Top 25: 1. Auburn (21-2) (1) – How good are the Tigers? I would have debated whether they should stay at #1 even if Duke won their game. 2. Alabama (20-3) (3) – Auburn’s loss allowed Alabama to tie them atop the SEC. They still play each other twice. The first game is this weekend. Defense won’t […]

Most disappointing teams, by conference: Big East: Seton Hall (6-15, 1-10; NET: 193) – Nobody expected the Pirates to contend for a Big East title, but the reigning NIT champions should be better than this. Big Ten: Rutgers (11-11, 4-7; NET: 76) – It was a tough call between the Scarlett Knights and Indiana (14-8; NET: 65). However, eve

A look at some of the mid-major/smaller leagues. The chances for multiple bids from these leagues are small. In the Missouri Valley, a 2-team race is developing between Drake (18-2, 8-2; NET: 66) and Bradley (18-3, 9-1; NET: 64). They are iffy at-large candidates. Drake won their first meeting this season. Maybe a sweep and an appearance […]

“How many true National Championship contenders are there?” I like to look at teams in the Top 20 in offensive and defensive efficiency. According to KenPom, seven teams currently fit that criteria: Duke Auburn Houston Iowa State Florida Illinois Arizona (20th in both!) Teams that fall just outside the criterion are Tennessee (22nd offe

I have asked this question a few times, and it feels appropriate now: What happens when the SEC starts to eat each other? The idea that nearly the entire conference will get into the NCAA Tournament is still valid. Mid-major leagues aren’t loading up with potential at-large bids, and the ACC/Big East aren’t juicy bid […]

Top 25: 1. Auburn (13-1) (1) – The Tigers are on cruise control. Only two of their 13 wins were within single digits. 2. Tennessee (14-0) (2) – Only one of their 14 wins (Illinois) was within single digits. 3. Iowa State (12-1) (4) – Their 19-point romp over Baylor was a statement win. 4. Duke (12-2) (5) […]

This was the last “quiet” week. Conference play goes into full gear this week, and it should be entertaining in this age of super conferences. There is a lot of talk that the SEC will get nearly the entire conference into the tournament, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. We […]

What is going on in Piscataway? Rutgers, with two of the best freshmen in the college game, is having trouble converting talent into wins. It isn’t the fault of those freshmen, as Dylan Harper averages 23.3 points per game while Airious (Ace) Bailey is at 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds. Yet, they have losses to Kennesaw State and […]

Finally, a week that stabilizes the Top 25. Only a few teams dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time this year. Both had a case to stay in. The SEC has 20 combined losses (it’s a 16-team league). Conference play has yet to begin, but while every team plays its share of […]