College Basketball: January 18th Update

After many intense debates between fan bases, supporters and all College Basketball fans, Gonzaga was voted as the #1 ranked team in this Week’s AP Top 25 over Auburn. Many people woke up on Monday, thinking that this would be the first time in program history that Auburn would have the #1 next to their name. The voting was so close, that one voter inexplicably ranked Auburn at 9, and if he put them 4th or higher like 59 of the other 60 voters they would have been the #1 ranked team. This just shows you that as big of a deal as many people make about the AP Top 25 it is a snapshot of College Basketball right now. So far this season, we have seen many teams including Gonzaga, Duke, Purdue and Baylor climb all the way to the #1 ranking and not able to secure it.  Even though, Auburn does have a realistic case to be made that they should be ranked the #1 team in the country right now, the more important thing is that they just went into a very tough environment at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, and left with a victory over their rivals in Alabama. Anyone who has watched Auburn this year, knows they are an elite basketball team that will be nowhere out of the picture by the time we get to Selection Sunday.

The other main reason, why there was a new #1 team in this week’s AP Top 25 poll to begin with, was the amount of surprising results that has gone down over the past 7 days. Baylor, finally seemed like they could be the team equipped to hold onto that #1 ranking for an extended period of time, and they did for a few weeks. However, we saw a different Baylor team this past week, than we had seen for the entire start of the season as the Bears dropped home games to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. In addition, UCLA who was ranked 3 and USC who was ranked 5 this past week both took losses. Going into Tuesday, Baylor and USC were the only two teams without a loss and both teams undefeated records went into flames in about a 4 hour span.

While most of the focus in the sports world on Saturday was on the football field, the craziness of College Basketball was in full effect before kickoff. In the 12:00 PM ET early slate alone, Michigan State, Seton Hall and Texas Tech who were all ranked and playing unranked teams took losses. That didn’t even include LSU and Baylor both falling to unranked teams while playing at home later in the day.

A common narrative, among many going into this College Basketball season was that this could be the strongest season in College Basketball in a while. This was due to the many changes going on within the sport including Name, Image and Likeness Deals, an extra year for all players due to the COVID-19 pandemic and not having to sit out for a year after you transfer. All three of those factors have made many teams across College Basketball stronger and better than expected. This is shown all across the sport right now as rankings are being changed rapidly every week and there is a legitimate argument to be made for about 8, 9 or maybe even more teams that can win it all.  This is something that is great for the sport, in a similar way to the NFL as more parody, creates more debate which creates more interest.

ACC –   Nothing particularly changed in the ACC this past week as Duke made sure everyone is still aware that they are still the team to beat at the top following their wins over Wake Forest and North Carolina State. Unfortunately, Miami’s 9 game winning streak and 4-0 start to conference play was snapped after they went down to Florida State on a shaky foul call.

The Seminoles are a team that has started to play much better of late, as they have won 3 games in a row over the likes of Louisville, Miami and Syracuse after a very disappointing start to the season. Leonard Hamilton, is one of the most underrated coaches in the country and has turned Florida State into one of the more consistent programs in the sport. All eyes will be on not only Florida State, but the entire state of Florida on Tuesday Night in the ACC as North Carolina will travel to Miami and Duke will travel to Florida State in a big time double header.

For the first time this season, the ACC will have the spotlight on them and there will be an opportunity to figure out exactly what some of these teams behind Duke are, especially in big games. North Carolina has had some nice flashes this season, but they have come against bad teams and they got blown out by Kentucky which was the last really good team they faced. Right now, despite the three game winning streak Florida State is not an NCAA Tournament team. However, if they beat Duke odds are that will change. That is just how much is at stake for the ACC on Tuesday night.

No team in the conference had a worse week than Louisville, as some real buzz is starting to develop about Chris Mack being on the hot seat. Louisville dropped games at home to a not very good North Carolina State team and followed it up by losing to Pittsburgh. Those losses at this point in the season are unacceptable when you are playing for your NCAA Tournament lives, which has been the case for Louisville after losing non conference home games to Furman and DePaul. Chirs Mack admitted after the game that he doesn’t know how to motivate his team, which is not something you want to hear after you are paying your coach 4 million dollars per year.

Big East –  One day, we will learn to stop doubting Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats.  Villanova was able to go into a very tough environment at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati and control the game from start to finish which resulted in a road victory against Xavier. Xavier has an argument to be the most talented team in the Big East and a great home court advantage, where they have yet to lose this season. Yet, Villanova still won and controlled the game from nearly the start. Villanova has now 6 wins in a row following their win over Butler on Sunday, following their December 17th blowout loss to Creighton and are still the clear team to beat.

While UConn has yet to find their consistency, and Providence is dealing with COVID issues, the top of the conference is still looking pretty open as even Villanova hasn’t had the perfect start to the season. We have seen some hot streaks from some of these teams, and Connecticut might be in line. Big man, Adama Sanogo is starting to return to that Big East Player of the Year Candidate form as he had 26 points and 18 rebounds in UCon’’s victory over St. Johns on Wednesday. We have yet to see a game, where UConn is firing from all cylinders, but the injuries and COVID problems have a lot to do with that. With both Sanogo and Tyrese back healthy and playing well, lead RJ Cole became one of the most clutch shot makers in all of College Basketball.

One team that deserves a lot of credit is Marquette as first year Head Coach Shaka Smart has the Golden Eagles trending toward an NCAA Tournament bid following their win over Seton Hall. Marquette now has wins over Illinois, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Providence and now Seton Hall. After all of the heat he got at Texas, it turns out Shaka Smart can still coach as he has this team rolling.

While on the other hand, some troubles are emerging for Seton Hall as they can no longer use their COVID absences as an excuse. The Pirates defense, which was once a strength, has regressed. This was apparent in Seton Hall’s pair of losses this past week to DePaul and Marquette as both teams put up 96 and 73 respectively. The effort while guarding on the defensive side of the ball flat out needs to be better, if Seton Hall wants to get to the top of the Big East, which is still possible considering their group of guys and coach.

Big 10 –  Monday’s Martin Luther King Day matinee, affair between Purdue and Illinois was a game for the ages. From the time the ball was tipped in Champagne to end, it was clear that two of the Big Ten’s elite were on the floor and the game lived up to the hype. Purdue ended up beating Illinois 96-88 in double overtime to secure the victory and advance to 15-2 on the season. Purdue had a handful of chances to win this game late, but missed multiple free throws and couldn’t score on both final possessions to end the second half and overtime to extend the game. However, good teams find a way to win when not everything goes their way, especially while playing in a tough environment and that is exactly what Purdue did.

Even in a loss, Illinois should hold their hands up high as they outscored Purdue 42-32 in the second half and were right there with Purdue in overtime, despite Kofi Cockburn who is a possible National Player of the Year Candidate having a poor game. The bright spot for the Illini, was the return of  Preseason Big Ten All Conference Guard Andre Curbelo who had not played since November 23rd  dealing with a neck injury. The Sophomore guard stepped up in a big way for the Illin with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 0 turnovers. With Cureblo back and elite shooters like Trent Frazier and Alfonso Plummer surrounding Kofi, the sky’s the limit for this Illinois team.

The other team in the Big Ten that deserves a ton of credit is Wisconsin. The Badgers followed up their 3 win victory last week, by beating Ohio State 78-68 on Thursday Night. With the win, Wisconsin is now 5-1 in Big Ten Conference play, and has won 6 games in a row heading into Tuesday’s game @ Northwestern. National Player of The Year candidate Johnny Davis has been playing like the best player in College Basketball since the start of the season however Wisconsin has other guys who are really starting to step up including veterans  Brad Davison and Tyler Wahl who do so many different things well. Seeing Wisconsin in control of a good Ohio State team from start to finish, was quite eye opening as the Badgers have a legitimate argument to be the team to beat in the Big Ten.

Finally, the Big Ten wasn’t prone to teams disappointing, as Michigan State who came into last week ranked #10 inexcusably fell to Northwestern at home, and Indiana got thoroughly outplayed by Iowa. Michigan State was due for a loss, as their wins up to this point have not been the greatest, but considering Northwestern was out their top dog in Pete Nance that is a concerning loss. Plus, while Iowa seems to be an NCAA Tournament team, it was discouraging that Indiana was not able to match Iowa’s offensive firepower in the contest. It was apparent how easy it was for Iowa to get good shots, while the same can not be said for Indiana. Mike Woodson’s squad better be ready soon as a visit from rival Purdue is approaching on Thursday.

Big 12 –  Despite Baylor’s pair of losses, it was a pretty good week for some of the other teams at the top of the Big 12. Kansas was able to get back into the way column, by gaining a pair of really good wins over Iowa State and West Virginia. There was about a 3 minute stretch during the West Virginia game, where Kansas turned into the Golden State Warriors. The Jayhawks could not miss, and no one knows better than Bob Huggins, just how impactful the Phogg Allen Crowd could be and it ended in an easy win for Kansas.

In addition, Mark Adams and Texas Tech need to be spoken about more. The first year Head Coach has done a great job, finding players from all over the College Basketball ranks and using them in big time roles. For example, Winthrop transfer and 6th year College Player Adonis Arms is averaging 8.5 points per game and was key in Tech’s victory over Baylor. This included, the game winning dunk in crunch time to give the Red Raiders a 4 point lead which they never relinquished.  How many other coaches in the country would be able to find a 6th year kid like Arms and use him properly? Tech was able to beat Kansas and Baylor in the span of a week, without one of their star players in Terrance Shannon Jr. Even though they followed it up by losing at Kansas State, it isn’t even shocking considering the Wildcats were desperate for a win after losing so many close games to open up Big 12 Conference play. Despite the loss, Texas Tech still deserves to be here as they have now beaten Baylor, Kansas and Tennessee.

The other team that deserves a ton of credit in this Big 12, is Iowa State. It has gotten to a point that it’s seriously puzzling as to why more people don’t believe in this Iowa State team. The Cyclones are now 14-3 overall just one year after only winning 2 games a season ago. In Vegas, Iowa State were 13.5 point underdogs to Kansas, and 2.5 point underdogs to Texas. They covered both games easily and were even able to beat Texas outright. TJ Otzelberger’s Cyclones come ready to play on a night in, night out basis and are legitimately in every single game they play, including just being one shot away from beating Kansas at the Phog this past week. TJ Otzelberger continues to keep himself at the top of the National Coach of the Year favorite list with these types of performances on a consistent basis.

The opposite can be said for Texas, as the Longhorns are on the top of biggest disappointment lists in the sport. Even for Chris Beard’s first year in Austin, the Longhorns looked flat out bad, and lost, especially on the offensive side of the basketball. It has been stated since November, that it was going to take some time for Texas to figure things out with all of the new faces they brought in. However, when you are approaching the end of January, your chemistry still isn’t there and you don’t have many quality victorites, it is quite tough to take you seriously as a good basketball team. 

From top to bottom, the Big 12 remains the toughest conference in all of College Basketball for a reason. Just ask Texas Tech after the Kansas State loss. Even TCU, has made some noise after picking up a big overtime victory at home this past week against Oklahoma.  There will never be an easy night in this league, and you better come ready to play.

Pac 12 –   Despite what has been a very disappointing season for the Conference of Champions up to this point, the one consistent bright spot has been the three teams at the top including Arizona, UCLA and USC who were all ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 heading into last week. Unfortunately, both UCLA and USC fell at home against Oregon, who is a very talented team but has underachieved up to this point.

 It has been especially difficult for teams playing on the West Coast as not only has just about every Pac 12 team dealt with a major COVID pause, but teams in California, including USC, UCLA and Stanford are all currently playing games in empty gyms without basically any fans. No matter how good of a team you are, playing in front of no fans has to be somewhat draining, considering the fact that in most of your other games the visiting fans are packing the gym. It is for this reason that no one really knows just exactly how good teams like UCLA and USC are. The game against Oregon, was UCLA’s first game against a quality opponent in about a month. Even though UCLA brought back the same team that went all the way to last year’s Final 4, no one knows who they even are as a team, because they have not been on the court much at all, especially against quality competition. The same thing can be said about USC.  Thankfully, the number of COVID-19 postponements had diminished in recent weeks, but that doesn’t mean COVID still won’t have a major impact like it has in the Pac 12.

Oregon’s pair of victories this past weekend in Los Angeles over UCLA and USC, are what makes Dana Altmann one of the best coaches in the sport. The Ducks had come into this past week struggling with a record of 8-6 that included a 32 point loss to Houston, and a loss to a flat out bad Arizona State team. Oregon was another team that brought in so much new talent, that it took some time for the chemistry to really get going and everyone looked lost on the offensive end. However, just like every other team that is coached by Dana Altman, that changed this week as guards Joseph Young and Will Richardson wouldn’t let Oregon lose. Guard play and good experienced coaching are usually what wins in March and that is exactly what Oregon has.

SEC – Auburn did grab a lot of the headlines in the SEC this past week and for good reason after they went into Alabama and won. With that being said, Kentucky is a problem for the rest of this league that needs to be addressed. Many asked why Kentucky was ranked in Zac’s Elite 8 last week, compared to #18 in the AP Poll on Saturday we all saw why. Kentucky dominated Tennessee in SEC Conference play on Saturday by a final score of 107-79. There was not a team in the country that would have been able to go into Rupp Arena on Saturday and win. That is how dominant Kentucky looked from start to finish in all aspects of the game. With a trip to Auburn, Alabama coming up on Saturday the eyes of College Basketball will be on the SEC.

In addition, LSU suffered their second loss of the season against Arkansas this past weekend.  Although from afar the loss to Arkansas is disappointing, it is not totally shocking as the Hogs were desperate for a big conference win and LSU was feeling good about themselves following a 3 game winning streak going into the contest. The Tigers were also without the services of Starting Point Guard Xavier Pinson who is still banged up from a knee injury suffered against Tennessee. LSU has picked up victories over Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida prior to their loss against Arkansas and will be fine going forward because that is how good of a coach Will Wade is. Even prior to the Arkansas game, LSU went into Florida and won with Eric Gaines taking advantage of the opportunity created by Pinson’s absence. Gaines had 15 points, which helped lead the Tigers to the victory after leading scorer Tari Eason fouled out of the game with 14 minutes to play.

One team that deserves credit is Texas A and M as Buzz Williams, has his Aggies trending upwards in his 3rd year in College Station. Following Texas A & M’s win over Missouri they are now 15-2 overall and 4-0 in the SEC, with a visit from Kentucky looming this week. Give Buzz Williams a normal offseason with his players along with some time and he’ll have A & M back in the mix.

On the other side, it was a disappointing week for Alabama who suffered two tough losses to Auburn and Mississippi State. Not that those are bad losses by any means, as both should play in the NCAA Tournament, but for a team like Alabama who had beaten Gonzaga and Houston in a one week stretch, just one month ago that is not what you want to see. Nate Oats has done a great job in such a short turnaround around this program, which is not easy. The fact that Alabama won the SEC Regular Season and Tournament Title ji just Oats’ second year signifies that he is way ahead of schedule. However, Oats and many others are quickly learning just how hard it is to build a consistent winner in College Basketball.

Zac’s Elite 8

1) Gonzaga – While Auburn may be many people’s #1 overall team in the country and deservedly so, for this week the nod goes to the Bulldogs here. Following their 115-83 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday, The Bulldogs became the first team to score 100+ points in three consecutive conference games, since the 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. As remarkable of a statistic as that is, Gonzaga seems to be a little bit off of everyone’s national radar, especially compared to a season ago. With the pressure and spotlight consistently present until the National Championship game loss to Baylor, this team is a way more off the radar. With Drew Time quietly getting himself back into the National Player of the Year conversation, Andrew Nemhard playing like the best true Point Guard in the country and the emergence of Julian Strawther, the vibe around this Bulldog team should be championship or bust. However, unlike last year the pressure isn’t as big because not everyone is going to expect them to do it. That, along with playing a much stronger West Coast Conference puts Mark Few’s group in a much more favorable position entering March.

2) Auburn – The Tigers, have become one of the best stories in College Basketball in 2022. Just two years after making it to the Final 4, Bruce Pearl has Auburn fans dreaming that this team could go just as deep in the NCAA Tournament as they did in 2019 if not deeper. What makes Auburn so impressive is that their best offensive player is on the frontline, and still their guards are very good. This past week, Auburn was able to gain two road victories over Alabama and Ole Miss. What made both of these road victories so impressive, was the fact that Auburn was trailing in both games and had to find a way to win both games in very close fashion down the stretch. A sign of a really good team, is when adversity hits and you don’t play your best you still don’t use any excuses and find a way to win.  Against Alabama, Auburn was without the services of big man Walker Kessler who got into foul foul trouble early in the first half, but guys like Jaylin Williams and Dylan Cardwell showed off Auburn’s depth and contributed to the victory.

3) Arizona – Arizona has finally been able to get back on the floor, on a consistent basis as they picked up a pair of Home Pac 12 Conference victories this past week over Colorado and Utah. These victories, improved Arizona’s Pac 12 Conference Record to 4-0. Although their resume may not be as good as some of the other top teams, Arizona still belongs in the conversation at the top of College Basketball. While Sophomore Guard and future NBA Draft Lottery Pick Benedict Mathurin has gotten a lot of credit for the start of Arizona’s and deservedly so, he is not alone. Sophomore Azoulas Tubelis led the Wildcats, with 32 points and 8 rebounds in the victory over Utah. This is a great sign for Arizona, as there isn’t a better inside/ outside duo in all of College Basketball than Tubellis and Mathurin. Especially, when Tubellis really gets going like he did against Utah and many other points last season and Christian Koloko playing his way onto NBA Draft Boards. The talent that Sean Miller was able to assemble, during his final years in Tucson, is super impressive and Tommy Lloyd has done a great job keeping the group together and on the same page during his first season. All eyes should head to the West Coast soon however, as home games against UCLA and USC are on the horizon.

4) Duke – A bounce back week was needed for the Blue Devils, after they suffered their second loss of the season last week against Miami and that is exactly what happened. Duke picked up back to back wins at Wake Forest and against North Carolina State to get back to their winning ways. Tuesday Night against Wake Forest, Duke went into the game without the services of their Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski who missed the game dealing with a non COVID-19 related illness. While off the bat, that may not seem like that big of a deal considering it was only for one game, Duke’s focus and intensity was off the charts which is easier said than done in that kind of situation. Future Duke Head Coach, John Sheyer stepped in and there was no drop off. One recent adjustment, recently made by Duke was moving Jeremy Roach to the bench after he returned from injury. With 5 star freshman AJ Griffin healthy and contributing on a consistent basis, Duke has started to play a lineup composed of their 5 best players, with Wendell Moore running the point and a terrifying front court of Griffin, Paolo Banchero and Mark Williams. There are very few teams in College Basketball that will be able to match Duke’s talent level. If this starting 5 continues to click, Duke might just be considered the favorite to cut down the nets in New Orleans when it is all set and done.

5) Kentucky – The victory over Tennessee, is now the second time this season Kentucky has blown out a quality opponent by 28 + points, as they beat up on a decent North Carolina team December 18th . Although the Wildcats haven’t been able to play great on a consistent basis this season, that time could be on the way soon. With Sahvir Wheeler back in the lineup after his neck injury, TyTY Washington looking like the elite playmaker we all expected going into the season and the presence of Oscar Tcshibwe  the Wildcats are buzzing. Oddly enough, it seemed like Kentucky was a little bit underrated and off the radar, following their not very strong non conference schedule and loss to Notre Dame. However, everytime we see Kentucky against a good team, they always rise to the occasion. With a road trip to Texas A & M and Auburn  upcoming this week, it’s on the table to see if that will continue. The game against Auburn has possible game of the year potential between two of College Basketball’s best.

6) Kansas – Despite some bumpy roads early, Kansas is still a factor at the top of College Basketball and we saw exactly why this past week. The Jayhawks were able to earn a pair of quality home victories over Iowa State and West Virginia this past week. These were important wins, considering the state of the Jayhawks just one week ago. Last week, many Jayhawks fans we’re wondering where David McCormack has gone and if Kansas would be in trouble with Arizona State transfer Remy Martin still not looking very comfortable in his role for the Jayhawks and battling injuries. Thankfully, McCormack was able to respond in a big way as he had 19 points and 15 rebounds in the Jayhawks victory over West Virginia. Iif McCormack isn’t close to the player he was last year then this Jayhawks team ceiling diminishes quickly. There are many questions surrounding Remy Martin’s injury and when he will return to the lineup again. However, with the rise of Dajuan Harris, who hit the game winning shot against Iowa State, the Jayhawks will be ok. Kansas doesn’t necessarily need someone like Martin whose strength is a high volume level scorer. Instead, they need a guy like Harris who is good and used to his role, that will work nicely with stars like Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun.

7) Baylor – The word shocking, wouldn’t accurately describe what it was like watching the defending National Champions lose their first 2 games of the season this past week and both were at home. Baylor losing to Texas Tech without Kevin McCullar and Terrance Shannon Jr. was pretty surprising, however no one saw the Bears going down again to Oklahoma State at home on Saturday Night. Baylor was not the same team this past week as we have seen the first two months of the season. They let a 15 point first half lead against Texas tech get away and were down 12 points after one half against Oklahoma State. No one expected Baylor to make it through a full season undefeated while playing in a league as good as the Big 12. However, this loss signifies that the top of the Big 12 is more open at the top than most people realized. Baylor’s playmaking guards are very good, however they aren’t the tallest guys in the world, and with Baylor not having much of an interior post threat to score the basketball, that’s when they could get into trouble. Long term, they will be fine but Baylor needs to quickly forget about these last 2 performances, with a trip to Morgantown against a sneaky good West Virginia team upcoming.

8) Purdue – Matt Painter’s team showed things in their win over Illinois that needed to be seen from a Boilermakers team that had been a little up and down to start Big Ten play, after their red hot start to the season. While playing in a very difficult road environment, every single time Illinois tried to overtake Purdue’s lead, the Boilers had an answer.

Sasha Stefnovic, not only has a tremendous amount of experience playing in huge games in the Big Ten but he is also one of the best pure shooters in all of College Basketball. He finished with 22 points on 5 made threes in the victory. In addition, Matt Painter has been dealing with a problem since the beginning of the season that most coaches would be thrilled to have. Both of his big men Zach Edey and Trevion Williams are such good players, but in such different ways. With it being impossible to play both at the same time due to spacing issues, he has to pick and choose which one to go with based on matchups and other factors. Painter played his cards right against Illinois, as after Edey played very well in the first half on both sides of the ball, dealing with Kofi Cockburn, it was Williams who took over late in the game. There is not a better playmaking, big man in College Basketball than Trevion Williams. The 6 ’10 Junior, willingly accepted his role coming off the bench this year and it has paid off for not only the team but for Williams himself as he was key in both of the Boilers Overtime victory against Illinois and NC State. Purdue is now 15-2 overall, and only one game back of Illinois in the loss column at the top of the Big Ten.

Mid Major Top 10

1. Gonzaga (14-2)

2. Loyola Chicago (13-2)

3. Colorado State (13-1)

4. San Diego State (10-3)

5. BYU (15-4)

6. Iona (14-3)

7. Murray State (14-2)

8. Ohio (13-2)

9. San Francisco (15-3)

10. St. Marys (15-4)

Weekly Awards

Team of the Week: Oregon

Player of the Week: TyTy Washington (Kentucky)

Coach of the Week:  Jay Wright (Villanova)

Flop of the Week: Louisville