College Basketball Couch Power 10 (Feb. 25th)
Down went Zion, down went Duke.
Welcome back to the Power 10! Where to start with, last week? Were there any big games or storylines?
I kid. Nevada got upset on the road by San Diego State, Louisville on the road by Syracuse, LSU at home by Florida, Villanova on the road by Xavier. LSU later stunned recent-#1 Tennessee with last-second free throws to win the game, and Michigan State knocked off Michigan in a huge rivalry game.
But everyone knows there was one talking point from last week. Carolina-Duke, the best rivalry in college basketball, had been hyped for a week-plus on ESPN. Tickets to Cameron Indoor Stadium were at Super Bowl prices. President Obama, Spike Lee, and countless other celebrities were in attendance. It was #1 vs. #8. This was what everyone wanted to see. And the, 30 seconds into the game, it all fell apart for #1 Duke. In this case, the "it" was Zion Williamson's shoe, which caused the media lightning bolt and likely player of the year to slip, inure himself and need to leave the game, never to return. It didn't get any better for the Blue Devils from there, as 10-point underdogs North Carolina stepped on the throats early and kept pushing, growing their lead to as high as 22 points before eventually winning by 16. It was a result, and an injury, that sent alerts to the entire college basketball world.
Though I am still not convinced there's a reliably great team this year, it still seems there are tiers that are beginning to develop, sides with varying levels of quality and legitimate chance to be a title contender. Here is my best attempt at who the true Top 10 currently is:
1. Gonzaga (27-2)
Look, does beating Pepperdine and BYU by an average of 31 points prove enough to jump you from #() to #1? In itself, no. But winning 18 in a row while your peers like Duke, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee all drop decisive games helps. As does the fact that they beat Duke, even when the Blue Devils had a fully healthy team!.
2. Duke (24-3)
There can be no overstating how massive a loss Zion is for this team, or would be for any team. There also can’t be any overstating how much talent is still on this Duke side, and the way they were beaten by Carolina does not strike confidence in the depth or longevity of the squad. The Devils bounced back and showed toughness in a road win at Syracuse, though, and have enough big wins on its resumé to warrant a top spot until proven otherwise.
3. Virginia (24-2)
If you’re looking for a team that’s playing the best basketball in the country (at the highest level) at the moment, though, your search would probably have to start and end in Charlottesville. Virginia now owns come-from-behind road wins against North Carolina and Louisville in back-to-back weeks, and have zero bad losses. The thing killing them right now is the season sweep at the hands of Duke. Oh, and the fact that they lost to a 16-seed last year.
4. Kentucky (23-4)
You could have forgiven the Wildcats for having a letdown week after their roller coaster previous week: the last-second tip-in loss to LSU, the big win over #1 Tennessee. Yet, they avoided disaster and cruised to two comfortable wins over outmatched Missouri and Auburn. UK is still playing as well as anyone right now.
5. North Carolina (22-5)
But, nobody in the country had the week that Carolina had. In fact, the Heels had arguably the best week of anyone this season within the last 5 days. First, as has already been discussed, UNC rolled into the most-anticipated regular season game in a long time, and dismantled then-#1 Duke. 3 days later, they avoided the letdown by beating #16 Florida State by 18 points. People are just now starting to take notice that this could be a very good team..
6. Tennessee (24-3)
It seems harsh to drop the Vols more than one spot for losing on the road at a very good LSU team in overtime in wild fashion. That’s not the concern for Tennessee at this point; the 1-3 record against ranked teams is what the concern is..
7. Houston (26-1)
Hey, with Nevada’s shock loss, we finally have some separation in the non-Gonzaga-mid-major sweepstakes! The Cougars kept taking care of business, knocking off South Florida.
8. Michigan State (23-5)
Less than a month ago, Michigan State appeared to be in total freefall, coming off a loss to hapless Illinois. Now, 5 wins later, they’re atop the Big Ten standings, and most recently coming off an upset win on the road at rivals Michigan. It might take a little more time for the Spartans to convince everyone they’re national contenders again, but they’re at least back in Big Ten-winning form.
9. Marquette (23-4)
A great week for the Golden Eagles. They eased to victories over Butler and Providence, but more importantly, watched defending champions Villanova capsize, nearly handing Marquette the Big East title.
10. Texas Tech (22-5)
If you were looking for a way to re-announce yourself to the college basketball landscape, handing Kansas one of their worst losses in decades would be the way to do it. Indeed Texas Tech’s 6th straight victory was the most impressive they’ve been all season, torching the Jayhawks from behind the 3-point line to the tune of 30-point win. There’s a clear shift in the Big XII balance of power underway, and the Red Raiders are at the front of it.
Just missed: Michigan, LSU, Nevada, Kansas State, Wofford, Luke “Destroyer of Dynasties” Maye
Bonus: #1 Seed Predictions!
EAST (Washington, D.C.): Duke
SOUTH (Louisville): Virginia
WEST (Anaheim): Gonzaga
MIDWEST (Kansas City): Kentucky