RADIO
16. Purdue
Purdue came into the NCAA Tournament losers of seven of the last nine games. They had the easiest road to the Sweet Sixteen with wins over High Point and McNeese. I want to see how they do against a good team (or at least a decent one) before I believe that they can make a run to the Final Four again.
15. Texas Tech
Tech has won both games and looked solid doing so, but they beat UNC-Wilmington and Drake by a combined 23 points. That’s not the work of a team that can cut down the nets in San Antonio. This team is capable of doing better, but can they tap that potential?
14. Maryland
The Terrapins demolished a good Grand Canyon team in the first round, but they needed the only buzzer-beater of the 2025 Tournament so far to get here. Did Derik Queen travel? Absolutely. That said, no official will ever call that a travel in that situation. It’s the further de-evolution of the purity of college basketball into the lazy NBA.
13. Arizona
This isn’t a knock on the Wildcats, but when they have to rely on a huge game from Caleb Love to win, they aren’t usually at their best. They definitely can’t beat Duke without more contributions from the rest of the team. Carter Bradley has been the second-best player on the team. That’s not a recipe for success in March.
12. Mississippi
I almost put the Rebels higher since they had to take out an upstart North Carolina team that looked great in the First Four and defensive powerhouse Iowa State. The Cyclones sorely missed Keshon Gilbert, but with the way Mississippi played in that game, they may have beaten the Cyclones with Gilbert. This is a dangerous team that is hot at the right time.
11. Arkansas
Forget about the regular season here. This is now a four-game winner-take-all season. Arkansas took out Kansas and St. John’s to get this far, arguably the top two wins for any team so far in this tournament. The scary part is that the Hogs haven’t even peaked yet. Adou Thiero is still hurt and freshman sensation Boogie Fland has returned but has played off the bench. Arkansas has the most untapped potential of the remaining teams.
10. Alabama
I struggled with where to put Alabama on here. They were sloppy against Robert Morris and not a lot better against St. Mary’s. The good news is that the Tide are getting more from Mark Sears so far in the tournament. Mouhamed Dioubate is a game-changer. If Alabama tightens things up a bit, they are still a Final Four threat with Dioubate dominating the paint.
9. Michigan
Hey, maybe a team that won the Big Ten Tournament deserved better than a 5-seed. The committee made a lot of errors this year, but Michigan still survived an upstart UC San Diego team. They followed that up by beating A&M worse than the score indicates. I still have some doubts about Michigan, but Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf are going to be tough and this is a well-coached team. Truth be told, I could have them higher.
8. Florida
How good is UConn? Florida had the game in hand, but screwed around and nearly lost it. I almost put them lower because of it, but the Gators did beat the two-time defending champs. That has to count for something.
7. BYU
The Cougars were one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament and took out a hot Wisconsin team to make it to the second weekend (not to mention beating a tough VCU team in the first round). BYU’s road has been tough and they have still scored 171 points in two games. This game with Alabama might have 200 points.
6. Michigan State
Methodical beatdowns. It’s kind of their thing. Sparty has done nothing to say they can’t win this region. History is not on their side, but it wasn’t for a 15-seed to reach the Elite Eight until St. Peter’s did it. Michigan State doesn’t excel at anything, but they do everything.
5. Kentucky
Kentucky is in their first Sweet Sixteen in six years. Hey, that’s a long time in Lexington. They beat a tough Troy team and barely broke a sweat against Illinois. The growth Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr have made just in the last month makes Kentucky exponentially better than they were in January.
4. Tennessee
The games weren’t ugly! That’s just Tennessee basketball! The Vols are the best defensive team left in the tournament. Can they finally get over the hump against Kentucky? Tennessee has already lost to them twice this year.
3, Auburn
Creighton was a tough matchup for Auburn, but you wouldn’t know it if you only watched the second half of that game. This is a veteran team with an emerging star in Tahaad Pettiford. If you told me Auburn should be at the top, I wouldn’t argue with you. There was a clear top three in the sport for much of the season and they populate the same spots in my rankings again.
2. Houston
Houston took apart a really good Gonzaga team in a ridiculous second-round matchup. J’Wan Roberts looks healthy, which is bad news for everyone else. If Houston and Tennessee meet in the regional final, it will be every bit as entertaining as the Gonzaga game…especially if you’re a Houston fan.
1. Duke
“…but Duke didn’t play anyone!” That’s not entirely true. That’s a pretty good Baylor team that Duke smashed in the second half. Cooper Flagg’s ankle is fine and Duke has looked like the most complete team so far. Yeah, their road was easier than Houston, Auburn, or Florida. Maybe that skewed the rankings a little, but this team is capable of winning it all when healthy. They are the only non-SEC team to beat Auburn this year.
