College Basketball Couch Power 10 (Jan. 21st)
Welcome to the first College Basketball Power Ranking of the year! With Alabama winning, and the Patriots likely winning the Super Bowl, everyday Americans are hurting deeply from football. So, a hopeful nation turns to basketball to save their happiness.
If you are just now tuning in to the college basketball season, let's get you caught up. In a word: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Seriously, it's been nuts. For the first time since the 1940s, every single team in Division I had a loss before the New Year, and really, no team has distanced themselves from the pack. Both times it looked like Duke would, they quickly dropped games to unranked teams (NC State and Boston College). Villanova was the last unbeaten, then got pasted by an unranked Butler team. Michigan State started to look like the team to beat, then went on a 3-game slide (technically only 2 losses, but the 1 win was an overtime home win against Rutgers, so it counts as a loss). This past weekend didn't provide any clarity, only more upsets of ranked teams by unranked teams.
So what does this all mean? A. That there's no great team, and B. that this season has been awesome. It's trending towards one of the madder Marches in recent history, so now is a good time to jump in. That being said, here's my attempt at a Top 10:
1. Villanova (18-1)
I'm not sold on Villanova in the least, but I concur with the media polls, that I guess they should be #1 by default? I guess? Their schedule hasn't been the hardest, but they have a few nice wins (Tennessee and Gonzaga come to mind), and their loss to Butler is far from the worst. They're, as usual, a balanced, talented, well-coached team, so I have no qualms with them being here for now.
2. Virginia (17-1)
Tony Bennett has built an incredible program in Charlottesville. It seems like every year they lose their best player(s), and come back arguably better the next year. Their only blemish so far is a close road loss at West Virginia, and they've established themselves as the team to beat in the ACC. That being said, they'll inevitably plunge out of the tournament in the early stages for the 5th straight year.
3. Duke (17-2)
It pains me-- I can't even TELL you how much it pains me --to say it, but pound-for-pound, Duke is probably the best team in the country. Grayson Tripper Allen is in red-hot form, and there's not a poor soul in the country that can stop Marvin Bagley III. However, their defense has often been horrid, as evidenced by the aforementioned head-scratching losses.
4. Purdue (19-2)
Purdue has shot to the top of the Big Ten, and is playing some of the best basketball in the country right now (see: their dismantling of Iowa yesterday). They have a few nice wins too, over Arizona, Louisville and Butler. They also have a couple rough losses though....Western Kentucky? Ouch.
5. Kansas (16-3)
Kansas has had one of their worst starts to a season in recent history. It's not just that they've lost 3, it's that all 3 were at HOME. For context, they'd only lost in Lawrence 3 times in the previous decade. So why are they in my Top 5? Because all of a sudden, the rest of the Big 12 is falling apart, and KU is on a 5-game streak, with wins over TCU, West Virginia and Baylor in there.
6. Michigan State (17-3)
The Spartans seem to have gotten back on track with a 30-point stomping of Indiana yesterday. Their aforementioned slide was cause for concern, but they still have one of the highest ceilings in the country.
7. West Virginia (16-3)
Yet again, Bob Huggins' crew is a tough, quick, and marvelous defensive team. They dropped back-to-back decisions to Texas Tech and Kansas last week, which hurts, but they'll be a competitor throughout the rest of the season.
8. Xavier (18-3)
Xavier's got a classic "solid team" resume. Only a couple noteworthy wins (Cincinnati and Seton Hall), but all of their losses were to good teams (Arizona State, Providence, Villanova).
9. Cincinnati (17-2)
The Bearcats were a trendy Final 4 pick this year, but their season hasn't panned out quite that way. Xavier and Florida are completely valid losses, but with a Schedule Strength ranked in the 100s, their record should be expected probably. Still, the parts are all there to be a great team!
10. North Carolina (16-4)
My Tar Heels' resumé is basically the 'anti-Xavier'. Several wins to write home about, such as Arkansas, Tennessee, Ohio State and Clemson. Yet at the same time, capitulations to Michigan State and Virginia, and a home loss to Wofford, easily the worst loss of any top team this year. So, it doesn't appear UNC is a threat to repeat, but the ceiling is, once again, the roof.
Just missed: Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Auburn, Ohio State, Clemson, Luke "Double-Double" Maye
Bonus: #1 Seed Predictions!
EAST (Boston): Villanova
SOUTH (Atlanta): Virginia
MIDWEST (Omaha): Purdue
WEST (Los Angeles): Kansas