RADIO
15. Marquette (22-7, 13-5) (NR)
Marquette may be leading the Big Ten (18), considering they beat Purdue, Wisconsin, and Maryland in the non-conference schedule. A win over Georgia looks good as well. The Golden Eagles fell on hard times earlier this month with three straight conference losses. I won’t dock them for the loss to Villanova since the Wildcats also beat St. John’s. Marquette can close strong with Connecticut and St. John’s on the schedule this week.
14. Memphis (24-5, 14-2) (NR)
Memphis is getting by with some big non-conference wins. Before the conference season, this team beat Missouri, Connecticut, Michigan State, Clemson, and Mississippi. Ugly losses at Temple and at Wichita State have knocked the Tigers down a couple of pegs, but I wouldn’t count this team out. High-profile transfers Dain Dainja and Tyrese Hunter have meshed well with PJ Haggerty. Memphis is going to be a dangerous tournament team.
13. Wisconsin (22-7, 12-6) (NR)
Wins over Arizona and at Purdue look good. Losses to Oregon at home and UCLA do not. Wisconsin is heading in the right direction with six wins in the last eight games, with one of those losses being to Michigan State. If the Badgers can take care of rival Minnesota at the Barn and Penn State this week, they might procure a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. That would have been unthinkable a month ago.
12. Missouri (21-8, 10-6) (NR)
The win over Kansas doesn’t look as great as it did then, but Missouri won in Gainesville and took out the Tide at home. They also took out both Mississippi teams in the same week. Losses to Arkansas and Vanderbilt on the road hurt a little, but Arkansas is as hot as anyone right now. Missouri closes the season with games against Oklahoma and Kentucky this week. Both are winnable games.
11. Clemson (24-5, 16-2) (NR)
Clemson has a non-conference win over Kentucky and beat Duke to start their current six-game winning streak. The ACC isn’t one of the better basketball conferences anymore, but a win over Duke — who is a top-three team — is still a big deal. Clemson is 15-2 since hitting rock bottom with a loss to SEC doormat South Carolina back in December.
10. Iowa State (22-7, 12-6) (7)
I don’t care how short-handed this team was — there is no excuse for a loss to Oklahoma State. Redemption in convincing fashion against Arizona over the weekend is the only thing keeping the Cyclones in the top 10. They are finally back at full strength. They’re going to need it against a hot BYU team and a K-State team that demolished them at Hilton a couple of weeks ago.
9. Texas Tech (22-7, 13-5) (10)
There’s no shame in a loss to Houston, especially when Tech followed it up by beating Kansas in Lawrence. Another big week from JT Toppin and company could land Tech a coveted 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
8. St. John's (26-4, 17-2) (9)
The Johnnies clinched their first regular-season Big East title since 1985 thanks to a five-game winning streak. Rick Pitino has turned this team into a force. Kadary Richmond is consistently playing with the promise he showed in flashes for Seton Hall last year, and Zuby Ejiofor is a load in the middle. St. John’s isn’t likely to go any higher than a 2-seed, but this is still the best season for the Red Storm in 25 years.
7. Michigan State (24-5, 15-3) (8)
How tough is this top six? The Spartans have won five in a row — the last four were against ranked teams with two of those on the road. Michigan State still only moved up one spot. The Spartans close the regular season with Iowa and Michigan but likely can’t improve their seeding. The only place to go is down.
6. Florida (25-4, 12-4) (4)
The loss to Georgia last week is a big deal when the top teams are this close together. Alabama got a big win. Florida’s win over the Aggies loses some luster since A&M is reeling right now. The Gators have a chance to gain some ground with a game in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday before ending the regular season against Mississippi on Saturday.
5. Alabama (23-6, 12-4) (3)
The toughest schedule in college basketball history is starting to take a toll on the Tide. Alabama has lost three of the last five, but one was to the top-ranked team at home, and the other two were to ranked teams on the road. Wins over ranked Kentucky and Mississippi State squads look good, but they don’t measure up to Tennessee’s and Houston’s current streaks.
4. Tennessee (24-5, 11-5) (6)
Tennessee has won four in a row, culminating in a win against Alabama on Saturday on a buzzer-beater by Jahmai Mashack. The Vols have an easy end to the regular season compared to the rest of the SEC. They get Mississippi in Oxford on Wednesday and South Carolina at home on Saturday. Now, if this team could only figure out Kentucky…
3. Houston (25-4, 17-1) (5)
The Cougars have won eight straight since losing to Texas Tech back in January. They avenged the Tech loss in Lubbock after knocking off Iowa State last week. Games against Kansas and Baylor look tougher on the surface, but the Cougars are clearly the class of the Big 12 (16) this year. Houston is well on their way to a 1-seed.
2. Duke (26-3, 17-1) (2)
Duke never really slipped in my rankings after losing to Clemson, and their play since has justified my keeping them in this spot. Duke has won six in a row since that loss, with the lowest margin of victory being an 18-point win in Charlottesville. Duke is a tornado destroying everything in its path right now.
1. Auburn (27-2, 15-1) (1)
Auburn’s two losses are to Florida and Duke. Both teams are in the top six of every ranking and the top five in all but mine. The Tigers close the regular season with a tilt in College Station against the reeling Aggies tomorrow and with Alabama at home on Saturday. Alabama wasn’t that close to Auburn in the meeting in Tuscaloosa. Auburn almost has the No. 1 overall seed secured already. That’s how far ahead of the field they are.
