Feb 21, 20173 min read

CBB: No. 19 Creighton at No. 2 Villanova

Week 15 was big for the blue bloods, as No. 14 Duke won at No. 16 Virginia and took down Wake Forest at home, No. 7 North Carolina protected first place in the ACC with a blowout win over No. 16 Virginia, No. 3 Kansas came back to beat No. 6 Baylor, and No. 4 UCLA got revenge against rival USC.

Week 16 is getting down to the home stretch of the regular season, which means a lot of teams are fighting for seeding and their March Madness lives. No. 9 Louisville at No. 5 North Carolina, No. 13 Florida at No. 11 Kentucky, and No. 4 UCLA at No. 7 Arizona headline this week, as No. 19 Creighton at No. 2 Villanova is our featured game. Tunde Aduroja and I have come together to produce a top-25, Wooden Award top-5, game-by-game predictions, and an in-depth preview of the Bluejays at Wildcats.

Composite Top-25:

1. Gonzaga (28-0)

2. Villanova (26-2)

3. Kansas (26-3)

4. UCLA (24-3)

5. North Carolina (23-5)

6. Oregon (24-4)

7. Arizona (25-3)

8. Baylor (22-6)

9. Louisville (22-5)

10. Duke (22-5)

11. Kentucky (22-5)

12. West Virginia (22-6)

13. Florida (22-5)

14. Wisconsin (22-5)

15. Florida State (22-6)

16. Purdue (22-5)

17. St. Mary's (24-3)

18. SMU (24-4)

19. Creighton (22-5)

20. Virginia (18-9)

21. Maryland (22-5)

22. Butler (21-6)

23. Notre Dame (21-7)

24. Cincinnati (24-3)

25. South Carolina (20-7)

On the Bubble:

26. USC (21-6)

27. Northwestern (20-7)

28. Arkansas (19-7)

29. Miami (FL) (19-8)

30. Iowa State (17-9)

Post:

No. 25 South Carolina at No. 13 Florida

No. 10 Duke at Syracuse

No. 9 Louisville at No. 5 North Carolina

No. 22 Butler at No. 2 Villanova

USC at No. 7 Arizona

No. 16 Purdue at Michigan

No. 13 Florida at No. 11 Kentucky

No. 19 Creighton at No. 2 Villanova

No. 4 UCLA at No. 7 Arizona

BYU at No. 1 Gonzaga

Week 15 Record: 7-3.

Overall Record: 117-43.

Winning Percentage: 73.1%.

Aduroja:

No. 25 South Carolina at No. 13 Florida

No. 10 Duke at Syracuse

No. 9 Louisville at No. 5 North Carolina

No. 22 Butler at No. 2 Villanova

USC at No. 7 Arizona

No. 16 Purdue at Michigan

No. 13 Florida at No. 11 Kentucky

No. 19 Creighton at No. 2 Villanova

No. 4 UCLA at No. 7 Arizona

BYU at No. 1 Gonzaga

Week 15 Record: 8-2.

Overall Record: 17-3.

Winning Percentage: 85.0%.

Stoll:

Week 15 Record: N/A.

Overall Record: 78-42.

Winning Percentage: 65.0%.

No. 19 Creighton (22-5, 9-5) at No. 2 Villanova (26-2, 13-2)

Post: Marcus Foster (18.6 points per game) has turned his game up a lot since Maurice Watson Jr. went down with a season-ending injury, but it won't be enough to win on the road against the defending National Champions. Josh Hart (18.8 points per game) is among our top Wooden Award candidates and his supporting cast, including Jalen Brunson (4.5 assists per game), is better than almost every team in the country. Villanova wins 73-65.

Aduroja: The first time these teams played, Villanova won 80-70, and that was when Creighton still had Maurice Watson Jr. bringing the ball up for them. This will be a game in which Creighton feels Watson's absence. Watson's vision and ability to run the pick and roll and find open shooters is excellent. They haven't quite figured out a way to adequately replace him yet. Maybe they will in the future, but, on this day, it won't happen. Creighton will hang around for some time, but Josh Hart & Co. will put them away eventually. Final score: Nova 74-61.

Current No. 1 Seeds:

No. 1 Gonzaga (28-0, 16-0)

No. 2 Villanova (26-2, 13-2)

No. 3 Kansas (24-3, 12-2)

No. 4 UCLA (24-3, 11-3)

Final Four Picks: