1 🔄Final week: No. 1 | Document: 24-0. Uh, so, kinda really feel like this small little element has gone just a little neglected? I do know it is a shortened season and all, however, you understand: Gonzaga simply accomplished its first undefeated common season in class historical past. And it did beat the likes of Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, West Virginia and BYU twice — all top-25 KenPom groups — in doing it. Congrats to these gamers and Mark Few and the workers. This can change into a a lot greater factor if/when Gonzaga wins the WCC Event and enters the NCAA Event with an unblemished report.  2 ⤴️Final week: No. 3 | Document: 18-1. For the primary time this season, a workforce not named Gonzaga or Baylor is within the high two of those energy rankings — and the AP ballot. The Wolverines have earned it. Now it is time for Franz Wagner to start out incomes extra widespread reward. The sophomore ahead ranks ninth in KenPom’s participant of the 12 months algorithm due to this shooting-percentage line: 84.2% from the foul line, 63.0% from 2-point vary, 37.1% from 3-point vary. Wagner’s offensive score is a lofty 127.8. He is one of many 10 finest gamers in America. 3 🔻Final week: No. 4 | Document: 18-1. In Baylor’s loss to Kansas on Saturday, the Bears had simply three turnovers. One thing I would love the reply to: the final time a workforce had three or fewer turnovers and misplaced by double digits. Seems like a once-a-decade sort of occasion. Nonetheless on the desk for Baylor: its first convention title since 1950. It will get it if it wins at West Virginia on Tuesday night time. Invoice Henderson was teaching Baylor 71 years in the past. He additionally took the Bears to the Ultimate 4 that 12 months. Actually, Henderson took the Bears to the Ultimate 4 twice, but completed with a sub-.500 report (201-233). 4 ⤴️Final week: No. 7 | Document: 18-6. My deepest respect to everybody at Illinois liable for getting Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and Trent Frazier to recreate the traditional Sports activities Illustrated cowl shoot picture from 2005. Considering it will need to have been executed previous to Dosunmu’s facial harm. Talking of that, he stays day-to-day and we do not but know if he’ll be accessible for Illinois’ large sport at Michigan on Tuesday night time. If not, Andre Curbelo might want to proceed to be a spark plug. The freshman averaged 13.0 factors, 7.7 rebounds and three.7 assists final week. 5 ⤴️Final week: No. 9 | Document: 20-3. Quentin Grimes simply received AAC Participant of the Week for the second time. He is hitting his stride for a Cougars workforce that, regardless of a very good report and constant presence in these energy rankings’ high 10, nonetheless looks like a Ultimate 4 darkish horse. Grimes averaged 27.5 factors, 3.5 rebounds and a couple of.0 steals per sport final week, together with a career-best 33 factors in opposition to Western Kentucky workforce Thursday. Critical potential to be a March Insanity Dude.  6 ⤴️Final week: No. 15 | Document: 18-7. The Hawkeyes sit sixth right here and fifth within the Massey Composite, which is a grasp rating of 40 completely different techniques. With Iowa’s win over Ohio State on Sunday, Fran McCaffery’s workforce earned its seventh victory vs. a ranked opponent this season. That is tied with Kansas for probably the most. The Hawkeyes are 5-1 of their final six, the lone loss coming by 22 factors in opposition to Michigan. Torvik ranks Iowa because the second-best workforce in school basketball since Feb. 10, behind solely Houston.  7 ⤴️Final week: No. 13 | Document: 17-6. Mountaineers’ solely loss for the reason that finish of January got here in double additional time at house in opposition to Oklahoma. West Virginia was 6-1 in February, scoring as many as 91 and as few as 65 factors en path to victory. Remember that Oscar Tshiebwe was a top-10 freshman a season in the past, left the workforce in December, but WVU continued to get higher. Bob Huggins just isn’t going to win coach of the 12 months nationally or in his convention, however he ought to get heavy consideration for each. 8 ⤴️Final week: No. 19 | Document: 19-5. The very best freshman you most likely do not know (except you are locked in on the Frosh Watch, as you ought to be) performs for Arkansas. Rangy guard Moses Moody was stellar final week, dropping 21.0 factors, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in opposition to Alabama and LSU. The Razorbacks are 9-1 of their previous 10 and have clearly been a top-10 workforce in school hoops in that span. It is time they had been rewarded right here for it. 9 🔻Final week: No. 5 | Document: 19-6. We have an in-depth, must-read profile up on Alabama proper now that revealed earlier at present. It is about how Nate Oats makes use of NBA ideas to steamroll groups. The roster Oats inherited two years in the past was not tractable along with his system. He all the time knew it was going to be 12 months Two when the workforce actually adopted his imaginative and prescient. Oats prefers huge guards, lengthy wings, sturdy energy forwards who can shoot and a middle that may rim-run and shoot with consistency. “With a view to play this fashion, you may’t play two conventional bigs,” Oats advised me. “I do not even wish to play one. After I say conventional, I imply simply sluggish, plodding and post-up like. If I acquired one actually athletic huge that may shoot threes, we will nonetheless go like that.” Head on over and skim the piece and prepare for Alabama to make a deep event run. 10 🔻Final week: No. 6 | Document: 14-4. Leonard Hamilton, 72, was given a contract extension Monday that goes via the 2024-25 season. The deal is value simply shy of $2.3 million yearly which, all issues thought-about, remains to be an outrageously whole lot for Florida State. Hamilton needs to be making no less than $3 million base wage at this stage. FSU is 138-52 since 2015-16 and could possibly be a two-time ACC regular-season champ this season. That can come to go as long as FSU wins at house vs. Boston Faculty on Wednesday night time, which looks like a metaphysical certitude.  11 ⤴️Final week: N/R | Document: 17-6. The Cowboys crack into the rankings within the last month of the season and is it ever deserved. OSU has received 5 straight in league play for the primary time beneath Mike Boynton. It has a sweep of Oklahoma to its title this season, which is one thing OU hadn’t executed in 4 years. That is setting as much as be, at minimal, OSU’s finest season since 2013, when the Pokes had been a No. 5 seed (but fell within the first spherical). Convention-wise, it is their finest report since 2013 as nicely. Cade Cunningham committing to Oklahoma State (the place his brother is an assistant) was probably the most influential resolution by any 2020 school basketball recruit. Group’s adequate to make the second week of the NCAAs.  12 🔻Final week: No. 4 | Document: 18-7. The Buckeyes are enduring a three-game dropping streak and coming off their worst offensive output of the season, averaging .86 factors per possession in Sunday’s 73-57 loss to Iowa. Like a lot of the Large Ten, Ohio State goes to get a full league slate in — all 20 video games. The ultimate one is scheduled for Saturday and it’s a doozy: Illinois involves city. Must determine Ayo Dosunmu will probably be again in time for that one. A loss would make Ohio State’s chase for the ultimate No. 1 seed depart no alternative however for the Buckeyes to win the Large Ten Event thereafter.  13 ⤴️Final week: No. 14 | Document: 21-4. Congrats to Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson. The seniors clinched a 3rd Missouri Valley title of their 4 years with the Ramblers. Loyola Chicago is 16-2 heading into this week’s Missouri Valley event. The final time this program went 4 seasons with no less than 20 wins was the Forties. Its seeding scenario stays fascinating due to how its predictive metrics are completely different from its results-based ones, however the Ramblers are clearly harmful sufficient to make a second-weekend run. 14 ⤴️Final week: N/R | Document: 18-8.  Merely must have the Jayhawks again within the energy rankings. Kansas beating Baylor improved Invoice Self to 9-1 at house in opposition to groups ranked within the high 5 of the AP ballot. Get this: Kansas has received no less than 12 convention video games 21 years in a row. That is laughable. Solely knock on KU within the huge image is its three most up-to-date highway wins date again to Jan. 5 and solely come in opposition to the three non-NCAA Event groups within the Large 12: TCU, Iowa State and Ok-State. In any other case, the protection is the story, as I detailed in my column right here.  15 🔻Final week: 8 | Document: 15-4 The Wildcats’ three most up-to-date losses have all come on the highway: at St. John’s, at Creighton, at Butler. The 73-61 loss at Butler marked the fourth time in 5 journeys to Hinkle Fieldhouse that Villanova not simply misplaced, however misplaced as a favourite and misplaced as a workforce ranked within the high 10. Subsequent is perhaps the final Quad 1 alternative Villanova could have this season: house vs. Creighton Wednesday. Villanova has solely performed eight house video games however has not misplaced one. If it wins vs. Creighton it is going to mark seven Large East regular-season titles within the eight years for the reason that league realigned. 16 🔄Final week: N/R | Document: 19-4. The Aztecs have not misplaced since Jan. 16. Their 10-game profitable streak is second-longest within the nation to, oh yeah, just a little college tucked away within the Pacific Northwest. Brian Dutcher’s workforce is a lock to make the event within the eyes of some after sweeping Boise State over the weekend. A win at UNLV on Wednesday night time will erase any traces of doubt. Credit score to Dutcher for conserving SDSU on an higher echelon after dropping a primary spherical NBA decide (Malachi Flynn). Bear in mind, had we had a 2020 NCAA Event, Jerry Palm projected SDSU to be a No. 2 seed a 12 months in the past.  17 ⤴️Final week: N/R | Document: 21-1. I quietly advised myself three weeks in the past that if the Eagles made it to the top of their common season with just one loss, they’d get the identical love and remedy I’ve given to Loyola Chicago, Drake and Belmont within the Hey Nineteen. Welcome to Pat Kelsey’s Eagles, that are the one workforce on this checklist to have performed a postseason sport. Winthrop ended Excessive Level‘s season Monday night time within the Large South event, doing so mercifully as Excessive Level’s last three losses all got here to in opposition to Winthrop. This workforce’s solely loss got here by two factors at house to UNC Asheville. 18 ⤴️Final week: N/R | Document: 17-5. Gotta put the Geese in. Dana Altman’s workforce is 8-1 in its previous 9 video games, the one loss at USC. Oregon‘s transferring towards a task it is performed earlier than: double-digit Candy 16 menace. Chris Duarte is a stud. I underrated him heading into the season. He does a lot for this workforce alongside Eugene Omoruyi and LJ Figueroa. There is a big-time sport at house vs. UCLA on Wednesday that can have penalties each for the Pac-12 bracket and for UCLA’s NCAA Event positioning. I will be locked in on that one. 19 ⤴️Final week: N/R | Document: 17-5. A bottleneck for the nineteenth spot this week, like most weeks. Colorado is the decide. The Buffaloes simply beat USC and UCLA, throwing a wrench into the Pac-12 proceedings within the course of. McKinley Wright IV is wrapping up his last common season impressively: 20.7 factors and seven.7 assists on common in Colorado’s three most up-to-date video games/wins. The Buffaloes are projected on the No. 9 line in Jerry Palm’s most up-to-date Bracketology rundown.