The NCAA Tournament committee released its top-16 teams on Saturday afternoon but the No. 1 overall seed and three others have already lost since, so you can throw that out the window already. If you want a look at the real top-16 teams in college basketball, look no further than our Power 16 below. Buckle up folks, March is coming!
1. UConn (24-2)
Bill Self is the clear choice as the best active coach in college basketball with his unbelievable track record, but Dan Hurley is closing the gap in a hurry. His passion is unrivaled, and if we’re being honest, so are his offensive sets and schemes from the past two years. Saturday’s romp of No. 4 Marquette was just the latest example, and the Huskies are going to repeat if no one can figure him out soon.
2. Purdue (23-3)
With the schedule it’s played this season, it’s remarkable all three of Purdue’s losses have come against unranked Big Ten teams. This time it was against Ohio State, who fired Chris Holtmann just days prior. Maybe the upset bug isn’t out of Purdue’s system like we thought.
3. Houston (22-3)
There may not be a better team in college basketball than the version of the Cougars we saw on Saturday against Texas. The backcourt tandem of LJ Cryer and Jamal Shead is absolutely lethal, especially when Cryer is shooting as well as he did against the Longhorns.
4. Arizona (20-5)
Arizona was already starting to get things clicking before Saturday when it put together its most complete performance of the season in a 105-60 win over Arizona State. It might be time to add a team or two to the top tier in college basketball that UConn and Purdue have been enjoying exclusively the last few weeks.
5. Marquette (19-6)
Marquette’s trip to UConn on Saturday had the hype to be one of the best games of the regular season, but it ended up as one-sided as every other game the Huskies have played over the last month. It’s difficult to trust the Golden Eagles with how much shooting inconsistency they have on the wing but Tyler Kolek makes up for a lot of problems, leaving them in the top-five this week.
6. Kansas (20-6)
A second-half surge in Norman helped the Jayhawks avoid a disastrous week and stay alive in a ridiculous Big 12 title race. The return of Kevin McCullar is a tremendous sign and desperately needed if Kansas wants to have any chance of bringing home hardware this season.
7. North Carolina (20-6)
The good news for North Carolina is that there are only two road games left on its schedule. The bad news? They’re against No. 21 Virginia and No. 9 Duke. Concerns that didn’t exist a few weeks ago are starting to surface with these two teams sure to put them to the test in a last-ditch effort to win an ACC regular season championship.
8. Tennessee (19-6)
The Vols need to cherish weeks like this without a ranked opponent on the schedule while they still can because their final four games will be as tough as it gets in the sport. Despite trailing by a game in the SEC Championship race, they still control their own destiny with that brutal stretch ahead.
9. Duke (20-5)
Everything is working right now for the Blue Devils, who are probably itching at another opportunity to face a North Carolina team limping through the ACC right now. Jared McCain is making one heck of an argument for national freshman of the year, too, but we’ll get into that a little later.
10. Baylor (19-6)
All five starters reached double-figures in Saturday’s win over West Virginia to cap off a terrific week for the Bears. I mentioned they hadn’t won a game in the Big 12 by double-digits last week, so naturally, they did it twice. That’s a big revelation and could be a huge confidence boost as they enter the final two weeks of the regular season.
11. Iowa State (20-5)
The Cyclones have now won four games in a row but a trip to Houston on Monday will put that streak to as tough of a test as you can face in the Big 12 this season. Their win over the Cougars feels like it was ages ago and now they’ll have to do it away from Hilton Coliseum.
12. Alabama (18-7)
This Alabama offense is getting a little ridiculous. The Tide reached 100 points in a game for the EIGHTH time this season – and they could easily have 11 after hitting 99 twice and 98 once. You won’t find a coach in America who wants to see this team anywhere near them on Selection Sunday.
13. Creighton (19-7)
The Blue Jays redeemed a one-point loss to Butler two weeks ago with a second-half rout of the Bulldogs on Saturday. Greg McDermott might not have a lot of depth but his starters are getting used to playing 35+ minutes each night, and as long as they stay out of foul trouble, who needs more than that?
14. Illinois (19-6)
Terrence Shannon was sensational this week and the Illini looked as good as they have all year because of it. At least a share of the Big Ten is certainly alive and well with Purdue’s loss to Ohio State and a rematch with the Boilermakers on the horizon in March.
15. San Diego State (20-6)
The Aztecs entered the week outside of the AP Poll and ended it with a projected 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament and two huge wins to climb to the top of the MWC. It’s safe to say they’ll have quite a jump in the poll this week and are now featured in our power rankings for the first time all season.
16. Saint Mary’s (21-6)
The Gaels kept it rolling this week with a 44-point beatdown of Pepperdine to stretch their winning streak to 13 games. On a list of teams I’d least want to see if the NCAA Tournament started tomorrow, Saint Mary’s would be very close to the top.
Next 5: Gonzaga, Kentucky, Florida, Washington State, Auburn
Players of the Week:
Jared McCain, No. 9 Duke Blue Devils
Let’s get back to McCain. The freshman guard is more than just one of the best freshmen, if not the best, in the country. He’s building a case for ACC Player of the Year as well. The Sacramento, CA native is now averaging 15 points in conference play with 45/81/37 shooting splits after a 35-point outburst against Florida State on Saturday. Could the Blue Devils have another March hero in its midst?
LJ Cryer, No. 3 Houston Cougars
The Fertitta Center had an outstanding atmosphere this weekend and Cryer was doing his best to blow the roof off it in his season-high 26-point effort against the Longhorns. The Baylor transfer was feeling it from beyond the arc as he buried six of his nine attempts to spark the blowout win.
Blake Hinson, Pittsburgh Panthers
If we still consider Louisville a high-major opponent, Blake Hinson had the second-highest scoring effort of the season against one with 41 points against the Cardinals. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the 6’8 wing get scorching hot from beyond the arc but it was easily a career-high and showed some NBA potential as well.
Dillon Jones, Weber State Wildcats
Jones flirted with a triple-double both games this week and it’s the playmaking upside that could further attract the attention of scouts this summer. The junior posted 30, 8 and 8 against Eastern Washington just two days after going for 29, 6 and 9, with both efforts coming in victories on the road. The hype is real and should lead to a draft selection in 2024.
Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State Aztecs
Ledee’s season isn’t getting nearly the buzz it should as he’s raised his scoring average from 7.9 to 20.4 thanks to weeks like this one. The senior scored 27 points in just 26 minutes on Tuesday and followed it up with 23 more and four steals to defeat New Mexico on Friday. Another deep run in the NCAA Tournament starts and ends with Ledee playing at this level down the stretch.
Play of the Week
This might be a site that focuses on the NBA and men’s college hoops but I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out what was easily the best play in college basketball this week. And that is the remarkable feat accomplished by Caitlin Clark, with a shot only she could pull off on Friday night. Here’s a look at the historic shot by one of the all-time greats.
Video Credit: NBC Sports
