1. Gonzaga (21-2)
I don’t care what the stats say. Chet Holmgren (pictured) is my National Player of the Year. He is starting to get comfortable playing the college game to the tune of 16 points per game in conference play on 66/58/79 shooting splits. The competition might be weak, but that doesn’t make the rim any wider. The true freshman could be the final piece to help Mark Few and the Zags capture their first championship in program history. And Vegas agrees as Goznaga is the odds on favorites to cut down the nets in April.
2. Kentucky (21-4)
That’s six straight wins for the Wildcats, but the injury bug is the one team they can’t seem to beat. TyTy Washington and Jacob Toppin left games this week with ankle injuries, the second for Washington in the last month. They’ll face another road challenge without being at full strength when they head to Knoxville to take on the surging Tennessee Volunteers.
3. Arizona (22-2)
For 10 minutes Arizona was on upset alert, down 14 to Washington on the road, but they took the lead back six minutes later and never looked back on their way to a 24-point win. These guys can win with offense AND defense, making them an elite title contender and a difficult team to finish off for good.
4. Auburn (23-2)
Poor performances finally caught up to the Tigers as they lost their first game since Atlantis at a rowdy Bud Walton Arena. It was honestly one of their better performances in recent weeks, but there was no beating the Hogs that night.
5. Purdue (22-4)
Purdue fans everywhere can take a huge sigh of relief as the Boilermakers survived a massive scare from Maryland on Sunday afternoon. Jaden Ivey came up clutch with a 3-point play to put his team ahead in the closing seconds, but they needed a defensive stand to hold on after a turnover nearly cost them the game.
6. Baylor (21-4)
The Bears were finally starting to get healthy until Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua went down with a nasty knee injury that will likely keep him out for the rest of the season. This is a significant blow for Scott Drew who got his team back on track with big wins at Kansas State and versus Texas to get within a half game of Kansas in the conference standings.
7. Duke (21-4)
A brutal loss to Virginia seems like history for the Devils who responded with a pair of impressive wins to finish the week. Late game struggles continue to worry me, but if they can build a large enough lead with their immense talent, it won’t matter what they do to close the game. Still, losing twice at Cameron Indoor in one season is concerning, so don’t be surprised if you see them bounced early in March.
8. Illinois (18-6)
As long as the Illini don’t run into Purdue in the postseason, they have to feel great about their chances to make a deep run. They lost both games of the season series as Kofi Cockburn was neutralized in both matchups. It’s the only team he’s really struggled against and as long as he’s playing well, this team can go anywhere.
9. Houston (20-4)
Well, well, well, welcome back to the land of the living Houston fans. The Cougars looked invincible for nearly two months before getting trounced twice in a week by SMU and Memphis. They’ll get a chance at revenge against both before the regular season is done and I’d be shocked if they don’t get payback on both.
10. Kansas (20-4)
The Jayhawks barely survived a two-loss week as well as the Sooners gave them a second scare in three weeks at Allen Fieldhouse. I refuse to buy in on this team and I’d be more surprised if they made it to the Final Four than if they lost before the second weekend.
11. Texas Tech (19-6)
Mark Adams and the Red Raiders weren’t so lucky against the Sooners, but they avoided a home upset by erasing an early deficit to take care of business against TCU. Baylor and Texas are up next this week as the last ranked opponents before postseason play begins.
12. Tennessee (18-6)
Tennessee is playing the best basketball of their season since the 8-minute mark of their game with Texas at the end of January. They’ve won four in a row since and nearly erased a 17-point deficit in that game against the Longhorns. They have a chance to put it all together when the red-hot Wildcats come to town on Tuesday.
13. Providence (21-2)
The Friars have lost once in 2022 but they’ll play the first of two games against Villanova this week in the first real challenge of the new year. A team that is ranked 48th in KenPom has a real opportunity to prove their legitimacy and they could jump to the 2-seed line if they can pull it off.
14. Villanova (19-6)
Speaking of Villanova, they continue to prove they can beat anyone in the conference outside of Marquette. They opened conference play with a loss to Creighton and have only fallen to the Golden Eagles (twice) since. Another regular season conference title is still in sight if they can sweep the Friars, a task that begins this Tuesday.
15. Ohio State (15-6)
Losing at the RAC is acceptable and there is no better way to respond than knocking off a desperate Michigan team on the road. EJ Liddell is not just a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, but he could also come home with the Wooden Award before the season is over.
16. Wyoming (21-3)
12 wins in 13 games moved the Cowboys from relatively unheard of to a near NCAA Tournament lock in less than two months. Graham Ike and Hunter Maldonado are one of the best duos in the nation and are putting the nation on notice.
Next 5: USC, UCLA, Alabama, Wisconsin, Murray State
Players of the Week:
Walker Kessler, C, #1 Auburn Tigers
Kessler put together his second triple-double of the season on Saturday and he has two combined assists in those games. That’s right. He has two triple-doubles with points, rebounds and blocks. The UNC transfer is now averaging nearly 5 blocks per game and is undoubtedly the best shot-blocker in the nation and one of the best we’ve seen this century.
Jaden Shackelford, SG, Alabama Crimson Tide
It seems like Alabama is part of an upset every week, but they finally had a positive uneventful week, taking care of business when they need to. Shackelford was a huge reason why with 30 points against Ole Miss on 8-13 from the perimeter. He cooled off against Arkansas, but the Tide were able to hang on for a huge win to solidify their NCAA Tournament status.
Keegan Murray, SF/PF, Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes scored over 200 points in two games this week and Murray led the way averaging 33.5 points between the two games. The 6’8 sophomore leads power conferences with 22 points per game and this past week helped him snap out of a mini slump and get back into a comfortable spot off the bubble.
Geo Baker, SG, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
What a week for the Scarlet Knights. A pair of upsets over Ohio State and Wisconsin have them back on the bubble thanks to the sensational performances from their senior guard. A pair of free throws with 18 seconds left put his team ahead for good against the Buckeyes, capping off a memorable closing stretch where Baker scored or assisted on 23 of the final 26 points of the game.
Tari Eason, SF/PF, LSU Tigers
Eason moved back to the bench for the Tigers and flourished in his role as the best sixth man in the nation. He posted a 25-point double-double against Texas A&M paired with 3 blocks and 3 steals. O, Saturday he stayed hot with 23 more points and 2 blocks and 2 steals against Mississippi State. His team is back on track after 6 losses in 7 games and they should enjoy two more wins this upcoming week.
Play of the Week:
Memphis. Is. Back. Penny Hardaway seems to be figuring things out with his young team and the latest win over Houston saved the Tigers season. With time winding down and an upset win in their grasp, their five-star freshman Jalen Duren came through with an unbelievable put back slam to extend the lead and silence the Houston crowd. Check it out here!
Jalen Duren with the put back (via @American_MBB)
