November 25, 2009

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

Rivals.com Power Rankings: PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Freshman | Head Coach

Michigan hasn't exactly faced Big Ten-caliber competition this season.

Then again, Manny Harris has a way of making just about anyone feel overmatched.

Harris opened his junior season with a triple-double against Division II opponent Northern Michigan and followed that with a 25-point, eight-rebound effort against Houston Baptist.

That season-opening outburst makes Harris the new No. 1 shooting guard in the Rivals.com College Basketball Power Rankings, which rate the nation's top performers at each position. This week's edition of the power rankings measures results through Monday's games.

Harris had 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists Nov. 14 in a 97-50 rout of Northern Michigan. That gave Harris the Wolverines' first triple-double since Gary Grant recorded 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against North Carolina in the second round of the 1987 NCAA tournament.

"I wasn't even born yet [in 1987],'' Harris said. "That makes it feel kind of good."

Harris took over the top spot from Oklahoma's Willie Warren, who shot 3-for-14 and had eight points and six turnovers Saturday in an 82-69 loss to Virginia Commonwealth.

The only other change at the top came in the coach rankings, as Michigan State's Tom Izzo moved ahead of North Carolina's Roy Williams. Michigan State won its first four games of the season, while North Carolina lost 87-71 to Syracuse in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.

Kansas point guard Sherron Collins, Ohio State small forward Evan Turner, Notre Dame power forward Luke Harangody and Kansas center Cole Aldrich stayed atop their respective positions. Kentucky guard John Wall remained the top freshman.

The biggest changes in this edition of the power rankings involved a series of position switches.

After being ranked as power forward during the preseason, Duke's Kyle Singler and Connecticut's Stanley Robinson moved to the small forward rankings this week. Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs and Ole Miss' Terrico White shifted from point guard to shooting guard, and Duquesne's Damian Saunders moved from small forward to power forward.

The power rankings will be released every other Wednesday through the end of the calendar year and will run weekly after the conclusion of the football season.

The ranking of a player and coach can fluctuate each week during the season depending on how he fared the previous week. The power rankings measure overall career performances as well as their most recent results.

Rivals.com Power Rankings: PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Freshman | Head Coach

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.