—	2-0
22	Auburn	Wendell Green Jr. made three 3-pointers and finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Tuesday’s 77-54 win over Morehead State. The Tigers’ next game is Friday against Louisiana Monroe.	—	2-0
23	Connecticut	Adama Sanogo took 11 shots, made nine of them and finished with 20 points and five rebounds in UConn’s 99-48 win over Central Connecticut. The Huskies’ next game is Saturday against Coppin State.	—	2-0
24	St. Bona.	Kyle Lofton finished with 17 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in Tuesday’s 75-47 victory over Siena. The Bonnies’ next game is Sunday against Canisius.	—	1-0
25	Va. Tech	Justyn Mutts finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Tuesday’s 82-47 win over Maine. The Hokies’ next game is Friday against Navy.	—	2-0
26	USC	Boogie Ellis went 9-of-11 from the field and finished with 20 points in Tuesday’s 89-49 victory over CSU Northridge. The Trojans’ next game is Saturday against Temple.	—	1-0