Week three of college basketball finally brought us something to lock into: consistent, ranked play. Throughout the week, the NCAA saw seven games where both teams were ranked in the top 25 prior to action, a treat for all fans with November basketball.

As we continue the series of the Torch Top 25, here are the latest rankings, with a scale of where teams fared last week, along with three takeaways from the college basketball action.

Torch Top 25

1. Purdue(4-0) (-)— AP Rank: #1
2. UConn(4-0) (+1) — AP Rank: #3
3. Houston(4-0) (-1) — AP Rank: #2
4. Duke(4-0) (-) — AP Rank: #5
5. Arizona(4-0)(+5)  — AP Rank: #4
6. Louisville(4-0) (+5) — AP Rank: #6
7. Kentucky(3-1) (-2) — AP Rank: #12
8. BYU(3-1) (-2) — AP Rank: #9
9. Michigan(3-0) (-2) — AP Rank: #7
10. Illinois(4-0) (+6)  — AP Rank: #8
11. Alabama(2-1) (-2) — AP Rank: #11
12. Texas Tech(3-1) (-4) — AP Rank: #15
13. St. John’s(2-1) (+1) — AP Rank: #14
14. Iowa State(3-0) (+1) — AP Rank: #16
15. Florida(3-1) (-2) — AP Rank: #10
16. Gonzaga(4-0) (+3) — AP Rank: #13
17. Michigan State(3-0)  (+1) — AP Rank: #17
18. Tennessee(3-0) (-1) — AP Rank: #20
19. North Carolina(4-0)  (+1) — AP Rank: #18
20. UCLA(3-1)  (-8) — AP Rank: #19
21. Wisconsin(3-0 (+1) — AP Rank: #23
22. Auburn(3-1)   (-1) — AP Rank: #22
23. Indiana(3-0) (+2) — AP Rank: NR
24. N.C. State(3-0) (NR) — AP Rank: #25
25. Vanderbilt(4-0) (NR) — AP Rank: NR

Off Last Weeks chart

Creighton(2-1)- last week: No.23

Clemson(3-1)- last week: No. 24

Left off but in AP Top 25:

No.21 Arkansas(3-1)

No. 24 Kansas(3-1)

UConn is LEGIT

The Huskies didn’t have everything go right for them in the win against BYU, but the fact that they were able to successfully pull it off shows how set they are for this season. UConn has been without top freshman recruit Braylin Mullins through the first four games, similar to how Liam McNeely was absent last season, along with several other injuries.

In the win star guard Solo Ball was nonexistent, which still didn’t matter, as he shot just one-for-five from beyond the arc with eight total points in 22 minutes. It was former Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr. who came up big for the Huskies, tallying a clutch late-game steal as the Cougars threatened to come back, while totaling 21 points.

Demary was joined by both Taris Reed and Alex Karaban, who also scored 21 points, providing offense in a crucial win. Dan Hurley followed a similar pattern as Rick Pitino by scheduling games against challenging opponents early in the season. They’ll face off against No. 5 Arizona, who already has defeated two top-25 teams in Florida and UCLA.

Is it finally Purdue’s year?

It seems like every single season the Purdue Boilermakers dominate in the regular season but fall flat on their faces come March.

Last season, the Boilermakers fell to Houston in the Sweet 16 after coming off a championship loss to UConn. The year prior, they were stunned by No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, and then upset yet again in both 2022 and 2021 by heavy underdogs in Saint Peter’s and North Texas.

But suddenly, this season, Purdue seemingly has every piece to the puzzle that could finally push them into a successful position. Purdue, led by a talented guard duo in Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, followed by Trey Kaufman-Renn, poses a true challenge for any team in the country.

This was put on display when Purdue successfully beat Alabama, who was coming off a statement victory over St. John’s. In the Boilermakers’ victory, Smith tallied 29 points while Purdue as a team held a talented Crimson Tide squad to just 80 total points.

To put it this way, Purdue definitely has the ability to take the Big Ten yet again, with their only tough challenges being Michigan State and Michigan, who both have had solid starts to their seasons.

What’s up with Florida?

They say a championship hangover is quite normal for sports teams, but for the Florida Gators it’s unusual. Florida has a talented roster, with a talented coach and personnel, but already we’ve seen early struggle even with a 3-1 record.

The Gators opened the season with a loss to Arizona, a talented team that will be a challenge to any top opponent they face this season, but they followed that up with a dominant win over UNF and then a concerning, two-point escape against Florida State.

Like many teams in this new era of college basketball, the Gators hold an inexperienced squad, particularly in their backcourt. With the absence of star Walter Clayton, Florida has to quickly find a replacement for his production. Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, both transfers, will get comfortable as the season progresses, but it’ll be interesting to see how the Gators respond to the pressure of potentially reporting an early struggle to kick off the season.