This week some new teams join the top 10 while other notible teams fall out. On saturday, the top dogs took care business but only Duke did it comfortably. Gerogia kept it close with Auburn the entire way and LSU kept it close with Florida until the last couple minutes. Clemson and BYU get spots due to their consistent play. These rankings do not include games being played on tuesday, Feburary 25.
1: Houston (This week: 3-0 @Arizona State, vs Iowa State, @ Texas Tech, Overall: 24-4)
Houston continues to trend in the right direction, having a flawless three game stretch this week. They are right there knocking at the door when it comes to securing a number 1 seed in the ncaa tournement. As of right now they are securely on the 2 seed. LJ Cryer was the man for them against Iowa State, hitting numerous clutch step back jumpers and finishing with 28. Against Texas Tech it was Milos Uzan who stepped up and scored 22. They sit atop the big 12 at 16-1 with a comfortable lead over the rest of the teams. This team is the most likely team from this conference to make the final 4. They are top 7 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
2: Duke (This week: 1-0 neutral vs Illinois, Overall: 24-3)*
The Blue Devils earn the number 2 spot on this weeks ranking after dismantling a Q1 opponent in Illinois. They lead the entire way and never looked back, even having a 45 point lead at one point. They held Illinois to 2/26 from 3 and out rebounded them by 14. Duke had balanced scoring with 7 guys reaching double figures. I wonder if Duke wishes they played a tougher scedule to better prepare them for the tornement (68 team one). In the ACC this year Q1 wins are hard to come by and the non conference scedule ended in december (Almost 2 months ago) besides this 1 off vs Illinois.
3: Michigan State (This week: 2-0 vs Purdue, @Michigan, Overall: 22-5)
Michigan St. gets the nod over the likes of Auburn and Florida due to the quality of their recent wins. The more impressive of the 2, @Michigan puts the spartans number 1 in the Big 10 race. They have a tough 4 games remaining on their scedule to close out Big 10 play. Michigan state’s most consistent player as of late has been Jace Richardson. He and Jaden Akins lead the spartans in scoring this year at 13 and 11 respectively.
4: Auburn (This week: 2-0 vs Arkansas, vs Georgia, Overall: 25-2)
Auburn has proven to be one of if not the most consistent teams in college basketball. Their only losses came to Duke and Florida, fellow number 1 seeds as of now and likely to remain on the 1 line come selection sunday. Johni Broome has been steadily great all year. He dropped 31 and 14 rebounds against Georgia and averages 19 and 11 on the year. They have remained number 1 on the NET since december 10th! Their upcoming oppourtunities include Ole Miss, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama. They have room for error.
5: Florida (This week: 2-0 vs Oklahoma, @LSU, Overall: 24-3)
Florida had a similar week to Auburn with a couple of wins against Q2 opponents. Florida’s trio of guards leads them in scoring. Walter Clayton Jr. at 17, Alijah Martin at 15, and Will Richard at 13. These are physically strong guards and look like they can be trusted to produce in march madness and propel Florida to the second weekend and beyond. Although Oklahoma is weak its worth mentioning that it was never a contest. LSU was a bit harder of a game but Florida took care of business. They have 4 games remaining, all Q1 games. Florida sits in a great position along with Alabama, Auburn, and to a lesser extent, Tennessee, to seize a 1 seed when the selection commitee reveals the bracket.
6: Tennessee (This week: 1-0 @Texas A&M, Overall: 22-5)
Tennessee delivered in its lone game this week with an impressive 77-69 win at College Station against Texas A&M. Chaz Lanier scored 30 and grabbed 5 rebounds. Tennessee is a dangerous team if Lanier can find his stride. This team has been a model of consistency throughout the entire season and is flirting with being on the 1 seed line if they finish the conference season strong and make noise in the SEC tournement in early March. Tennessee is tied for second in Quad 1 wins with Alabama and Oregon with 9 each and trail only Auburn in this category. They should have at minimum 2 wins out of their final 4 games. At LSU and versus South Carolina should be locked in wins.
7: BYU (This week: 2-0 vs Kansas, @Arizona, Overall: 19-8)
BYU makes its first appearance on these power rankings all year and deservedly so. The destroyed Kansas which were ranked at the time, but arent anymore. We will see how that win ages but as of now its a Quad 1 win. Then they edged a win out @Arizona which put them at 4-7 in quad 1 games. BYU will have the oppourtunity for more quality wins as the regular season winds down. They are near the bubble but look way more promising than other bubble foes due to their recent success.
8: Alabama (This week: 1-1 L @Missouri, W vs Kentucky, Overall: 22-5)
Alabama had another 1-1 week and thanks to the SEC did not suffer a bad loss and wont have a bad loss the rest of the way. In the Kentucky game the Crimson Tide were able to weather the storm as UK started out the game with a 30-18 lead in the first half and Alabama responded and did not give up the lead the entire 2nd half. Mark Sears had his best scoring performances against Missouri and Kentucky back to back. Against Missouri he dropped 35 and 5 threes despite the loss. He followed that up with 30 on 11/11 on the charity stripe vs the wildcats. In an upcoming 3 game stretch alabama plays @Tennessee, vs Florida, and @Auburn.. Nothing will come easy for Alabama going forward
9: Clemson (This week: 1-0 @SMU, Overall: 22-5)
Clemson trails only Duke in the ACC sitting pretty at 14-2 in league play. In their lone game this week they beat SMU 79-69 and lead comfortably the entire 2nd half. Veteran guard Chase Hunter leads them in scoring at 17 a game. Clemson sits confortably in the feild at this point and should take care of business the rest of the way albeit its against Virginia, Notre Dame, Boston College, and Virginia Tech, 4 teams near the bottom of a weak ACC. This year Clemson is eyeing a run like last years elite 8 run and even surpassing that with a final 4 run, not likely, but definitely possible for a team that beat Duke a couple of weeks ago.
10: St. Johns (This week: 2-0 @Depaul, vs Uconn, Overall: 23-4)
The last spot on these rankings goes to St. Johns. Some could argue for them to be higher. But they simply dont have the quality of wins that teams like BYU or Clemson has as of late. Kadari Richmond is a baller. He knows how to get downhill, has a respectable midrange jumper, and has great size for his position. RJ Luis averages 17 a game. Although the Jonnies have talent offensively, they are more known for their defense, ranking second in the nation in defensive efficiency.
Honorable mentions: St. Marys, Maryland, Louisville
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