College Basketball Couch Power 10 (Feb. 6th)
In the first Top 10 Tobacco Road showdown in 5 years, transfer Harrison Ingram made the biggest impression, spearheading a huge win for Tar Heel Blue.
Well, just like that, it's February. Which, yes, is the worst month of the year. You won't hear me arguing. But two major things this month has going for it: 1. It's the shortest! and 2. It means we're just one month away from the greatest postseason in American sports. Which means, believe it or not, the home stretch for the college basketball season is in sight!
Last week, in my first Power 10 of this season, I caught you all up by explaining how wild a season this has already been, and how chaos seems imminent for the postseason once again. Well, this past week has done nothing to dispense of that notion. The very night I published the inaugural 2024 Couch Power 10, two of my top five teams (North Carolina and Tennessee) lost to unranked opponents. However, both could argue looking ahead to the weekend tripped them us, as each would immediately turn around and win a huge rivalry game on Saturday; the Volunteers scored a massive win on the road at Kentucky, while UNC asserted control of the ACC with a dominant win over #7 Duke. These were far from blips on the radar, though, as even before getting to a massive decision day last Saturday, four other ranked teams lost, all of them to unranked opponents. Then over the weekend, came four MORE of those losses, and that's to say nothing of the losers of the five different 'ranked vs. ranked' showdown the weekend held. One of the winners of those showdowns? Kansas, who knocked off #4 Houston to claim top billing in the Big 12...for two days, until they collapsed on the road at unranked rivals Kansas State last night. The wheels don't stop turning!!
True to form for the last few years in the world at large, it's been a wild and unpredictable season. Despite this, I’ll try my hand at ranking the top teams based on what they’ve done to date:
1. Purdue
The two sure things amidst this season of chaos are the top two teas currently. Purdue came close to getting involved in the madness when they barely escaped an upset bid from Northwestern in overtime. But they pulled it out, and though the Boilermakers remain #2 in the real-life polls, they keep top honors in the Couch Power 10 thanks to their clutch road win at #6 Wisconsin on Sunday, and their top-ranked (!!) schedule strength.
2. Connecticut
UConn stays #2 in the Couch Power 10 by "virtue" of playing an easier schedule than while maintaining the same record as Purdue. But their #1 rank in the AP belies that many, myself among them, think the defending champs may once again be the best team in the country, and the Huskies gave no reason to doubt that with comfortable wins this week over Providence and St. John's.
3. North Carolina
It was a bizarre week for my beloved Tar Heels, who made me look foolish immediately after publication last week when their "start ugly but grind out the W" trend finally caught up with them, and they stumbled in the closing seconds at Georgia Tech. It was a bad, bad loss to a bad team, but Carolina's fans theorized that maybe this would be the wake-up call the team needed heading into a huge game, and that theory gained real steam with how the Heels performed Saturday. In the first all-Top 10 edition of the Carolina-Duke rivalry since March 2019, UNC led wire-to-wire, and really never even got a threat from Duke in the 2nd half, showing that they are in fact a. back, and b. the toast of the ACC currently. Given the massive win and losses by other teams elsewhere in this ranking, they retain my #3 spot, though at the time of this writing, they are currently down double digits at home to unranked Clemson, so watch this space, I guess?
4. Kansas
Kansas is another team I'm not really sure how to place after the week that was. They slaughtered Oklahoma State a week ago, and followed that up with a massive win over the weekend vs. Houston. Taking my Carolina Blue glasses off, that would definitely be sufficient for the Jayhawks to jump into the top 3. Only problem is, they follow that up with a quick turnaround loss to an unranked team. Given that the loss was to a rival, on the road, in OT, and so shortly after their cathartic weekend victory, I'm keeping them in the Top 4 for now. But it keeps feeling like this ultra-talented side is turning the corner, only for them to stumble yet again.
5. Tennessee
Did someone say, "wild week which includes losing to an unranked team but also scoring a big win?" Yes, enter Tennessee as well! The Vols' 6-game winning streak came to an end a week ago with a home loss to then-unranked South Carolina. But, as you will see shortly, that may not have been quite as bad a loss as it seemed on the surface, and Rick Barnes and co. will certainly be satisfied with a dominant road performance at #10 Kentucky. Frustrating losses and all, this is still the sole leader of the SEC, with a top 5 strength of record, so I don't think they can be removed from the conversation when it comes to the nation's elite.
6. Houston
At this time last week, Houston, with just two losses by a combined 5 points, had little wrong with its resumé. But it also had very little to write home about, and the problem is, that's been the same story in recent years, too, which is why this weekend's clash with Kansas felt like such an opportunity for the Cougars to prove they are for real. Instead, they lost, and lost big, leaving questions about just how high the ceiling is for this undeniably tough but unproven squad.
7. South Carolina
Here's something I didn't expect to write in the year of our Lord 2024: South Carolina is a Top 10 men's basketball team!! Yes, the school most known for it's women's basketball, and for its passionate but delusional football fanbase, has quietly put together quite a year in Lamont Paris' 2nd season as head coach. They had little-to-no buzz preseason, and losses to Clemson and Georgia along with a demolition by Alabama would have eradicated any they would have had. But the Gamecocks have quietly put together an 11-2 clip since the start of December, and their current 6-game winning streak now includes toppling then-#6 Kentucky, and now-#5 Tennessee. A weak schedule to date keeps them on the lower end of our Power 10, but given the Wildcats' and Volunteers' proclivity for dropping games just when you start to trust them, maybe don't count the Gamecocks out of the SEC race yet!
8. Marquette
Shaka Smart's Marquette has had a bizarre season; rated highly preseason, the buzz only grew with early-season victories over Illinois and Kansas and a razor-close loss to Purdue. That buzz simmered down, though, with two blowout losses to Wisconsin and Providence in late 2023, and upsets by Seton Hall and Butler furthered their rough start to the Big East season. However, the Eagles now have worked their way back into the Top 10 and conference contention with a 6-game winning streak. And after a week that saw them earn road wins at Villanova and Georgetown, it's become increasingly clear they are Connecticut's sole competition in the Big East.
9. Dayton
Put Dayton in the same category as South Carolina: teams whose great record belie their easy schedule, but still are not getting nearly as much noise as they should. The Flyers lack the quality wins UofSC has, hence why they're two spots lower, but conversely, none of their 3 losses are bad ones. After taking care of business vs. St. Bonaventure, George Washington, and Saint Joseph's this week (improving to 17 wins out of their last 18), they're in pole position for 'overachieving midmajor.'
10. Wisconsin
Yes, the Badgers remain in the Couch Power 10 despite an 0-2 week, if only by the hair of their chinny chin chin. The loss at unranked Nebraska wasn't great, and the loss vs. Purdue a missed opportunity to right the ship with a major win at home. But neither loss is bad, nor was either non-competitive, and Wisconsin still owns a Top 10 strength of record with a 16-6 clip vs. the #2 schedule strength in the land. For now, that's good enough to be a Top 10 team.
Just missed: Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Illinois, Auburn, Tar Heel icon Harrison Ingram
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