RADIO
15. Wisconsin (23-8, 13-7) (13)
In any decently run universe, an 11-point loss at home to Penn State would have removed a team from this list. Wisconsin’s win over Arizona is still keeping the Badgers afloat. A head-to-head loss to Maryland is hard to swallow, but wins over Purdue and Illinois in the last month keep Wisconsin on my arbitrary list.
14. Louisville (25-6, 18-2) (NR)
The Cardinals finished out the regular season with nine straight wins after an upset loss to Georgia Tech in Atlanta nearly two months ago. Louisville didn’t play Duke or Clemson in that span, but what more do you want from them? Going 18-2, even in a weaker ACC, is a good achievement. They lost to Duke by 11 and beat Clemson by 10. This is a good team.
13. BYU (23-8, 14-6) (NR)
One might ask how an eight-loss team ends up here. It’s easy. All you have to do is beat up on a good conference. BYU got lucky by catching Houston and Texas Tech only once in conference play, and both games were very early in the season. BYU ended the regular season with eight straight wins. Three wins were against ranked teams, including a 34-point thrashing of Kansas and a win at Hilton Coliseum. Who wants to play this team right now?
12. Memphis (26-5, 16-2) (14)
The Tigers held serve by beating UTSA and South Florida to end the regular season. Memphis will likely need to win the AAC Tournament to stay on this list going into the NCAA Tournament. The loss to Wichita State hurts Memphis’s bottom line.
11. Iowa State (23-8, 13-7) (10)
The two-point loss to Auburn and the big win over Marquette seem so long ago. Iowa State dropped three of their last five regular-season contests. One was to Houston, and another to a hot BYU team, but losing to Oklahoma State is not something a borderline elite team does. Revenge in Farmageddon at the Octagon kept Iowa State from slipping further.
10. Clemson (26-5, 18-2) (11)
The stark reality is that running the table of North Carolina, Florida State, SMU, Notre Dame, Virginia, Boston College, and Virginia Tech to end the season means little this year. That win over Duke kicked off Clemson’s eight-game winning streak down the stretch. A loss to Georgia Tech got Louisville going. It did the same for Clemson.
9. Texas Tech (24-7, 15-5) (9)
Tech is the only Big 12 (16) team to topple Houston this year. The Red Raiders finished second in a good conference. The wins this week weren’t that exciting, but the performance of JT Toppin was. It’s going to be an interesting week in Kansas City as Tech and Houston gear up for a likely third matchup (and rubber match) this year.
8. St. John's (27-4, 18-2) (8)
The Johnnies closed out the regular season with two more wins, including a thriller over Marquette. A Big East Tournament title could land them a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Will they stay there in the power rankings as well? We’ll find out at the Garden this week.
7. Michigan State (26-5, 17-3) (7)
Two more wins keep the Spartans at the same rank. Michigan State played five ranked (at the time) teams in the last six games. They won all five by an average of 10.2 points. They are clearly the best team in this conference.
6. Tennessee (25-6, 12-6) (4)
The SEC is the ultimate “what have you done for me lately” league. They slipped into the top five with a win over Alabama on March 1, but a loss to Mississippi in Oxford this week takes them down a peg. Florida didn’t lose to Ole Miss. Sometimes that’s all it takes when the rankings are this close.
5. Alabama (24-7, 13-5) (5)
Alabama holds their spot thanks to a win over Auburn at Auburn. Florida stays ahead of the Tide because they beat Bama in Tuscaloosa. The SEC Tournament is going to be must-watch TV this year.
4. Florida (27-4, 14-4) (6)
How does Florida beat Auburn and Alabama yet lose to Missouri and Georgia? That’s what is keeping the Gators out of the top three. Those two “bad” losses. Florida may have been able to survive those if one of them wasn’t last week.
3. Houston (27-4, 19-1) (3)
Houston’s head-to-head loss to Auburn back in November is still affecting the standings. Houston nearly ran the Big-12 (16) table. The only blemish was a loss at home to Texas Tech in a game in which JT Toppin (and his coach) were ejected within the first two minutes.
2. Auburn (27-4, 15-3) (1)
How big was the gap between Auburn and everyone else? The Tigers closed the regular season with back-to-back losses and only dropped one slot. The real issue is if Johni Broome can get back to dominance before the NCAA Tournament starts next week. Teams (at least SEC teams) have finally figured out how to limit him.
1. Duke (28-3, 19-1) (2)
Is Duke really this good? That’s the question that has floated around a lot lately. Two of Duke’s losses were in November to basketball royalty in Kansas and Kentucky. Those don’t look as good now, but this is the only non-SEC team to beat Auburn. Weak ACC or not, Duke has looked like an elite team. They will go into the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed with an ACC Tournament title.
