CBB: Sweet Sixteen Rankings Vol. 2
Villanova have arguably been the best team in the country over the last five years, and they could have another deep tournament run in store, as they've ascended to the top spot with wins over Tennessee, Gonzaga, and Temple. Meanwhile, Arizona State has made the biggest jump of anyone, climbing all the way to the second slot. Just behind them are a couple of powerhouses: Duke and Michigan State, who started the season as the top two teams in the nation, and are still very much in the mix. Our CBB Staff - Charles Post, Chinedum Wejinya, Jibreel O'Bannon, and Tyler Taylor - will give their top teams, players, and storylines.
Sweet Sixteen Rankings:
1. Villanova (11-0, +6) - 100 Pts.
2. Arizona State (10-0, +15) - 92 Pts.
3. Duke (12-1, -2) - 91 Pts.
4. Michigan State (10-1, -2) - 91 Pts.
5. Miami (9-0, +8) - 85 Pts.
6. Kentucky (9-1, -1) - 77 Pts.
7. West Virginia (10-1, +3) - 75 Pts.
8. Wichita State (8-2, +1) - 59 Pts.
9. Purdue (11-2, +9) - 57 Pts.
10. North Carolina (10-2, -4) - 56 Pts.
11. Kansas (8-2, -8) - 50 Pts.
12. Syracuse (10-1, +7) - 34 Pts.
13. Cincinnati (9-2, +2) - 29 Pts.
14. Missouri (9-2, +5) - 27 Pts.
15. Oregon (10-3, +5) - 23 Pts.
16. UCLA (8-3, +0) - 21 Pts
On the Bubble:
Baylor Bears (10-2)
Louisville Cardinals (9-2)
Michigan Wolverines (10-3)
Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-3)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3)
Elite Eight Players:
1. Marvin Bagley Jr. (Duke) - 97 Pts.
2. Trae Young (Oklahoma) - 95 Pts.
3. Jalen Brunson (Villanova) - 68 Pts.
4. Miles Bridges (Michigan State) - 65 Pts.
5. Devonte Graham (Kansas) - 60 Pts.
6. Tra Holder (Arizona State) - 55 Pts.
7. Bonzie Colson (Notre Dame) - 44 Pts.
8. Jordan Murphy (Minnesota) - 39 Pts.
ACC: The ACC has consistently been the strongest conference in college basketball having won two of the last three titles, with a chance to win three in five years. Not only is the ACC the strongest conference, they recruit just as well as anybody in the nation. In the 2017 NBA Draft, the ACC set a record for the most first round selections with 10 picks. The same record was set by the ACC in 1995 with eight selections which the SEC tied in 2015. The ACC also tied a record with five lottery picks. The highest player drafted was Duke's Jayson Tatum at three and Louisville's Donavon Mitchell at thirteen. Once more, the ACC is the only conference to have at least four first round selections in the past nine years. Not only is the ACC a top conference, they also have arguably the best coach and best player as well. Duke's head coach Mike Krzyzewski is the gold standard for men's basketball and routinely has a top-five program. Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III is considered by most as the best player in college hoops and is projected to be taken first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Duke has had a top three player drafted in the last four years. North Carolina may not have the name recognition it once had in years past but head coach Roy Williams just won a national championship and could potentially win another this season. The Associated Press (AP) has five ACC teams ranked within the top-25: Duke, North Carolina, Miami, Virginia, and Florida State. Any one of those teams can make a deep tourney run to compete for the national championship in the Final Four. Although Louisville is banned from postseason play, the program would surely round out the top-25 had it not been for their illegal activities. Despite the blemish of Louisville, the ACC is the best conference in the nation with some of the most prolific coaches in Williams and Krzyzewski. The ACC's reign is far from over. The teams that should make the tournament are: Duke, Miami, Virginia, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Florida State.
Big Ten: Michigan State is living up to expiations after a disappointing season last year, and they are ready to win the Big Ten. Surprisingly, Ohio State is playing great and is already 2-0 in the Big Ten, they are looking like a sleeper team that could end up going far. Also, Rutgers is playing well too, even though they are 0-2 in conference, they are on a four-game winning streak and beat a top-15 team in Seton Hall. Right now, Minnesota isn't playing as well as most expected they would during the preseason. Also, Iowa is playing bad, as they have a 7-6 record and are off to a 0-2 start in conference play. I expect Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan to make the NCAA tournament.
Big 12: The Kansas Jayhawks (8-2) are the favorites to win the conference, as usual, but with back-to-back losses a couple of weeks ago against Washington and Arizona State, there isn't as much certainty with this bunch as we're used to. The Oklahoma Sooners (9-1) have gotten off to a fantastic start, mainly because of Trae Young's incredible talent, highlighted by 26 points and 22 assists a couple of nights ago. The Baylor Bears (10-2) and Texas Longhorns (8-3) are projected to be in the tournament, but have yet to win any big games. Baylor has lost to Wichita State and Xavier. Texas has lost to Duke, Gonzaga, and Michigan. No bad losses for both teams, but not a lot of big wins, either. The TCU Horned Frogs (11-0) are the only undefeated team in the league, but their best victory is over Nevada, so it's hard to tell if they're legitimate or not. Lastly, the West Virginia Mountaineers (10-1) have won 10 straight games after losing to Texas A&M on opening night, and are one of the favorites to compete with Kansas at the top of the conference. The teams that should make the tournament are: Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, with only Iowa State and Kansas State being left out of the field.
Pac-12: The Arizona State Sun Devils (11-0) are the lone undefeated team in the conference and they have some of the best wins in the country, defeating San Diego State, Kansas State, Xavier, Kansas, and Vanderbilt. All of their victories don't even come close to their win over Kansas, 95-85, on the road. The Oregon Ducks (10-3) went to the Final Four last season, but this season hasn't gotten off to as good of a start, but they're still in line for a tournament berth. The Arizona Wildcats (9-3) looked horrible in the Battle for Atlantis, losing to NC State, SMU, and Purdue in three straight days. But since then, the Cats have won six straight behind DeAndre Ayton, defeating Texas A&M and Alabama. It's tough to see where this team is, but there is a ton of talent on the court, and if they're playing well, they can compete with anyone in the country. The UCLA Bruins (8-3) have mainly been talked about because of LiAngelo Ball's incident in China, but they're obviously a lot more than that. They had a couple of opportunities to win big games against Michigan and Cincinnati, but they weren't able to close it out. If they can beat Kentucky this weekend, their season could really take off. The teams that should make the tournament are: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA, Utah, and Washington.
SEC: Kentucky, like always, is doing great as they are 9-1 with their only loss coming against Kansas in the Champions Classic. Texas A&M has started off strong, like last year, and trying to win the SEC. And even though Missouri does not have their best player, Michael Porter Jr., they are still doing great with a five-game winning streak. And Auburn is looking good and seems like they can make a run to win the SEC championship if all things go well. Sadly, Florida is playing bad after starting off so good in the beginning of the season, looking like one of the best teams in the nation. They are now looking like one of the worst teams in the SEC. Kentucky, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Missouri will make the NCAA tournament.
Final Four Picks (Week 1):
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports.
