1. UConn (24-2) (2) – Marquette is a Final Four contender. UConn beat them by 28.
2. Houston (22-3) (3) – Their 82-point effort on Saturday was the first time this season they scored 80+ points against an NCAA Tournament contender (Texas).
3. Purdue (23-3) (1) – A 4-point road loss to Ohio State doesn’t crush a resume that includes the #1 non-conference schedule (11-0 in those games).
4. Tennessee (19-6) (4) – The Volunteers have played one bad game all year (85-69 road loss to Texas A&M).
5. Arizona (20-5) (7) – One of four teams in the Top 15 in adjusted offense and defense.
6. Iowa State (20-5) (9) – 7-1 in last eight games (TCU (2x), Kansas State, Kansas, Baylor (loss), Texas, Cincinnati, Texas Tech). That’s a gauntlet.
7. Baylor (19-6) (13) – This offense-first squad ends their season with six games against probable NCAA Tournament teams.
8. Auburn (20-6) (10) – Destroyed South Carolina (40!). Followed that up with an 11-point loss to Kentucky.
9. Marquette (19-6) (5) – How do we rank a team that won eight straight games, only to lose to UConn by 28? I think dropping them four spots is enough.
10. Kansas (20-6) (8) – The Jayhawks need to get back on track as they are only 7-5 in their last 12 games.
11. North Carolina (20-6) (6) – After surging to the ACC lead, the Tar Heels are only 3-3, including losses to non-tournament teams Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
12. Duke (20-5) (12) – Right back in the conference race. Can they beat both Miami and Wake Forest on the road this week?
13. Illinois (19-6) (11) – A lot can still happen, but the March 5th game against Purdue could have regular-season title implications.
14. Creighton (19-7) (15) – Can they slay the UConn beast at home this week?
15. Alabama (18-7) (16) – Eighr games with 100+ points, including a 100-75 thumping of Texas A&M on Saturday.
16. Saint Mary’s (21-6) (17) – No team other than Gonzaga has won the outright WCC title since 2012 (St. Mary’s). Technically, the Gaels won the title in 2016, as both teams were 15-3 but St. Mary’s swept Gonzaga. The last time a team other than St. Mary’s or Gonzaga won the outright conference title was in 2000 (Pepperdine).
17. San Diego State (20-6) (21) – Back-to-back home wins over Colorado State and New Mexico.
18. BYU (18-7) (14) – A slog as of late, but they have banked enough quality wins while suffering zero bad losses.
19. Dayton (21-4) (23) – The Flyers still haven’t lost outside of Quad 1 (2-4 within Quad 1).
20. Kentucky (18-7) (24) – A huge double-digit road win over Auburn.
21. Colorado State (20-6) (20) – 5-1 in their last six games. The Rams crushed Utah State by 20 on Saturday.
22. Michigan State (17-9) (NR) – It was only Penn State and Michigan, but the Spartans earned two much-needed road wins last week.
23. Washington State (20-6) (NR) – Seven straight wins and 10-1 in their last 11 games (including a win over Arizona)
24. New Mexico (20-6) (NR) – New Mexico is 5-4 on the road, but the conquest over Nevada was their first one of significance.
25. Texas Tech (18-7) (NR) – The Red Raiders mauled Kansas by 29 before hanging tough on the road against Iowa State.
Dropped Out:
South Carolina (21-5) (18) – Banking all those wins will be helpful come Selection Sunday, but losing by 40 to Auburn and one (at home) against LSU are damaging.
Wisconsin (17-9) (19) – Many of their recent losses are “flip a coin” types, and the Badgers have six Quad 1 wins in the bank.
Florida Atlantic (20-6) (22) – A lot of quality in their resume, but the Owls are in trouble when it comes to the regular-season AAC title.
Indiana State (22-5) (25) – I figured Southern Illinois had “trap game” potential. What I didn’t figure was that they would lose to Illinois State at home.
Just Missed:
Grand Canyon (24-2) – With Indiana State falling, the Lopes may be the new “mid-market” obsession (if they weren’t already).
Gonzaga (20-6) – Winning the games they are supposed to win, which is good enough for now.
Utah State (21-5)/Boise State (17-8)/Nevada (20-6) – I have three Mountain West teams ranked with three under consideration. The conference is bunched up to the point where I don’t know how the committee can leave any of them out.