School basketball energy rankings: UCLA, USC, Virginia, Florida State and Alabama make large jumps

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1 馃攧Final week: No. 1 | File: 14-0. The Zags acquired out of Saint Mary’s with a 73-59 win Saturday evening, and actually it was pretty lackluster. It marked the primary time this season GU did not hit no less than 85 factors. But GU gained by 14 in opposition to its league rival, on the highway, with many of the beginning lineup taking part in in a sub-par trend. At this level it is protected to mission that Gonzaga will get a No. 1 seed come March, which would be the program’s fourth (2013, 2017, 2019). 2 馃攧Final week: No. 2 | File: 13-0.聽What a exhibiting from Jared Butler on Monday evening in BU’s 77-69 win over Kansas. Butler scored 30, one level away from his profession excessive, nevertheless it’s his penchant for exhibiting up particularly vs. Kansas that is an important signal for Bears followers. Butler, a junior, is averaging 13.6 factors in his faculty profession. However in 5 video games in opposition to Kansas — even accounting for his freshman season, when he was a job participant — Butler places up 23.2 vs. the Jayhawks. He and Kevin Durant are the one gamers previously 25 seasons to have two 30-point video games in opposition to Kansas. (H/T, ESPN.) (As for KU, it is out of the rankings this week and that loss means it is acquired mainly no shot at successful the Large 12 regular-season title.) 3 猡达笍Final week: No. 6 | File: 10-1.聽I did not know what to do with the No. 3 gap this week; I had 5 groups beneath for consideration. The Vols win out, although I believe they have an in depth one awaiting them Tuesday evening at Florida. Tennessee‘s defensive score at KenPom is 87.1, No. 2 nationally. Rick Barnes’ workforce is obstructing 17.6% of opponents’ pictures, probably the most frequent fee in faculty basketball.聽 4 猡达笍Final week: No. 5 | File: 8-1. The Wildcats final performed on Dec. 23 however that drought ends on Tuesday evening with a house tilt in opposition to Seton Corridor. The excellent news for VU followers: sophomore taking pictures guard Bryan Antoine goes to play Tuesday evening. He is been out the season to this point attributable to a proper shoulder damage, nevertheless it appears he is able to make his debut, which ought to take Villanova to a different degree — and I already suppose this workforce is a transparent notch or two above all others within the Large East.聽 5 猡达笍Final week: No. 7 | File: 12-2. The Hawkeyes are using a five-game successful streak, with three of these victories approaching the highway: Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern. Fran McCaffery’s workforce is a No. 2 seed聽in the latest bracket projection printed by our Jerry Palm, which went up Monday.聽 6 馃敾Final week: No. 3 | File: 11-2. The Longhorns acquired picked off final Wednesday by a last-second shot from Texas Tech‘s Mac McClung. Good recreation, robust loss, nothing embarrassing about it. UT responded with a 15-point house win over Okay-State over the weekend. At TCU is subsequent, on Saturday. In the event you missed it,聽let me direct you to the latest Courtroom Report, which led with Texas and the story behind the story of Andrew Jones.聽 7 猡达笍Final week: No. 8 | File: 11-1. The Cougars have a declare to be as excessive as No. 3 within the Hey Nineteen. Not solely do they proceed to win, they’ve separated completely from the remainder of the groups of their convention within the predictive metrics. Houston‘s projected end-of-regular-season document is 20-3. If it does that and wins the American Athletic Convention auto bid, I consider this workforce can be a No. 2 seed.聽 8 馃敾Final week: No. 4 | File: 11-1. I need to see how the Wolverines reply Tuesday evening at house in opposition to Maryland after their pasting at Minnesota (75-57) on Saturday. I do not take an excessive amount of inventory into that loss. Minnesota’s good and it is also overwhelmed Iowa, Saint Louis, Michigan State and Ohio State. However I believe you study a workforce’s long-term viability in the way it responds to a foul loss. If Michigan is elite, it beats Maryland by double digits. 聽 9 猡达笍Final week: No. 17 | File: 11-2. A reminder that these rankings don’t closely weigh a workforce’s whole physique of labor with regards to rating. (That is what bracketology is for.) That is extra about scanning a workforce’s most up-to-date output previously month or so and placing a worth on that,聽with a nod to earlier large wins or losses taken into consideration. So, that in thoughts, UCLA is 9-1 in its previous 10 video games with its solely loss on a impartial court docket to an excellent Ohio State workforce. Mick Cronin’s doing this with out his finest participant (Chris Smith). Time to begin paying consideration.聽 10 猡达笍Final week: No. 14 | File: 11-2. The Trojans proceed to considerably quietly tempo their strategy to a very good NCAA Event seed and are within the thick of the Pac-12 race, which appears destined to be an in depth one between 4 groups (USC, UCLA, Oregon, Colorado). USC is one recreation behind UCLA. The Bruins are but to lose a league recreation. The Trojans are squeezing in a make-up roadie Tuesday evening at Oregon State, and the Beavers simply beat Arizona State at house over the weekend, so USC will not be caught overlooking them. 11 猡达笍Final week: No. 16 | File: 11-2. The Hokies virtually messed round and took a tail-between-the-legs loss at Wake Forest on Sunday, however Mike Younger’s workforce acquired out with a four-point win to stay ranked in each polls and proceed alongside in stable standing right here. Younger goes to get VT to the NCAAs in his second season, and the fan base couldn’t have requested for something higher than what he is produced thus far. Hokies simply introduced a COVID pause, so no video games for the following week. 12 猡达笍Final week: N/R | File: 9-2. I am nonetheless astonished by this truth: Virginia’s 85-50 win at Clemson on Saturday was the second-largest margin of defeat for a ranked workforce at house within the 72-year historical past of the AP ballot. That is wowing. (Coincidentally, No. 12 Virginia’s 41-point house loss to then-unranked UConn in 1993 is the worst.) Anyway, on account of that win, and the way convincing it was, UVA vaults into this week’s occasion.聽 13 猡达笍Final week: N/R | File: 8-2. The Seminoles’ final three video games: a 32-point house win over NC State; a seven-point house win over North Carolina; a 13-point highway win over Louisville. Monday evening’s takedown of the Cardinals was authoritative. Leonard Hamilton’s workforce is but once more rounding into harmful kind and figures to be a risk to win the league’s automated bid if/when the league match is performed in March. 14 猡达笍Final week: N/R | File: 11-3. Alabama guard John Petty Jr. gained SEC Participant of the Week after contributing 20.0 factors and 4.5 rebounds, together with 9 3s, in wins in opposition to Kentucky and Arkansas. Petty has made 265 triples in his profession, a program document. The Tide are a enjoyable, must-watch workforce this season and are the one ones left and not using a loss within the SEC. Alabama has the convention’s finest discipline objective share D (36.6%) and high 3-point D (25.9%). If Alabama beats LSU on Tuesday evening the Tide’s 9 straight wins can be the college’s longest run in 18 seasons.聽 15 馃敾Final week: No. 9聽| File: 11-3. Since we final ranked Wisconsin: Badgers misplaced by 23 at Wisconsin and gained by six at Rutgers. So, a slip, however certainly not are we kicking this workforce out of the proceedings. Greg Gard’s guys have a first-rate alternative this week with two properties video games (in opposition to Northwestern and Ohio State) to remain inside an arm’s grasp of Michigan and Iowa for the highest spot within the Large Ten. D’Mitrik Trice has jumped to potential All-Large Ten first workforce standing previously six video games, averaging 20.3 factors and 4.0 assists.聽 16 猡达笍Final week: N/R | File: 10-2. The Tigers can draw even with Alabama within the SEC standings with a win Tuesday evening. It is the sport of the evening for me. Will Wade’s workforce is led by Cameron Thomas, who is likely one of the 5 finest freshmen in America this season. Thomas is placing up 22.1 factors per recreation and has effortlessly transitioned from high quality prep participant to high-major contributor. The very fact he is achieved regardless of returnees Trendon Watford (18.7 ppg) and Javonte Sensible (15.2 ppg) proceed to get theirs makes it all of the extra spectacular. 17 猡达笍Final week: N/R | File: 11-3. The Buckeyes have been destined to leap in after their win at Illinois. Chris Holtmann is presently with out beginning PG C.J. Walker and backup Jimmy Sotos however this workforce is safely in top-20 territory regardless of that. And also you would not suppose State to be this offensive brute, however it’s. The Buckeyes rank sixth nationally in factors per possession. Shedding Kaleb Wesson has unexpectedly improved this workforce’s flexibility on O.聽 18 馃敾Final week: No. 12聽| File: 10-3. Nicely, the OT highway loss at sub-.500 Butler was lower than preferrred. However I’ll cease wanting booting the Jays from the Hey Nineteen this week as a result of Creighton didn’t have its finest participant, Marcus Zegarowski, in that recreation on Saturday. If he is there, it wins. So I am going to slot Creighton forward of Xavier (which has been idle) by a slim margin at this stage. Subsequent up: internet hosting Windfall on Wednesday. 聽聽 19 猡达笍Final week: N/R | File: 12-1. I’ll give the Broncos some good thing about the doubt right here. Winners of 12 straight, together with a pleasant one at BYU, however they’ve but to play the hardest groups within the Mountain West. Nonetheless, that is 12-1 in a multi-bid league that can have a good shot at sending three groups to the NCAAs. Leon Rice’s troop聽has two video games upcoming this week at house vs. Fresno State, then its destiny in these rankings can be decided the week after with two highway video games in opposition to Colorado State.



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