College Basketball Couch Power 10 (Jan. 27th)
A tradition unlike any other: starting off the Couch Power 10 with a lead image of Duke losing.
Welcome to the first College Basketball Power Ranking of the year! If you are just now tuning in to the college basketball season, let's get you caught up. In a word: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
With Alabama football and the New England Patriots falling short of even qualifying for the championship, and the Golden State Warriors in the midst of a disastrous season, you've likely whet your whistle for long-standing dynasties crumbling. If this is indeed the case, this might be the basketball season for you. There's no way to quantify this, since the term "blue blood" is somewhat subjective, but there appears to be far less of a blue blood presence atop the polls than at this same time in any other season I can remember. It's not that they didn't start there. Michigan State, Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina and defending champions Virginia all started the year in the Top 10. To date, just one of those teams remains ranked in the Top 10, and the latter two of the list aren't ranked at all. Losses by 30 points to Purdue, as well as to the likes of South Carolina, Wofford, Stephen F. Austin, and Evansville will do that to you.
Those shocking losses are a good indicator of the parity that is present in today's landscape. By New Year's Day, all but two teams in the country had at least one loss beside their name. That number is now down to one, as Auburn suffered back-to-back blowout, upset losses this month. San Diego State, the lone holdout, might just run the table, thanks to a fairly weak schedule. Meanwhile, eight different teams have snagged the AP #1 spot this season, which has to be some sort of record, right?
So what does this all mean? A. That there's no great team, and B. that this season has already 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 as we pass the halfway mark in the season:
1. Baylor (17-1)
Has Baylor ascended to the #1 team in the country by default? It's not an unfair claim: they're the only Power 5 team with 1 loss, after all. But it's also not a fluke. Their one loss came in an early season, last-second neutral site loss to Washington, and since then, they have strung together 16 consecutive wins, including ones over Villanova, Arizona, and Butler, and most impressively, back-to-back road wins at Texas Tech and Kansas.
2. San Diego State (21-0)
The good news for San Diego State? They're unbeaten 21 games in. The bad news? Apart from a decent win against Utah, and a very nice win over Iowa, their schedule is nothing to write home about. Ranked, in fact, 137th in the nation. The good news? That doesn't change the fact that the Aztecs are a very good team, with a decent chance of winning all of their games in a Mountain West more mediocre than usual.
3. Gonzaga (21-1)
Gonzaga is largely in the same boat as their mid-major buddies ranked above them here. Their schedule is slightly more impressive, with a close win over a good Oregon team, and wins over decent Washington and Arizona teams. The tradeoff is they actually have a loss, and it was an ugly one: by 18 to a Michigan team in the middle of a nosedive. That most of their best performances have come since that loss, though, lends credence to the idea that this Zaga squad is once again built for a deep run in March.
4. Florida State (17-2)
That Florida State is currently the cream of the ACC honestly says more about the ACC this year than it does about the Seminoles, whose rollercoaster form over the last decade gives me trust issues. Outside of the clear Top 3, the historic conference is struggling mightily. However, don't let this take away from the solid start to Florida State's season. Their only blemishes are close road losses to Pittsburgh and Indiana, likely tournament teams, and they own wins over a very good Louisville side and decent Tennessee, Florida, and Purdue teams.
5. Kansas (17-3)
Kansas is having one heck of a season. They started the year ranked at #3 in the country, but instantly caused everyone to question that as they collapsed in their season opener against underdogs Duke. From there, they rattled off 10 consecutive victories, including over now-ranked Dayton and Colorado. But just when everyone's confidence was restored, they again lost as a favorite, this time to Villanova. However, they quickly righted the ship again with impressive wins over Stanford and West Virginia. But then got mauled by Baylor at home. But then have won 5 straight games. But then one of those wins included an all-out brawl which saw one of their players picking up a chair to smack someone else with and brought suspensions and national embarrassment to the program. My only verdict at this time is: good team, but not as good as expected at this point in the season.
6. Villanova (16-3)
Not long into the season, the Associated Press named Villanova's Jay Wright the "Coach of the Decade." It was a perfectly reasonable choice, but the timing was perhaps awkward, as it comes after Nova's most disappointing season in nearly 7 years, and in the wake of two early-season blowouts by Ohio State and Baylor. However, since then the Wildcats have won 11 of 12, beating Kansas and Butler along the way, and look to be back to being the toast of the Big East.
7. Dayton (18-2)
The third mid-major representative in this Power 10, Dayton have been 'flying' under the radar (I'm sorry), probably thanks to their lack of wins over ranked teams, but a blowout win over Virginia Tech, as well as road wins at Saint Louis and VCU are nothing to sneeze at. What's more, their two losses have come against Top 20 teams Kansas and Colorado, by a combined 8 points. Keep an eye out for these guys.
8. Louisville (17-3)
Louisville was a trendy preseason pick for ACC Champions, and in the wake of Duke's upset loss, and North Carolina's season tailspinning out of control, that pick looked an assured one just a month ago. But then came 3 losses out of 4, to Texas Tech, Kentucky, and Florida State, and all of a sudden, the conference was Duke's to lose again. Yet, in a huge momentum shift for the conference race, the Cardinals entered Cameron Indoor Stadium amidst the first College Gameday environment of the season, and made out with a statement 79-73 victory. Three wins later, it might be start the Louisville as a 1 seed talk again.
9. Auburn (17-2)
As referenced in the introduction, Auburn, having reached their first-ever Final Four just last year, entered 2020 as one of two teams with a flawless record. However, a schedule ranked 88th, and back-to-back blowout losses against Alabama and Florida have cast doubt on their true quality. The Tigers will point to decent non-conference wins against St. Louis, NC State, and Davidson, as well as a positive record in an abnormally tough SEC as reasons for optimism.
10. Duke (16-3)
What to make of a team that starts the year by upsetting Kansas, rises to #1, then loses to Stephen F. Austin on their home floor? That responds to that stunning loss by shellacking Michigan State on the road and rattling off 11 consecutive wins? That responds to the hype surrounding their climb back to the top of the rankings by losing at a mediocre Clemson team and squandering the opportunity for a huge win vs. Louisville at home? The answer is probably the same answer it's always been for Duke in Coach K's one-and-done era: this is a deeply talented, but mentally immature team. And as always, how deeply they go in the tournament will depend on whether they can grow in mental toughness.
Just missed: Maryland, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Oregon, Butler, Garrison "Senior Year Brice Johnson" Brooks
Bonus: #1 Seeds as it stands today!
SOUTH (Houston): Baylor
WEST (Los Angeles): San Diego State
MIDWEST (Indianapolis): Gonzaga
EAST (New York): Florida State