Power Rankings: Kansas on Top as Regular Season Draws to a Close
The college basketball regular season is nearly over—just four days of games stand in the way before things wrap up for good on Sunday night. Then, as always, it's conference tournament time, though several mid-major ones have already begun. Heading into the final weekend, where does SI's Top 25 Power Rankings stand?
1. Kansas (27-3, 16-1 Big 12)
The Jayhawks embarked on what they hope is a brand new Big 12 streak by beating TCU to clinch at least a share of the conference title on Wednesday night, and they can take the crown outright if they win at Texas Tech on Saturday. Udoka Azubuike went out in style on Senior Night, racking up 31 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.
2. Gonzaga (29-2, 15-1 WCC)
The Bulldogs capped another successful WCC season with a win over rival Saint Mary's, and will—surprise!—head into the league tournament as the No. 1 seed. Now the question is, will we get Gonzaga-BYU Part III? If those two powerhouse offenses meet in the championship next week, it should be considered as compelling as any Power 6 conference final.
3. Dayton (28-2, 17-0 Atlantic 10)
Facing perhaps the biggest challenge of their A-10 schedule, the Flyers trounced Rhode Island on the road by 27 points on Wednesday. But let's go back to Dayton's insane two-point performance last Friday vs. Davidson, when it went 27-of-28 (96.4%!) inside the arc—with all 27 coming in a row after Jalen Crutcher missed the team's first attempt. The effort only added to the Flyers' nation-leading 62.5% mark on two-pointers.
4. Baylor (26-3, 15-2 Big 12)
The Bears had their second-worst defensive showing of the season (going by points per possession) in their upset loss to TCU over the weekend, and it might have cost them a share of the Big 12 title. Baylor has now lost two of its last four, but it has plenty of goodwill built up across the rest of the season; thus, its No. 1 NCAA tournament seed is not in danger.
5. San Diego State (29-1, 17-1 Mountain West)
The Aztecs are the only team in these rankings that have started their conference tournament, beating Air Force in the Mountain West quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. SDSU outscored the Falcons 40-23 in the second half to pull away, helped by Jordan Schakel's five threes and Malachi Flynn's 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
6. Florida State (25-5, 15-4 ACC)
We're already at the portion of the power rankings where many of the below teams lost at least one game in the last week. The Seminoles played a pair of close contests, falling on the wrong side at Clemson and the right side at Notre Dame. Florida State is now a home win over Boston College away from clinching at least a share of its first ACC regular season title.
7. Kentucky (24-6, 14-3 SEC)
After earning a big home win over Auburn, UK collapsed at Rupp Arena in surrendering a 17-point lead to Tennessee. John Fulkerson abused Kentucky inside to the tune of 27 points, and the Wildcats' seeming inability to blow teams out came back to bite them. It's a concern heading into the postseason, but the 'Cats have still won 12 of their last 13.
8. Villanova (23-7, 12-5 Big East)
The Wildcats' normally reliable offense got shut down in a weekend loss to Providence, thanks in large part to a 5-for-30 effort from behind the arc. But Jay Wright's team came back strong with a road win over first-place Seton Hall, opening the door for 'Nova to share the Big East title (it will need to win at Georgetown and hope Creighton beats the Pirates this weekend).
9. Louisville (24-6, 15-4 ACC)
The Cardinals' recent three-point woes continued against Virginia Tech, but they still had plenty to get past the Hokies at home. Jordan Nwora had his first 20-point game since Feb. 8, which is a welcome sign for Louisville fans. Also encouraging: David Johnson's six-assist, one-turnover day.
10. Creighton (23-7, 12-5 Big East)
A lot went wrong for the Bluejays in their Sunday loss to St. John's; namely that they shot a paltry 4-for-27 (14.8%) from three while the Red Storm shot a scorching 14-for-22 (63.6%). Creighton actually had an unusually strong day on the boards, but there's not much you can do when you can't hit the broad side of a barn and your opponent can't miss. A home game with Seton Hall to close the regular season is huge not just for the Big East title, but for NCAA tournament seeding.
11. Seton Hall (21-8, 13-4 Big East)
After falling at home to Villanova, the Pirates can land anywhere from No. 1 to No. 3 in the Big East tournament depending on their regular-season finale at Creighton. This is a revenge spot for Seton Hall, which fell to the Bluejays at home back on Feb. 12. Myles Powell went 1-for-11 from three in that one; odds are, that doesn't happen again.
12. Duke (24-6, 14-5 ACC)
The Blue Devils were a two-man show offensively in their weekend loss to Virginia, with Tre Jones and Vernon Carey each scoring 17 points and no one else having more than six. Good as Jones and Carey are, that's not a recipe for Duke success. It responded by having six players in double figures in a win over NC State, led by Cassius Stanley's 18.
13. Michigan State (21-9, 13-6 Big Ten)
The Spartans are rounding into the team we all expected, and have roared back in the Big Ten race to leap into a tie for first with one game to go. They also roared back on the road at Penn State on Tuesday, climbing out of a 19-point first-half hole to win by eight behind Xavier Tillman's 23-point, 15-rebound performance.
14. Oregon (22-7, 11-5 Pac-12)
Anthony Mathis went 3-for-7 from three in the Ducks' win over Oregon State, which is notable because it continued a trend of the senior sharpshooter getting back into form of late. Mathis has now shot 12-of-24 (50%) on triples in his last five games, and continued stability there will only be a boon to Oregon in March.
15. Maryland (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten)
In the Terps' last four games, they've trailed by deficits of 21, 18, 17 and 14 points. They're 1-3 in those games after losses to Michigan State and Rutgers, and while all three defeats were to quality opponents, together they're eyebrow-raising for their nature. We've seen Maryland teams under Mark Turgeon fade down the stretch before, and with a short rotation, it may be tough for this group to go on a deep run.
16. BYU (24-7, 13-3 WCC)
The Cougars made sure there would be no letdown in their final regular season game after their signature win over Gonzaga, beating Pepperdine on the road. They've got a legitimate chance to win the WCC tournament, though it will very likely require another win over the Zags. As the nation's top three-point shooting team with a legitimately dangerous offense, it's easy to picture BYU getting hot in a tournament setting.
17. Ohio State (20-9, 10-8 Big Ten)
The Buckeyes continued their upward trajectory after their midseason slump, and have now won eight of their last 10 games after beating Nebraska and Michigan. Kaleb Wesson made up for his 1-for-9 effort inside the arc against the Wolverines by knocking down four of five shots from the perimeter.
18. Iowa (20-10, 11-8 Big Ten)
The Hawkeyes' up-and-down recent run continued with a win over Penn State and loss to Purdue, the latter of which was particularly surprising since it came in Iowa City. Luka Garza is still shredding defenses, but Iowa needs more around him offensively, especially since its defense has a tendency to be porous.
19. Penn State (21-9, 11-8 Big Ten)
The Nittany Lions are spiraling in the wrong direction, having lost four of their last five since reeling off eight straight wins. Blowing a 19-point home lead to Michigan State was the pinnacle of that, but a road tilt at Northwestern to end the regular season should offer a chance to head into the postseason on a positive note
20. Auburn (24-6, 11-6 SEC)
The Tigers are another team worse for the wear of late, understandably falling on the road to Kentucky over the weekend but less understandably losing at home to Texas A&M on Wednesday. Auburn has only reached the 35% mark from three in one of its last seven games, which is not good enough for a team with the 42nd-highest three-point rate in the country.
21. Illinois (20-9, 12-6 Big Ten)
The Illini have now won four straight since their four-game skid to start February, which largely coincides with Andres Feliz's move into the starting lineup. Feliz had another productive game in a weekend win over Indiana, scoring 15 with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
22. Virginia (22-7, 14-5 ACC)
In mid-January, the Cavaliers' NCAA tournament chances looked to be in doubt. They had lost four of five in the ACC, including at lowly Boston College. Since then, Virginia is 10-1, with wins over Florida State and Duke (the latter of which came last weekend). Behind its staunch defense, UVA continues to win close games—of its last seven games, six were won by either one, two or three points.
23. Wisconsin (20-10, 13-6)
Don't look now, but the Badgers, who once started the year 5-5 with losses that included Richmond and New Mexico, are in position to win at least a share of the Big Ten with a victory at Indiana on Saturday. Despite Kobe King's midseason departure, Wisconsin has won seven straight thanks to an improved offense to go along with a top-25 efficient defense.
24. Butler (21-9, 9-8 Big East)
The Bulldogs climb back in here after beating DePaul and St. John's, and even if neither of those wins is particularly impressive, Butler's season-long résumé still stacks up well. Five players scored in double figures against the Red Storm, and that's the kind of balance this team needs around Kamar Baldwin.
25. Michigan (18-11, 9-9 Big Ten)
Two losses in the last week (to Wisconsin and Ohio State) pumped the brakes on the narrative that the Wolverines may be a top-five team with Isaiah Livers back, but this could still be a blip on the radar for a team that had won five straight before this two-game skid. A home meeting with Nebraska offers a chance to get right before closing at Maryland in College Park.
Dropped Out: Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State
