We are entering the defining stretch of the season for many of the top teams as they look to establish a solid resume for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Some teams are fighting for seeding while others are looking for the big wins that will give them a chance to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. It’s about that time of year when college basketball really starts gaining momentum from an audience standpoint, so check out where teams are at in our rankings as we approach the last full month before March Madness.
1. Auburn (18-1)
If the Tigers don’t move to #1 in the AP Poll this week, it will be a travesty. Their resume, talent, coaching and success is undeniable after a monumental victory over #12 Kentucky in the biggest regular season game in school history. Sophomore Georgia transfer KD Johnson (pictured) has become an emotional leader for the Tigers. This is the top team in the country right now and no one can convince me otherwise.
2. Gonzaga (15-2)
I think the Zags are losing their magic. They only scored 78 points and won by a measly 16 points against arguably the second-best team in their conference. With the run they’ve been on in the past two weeks, this is honestly a letdown performance from Mark Few’s squad. They should be back to winning by 40 against Loyola Marymount on Thursday.
3. Arizona (16-1)
We’re starting to see exactly what Gonzaga would do if they played in one of the power conferences. Tommy Lloyd left the Zags program for his dream opportunity and boy is he making the most of it. He only trails Gonzaga in points per game and he takes his red-hot team to Pauley Pavilion for a huge matchup at #9 UCLA this Tuesday.
4. Baylor (17-2)
This was a big bounce back week for the Bears with two road victories, which are hard to come by in this conference with all nine eligible teams either in the NCAA Tournament projection or just on the outside looking in. LJ Cryer ignited the offense without James Akinjo on Tuesday and the imminent return of Jeremy Sochan will do wonders for Scott Drew who needs all the depth he can get.
5. Purdue (16-3)
The schedule makers didn’t do the Boilermakers any favors with two road games in four days against #17 Illinois and Indiana in one of the biggest rivalries in the sport. Splitting these games is a huge win in my eyes and Zach Edey proved he can contend with any big man in the country as he held Kofi Cockburn to just 10 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes after he put him in foul trouble most of the game.
6. Houston (17-2)
Give Kelvin Sampson National Coach of the Year now. Put him in the Hall of Fame. Do whatever it takes to give him the recognition he deserves. He went to the Final Four without the Preseason Player of the Year in his conference last season and his team is getting stronger this season without their best player, Marcus Sasser, and one of the best sixth men in the country, Tramon Mark.
7. Duke (15-3)
Despite the mid-week loss in Tallahassee, I still believe in the Blue Devils and their national championship potential. Rebounding and three-point shooting are legitimate concerns, but AJ Griffin’s entrance into the starting lineup should help in both of those categories as it did against Syracuse on Saturday.
8. Kansas (16-2)
You’ll be hard-pressed to find two gutsier wins than the Jayhawks grinded out this week. Christian Braun knocked down the clutch shot to defeat Oklahoma on Tuesday, but the bigger story is the 17-point second half comeback over in-state rival Kansas State on Saturday. Bill Self lost his father the day before the game and it’s safe to say that win meant a LOT to him.
9. Kentucky (15-4)
You’ll also be hard-pressed to find a team with worse luck in big games this season than the Wildcats. In both road losses in the SEC this season, TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler exited with injuries and if Washington’s ankle injury is serious, the Cats will struggle to replace him as we saw in the second half against #2 Auburn.
10. Michigan State (15-3)
A dominant road win over #8 Wisconsin is quite the way to respond to a shocking home loss against Northwestern last week. The Spartans showed exactly what makes them so difficult to beat: unpredictability. Eight players finished with six points or more including five of them finishing in double figures.
11. Wisconsin (15-3)
The Badgers will get as much of a break as you can in the Big Ten with matchups against Nebraska and Minnesota this week and those games will tell us a lot about this team as we head into the defining stretch of the regular season.
12. UCLA (13-2)
Arizona at UCLA. Tuesday night. 11 P.M. Drink some coffee at 10 and stay up as late as you can for the game of the year in the Pac-12. Or wait 9 days and watch the 8 P.M. version of this game on February 3rd. Whichever you choose, you won’t be disappointed.
13. Villanova (14-5)
Who is going to step up when Collin Gillespie has an off night? This is the biggest question for Villanova’s season and the mid-week loss to Marquette proved this team goes as Gillespie goes. It’s hard to trust a team so dependent on one player, even if that player is as talented as Gillespie.
14. Texas Tech (15-4)
The Red Raiders go for the season sweep of Kansas Monday night and a win at Allen Fieldhouse would be the 5th Quad 1 win of the season and place them at the top of the Big 12 standings just about halfway through conference play.
15. Connecticut (13-4)
People forget the Huskies are the only team to defeat Auburn this season and it was one of the few games they were at full strength. They are finally healthy and are my favorite to win the Big East and dethrone Villanova. They have all the pieces to make a run in March and bring us back to the Jim Calhoun days.
16. Tennessee (13-5)
In the first 7 minutes of the first half and the first 8 and a half minutes of the second half, the Vols conceded a combined 8 points to LSU on Saturday. That’s a heck of a way to start both halves. After Kentucky walloped them to the tune of 107 points, many questioned the legitimacy of the Volunteer defense. Well… they’re back.
Next 5: USC, Marquette, Florida State, LSU, Providence
Players of the Week:
Johnny Juzang, SF, #12 UCLA Bruins
The Bruins don’t go 2-0 this week without Johnny Juzang. The junior forward was efficient in both wins and averaged 25 points between the two contests, leading the team in scoring both games. This team needs him to retain this form if they want to make another run at a National Championship this season.
Justin Lewis, PF, Marquette Golden Eagles
Shaka Smart has the Golden Eagles clicking on all cylinders in his first season in Milwaukee. He owes a lot of this to his redshirt freshman forward Justin Lewis. He started and ended the upset win over Villanova with a three-pointer, with the final three putting his team ahead with just 12 seconds remaining. He leads the team with 15 points per game and they’ve now won 6 in a row to get back onto the bubble and into the heat of the Big East race.
Chet Holmgren, PF/C, #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs
The potential number one pick put on a show in the Zags’ win over San Francisco this week. Holmgren totaled 22 points, 9 boards and 4 blocks in a dominant showing that featured all his special talents that make him so intriguing. He was able to initiate the offense from rebounds, step out and hit threes and continue to alter every shot around the rim. Good luck scoring inside the arc when this guy is on the court.
Isiaih Mosley, SF, Missouri State Bears
Is a 34-point average over five games good? Because that’s exactly what Mosley is doing in his last 5 games, scoring more points than he is playing minutes. His latest performance came against #22 Loyola-Chicago when he scored 40 points in a huge upset over the Ramblers. If he can replicate this form in March, he will unveil himself to the world during the NCAA Tournament.
Ochai Agbaji, SG, #7 Kansas Jayhawks
Agbaji’s case for most improved player in the country gets stronger each time he plays. It’s not that he was bad last season, but he is a completely different player in his senior season. His development as a slasher and interior finisher opens the floor for him to do what he does best: shoot threes. He is now 46% on the season from the perimeter and leads the Big 12 with 55 made triples on the season.
Play of the Week:
It takes a lot of guts to attempt a game-winning shot in any basketball game. It takes a lot more to do so as a bench player in one of the biggest rivalries in the sport, but that’s exactly what Rob Phinisee did this week. His go-ahead three-pointer versus #4 Purdue sent Assembly Hall into a frenzy and it capped off a career-high 20-point performance for the 6’1 senior who experienced a moment he’ll never forget.
https://www.foxsports.com/watch/1994853443963
