RADIO
20. Arkansas (22-14)
The Razorbacks prevented all eight of the top teams from reaching the Sweet 16 by knocking out St. John’s. This team peaked at the right time. A Sweet 16 finish is better than most could have expected from this team, especially with Boogie Fland a non-factor in the NCAA Tournament.
19. Mississippi (24-12)
Ole Miss took out a stumbling Iowa State team before bowing out in a close one to Michigan State. The regular season still counts, which is why the Cyclones are still a touch ahead. We must wonder what might have been if Jaemyn Brakefield had come off the bench earlier in the season. Mississippi played much better with Brakefield as the sixth man.
18. Iowa State (25-10)
The Cyclones closed the season 8-8 after a 17-2 start. This was a huge disappointment for the Cyclones. The loss of Keshon Gilbert right before the NCAA Tournament had something to do with it, but this team was in a tailspin before then. We can’t blame it all on Gilbert. We can blame it on teams figuring out how to beat the Cyclones.
17. Gonzaga (26-9)
So maybe the WCC was a whole lot of average teams. Gonzaga blowing out Georgia in the battle of the Bulldogs (not to mention blowing out Baylor and Indiana in November) still counts for something. They put up a big fight against a Houston team that came within a bucket of a National Championship.
16. Wisconsin (27-10)
This ranking belies how well Wisconsin played down the stretch. They beat Michigan State in the Big Ten (18) Tournament and nearly beat a BYU team that was one of the hottest in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament. Once again, it was a strong showing for the Big Ten (18) after the conference lost some steam in February.
15. Purdue (24-12)
Despite losing six of the last nine games in Big Ten (18) play, Purdue advanced to the Sweet 16 and put a hell of a scare into Houston. Where do they go after Zach Edey and Braden Smith? South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff could be the next big-time Boilermaker.
14. Arizona (24-13)
Arizona closed strong. They beat Kansas and Texas Tech before falling to Houston by eight points in the Big 12 (16) Tournament. They parlayed that into NCAA Tournament success with wins over solid Akron and Oregon teams. Arizona bowed out by scoring 93 points on Duke. Not a bad end to the season.
13. Kentucky (24-12)
The Wildcats couldn’t top Tennessee for a third time, but they did make it into the Sweet 16 with a good win over Illinois. College basketball is only going to become more top-heavy.
12. St. John's (31-5)
How much credit do we give the Red Storm for a historic regular season? Their best non-conference win was New Mexico. However, this team did beat Creighton and UConn twice each. The lasting image of this season is going to be of star RJ Luis Jr. on the bench with the game on the line against Arkansas. The Johnnies deserved better.
11. Michigan (27-10)
The Wolverines followed up an erratic end of the regular season with a good showing in Indianapolis. The Texas A&M team that they ousted to move into the Sweet 16 was a struggling unit, so that knocks a little luster off that win. This is still a sign on an improving program that is out of the shadow of the Juwon Howard years.
10. Maryland (27-9)
The Terrapins had no big non-conference wins and got mowed down by Florida in the South Regional semis. Still, this team finished second in the Big Ten (18) behind star freshman Derik Queen and veteran Julian Reese.
9. BYU (26-10)
The Cougars won nine of the last 10 games heading into the NCAA Tournament and beat a hot Wisconsin team to get to the Sweet 16. Alabama blew them off the court, but I’m still impressed by the late-season run of the Cougars.
8. Michigan State (30-7)
If Texas Tech hadn’t had Florida on the ropes, Sparty would have that spot. This was a strong season by another strong Tom Izzo team. Michigan State proved that a team that plays like a team even without a star can still make a deep run.
7. Texas Tech (28-9)
If Texas Tech makes even one of the front end of those one-and-ones down the stretch, they likely knock out Florida. That was a brutal loss for the Red Raiders. It’s one they won’t get over soon.
6. Alabama (28-9)
Alabama goes from the best performance in the NCAA Tournament in the last 35 years against BYU to being locked down by Duke in the Elite Eight. That’s the perfect microcosm of the 2024-25 season for the Tide. We all knew that when (not if) Alabama lost, it would be an epic faceplant against a team that played strong defense.
5. Tennessee (30-8)
The Vols exorcised the Kentucky demons before putting on one of the worst-ever showings in the Elite Eight. Houston held Tennessee to just 15 points in the first half. I’m giving them credit for winning 30 games in the SEC. Alabama could just as easily be ahead of the Vols.
4. Auburn (32-6)
If we weren’t comparing Auburn to fellow SEC teams, a case could be made for removing the Tigers from the top four despite making the Final Four. This team was not invincible down the stretch and was exposed against Florida again.
3. Duke (35-4)
The Blue Devils lost all four games by a single possession. They could have just as easily been 39-0 and playing for a title against Florida. The youth of Duke finally caught up to them, but it was a great run with a team full of freshmen.
2. Houston (35-5)
What a brutal loss for Kelvin Sampson and Houston. Blowing a huge lead in a game that they were dominating was bad enough. Not attacking the rim down two points was indefensible. Sampson deserved this one, but the cardiac Gators won another thriller.
1. Florida (36-4)
At what point does a team become a team of destiny? Florida was the hottest team aside from Houston heading into the NCAA Tournament. They defied the odds against two Big 12 (16) teams to cut down the nets. After the epic comeback against Texas Tech, I knew that Florida wasn’t going to lose. This team was too deep at every position. The only team that could have possibly beaten them was Houston. We got the National Championship game that we deserved as fans from this epic Final Four.
