CBB: Who's Hot & Who's Not
Hot: Gonzaga (26-2, 13-0): The Bulldogs are the hottest team in America, winning their last 17 games and continuing to dominate the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga already has as impressive of a win as anybody in the country with their upset(?) over top ranked Duke in the Maui Invitation in November. The Bulldogs have only lost two games and they are both against Associated Press top-10 ranked opponents (Tennessee and North Carolina). Gonzaga is also unbeaten at home, sitting at 16-0, and are led by a perfect mixture of experience and talent. Josh Perkins, who has played in the national title game, is leading the team with 6.9 assists per game, while Rui Hachimura (20.4 points per game) can score with anyone in the nation. The Bulldogs will face host BYU next looking for their 18th straight win.
Not: Michigan (24-3, 13-3): The Wolverines aren't on the bubble or anything like that, but since starting the season at 17-0, they've struggled a bit. That became apparent when Michigan went on the road and lost to Penn State, who has the worst Big Ten record. That's not a game that a conference champion should be losing. The Wolverines are just 7-3 in their last 10 games, but are still tied for the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten standings with Michigan State. The two teams will play this Sunday, February 24th, and the winner will have the inside edge on taking the regular season conference title (although, Purdue will have a say in this). Michigan looked a lot better in their 69-60 win over Minnesota on the road and Jordan Poole was a big factor. He had 22 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field.
Hot: Kentucky (22-4, 11-2): The Wildcats were our hottest team in the country during out last installment of Who's Hot & Who's Not, and while Kentucky has lost a game since then, they're still pretty hot. John Calipari's crew is 16-1 on their home floor, with the only slip-up being a controversial buzzer-beating loss to LSU last week. But the Wildcats were able to immediately respond as they bounced back for a beatdown of top ranked Tennessee, 86-69. P.J. Washington has been dominant lately, and he scored 23 points on 75.0 percent shooting from the field in the win over the Volunteers, to go along with five rebounds. Kentucky is tied for second in the SEC with LSU at 11-2 in conference, but will have another chance to take down Tennessee on March 2nd in what could be a preview of the SEC championship game.
Not: Texas (15-11, 7-6): The Longhorns are squarely on the bubble, and although they're projected to be in the field by most analysts, there is still some work to be done. Texas' remaining schedule isn't easy at all, with three road games and two home games against Iowa State and TCU, who have a combined 36-16 record. If the Longhorns finish the season with a 1-4 or 2-3 record, they'll be in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. Texas is 5-5 in their last 10 outings and have looked like a mediocre team for the majority of the season. However, the Horns have showed potential of being a really good team like when they defeated North Carolina, Kansas State, and Kansas. They just aren't consistent. And that might get worse as Kerwin Roach, the leading scorer, has been suspended, according to CBS Sports.
Hot: North Carolina (21-5, 11-2): The Tar Heels are currently tied for the top seed in the ACC standings with Duke and Virginia. And with North Carolina's 88-72 win over the Blue Devils this past Wednesday, they have a shot at winning the league as the two will face off again in two weeks. Now we know the Tar Heels pulled off that 16-point upset after Zion Williamson went down with an injury just 33 seconds into the game, but it was still an impressive win. North Carolina went up against two lottery picks on the road and still turned a 10-point halftime lead into a blowout victory. Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson, who are both seniors, look like they could lead this team to another Final Four berth, which would be their third in the last four years. Maye and Johnson combined for 56 points and 22 rebounds versus Duke.
Photo Credit: FIBA.
