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Brian Dunleavy's top 10 NCAA college basketball (CBB) rankings, from a fantasy basketball perspective, as of 01/31/18. His fantasy CBB rankings are updated weekly.
We've all heard the quotes from players, coaches and media types alike. You know, the ones that begin, "Good teams..."
"Good teams win close games."
"Good teams win when they aren't playing well."
"Good teams capitalize on mistakes."
Well, it goes without saying that the programs in our top 10 are "good teams." So here are the Rotoballer college hoops rankings as of January 31, 2018 (won-loss records in parentheses).
NCAA College Basketball (CBB) Rankings
1. Villanova, (20-1)
Well, look at that. Villanova didn't play well at Marquette, yet pulled out a, you guessed it, close win. "Delaware's Jordan," Donte DiVincenzo, led the way with 23 points, hitting nine of his 16 shot attempts. Good teams... have good shooters.
2. Virginia, (20-1)
We stuck with West Virginia, and they went 0-2 this week. We admit they may not be a "good team"--or at least not as good as Virginia. Generally, good teams have good players, but the Cavs are lacking true stars. Senior forward Isaiah Wilkins is the leading rebounder (6.6 RPG), but averages just 6.2 PPG.
3. Purdue, (21-2)
We like to think outside the box here at Rotoballer College Sports HQ, but it's hard to disagree with more conventional pollsters' assessment of the "good" teams right now. Hence, the Boilermakers are our No. 3 team as well. 7-3, 250-lb. freshman Matt Haarms is averaging 5.7 PPG/3.7 RPG/2.7 BPG in just 18 minutes of PT.
4. Xavier, (20-3)
The Musketeers are a good team--just not as good as Big East rivals Villanova. If you're not yet on the Trevon Bluiett bandwagon (18.7 PPG) you never will be.
5. Michigan State, (20-3)
We're holding our noses and putting the Spartans at No. 5. We'll see if Tom Izzo survives the fallout in East Lansing, but he's got a ton of good players, led by Miles Bridges (17.6 PPG/7.3 RPG/3.0 APG).
6. Duke, (18-3)
With nothing but bad news coming out of places like Michigan State, we begrudgingly have more appreciation for the relatively (we emphasize relatively) squeaky clean image of programs like Duke's. And we know Marvin Bagley III (21.5 PPG/11.4 RPG) is a good player--actually, he's a future NBA star.
7. Cincinnati, (19-2)
The Bearcats are the UVA of the AAC--their stats won't knock your socks off, but their won-loss record will. And that's all that matters--for "good teams." Senior forward Gary Clark (13.3 PPG/9.1 RPG) is a good player.
8. Gonzaga, (19-4)
Yeah, we admit it: We'll always give the 'Zags the benefit of the doubt. It's a Jesuit thing. Guard Josh Perkins (13.2 PPG/3.1 RPG/5.3 APG) doesn't need a free pass from us--or anybody. He's that, well, good.
9. St. Mary's, (21-2)
The Gaels enter our rankings on the strength of being ahead of Gonzaga in the WCC standings. But this has always been a good program--and center Jock Landale has a great name to back-up a great game (22.1 PPG/10.4 RPG).
10. Auburn, (20-2)
We welcome the Tigers to our rankings, as the only SEC team to survive the gauntlet that is the conference schedule. Sophomore guard Jared Harper (12.8 PPG/5.5 APG) has impressed us as a good player. Ugh.
Don't worry. It's over. Until next week.
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