Days like Saturday are what make college basketball so great. In a day with World Cup soccer and NFL Football, the sport delivered with incredible atmospheres, games and programs that entertained fans from noon until the early hours of Sunday morning.
If the rest of the season can live up to what we experienced Saturday, we’re in for a treat in 2023. Here’s to many more Saturdays like this one and a happy holiday season!
1. UConn (12-0)
No one can argue that Connecticut isn’t the top team in college basketball anymore. Purdue continues to struggle when they shouldn’t, and the Huskies STILL haven’t played a single-digit game this season. They’re dismantling every team in their path and it’s time to consider them as a legitimate contender for the 2023 National Championship.
2. Houston (11-1)
Houston has now been on each side of the two most impressive wins of the season in college basketball. Alabama’s upset win in Houston was the first and now the Cougars’ win in Charlottesville is the second. The same old relentless Cougars under Kelvin Sampson have emerged as many people’s national championship favorites.
3. Purdue (11-0)
Survive and advance. That’s the mentality in West Lafayette as the Boilermakers continue to play down to competition, yet find a way to maintain their perfect record, which they will take into 2023 barring an all-time upset loss.
4. Virginia (8-1)
The Cavs finally went down but an 8-1 start is one that any Virginia fan would be happy with before the season started. Their work will be cut out for them at the start of conference play with three consecutive road games, but this is still the team to beat in an improved ACC.
5. Kansas (10-1)
The Jayhawks might be even better than last year, as hard as that is to believe, and it all starts with the sensational and mistake-free playmaking of Dajuan Harris. We could have the first repeat national champions since the Florida teams of the mid-2000s.
6. Arizona (10-1)
The nation’s best offense and defense battled late Saturday night and it was the offense of the Wildcats that emerged victorious in one of the season’s most anticipated matchups. Tommy Lloyd’s offense is intoxicating and efficient and there aren’t many better combinations than that.
7. Texas (9-1)
It was a bizarre week in Austin as Chris Beard received an indefinite suspension, but the Longhorns staved off a pair of upset bids to improve to 9-1 on the season. It’s a complete mess off the court, but the product on the court is still one of the best in the sport.
8. Gonzaga (10-3)
The non-conference gauntlet concluded on Saturday and while the three losses are unusually high for the Zags, they are well-equipped for a postseason run as long as Drew Timme is healthy.
9. Alabama (9-2)
Even with Brandon Miller’s dominant performance, the Tide couldn’t get enough stops to pull out a victory over Gonzaga. We know they can score, but if Nate Oats can’t get his team to defend, they won’t be making any runs in March this year.
10. Tennessee (9-2)
As good as the Volunteers are defensively, their offense frustrating lapses that will catch up to them in every big game they play. It happened Saturday and it’ll happen again in SEC play. As long as they allow their defense to get set and take care of the ball, they should be able to get away with it and make some noise in an elite conference.
11. UCLA (10-2)
Mick Cronin is building something special out there in California. Many thought the 2021 NCAA Tournament could’ve been a fluke, but the last two years have proved that the real fluke was the struggle prior to that tournament. The Bruins are contenders for the third straight year in college basketball.
12. Arkansas (10-1)
The loss of Trevon Brazile is devastating but the Razorbacks are deep enough and talented enough to remain competitive without him. Especially with two of the most talented freshmen in the country.
13. Baylor (7-2)
The battle between Baylor, Kansas and TCU will be one of the best conference battles in the country this season. The backcourt and experience of the Bears should give them a real chance, but it’s hard to imagine anyone catching the Jayhawks with how they’re playing right now.
14. Duke (10-2)
Finals week shut down the program down this week, but the first true road game of the year awaits the young Blue Devils on Tuesday.
15. Illinois (8-3)
There’s turmoil brewing in Champagne, but this team is too special to be defeated from the inside. Once they figure out what’s holding them back internally, I expect the Illini to make some real noise in the Big Ten and beyond.
16. Wisconsin (9-2)
Wisconsin was a circus-shot away from knocking off Kansas in the Bahamas last month and if they had, we’d be having completely different discussions about the Badgers. There aren’t a lot of teams with as many quality wins as the Badgers and I know I wouldn’t want to see them with my season on the line in March.
Next 5: Marquette, TCU, Miami (FL), Xavier, Virginia Tech
Players of the Week:
Drew Timme, PF/C, No. 15 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Timme was at his best in Birmingham, helping the Zags erase an early deficit and put away the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide despite a true freshman’s best efforts who is listed below. The senior forward led Gonzaga to a 100-point effort with 29 of his own in dominant fashion. If you’re looking for a reason to believe in the Bulldogs, look no further than Timme.
Brandon Miller, SF, No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide
Timme might’ve been the star in blue, but he wasn’t the star of the game at the C.M. Newton Classic. That was Brandon Miller. The true freshman single-handedly kept ‘Bama in the game, scoring 26 of his 36 points in the second half. Miller was simply unstoppable and it’s clear why he’s emerging as one of the top college recruits in the class.
Jarace Walker, SF/PF, No. 5 Houston Cougars
There is almost too much to love about Jarace Walker’s game. The true freshman logged a team-high 39 minutes and played with relentless and infectious energy for every second of them. Just for good measure, Walker displayed clutch shotmaking at every level, helping the Cougars pull away for a monumental road victory over the second-ranked Cavaliers.
Dajuan Harris, PG, No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks
I’m ready to say it. Dajuan Harris is the best point guard in college basketball. Not only is he the best playmaker at his position, he’s also one of the better defenders who wreaks havoc on whichever guard opposes him. There’s no one else I’d want running my offense and his 10-point, 10-assist game proved it in a slaughtering of the Hoosiers.
Azuolas Tubelis, PF, No. 9 Arizona Wildcats
The best player on the best offense in college basketball would typically get a ton of hype for the Wooden Award, but Tubelis is somehow flying under the radar in the national media. The junior forward is averaging 20 points on 61% shooting and is even extending his range beyond the 3-point arc this season. This would be a worthwhile future bet for anyone who believes in this offense, which is probably a safe bet.
Play of the Week:
In a weekend filled with action and excitement, the play of the day came in an unranked early afternoon matchup between UCF and Missouri. Facing a one-point deficit with time winding down, DeAndre Gholston drilled a long-distance triple to earn a massive non-conference win over the Knights.
https://www.foxsports.com/watch/play-6184e7282000983
Video Credit: Fox Sports
