College Basketball Couch Power 10 (Championship Week)
Illinois enters the postseason as perhaps the hottest team in the country not names Gonzaga
We're SO CLOSE, basketball fans. So close to March Madness for the first time in two gargantuan, never-ending years. We're not there yet, though; one more week-- ten days, to be exact --stands between us and the tipoff of America's greatest postseason, and if you're suffering from PTSD from the late-breaking cancellation last year, you'll remember this was the exact time in 2020 that everything shut down. So yeah, we're not there yet.
But let's not focus on the negatives...it's Championship Week! America's 2nd greatest postseason! The week full of conference tournaments is a terrific tradition in its own right, whetting everyone's appetite for the true madness to come whilst solidifying the bona fide contenders and many programs' bubble fate. Lest you thought 'March Madness' was reserved for tournament play: since our last ranking, 10 more ranked teams lost, 3 of them to unranked teams. Even as we're getting down to the nitty gritty, teams are surprising in the best and worst ways!
I've said it before, I'll say it once more: it's been a wild and unpredictable season. The world at large is so unpredictable that it's still not even a given that we'll have a tournament this year. Despite this, I’ll do my best to rank the top teams based on what they’ve done to date:
1. Gonzaga
Gonzaga didn't play at all since our last piece, having a week off before their double bye into the conference semifinals. The only possible scenario for Zaga not romping to the top overall seed going into next week is a stunning loss in their conference tournament while Baylor wins the Big 12, and even that might not be enough to unseat them as the #1 team in the eyes of the NCAA.
2. Baylor
Well, that didn't last very long. Right after Baylor lost their first game in the season, they dropped to #3 in both the Associated Press poll and the even-more-significant Couch Power 10. But while Michigan, the team that supplanted them in both polls, lost two games, the Bears bounced back with three straight wins over ranked teams. The first of that bunch, an overtime road comeback at West Virginia was especially crucial in announcing that the team that shot out to an 18-0 start was back.
3. Illinois
If you're looking for a team not named Gonzaga that both has elite talent and is peaking at the right time, Illinois might be your winner. The Illini bounced back from their upset loss at Michigan State by blowing out Nebraska, then closed their season with a 3-game winning streak at Wisconsin, at Michigan and at Ohio State. In terms of resumé-building, you just can't beat winning 3 road games against 3 ranked teams, the latter two being Top 10 teams. Buoyed by the return of star Ayo Dosunmo, Illinois might actually be the most dangerous team east of Spokane.
4. Michigan
Michigan's had a remarkable regular season, but it came to a bit of a clunky end. Their Big Ten-clinching win over rivals Michigan State was, I'm sure, a sweet feeling but it was sandwiched between an uncharacteristic blowout loss to Illinois and then a disappointing loss to...rivals Michigan State. I'll be curious to see whether tripling their loss total in the last week of the season will inspire Michigan to run wild through the Big Ten tournament, or if the Wolverines' virtual guarantee of a #1 seed is enough to keep them complacent.
5. Iowa
As soon as I asked the question last week, "Could Iowa finally be peaking at the right time?" I was sure I was about to be made to look a fool. But the Hawkeyes followed up their statement win over Ohio State with a demolition of neighbors Nebraska, and then a tough, crucial win in the season finale against Wisconsin. Iowa's finally playing up to their lofty potential, having decidedly worked their way back up to the 2-seed line, and with a Big Ten tournament title, might even be able to snag that last 1-seed.
6. Arkansas
Make it 8 in a row, and 10 of their last 11, for Arkansas! The Hogs closed their season with a win over Texas A&M and enter the SEC tournament as the #2 seed, but I'd bet the #1 team that SEC opponents don't want to face right now.
7. Alabama
Alabama closed their SEC-winning season with comfortable wins over gridiron rivals Auburn and Georgia. It's been a banner year for the Tide, and they enter the SEC Tournament as the #1 seed, but given their recent big loss to Arkansas, probably only the #2 team that SEC opponents don't want to face right now.
8. Houston
It's been a while since we gave Houston some Power 10 attention! In truth, I think I was too hurt by them losing to unranked Wichita State the very night I sang their praises in our first Power 10 of the season. But they haven't lost since then! Plus, weak schedule and all, this is a solid, talented team, and 21-3 is no record to sneeze at.
9. San Diego State
For the last Couch Power 10, we're gonna bypass the slew of 7-9 major conference teams that are hogging these spots in the less-academic AP and Coaches polls, and instead show love to the little guys with prettier records. Three cheers for San Diego State, who has bounced back nicely from the heartache of a "national title-level good" team not getting to compete for said national title last season, to the tune of 20-4 record, and yet another Mountain West Conference title!
10. Loyola-Chicago
For the last Couch Power 10, we're gonna bypass the slew of 7-9 major conference teams that are hogging these spots in the less-academic AP and Coaches polls, and instead show love to the little guys with prettier records. Three HEARTY cheers for old friends Loyola-Chicago! The darlings of the 2018 tournament, the fighting Sister Jean's, will make a March appearance yet again after winning the Missouri Valley Conference. And they may just be poised for another deep run, though it'd be hard to call it much of a surprise this time around: the Ramblers head into the tournament with a 24-4 record, having won 16 of their last 17, losing only to fellow tournament team Drake on the road in overtime.
Just missed: Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Villanova, Florida State, Oregon, the Caleb Love that shows up against Duke
BONUS! Daniel's Conference Tournament Champion Projections
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: Kansas
Big East: Villanova
Big Ten: Illinois
Pac-12: Colorado
SEC: Alabama
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