MIDWEST:
EAST:
SOUTH:
WEST:
Well, there you have it. That is where I see each school as of Sunday night. Of course there are bound to be changes. It would be no fun if there weren't. And with the conference tournaments still a month away and the big dance still a month and a half away, there's plenty of time for school's to rise or fall. In the meantime, however, here's a quick rundown of everything you need to know from this past week...
At the top, you will still find familiar names. Kansas reigns supreme for the third straight week now, and for good reason too. The Jayhawks, led by senior standout Frank Mason III (20.1 ppg, 5.4 apg and 4.4 rpg) and freshman sensation Josh Jackson (15.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.1 apg) continue to rack up the wins, now winners of their last 18 games. This winning streak dates back to the second game of the season after an overtime loss to then-#11 Indiana in the season opener. While Indiana has fallen a bit over the course of the season, the loss has not hurt Kansas' standing at all as they continue their dominance among the college basketball world. Following closely behind are the Villanova Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Baylor Bears. Nova keeps building off of last year's dream season with wins over Creighton, Notre Dame and Purdue, while Kentucky, albeit the only two loss school in the top 5, has wins over North Carolina, South Carolina and Michigan State. Mark Few's Bulldogs have been playing tremendous basketball and continue to beat up on the West Coast Conference. Now sitting at 19-0 and with 10 games left on their schedule, there is a real possibility we see the Bulldogs enter conference tournament action undefeated. The only ranked opponent remaining on their schedule is Saint Mary's, whom they took care of last Saturday in a 79-56 rout. Lastly, Baylor rounds out the top 5. The Bears looked a bit shaky, especially after their atrocious defeat to "Press Virginia" two weeks ago, but they have settled in nicely with wins at Kansas State and TCU as well as taking care of business at home against Texas.
The biggest news from this weekend came from out west. Earlier in the week, it was finally revealed what was keeping Arizona sophomore guard Allonzo Trier out for the entire season. A failed drug test early in the season leading to a quiet PED suspension knocked Trier out for the Wildcats' first 19 games. It was said that he wasn't allowed to see the court until the drugs had cleared his system. Well, either this had been known for a while or they cleared his system real quick, because Trier was back in action Saturday for perhaps Arizona's biggest game of the season. Traveling to Pauley Pavilion to take on then-#3 UCLA, the Wildcats came ready to play and on a mission. Over the course of 40 minutes, the Cats picked apart UCLA and exploited opportunities to take a 96-85 win, shocking the Bruins and their fans. Freshman big Lauri Markkanen (18 points and 7 boards) and freshman guard Kobi Simmons (20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) led the way for Arizona, but one could argue that the return of Trier put Arizona over the top. In 27 minutes of play, Trier finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. His return takes Arizona from decent to dangerous. This team is a legitimate National Championship contender and should be right at the top of the Pac 12.
One team that continues to impress this year is Florida State, who has now won 14 of their last 15 and sits at 18-2 on the season. They played extremely well in their last six conference games, all of which were against ranked opponents, coming away 5-1. Now, with a win Saturday against then-#12 Louisville, the Seminoles move into the top spot in the ACC. Their resume is impressive, too. Wins against Louisville, Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Florida, and Minnesota has Florida State sitting pretty at #6. The only blemishes on what has been a phenomenal, out-of-nowhere season for Leonard Hamilton's Noles was an early season head-scratching loss to Temple and a 96-83 loss to North Carolina last weekend in the Dean Dome. What makes this team so good? Their offense is explosive, they get out in transition, and their length poses problems. Leading the way is the sophomore forward Dwayne Bacon, who's averaging 17.4 ppg and 3.9 rpg. He's joined by freshman forward Jonathan Isaac, averaging 13.3 ppg and 7.8 rpg. Isaac has really come into his own recently, posting double-doubles in his last three games. The most impressive of the three was Wednesday against Notre Dame, where he scored 23 points, 10 rebounds, and blocked 7 shots. That's right, SEVEN blocks.
On an unfortunate note, Creighton lost senior star Maurice Watson Jr. last Monday to a torn ACL. It's an awful way for anyone to get injured, but for Watson, being a senior and having a career year, it hurts even more. Watson, who is leading the NCAA in assists per game with 8.5, leaves a Creighton team that was just hitting their stride and climbing quickly. It looked as if they were going to compete for the Big East crown with Villanova and Butler, but now their chances take a massive hit. This isn't to say that their season should be thrown away. They still have a very talented team, featuring junior guard Marcus Foster (18.7 ppg), freshman big Justin Patton (13.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg), and sophomore guard Khyri Thomas (11.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg), but the loss of Watson, their point guard and senior leader, certainly hurts. It was seen Saturday when Creighton struggled to contain Marquette. They fell to the Golden Eagles 102-94. Like I said, the season is not completely gone, but if guys like Foster, Patton and Thomas don't step up, the Blue Jays will struggle to stay near the top the rest of the way.
Just as UCLA dropped a few spots because of their loss to Arizona, West Virginia also fell outside of the top 10. Losses to Oklahoma and Kansas State will do that for you. The press was still there. The intensity emitted from Coach Bob Huggins was visible. But the Mountaineers struggled to keep up with a young, energetic bunch from Oklahoma. Then, once again, West Virginia fell to a hungry Kansas State team on Saturday. The Wildcats just looked like they wanted it more than the Mountaineers. While the press is extremely effective for West Virginia and can lock up the best teams any night (as was evident in the 89-68 win over Baylor two weeks ago), the Mountaineers, from what I've seen, struggle mightily on the offensive end. They don't seem to have any guy that can go and get a bucket. Most of the top 10 teams, and even the top 20 teams, have a guy that can do this. Give him the ball, and he can break down a defender and get you a score. But West Virginia doesn't have this guy. Junior guard Jevon Carter is nice, averaging 12.0 ppg and 4.6 apg, but he doesn't have much control when going to the basket and has a very limited array of moves. Senior forward Nathan Adrian can score (10.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg), but he needs someone to get him the ball. This will be the problem with West Virginia as the move forward this season. It doesn't get much easier coming up, as Coach Huggins' squad takes on Kansas Tuesday night. The press is great, but if it fails and you have to score in the half-court, the Mountaineers fall short, just like they did against Oklahoma and Kansas State.
Speaking of Kansas State, Bruce Weber's Wildcats finally got that signature win they've been searching for all season. The 79-75 win against West Virginia moved K-State from a "Last Four In" team a week ago to a top 30 team. It has to be a sigh of relief for Kansas State fans, as it seemed that this team may get close but never seal the deal. A 2 point loss to Kansas early in January, a 1 point loss at Texas Tech two weeks ago and a 9 point loss to Baylor last weekend put the Wildcats' tournament chances in the air. While they are still no lock to get in, the win against West Virginia certainly puts them on the right track. A win earlier in the week against Oklahoma State (96-88) as well as early conference wins against Oklahoma (75-64) and Texas (65-62) bode well for Kansas State moving forward.
Finally, we finish with a team that still has a lot of work to do but is slowly creeping up and could be scary in March. Who is this, you're wondering? It's the Utah Utes from the Pac 12, coached by Larry Krystkowiak. Coach Krystkowiak knows a thing or two about getting to the big dance in March. Two seasons ago, Krystkowiak guided his Utes to a Sweet Sixteen appearance. Last season, Utah made it to the Round of 32. Now, in his sixth year as Head Coach at Utah, Krystkowiak looks to be making another push for postseason play. Utah has emerged as a sleeper team, winning 7 of their last 9 games, including a 22 point beating over USC two weeks ago. The Utes nearly pulled off a major upset the following Saturday against UCLA but fell 83-82. Still, if there is a team with acceptable losses (if that's such a thing), it's Utah. They've fallen to UCLA, Arizona, Butler, Xavier and San Francisco. That San Francisco loss is rough, but the Dons haven't been playing bad basketball themselves, sitting at 14-7 on the year. One player that is key for Utah moving forward is junior forward Kyle Kuzma. He's averaging a double-double with 15.3 ppg and 10.0 rpg. Recently, the man has been an animal, recording five straight double-doubles. That's good for 11 double-doubles in the 17 games that he's appeared in this season. The biggest thing for Kuzma, though, might be his experience. He was on both of Coach Krystkowiak's NCAA Tournament teams the past two years and looks to lead his squad to a third appearance this year.
|
Last Four Byes:
|
Last Four In:
|
First Four Out:
|
Next Four Out:
|
|
SMU
|
Northwestern
|
Texas A&M
|
UNC Wilmington
|
|
Wichita State
|
Dayton
|
California
|
Utah
|
|
Miami
|
Oklahoma State
|
Illinois
|
Valparaiso
|
|
Seton Hall
|
Clemson
|
Ohio State
|
Middle Tennessee
|
|
Moving In:
|
Dropping Out:
|
||
|
Clemson
|
Texas A&M
|
||
|
UNC Greensboro
|
Fort Wayne
|
||
|
North Dakota State
|
Chattanooga
|
By Conference:
ACC - 10
Big 12 - 8
Big Ten - 8
Big East - 6
SEC - 4
Pac 12 - 4
American - 3
West Coast - 2
Missouri Valley - 1
Atlantic 10 - 1
Horizon - 1
Conference USA - 1
Colonial - 1
Sun Belt - 1
Mountain West - 1
WAC - 1
Summit - 1
Big South - 1
MAAC - 1
Southern - 1
America East - 1
Atlantic Sun - 1
Mid-American - 1
Patriot - 1
Ohio Valley - 1
Ivy League - 1
Southland - 1
Big West - 1
MEAC - 1
Northeast - 1
Big Sky - 1
SWAC - 1
That's it for this week. Make sure to check back next Monday for an updated look at where everyone stands after an exciting week of college basketball!
Stats from ESPN.com
No comments:
Post a Comment