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Wednesday 5: NCAA Men’s Basketball Power Rankings
By: Matt Quinn
March Madness is only a few weeks away and teams have started to push for those precious last few spots in the tournament. Seeding is still up in the air, though we could potentially see all four one seeds come from the same conference this year as the SEC continues to have a historic season. Multiple teams in the top 10 this year and 4 out of the 5 teams on this list are SEC teams. So let’s get into the list as here are my top 5 Power Rankings for NCAA Men’s Basketball.
Though the Vols are coming off of a tough loss to Kentucky, they still deserve a spot here in the top 5. They have had some big games, most notably against the surging Gators in a game in which the Volunteers defense shut down a tough Florida team and won by 20 points. Tennessee sits at 4th in scoring defense this season, allowing just under 60 points per game (59.9). They have a tough game against Vanderbilt next who sit at 10th in the SEC at 17-7 and will be looking to get into position for a possible bubble spot in the tournament.
For the Blue Devils, it’s all about star Cooper Flagg. He didn’t have his best performance last time out against Clemson, a tough conference loss that dropped them down to 4th in the AP Top 25 rankings. Flagg still ranks in the top 50 amongst all NCAA players but there is still room for improvement. Though they just lost to #23 Clemson, this team should still be the favorite to win the ACC and could treat that loss as a minor speed bump if they can get back on track against Stanford tonight.
The Tigers have been great all season but have had some hiccups in recent weeks. They struggled at times against Ole Miss and dropped their first loss in 15 straight games when they were handled by the Gators at home. Bruce Pearl has the experience and the talent as a coach to get his team straight before the tournament and the team still has plenty of talent so this should just be a small mark on their resume at the end of the day. They are still very much in play for a one seed in the tournament next month and should still do some damage once they get there. They have a massive matchup with Alabama this weekend and that will go a long way to getting their confidence back if they can take down the Crimson Tide.
The Gators have had a great season to this point. They’ve dealt with some injuries to Tommy Haugh and Alex Condon, who was hurt early in the last game against Mississippi St. but they have been consistent all year. Alex Condon, despite the injury continues to help his potential draft status, averaging close to a double double with 10.7 points per game and 7 rebounds. Head Coach Todd Golden has done a great job getting the most out of his guys and after the big win against the previously number one team in the nation in Auburn, the Gators are set to have a shot to secure a one seed in the tournament for the first time in years. Gators basketball is truly back this year and if they can get a little healthier and keep playing the way they have been, they can be in the conversation to win the whole thing at the end of the day.
Something about Alabama sports programs and number one rankings feels very familiar for some reason. Usually it’s the football team that is at the top of the pecking order, though not too recently, but now it’s the basketball squad that’s making noise. The Crimson Tide are very good offensively, leading the nation in points per game at 90 and consistently putting on strong performances week in and week out. They’ve won 7 in a row and have a huge game against Auburn in the Iron Bowl rivalry this weekend. Beating Auburn will go a long way for the confidence of this team. If they can do it, Auburn will have lost 2 out of their last 3, both of which coming against top 5 SEC teams. It’s no doubt the game of the week and will be really interesting to see who comes out on top.
