My rankings are based on who I’d make favored over whom on a neutral court.
Here’s what we had for Power Rankings back on Dec. 17. Let’s see how much we’ve adjusted these teams since then…
1-Arizona (21-0 straight up, 14-7 against the spread): Although the Wildcats gave up a backdoor cover in the final minute and nearly blew a double-digit lead, they still picked up an impressive win Tuesday at BYU.
2-Michigan (19-1 SU, 9-11 ATS): Dusty May’s team trailed nearly the entire game last night vs. a short-handed Nebraska team, but a 10-2 run in the final 5:50 allowed the Wolverines to pull out a 75-72 win.
3-Duke (19-1 SU, 12-8 ATS): Jon Scheyer’s squad is tied with Arizona for the nation’s lead in Quad-1 wins with nine. The Blue Devils are on an eight-game winning streak since taking their lone defeat vs. Texas Tech (82-81) at MSG in NYC.
4-Nebraska (20-1 SU, 13-8 ATS): My opinion of Nebraska was elevated in last night’s heartbreaker at Michigan. The Cornhuskers, who are 12-1 in 13 games against Quad 1 and Quad-2 opponents, were without starters Rienk Mast and Braden Frager. Mast averages 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while Frager scores at a 12.2 PPG clip with 53.7/37.3/83.3 shooting splits.
5-UConn (20-1 SU, 7-14 ATS): Sure, the Huskies have been playing a lot of close games, but they’re 5-1 against Quad-1 foes and 7-0 versus Q2 opponents with their only loss coming by four against unbeaten Arizona.
6-Iowa St. (18-2 SU, 12-8 ATS): The Cyclones have 16 of their 18 wins by double-digit margins, including an 81-58 win at Purdue.
7-Houston (17-2 SU, 10-9 ATS): The Cougars get Arizona at home in late February, and they still have road games remaining at BYU, at Iowa St., at Kansas and a sneaky-tough one tonight at TCU.
8-Michigan St. (19-2 SU, 12-9 ATS): Like a lot of Tom Izzo’s teams, I’m not sure if Sparty will have enough offense in March. However, KenPom has Michigan St. ranked #1 nationally in defensive efficiency, and it already has six Big Ten wins by double-digit margins.
9-Illinois (17-3 SU, 12-8 ATS): Even without star guard Kylan Boswell, the Fighting Illini hit four consecutive 3-pointers at crunch time to rally for an 88-82 win at Purdue this past Saturday.
10-Florida (14-6 SU, 9-11 ATS): Five of UF’s six Quad-1 losses came by 17 combined points. The inconsistent guard play remains a concern, but the Gators have the best frontcourt in the nation and lots of Tournament experience.
11-Texas Tech
12-Gonzaga
13-Purdue
14-Arkansas
15-BYU
16-Vanderbilt
17-Kansas
18-Virginia
19-Alabama
20-Tennessee
21-Iowa
22-St. John’s
23-North Carolina
24-Clemson
25-Auburn
26-Georgia
27-NC St.
28-Villanova
29-Texas A&M
30-Louisville