College Basketball Couch Power 10 (Feb. 3rd)
Just like their football team last fall, Florida State's basketball team was upset by Virginia in Charlottesville
Welcome to Week 2 of the College Basketball Couch Power 10! We're already in the penultimate month of the season, which feels crazy to say. But exactly two months from now, the Final Four will transpire at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time.
The wild college basketball season continued last week, with 3 Top 10 teams, and 6 other ranked teams all losing. However, for the first time pretty much all season, we finally had some steady play at the top of the rankings, as the top 4 sides ranked in the AP poll avoided defeat last week. Still, it feels like we're in a year of no real great team, and headed for a mad March.
So all that being said, here's my attempt at a Top 10 as we pass the halfway mark in the season:
1. Baylor (20-1)
The almost-consensus #1 team in America had a 3-win week, winning at Iowa State and at Kansas State, and at home against TCU. If their reign atop the Big 12 is going to end, it's not going to come amidst a stretch of playing teams in the bottom half of the conference standings.
2. San Diego State (23-0)
America's last unbeaten team, San Diego State kept up their perfect record by destroying New Mexico and beating Utah State. It may not sound like much, but those are two possible tournament teams, and it's a good indicator that the Aztecs are keeping sharp despite undoubtedly being the favored team the rest of the regular season.
3. Gonzaga (23-1)
The Zags also won both games last week, but the proceedings weren't as clear-cut as some of their peers'. After a big win at Santa Clara, Gonzaga had close call with San Francisco at home. A win is a win, though, and it might prove to be a bit of a wake-up call, as they look to finish strong.
4. Kansas (19-3)
As discussed last week, it's been a choppy, uneven albeit good season for Kansas. The Jayhawks stayed right on Baylor's tail in the Big 12 race, with a close, important win over Texas Tech. They followed that up with a big win over rapidly slumping Texas.
5. Louisville (19-3)
Not only Louisville notch huge wins over Boston College and NC State last week, they got a boost from Florida State's loss as well. The Cardinals are now alone atop the ACC, and deservedly so; they're playing the best ball in the conference, by some margin.
6. Dayton (20-2)
Dayton was another Top 10 team that continued a good run of form last week. They followed a close win over possible tournament team Duquesne with a blowout win over bottom-feeders Fordham. It still feels like people are sleeping on these Flyers. Do so at your own risk.
7. Florida State (19-3)
Florida State, previously the ACC leaders, played two ugly, ugly games in the last week. The first of those resulted in an upset loss to defending champions Virginia, which of course hurt their ACC standing. But just last night, despite another ugly offensive night, the Seminoles rebounded with a tough, and important win over UNC. In such a down year for the Tar Heels, a loss in that fixture would have spelled real trouble for the Noles' trajectory.
8. Duke (19-3)
Duke, now tied for 2nd place in the ACC, still looks a ways away from their potential, but were able to extend their winning streak to 4 games. They geared up for rivalry week with two road wins up north, over Syracuse and Boston College, the latter of whom was fresh off a stunning win over Duke's next opponents.
9. Maryland (18-4)
The Terrapins might just be the best in a wildly competitive Big Ten. The only 4-loss team in our rankings shot into the top 10 thanks to a huge week: a 1-2 punch of beating ranked Iowa (by 10 points), and recently-ranked Rutgers.
10. Auburn (20-2)
It's been a strange month or so for Auburn. Last weekend's win over Kentucky (with College Gameday in town!) was big for their resumé, and kept them 2nd in the SEC. However, that result was sandwiched between overtime wins over mediocre Ole Miss and Arkansas. Thus, it's hard to get a read on how good this team truly is....perhaps it's not all that surprising that they're ranked outside the Top 15 in the latest AP poll.
Just missed: Villanova, West Virginia, Penn State, Oregon, Butler, the polar opposite of ACC officiating
Bonus: #1 Seeds as it stands today!
SOUTH (Houston): Baylor
WEST (Los Angeles): San Diego State
MIDWEST (Indianapolis): Gonzaga
EAST (New York): Louisville