With six ranked matchups, two of the best rivalries in the sport and thrilling upsets, Saturday showcased everything that is special about college basketball. As long as the TV was set to ESPN, any sports fan would’ve been content losing their remote for the entire day with game after game delivering in the biggest way. There’s no better time to get into college basketball, so catch up on everything you need to know with the power rankings and players of the week below!
1. Houston (22-2)
A 13-0 run to start the second half helped the Cougars avoid another upset loss to Temple over the weekend and get a firm grip on the AAC regular season standings. Kelvin Sampson’s group is outscoring opponents by 20 points per game and now rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Jarace Walker (pictured) has lifted his level of play up to new heights over the past couple weeks, making the Cougars even more deadly. Is this the year they capture their first national championship?
2. Purdue (22-2)
Nobody was going to go into Assembly Hall on Saturday and pull out the win, so it’s difficult to punish the Boilermakers too badly for their valiant effort in opposing territory. This will be a terrific learning experience for their young roster and expect them to bounce back at the end of the month when they welcome the Hoosiers to Mackey Arena.
3. Alabama (20-3)
The Tide looked as elite as ever in the aftermath of an embarrassing loss to Oklahoma last weekend. A 101-44 win over Vanderbilt on Tuesday proved that and they remained unbeaten in SEC play with a 10-point win over LSU on Saturday.
4. Texas (19-4)
The Longhorns got 36 points from their starting lineup and still found a way to erase a double-digit deficit on the road to knock off No. 7 Kansas State. In one of the most impressive wins of the weekend, Texas proved that their program is more than a coach and emerged as the favorite to win college basketball’s best conference.
5. UCLA (19-4)
UCLA responded as expected to their two-game losing streak and a sneaky difficult road trip to Oregon this week will be excellent opportunities to show they can win tough games in even tougher environments.
6. Virginia (17-4)
A loss in Blacksburg snapped a seven-game winning streak for Virginia and getting back on track won’t be easy with NC State and Duke coming to town looking for wins to cement their status as NCAA Tournament teams.
7. Kansas (18-5)
It was a typical week in the Big 12 for the Jayhawks who knocked off a top 10 team on Tuesday and got demolished on the weekend against a ranked team on the road. It won’t get any easier on Monday when they host Texas in Allen Fieldhouse.
8. Arizona (21-3)
The Wildcats are on a roll with no true challenges in their way until the beginning of March. The road to a 1-seed won’t be too challenging for the next five games, but will pick up as soon as the calendar turns to March with road tests against USC and UCLA to close the regular season.
9. Tennessee (19-4)
Only one team in the country can score 100 points over two games and manage to win a ranked game in the process. Fortunately for the Vols, they are that one team. It took a controversial no-call in their win against Auburn to avoid a catastrophic week and keep them in the hunt for a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
10. Kansas State (18-5)
Road losses are manageable in the Big 12 but losing at home is a tough pill to swallow. The Wildcats endured both this week and we’ll learn a lot about the most mysterious team in the nation over the next few games.
11. Baylor (17-6)
The return of Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua is not just one of the better stories in human achievement, but also a massive boost for Baylor who need his experience and defensive acumen to go from good to great when it matters most in March.
12. Saint Mary’s (21-4)
The Gaels went into their matchup with Gonzaga as the favorites and acted like it after leaving the court un-stormed when the win went final in overtime. Aidan Mahaney overcame his perimeter shooting struggles to lead his team to victory and enter his name into the WCC Player of the Year discussion.
13. Marquette (19-5)
Marquette is quietly climbing the AP Rankings and are legit national title contenders with their electric offense. They haven’t lost a game by more than five points and rank eighth in the latest KenPom rankings. Don’t sleep on the Golden Eagles.
14. Indiana (16-7)
It was a perfect Saturday for Indiana fans as they knocked off No. 1 Purdue and picked up a huge resume boosting win in the process. Trayce Jackson-Davis needs to be in National Player of the Year conversations right alongside Zach Edey.
15. Xavier (19-5)
This isn’t a deep rotation and the loss of Zach Freemantle could prove costly for the Musketeers down the stretch. They’re 2-0 so far, but they won’t play at home for almost two weeks and could face some seeding consequences in the NCAA Tournament because of it.
16. Iowa State (16-6)
The Cyclones haven’t won away from Hilton Coliseum in a month, which gives me doubts that they can make a run in neutral site tournaments in the postseason. Until they prove they can win away from home, I’m going to keep them a tier away from the other juggernauts in the Big 12.
Next 5: TCU, Gonzaga, Miami, Creighton, Duke
Players of the Week:
Azoulas Tubelis, No. 6 Arizona Wildcats
Tubelis dropped 40 against Oregon on Thursday to add to his Pac 12 Player of the Year resume this week. The Wildcats are surging up the rankings and have Tubelis to thank for their success.
Mason Gillis, No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers
It takes quite the performance to break Mackey Arena records, but Mason Gillis did just that against Penn State on Wednesday. He buried nine 3-pointers in the win, which was more than he had in all of conference play going into the contest.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, No. 21 Indiana Hoosiers
This list is on its way to being named after Jackson-Davis who continues to play like the best player in the country. He went up against the presumed favorite and walked out with a win and his magnificent performance reminded us why Assembly Hall is so difficult to play in.
Sir’ ’Jabari Rice, No. 8 Texas Longhorns
Texas has an endless supply of tremendous guards and Rice was the latest to step up this week. With his outstanding shot fake and elite shooting, Rice is one of the best role players in the nation and could be a fan favorite in March Madness if he plays like this in the postseason.
Dereck Lively, Duke Blue Devils
You don’t always need to score to make an impact on the game, and Dereck Lively proved that with a standout defensive performance to help the Blue Devils get past North Carolina in the latest installment of the Tobacco Road rivalry. Expect some real first-round buzz for Lively after his phenomenal performance on Saturday.
Play of the Week:
There’s no better way to cap off a desperately needed win at home than the way Miami did on Tuesday night. Things were starting to fall off the rails for the Hurricanes who had lost four of their last seven games, all to unranked opponents. The energy from this phenomenal end-to-end play with a huge stuff at the rim on one end and a windmill slam at the other carried over to Clemson on Saturday where the Canes got back into the ACC race with a win on the road.
Defense ➡️ offense as the Canes close out the win in style🔥
(via @accnetwork)pic.twitter.com/UYAjNnUSjv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 1, 2023
Video Credit: NCAA March Madness Twitter
