College Basketball Couch Power 10 (Feb. 7th)
Auburn avoided the upset against Georgia this weekend and remained the team to beat in not only the SEC, but the nation
Are you down right now? Stuck in the cold grey of February? Have the approaching-Valentine's blues? Maybe you're still hurt by the Packers once again finding a way to miss the Super Bowl? Perhaps you're reeling from the fact that we're approaching the two year anniversary of the Covid lockdowns? Well, whatever your reason may be, if you're like me, you may need a pick-me-up, and you might find it in the form of the realization that we are ONE MONTH AWAY from March Madness.
Finally recovering from the exciting finish to the college football season, the Packers-induced heartbreak, and the mixed bag that was the United States' World Cup qualification window, I allowed myself to really hone in on the college basketball season in the last week, especially with the first go-round of the Tobacco Road Rivalry approaching. As an emotionally frail Tar Heel, the less said about that rivalry game the better, BUT, I am happy to finally be in college basketball mode, because I think we're in for a fun season and postseason! This is echoing the start to the tragically abridged 2019-20 season, in that there is a serious void of great, near-unbeatable teams. Where last year we had more than one team approaching March without a single loss, this year, the last two unbeaten teams fell one week into January 2022.
So, true to form for the last couple years in the world at large, it's been a wild and unpredictable season. The world at large is still so unpredictable that it's 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. Auburn
Not much has been clear about this college basketball season, but one thing seems pretty clear: Auburn is currently the best team in college basketball. The Tigers presently own their first-ever #1 AP ranking in program history, and I'm honestly surprised it's not unanimous. Auburn is the sole 1-loss team in the country, and they got there despite a schedule ranked in the Top 30 in difficulty. Since their early-season stumble in the Bahamas in a wild overtime loss to Connecticut, the Tigers have won 19 in a row, a stretch that includes top mid-major Murray State, two victories over rivals Alabama, LSU and Kentucky. And most importantly of all, they're playing smart, fast, good basketball.
2. Kansas
This is a bit of a #hottake, considering Kansas has 3 losses and is one week removed from being run off their home floor by Kentucky. But this weekend's demolition of defending national champions Baylor served as a reminder of just how good this Jayhawks team can be. Before the Kentucky loss, their only blemishes on a schedule that ranks 2nd in the nation were upsets by Dayton and Texas Tech by a total of 7 points, and just since said Kentucky loss, they've atoned for their errors by beating two Top 20 teams. They also have already gotten revenge for one of their losses by beating Tech and own a win over Michigan State. Consistency is a problem for this group, but when they put it together, they have as high a ceiling as anyone in the country.
3. Arizona
Arizona, under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, has come from off-the-radar this season, from unranked preseason to Top 5 in the country. The Wildcats started the year by routing then-Top 5 Michigan, and even though the Wolverines have proven to not be nearly the team we expected, Arizona also won on the road at Illinois, and has beaten UCLA, USC and Arizona State, the latter twice. Considering one of their two losses was to UCLA, that means the only team they haven't beaten this year is Top 15 Tennessee, who bested them by 4 points. So yeah, I think Arizona might be legit!
4. Purdue
It's already been a bit of a weird year. Entering the season with perhaps the most preseason hype in program history, Purdue vindicated those lofty expectations early on with Mohegan Sun Invitational wins over North Carolina and Villanova, and December victories over Florida State and Iowa. Then in the early stages of 2022 the Boilermakers stumbled, with shocking losses to Rutgers and Wisconsin at home. They re-established themselves with a shootout win over Top 15 Illinois, and then immediately turned around and lost at rivals Indiana. Since then, though, they have rattled off 6 straight wins, including a big one over Ohio State. Moral of the story? Purdue is very good, certainly the toast of the Big Ten, but will have to find ways to win games if their shots from outside aren't dropping, otherwise they'll run the risk of underachieving in March,
5. Duke
Saturday's awful, horrible, no-good (objectively!) game notwithstanding, Duke has rarely looked like a very good team this season. Thanks in no small part to an unbelievably weak ACC, their schedule strength ranks near 50, and yet they have 3 losses and don't own an outright lead of their conference. But all that being said, this team has shown serious flashes, in wildly impressive wins over Gonzaga and Kentucky, and the rivalry romp this weekend when UNC had all to play for. Throw in the fact that all their losses have been by a total of 8 points, and it's not hard to argue that they're legitimately a top team, whatever 'eye test' reservations one may have.
6. Gonzaga
If Gonzaga's early loss to Duke was surprising, their home loss to Alabama was shocking. Not that either opponent is bad by any means, but the Bulldogs returned the nexus of a team that went 38-1 last year and took a trip to the national championship, plus added a star-studded recruiting class. But those losses came in the middle of dominant wins over Texas, UCLA and Texas Tech, all of which showed they clearly have the quality to get high-level victories. Predictably, the Zags are mowing through their West Coast Conference season, indicating they'll enter March on a tear. Whether they can live up to the hype this time remains to be seen.
7. Providence
Providence is flying under the radar currently despite a 20-2 record and a clear lead atop the Big East standings. That probably is thanks to a schedule strength that is only the 50th best in the country, which is a valid reason to be skeptical. And the two losses on the Friars' record are eyebrow-raising: a bad loss to a mediocre Virginia side, and a 30-point destruction by Marquette. But road wins at Wisconsin, Connecticut and Xavier speak to their quality, and given that they've won 7 in a row since their last loss over a month ago, I'd say it's high time to take notice of Providence.
8. Houston
I'll confess, I haven't watched a second of Houston basketball this season. But it appears they're faltering from the same issue Providence has: they've got the record, but not the resume. They're 20-2, yes, but with the #103 schedule in the country, you'd almost expect them to be 20-2. Still, their two losses are to Wisconsin and Alabama by a combined 3 points, which is nothing to mock. And dominant wins over bubble teams Virginia, Oregon and Cincinnati show there's still quite a gap between them and even decent teams. Their next game, a road matchup at the only other reliable AAC team (SMU), should be a nice 'barometer game' for the Cougars.
9. Wisconsin
Wisconsin is the first 4-loss team to make an appearance on this ranking, and schedule strength is a big reason. All 4 losses were to Top 20, definite tournament teams, and their 6th-ranked schedule has also included wins over Purdue, Houston, Ohio State and Indiana. The Badgers aren't a perfect team, but they're tough, balanced and experienced, which is a combination nobody wants to face in March.
10. Kentucky
This is probably also controversial... it's a good thing I don't have much of a following, otherwise #BBN would tear me to shreds. Don't get me wrong, I definitely think Kentucky is a Top 10 team, and I think they have one of the higher ceilings in college basketball. Blowout wins over Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama and North Carolina have hinted at as much. But they were seriously outplayed in losses to Auburn and Duke, and though a close road loss to LSU is understandable, their loss to Notre Dame is downright inexplicable. So, while Calipari's once again got a crew that could go the distance in March, I'm going to need to see a little more boom than bust before I confirm I'm fully sold on them.
Just missed: Baylor, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State, Villanova, Brady Manek
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