NCAA Men’s Basketball Power Rankings and Bracketology

NCAA Men’s Basketball Power Rankings #1-10

1. Gonzaga (17-0)

The Bulldogs remain in the top spot and probably will be first the rest of the year unless something unexpected happens. The Bulldogs Saturday game against Santa Clara has been cancelled due to a Covid outbreak for the Broncos.

Mark Few said he will be making phone calls to try and plug in a non-conference game. While the dream match-up with Baylor won’t happen, since the Bears already play, a game against Houston would be a real possibility. Sign me up for that one!

Corey Kispert, not Drew Timme, would be my vote for National Player of the Year. While he does not get the volume of work Timme does, his numbers are ridiculous. 

He is shooting 48.6% from three-point range and averaging more than 3 makes a game from deep. He is also shooting 67.3% from two-point range with a 20.2 scoring average plus over five rebounds a game.

2. Baylor (16-0)

Consistency has been key for the Bears. Baylor is ranked third in both defensive and offensive efficiency. Scott Drew has this Baylor team playing well at every aspect of the game.

Baylor doesn’t have the offensive firepower that Gonzaga has, but they are first in the nation shooting 43.4% from three-point range. The Bears also rank second in the nation with an effective field goal percentage of 58.6%, trailing only Gonzaga.

Jared Butler would finish second behind Kispert in my National Player of the Year Ballot, if I had one. Butler does it all well, defends, scores (16.8 point per game) and averages over five assists a game.

Baylor will face their toughest test of the year this week at Texas. All eyes will be on Austin on Tuesday night.

3. Michigan (13-1)

This will make it three straight weeks for Michigan at number three in the power rankings. The Wolverines will not play against until February 11th due to a mutated form of coronavirus being on campus.

Michigan athletes have petitioned the school to play, but that seems unlikely. The Wolverines will be thrown right into the first as they will host Illinois right away after the two week layoff. 

4. Villanova (11-1)

The Wildcats are back to playing, but still only have 12 games under their belt. Villanova is led by senior Collin Gillespie, who has Villanova first in turnover percentage in the nation.

Villanova plays with one of the slowest tempos in college basketball. The Wildcats take advantage of every possession with the fourth most efficient offense in the nation.

5. Houston (15-1)

Houston has moved up one spot in the ranking after Alabama fell to Oklahoma. Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars currently have the top ranked defense in all of college basketball. 

The Houston team isn’t the prettiest team on offense but when they need a bucket Quentin Grimes is never bashful. Here is to hoping that Gonzaga and Houston can get together on Saturday for one of the best games of the year.

6. Iowa (12-4)

The Hawkeyes moved up one spot from last week. Yes, I realize they lost two straight games, but I would still put this Iowa squad as the sixth best team in the nation. 

Luka Garza is having another monster year. Garza is averaging 26.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game to lead Iowa in each category.

7. Texas (11-3)

The Longhorns have lost two of three, but have had their coach and important players missing in the last two games. Hopefully Texas is back at full strength for their matchup with Baylor on Tuesday night.

8. Alabama (14-4)

The Crimson Tide have fallen three spots after dropping one on the road to Oklahoma. Alabama is still a very dangerous team and will remain on the two line in bracketology.

9. Virginia (11-3)

The Cavaliers are coming off a tough loss at Virginia Tech. This version of Virginia is actually better on offense than they are on defense.

If Tony Bennett can clean up a few things on the defensive end, the Cavaliers will be a tough out in March. Virginia is playing with the slowest tempo in the nation.

10. Illinois (11-5)

Illinois has climbed into the top 10 with their win over Iowa. When this team shows up ready to play there are very few better teams in the country.

Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn are probably the best inside/out duo in the country. Dosunmu is averaging 21.9 points per game and Cockburn is averaging a double-double.

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NCAA Men’s Basketball Power Rankings #11-25

11. Colorado
12. Ohio State +1
13. Texas Tech +3
14. Tennessee +10
15. Wisconsin 
16. Oklahoma +5
17. Creighton 
18. Florida State -8
19. Missouri -1
20. West Virginia
21. Loyola-Chicago (NEW)
22. Drake -6
23. USC -2
24. San Diego State (NEW)
25. Indiana

NCAA Men’s Basketball Bracketology

Keep in mind where the power rankings are more about how good I think teams actually are, bracketology is putting them where I think the committee would have them if the season ended today.

• 1 Seeds

Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Houston

• 2 Seeds

Villanova, Iowa, Texas and Alabama

• 3 Seeds

Virginia, Illinois, Ohio State and Tennessee

• 4 Seeds

Wisconsin, Creighton, Missouri and Oklahoma

• 5 Seeds

Colorado, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and Florida State 

• 6 Seeds

West Virginia, USC, Florida and Drake

• 7 Seeds

Indiana, UCLA, Purdue and Kansas

• 8 Seeds

Minnesota, Xavier, Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure

• 9 Seeds

Loyola-Chicago, Rutgers, Louisville and BYU

• 10 Seeds

San Diego State, UCONN, North Carolina and Oregon 

• 11 Seeds

Arkansas, Syracuse, Stanford and Boise State

• 12 Seeds

Utah State/St. Louis, Colorado State/LSU, Winthrop and Western Kentucky

• 13 Seeds

Toldedo, Belmont, Furman, and Colgate 

• 14 Seeds

Liberty, Texas State, Wright State and South Dakota State

• 15 Seeds

Grand Canyon, Abilene Christian, Vermont and  UC Santa Barbara

• 16 Seeds

Prairie View A&M/Norfolk State, Bryant/Siena, Northeastern, Montana State

• First Four Out: Seton Hall, Clemson, Richmond, Georgia Tech
• Next Four Out: Penn State, Duke, Maryland, SMU