This week of men’s college basketball has been exciting. Some of the top teams have taken big losses that have impacted their rankings. Let’s take a look at my new updated rankings for this week.
Alabama (Previously No. 3, Now No. 1)
Alabama had a great week in college basketball, cementing themselves as one of the best teams in the country. They had a big 103-80 win over Texas on Tuesday, with Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon leading the way. Before that, they battled for an 82-76 victory against LSU on February 7. Their offense has been on a tear; they remain one of the best scoring teams in the nation. With these recent strong performances, Alabama is going to be a problem in March.
Florida (Previously No. 6, Now No. 3)
Florida this past week brought down No. 1 Auburn. In an exciting game with offensive runs from both teams, the Gators came out on top to shut down Auburn. A key factor in the Gators’ win was center Alex Codon destroying the Tigers on the glass and also perimeter shooting. Florida was getting all they could when it came to three-point shots. They outshot and outscored Auburn in the three-point column, making it a decisive factor in this close match. It would be exciting to see a potential rematch in March between these two fantastic teams.
St. John’s (Previously No. 14, Now No. 9)
St. John’s has taken the biggest leap in my rankings. They have been consistently good all year, winning games despite being in a controversial conference in terms of difficulty level being a part of the Big East. Although the Red Storm did just recently lose to Villanova in a close game, they are still a very dangerous team to look out for. They are led by 3rd-year RJ Luis Jr. This kid is an absolute stud. He plays at the guard position yet he is almost averaging 7 rebounds per game. His averages this season are 17.4 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game. I believe he is the centerpiece of this offense and he usually is the person who gets the team rolling when it comes to the offensive side of things for the Red Storm. Expect to see a lot more big performances from Luis Jr. during March.
Duke (Previously No. 2, Now No. 4)
Duke had a rough outing this past week. They lost a crucial conference game against Clemson. A big takeaway from this game is that Duke can’t defend as well inside the perimeter. Clemson only shot 10 three’s the entire game, making 4 of them. The rest of their shots came from inside the key and mid-range pull-ups. If Duke continues to struggle defensively, it wouldn’t take me by surprise seeing this team be out of the tournament by the Sweet 16.
Auburn (Previously No. 1, Now No. 2)
Auburn didn’t take a huge dip in my rankings, but the loss to Florida at home was a big one. It truly was a big upset considering the fan atmosphere that the Tigers have at Auburn. It is always a tough atmosphere to play in when playing against Auburn, but the Gators took it to Auburn. The main takeaway I had from this game was that the Gators just had it going for them early on in the game and Auburn didn’t do anything defensively to stop them. The Gators had only averaged about 7.7 threes per game this season, but against Auburn they shot 13 of 33. They also outscored the Tigers in terms of three-point shooting, which was an obvious factor. Despite the loss, I expect Auburn to bounce back and make it back to the #1 spot before the season comes to a close.
Marquette (Previously No. 8, Now No. 16)
Marquette has had a rough week, to say the least. They went on a 3-game losing streak before finally picking up a win in their most recent game against DePaul. The worst thing about those three losses is that they all came from conference games. They lost against UConn, St. John’s, and Creighton. A similar pattern I noticed in all three games was a lack of consistent shot-making. Their field goal percentages were run through the mud, and their three-point percentage didn’t look pretty at all. Hopefully the Golden Eagles can get some wins back to climb up the rankings.Men’s college basketball updated rankings
Here is a full list of the updated rankings:
- Alabama (+2)
- Auburn (-1)
- Florida (+3)
- Duke (-2)
- Houston (-1)
- Tennessee (-1)
- Purdue (+2)
- Texas A&M (+5)
- St. Johns (+5)
- Texas Tech (-3)
- Iowa State (-)
- Michigan State (-)
- Arizona (-3)
- Kentucky (+2)
- Kansas (-)
- Marquette (-8)
- Memphis (+2)
- Wisconsin (+6)
- Ole Miss (+4)
- Missouri (-3)
- Clemson (-)
- Mississippi State (-)
- Creighton (-)
- New Mexico (-)
- Saint Mary’s College (CA) (-)