URI Rams Land in Top 25 in Initial ESPN Hoops Ranking

Is it official? No.

Scientific? Heck no. 

The University of Rhode Island Rams men's basketball team has been named among the Top 25 teams in college hoops, according at least to ESPN's Eamonn Brennan in his self-proclaimed "No-Longer-Way-Too-Early Top 25" ranking released on Thursday. 

In the ranking, Duke takes the top spot, followed by Kentucky, Kansas, and Villanova - all stalwarts of March Madness. In fact, outside of URI, the list exclusively includes  perpetually ranked teams, mainly from power conferences. 

The Rams find themselves at the #20 position - one behind West Virginia, and just ahead of New England powerhouse, Connecticut - and represent the sole admission from the Atlantic 10. The Rams have not been ranked in the Top 25 since the 2007-08 season (ranked 22), and have not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1998. 

After a season-long injury recovery, E.C. Matthews is back. He was the primary piece of Rhode Island's 23-10 2014-15 season, when they finished with a top-15 adjusted efficiency defense," Brennan writes of the Rams. "That's the top reason to be excited about Dan Hurley's team, but there are others, namely the continuity of the starting lineup. Will Dayton make this pick look silly come February? Maybe! We'll let the Rams have their fun in the meantime."

Brennan's Top 25

1. Duke Blue Devils
2. Kentucky Wildcats
3. Kansas Jayhawks
4. Villanova Wildcats
5. Virginia Cavaliers
6. North Carolina Tar Heels
7. Oregon Ducks
8. Wisconsin Badgers
9. Xavier Musketeers
10. Michigan State Spartans
11. Gonzaga Bulldogs
12. Indiana Hoosiers
13. Arizona Wildcats
14. Louisville Cardinals
15. Purdue Boilermakers
16. Saint Mary's Gaels
17. Syracuse Orange
18. Creighton Bluejays
19. West Virginia Mountaineers
20. Rhode Island Rams
21. Connecticut Huskies
22. Maryland Terrapins
23. Iowa State Cyclones
24. UCLA Bruins
25. Florida State Seminoles

Honorable mention: Wichita State Shockers, Texas Longhorns, California Golden Bears, Cincinnati Bearcats, USC Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies, Dayton Flyers, Seton Hall Pirates, SMU Mustangs, San Diego State Aztecs, Virginia Tech Hokies

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