Champ Week is finally here and almost every team in the country still has a chance to punch a ticket to the Big Dance. It is the blessing and curse of March that makes this sport unlike any other. No matter how your team did up until this point, there is still reason to cling to that ounce of optimism you may or may not have left. Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen! This. Is. March.
1. Gonzaga (24-3)
The Zags enter conference tournament play with three times as many losses as they had all of last season. Fortunately for them, that only means three total losses. They are two wins away from their ninth WCC Tournament in the last 10 years and will be the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight year, barring something unforeseen.
2. Kentucky (25-6)
Kentucky is getting healthy at just the right time and will be an extremely popular pick to win it all when the bracket is released. I don’t think they can be denied a 1-seed if they can run the table in the SEC Tournament and take home a championship. Anything short of that will place the Wildcats on the 2-seed line and make their NCAA Tournament run slightly more difficult.
3. Arizona (28-3)
Another 1-seed will belong to these Wildcats no matter what happens this week. Tommy Lloyd took his Gonzaga style to Tucson and finished with a better record than Mark Few in his first season. This team ranks 2nd in KenPom and ranks in the top-14 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Don’t be afraid to fill out your brackets with Arizona going all the way because they are more than capable.
4. Baylor (26-5)
It’s crazy to say that the loss of Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua may have been a blessing in disguise, but it sparked a fire in the Bears who won five games in a row to capture a share of the Big 12 crown. It’s not the same team as last year, but Scott Drew knows how to win in March and he can do it again this year.
5. Auburn (27-4)
Jabari Smith might be the first overall selection and the best player in the country, but KD Johnson is an absolute gamer and the most dangerous player on the team when the game approaches the final minutes. I expect him to be the next March Madness legend and he could take the Tigers all the way to the National Championship.
6. Purdue (25-6)
A six-loss regular season is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when 4 of your 6 losses came at the hands of a last-second shot and/or buzzer-beater. The Boilermakers are a few missed shots away from a 29-2 record and an almost certain 1-seed. Instead, there are plenty of doubters who could be steaming if a few shots start going their way again and they make a run to the Final Four.
7. Duke (26-5)
I can’t think of many losses in the history of sports as humiliating as this past loss to North Carolina. The Duke athletic department failed to consider the possibility of a loss as the entire arena, fresh off a loss in college basketball’s greatest rivalry, had to stay around for a postgame ceremony honoring Coach K. It was the third conference loss of the season in Cameron Indoor Stadium and if this team can’t avoid upsets at home, how will they do it on a neutral site with how chaotic the NCAA Tournament can be?
8. Villanova (23-7)
I don’t think these Wildcats can win a National Championship, but it would be foolish to doubt Jay Wright when he’s led his team to two titles since 2016. Collin Gillespie is made for March and he could be the latest Wildcat to carry his team all the way to the Final Four.
9. Kansas (25-6)
Splitting a two-game set with TCU and barely surviving Texas at home was not the greatest way to end the regular season for the Jayhawks, who have a ton of work to do if they want to get back to national prominence in March. No games in the Big 12 are easy, but great teams can take care of business even when they’re not supposed to. I haven’t seen that all year from Kansas and it leads me to doubt that they are a true contender.
10. Wisconsin (24-6)
The only thing that matters is the health of Johnny Davis who went down in a 74-73 loss to Nebraska, who was missing star freshman Bryce McGowens. The ending to the season could’ve been better, but as long as Davis is healthy, this team still has a chance to go anywhere.
11. Texas Tech (23-8)
Out of every team in the country, this is the last I’d want to play in the NCAA Tournament. These Red Raiders frustrate the heck out of every offense they face and if they have a good shooting day, you’re not winning. Let’s see if first year coach Mark Adams can get his team hot and return to the National Championship three years later.
12. Illinois (22-8)
Penn State and Iowa provided scares in the final week, but the Illini were able to take care of business to clinch a share of the Big Ten title and earn the 1-seed in the conference tournament. As long as they avoid Purdue, I can’t see anyone stopping Brad Underwood from winning his second consecutive Big Ten Tournament title.
13. Tennessee (23-7)
The Volunteers closed the season winning 9 of 10, which earned them the 2-seed in the SEC Tournament and all but clinched a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The backcourt combo of Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Ziegler is among the most dangerous in the nation and they are clicking at just the right time.
14. Iowa (22-9)
If the Hawkeyes can nearly beat Illinois on the road without any points from the McCaffery brothers and Jordan Bohannon, they can beat anyone. That scoring output will never happen again and there are few places harder to play than the State Farm Center. If you want to beat the Hawkeyes, you better know how to score because they will do it to you and they won’t stop if you don’t make them.
15. UCLA (23-6)
Coincidentally, the Bruins lost in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament last season and it nearly cost them a birth to the NCAA Tournament. If that were the case, I’m not sure this team would even be ranked right now. Instead they are ranked 17th and ready to get hot once again and hopefully return to their second consecutive Final Four.
16. Murray State (30-2)
The Racers were the first team to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and they will ride a 20-game winning streak into March Madness. They haven’t lost in 2022 and they don’t plan to change that any time soon. The secret is out, so I’m not sure if we can still call them a sleeper, but just know you don’t want your favorite team going up against these guys.
Next 5: Arkansas, Connecticut, Houston, Providence, Saint Mary’s
Players of the Week:
Oscar Tshiebwe, PF/C, No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats
Nobody in college basketball has averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds in a season in 40 years. Kentucky’s prized big man finished the regular season with 17.3 PPG and 15.3 RPG thanks to an incredible showing in Gainesville this Saturday. He scored the first 11 points in the second half to keep Kentucky’s lead intact and lead them to a rivalry win that keeps them in the hunt for a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Armando Bacot, PF/C, North Carolina Tar Heels
Any of four Tar Heels could’ve represented the team in this section, but I had to go with the presumed ACC Player of the Year in Bacot. The 6’10 junior shined in the upset win with 23 points and 7 rebounds while only missing one shot on the day. This team is nothing without this guy, but they have a chance to do some real damage thanks to their paint-wrecking big man.
Hunter Dickinson, C, Michigan Wolverines
Michigan is a lock for the NCAA Tournament after a huge week and they have Dickinson to thank for punching their ticket to the Big Dance. The 7’1 sophomore poured in 33 points against Michigan State on Tuesday before scoring 21 more in a loss to Iowa two days later, but the damage was already done to solidify the Wolverines’ status in the NCAA Tournament.
Justin Lewis, SF/PF, Marquette Golden Eagles
Everyone started to forget about Marquette towards the end of the season, but I assure you Lewis is still playing his best basketball of the season. The sophomore wing averaged 27 PPG and 8.5 RPG in the final two games of the year and finished the regular season at 36% from the perimeter, a jump of nearly 15% from last season. This is a name to watch in March if you are looking for someone to explode onto the scene.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. SF/PF, No. 17 UCLA Bruins
With Johnny Juzang battling injuries this week, someone had to step up for the Bruins. That someone was Jaime Jaquez. Last season’s breakout star scored 30 versus Washington on Monday and followed it up with an even more impressive 27 points against a lengthy USC defense that caused major problems for him last time, holding him to 5 points.
Play of the Week:
Welcome to March everyone! Chucky Hepburn pulled off the shot of his life to clinch a share of the Big Ten title for the Badgers on Tuesday. The freshman guard is starting to get comfortable in the Badgers backcourt and will drink free for life if he continues to pull off miracle shots like the one below. Check it out!
Chucky Hepburn’s Big Ten Title-Winning Shot (via OberSports)
