A chaotic week of men's basketball was marked by surprising results and the rise of unranked teams. Andy Katz returns to assess his top 36 teams after a tumultuous week.
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Power 36 | Jan. 22
1. UConn (1): The top-ranked Huskies beat Creighton and won at Villanova.
2. Purdue (2): The Boilermakers won at Indiana and Iowa.
3. North Carolina (3): The Tar Heels are making a strong case for a No. 1 seed of late.
4. Tennessee (5): Dalton Knecht was simply sensational in the win over Alabama.
5. Auburn (8): Don’t look now but Bruce Pearl has a Final Four potential team again.
6. Kentucky (10): The Wildcats finally got their elusive big man eligible in 7-2 Zvonimir Ivisic.
7. Arizona (16): The Wildcats look the part again as the team to beat in the Pac-12.
8. Wisconsin (9): The Badgers bounced back from a road loss at Penn State with a win over Indiana.
9. Houston (13): The Cougars had a re-set and are back to being in contention for the Big 12 title.
10. Kansas (4): The Big 12 road continues to be a struggle of late after a loss at West Virginia.
11. Illinois (18): Terrence Shannon Jr., is back for the Illini and he made a difference in the Sunday win over Rutgers.
12. Oklahoma (15): The Sooners bounced back with a solid two-win week.
13. Creighton (26): The Bluejays got the split on the road swing by beating Seton Hall in triple-overtime after losing at UConn.
14. Seton Hall (17): The Pirates are still on target to finish in the top three after the tough loss to Creighton.
15. Marquette (19): The Golden Eagles have won two in a row but still trail UConn by two games.
16. Dayton (23): The Flyers are one of the hottest teams in the country with a 12-game win streak.
17. Kansas State (NR): Kansas State is back to being a Big 12 contender with only one loss.
18. Baylor (11): Took a buzzer-beater from Texas to take down Baylor.
19. Duke (7): The Blue Devils were stunned by Pitt but they were without two key players, including Jeremy Roach.
20. Alabama (14): The Tide ran into the buzzsaw that is Tennessee.
21. New Mexico (29): The Lobos got the win over Utah State but then didn’t fall at Air Force, which could have been a tough follow-up.
22. Michigan State (34): The Spartans are back, winners of three in a row.
23. Texas Tech (22): The Red Raiders have had quite a turnaround this season, now tied for the top spot in the Big 12.
24. Iowa State (25): The Cyclones got a much-needed resume win at TCU by one.
25. Utah State (20): The Aggies suffered their first loss — but at New Mexico.
26. Saint Mary’s (NR): The Gaels have won six in a row and are the current team to beat in the WCC.
27. Memphis (6): The Tigers were stunned Sunday at Tulane after South Florida beat them at home.
28. Oregon (24): Lost a late-possession game at Utah Sunday, but showed well on the road.
29. Wake Forest (31): The Demon Deacons have won two of three and are in the thick of the top-four ACC race.
30. Nebraska (33): The Huskers ended a two-game slide with a win over Northwestern.
31. Northwestern (32): The Wildcats followed up a home win over Maryland with a road loss at Nebraska.
32. TCU (12): Dropped two in a row in the rugged Big 12.
33. Boise State (36): The Broncos stayed in the top spot chase in the MWC with a one-point win over SDSU.
34. San Diego State (30): The Aztec's road slate continued to be daunting but they were still only a game out of first.
35. South Carolina (NR): The Gamecocks are 3-2 in the SEC after a convincing, 13-point win at Arkansas.
36. Syracuse (NR): The Orange had a great week getting the sweep of Pitt and beating Miami at the buzzer. The only two losses in 2024 are on the road at Duke and at North Carolina.
Dropped out: Ole Miss (21), St. John’s (27), Villanova (28), Clemson (35).
👉 MUST READ: Kansas, Duke stunned, 3OT Big East thriller on loaded Saturday
Under consideration: Colorado, FAU, Ohio State, Iowa, Colorado State, Gonzaga, Georgia, Florida, BYU, UCF, Texas, Mississippi State, Arizona State, Utah, Stanford, Indiana State, Virginia, Florida State, Princeton.
Top 10 Games to Watch
1. Auburn at Alabama, Wednesday: This has become a great hoops rivalry again with the style of play Bruce Pearl and Nate Oats are coaching now. Auburn is the better team — for now. But the Tide may have the edge in the backcourt. Should be a fun one.
2. Kansas at Iowa State, Saturday: Hilton should be rocking, like it always is when Kansas comes to Ames, for a game that could continue to help the Cyclones’ overall resume.
3. Kentucky at South Carolina, Tuesday: The Wildcats added another dimension with the addition of 7-2 Zvonimir Ivisic. The Gamecocks got a resume win by winning at Arkansas. Taking down Kentucky would go a long way toward a bid.
4. Wake Forest at North Carolina, Monday: The Demon Deacons are two games back of first-place Carolina. A loss and catching UNC may not be plausible, but getting a win here and Wake is in the race to stay.
5. Michigan State at Wisconsin, Friday: The Badgers got the first one in the season series. Both teams are better now — which still may give the advantage to the Badgers. Wisconsin still has to play at Minnesota before this game while the Spartans have the week off before this tip.
6. Arizona at Oregon, Saturday: The Ducks and Arizona started the week tied in the loss column after Oregon lost at Utah Sunday. This is the last time they will play in Eugene in a conference game. This game could end up having a major say in the Pac-12 regular-season champion.
7. Illinois at Northwestern, Wednesday: The Illini beat the Wildcats by 30 a few weeks ago in Champaign. Northwestern has improved dramatically since then and Boo Buie is a late-game shot maker. Illinois is coming off a home Rutgers win and the first game with Terrence Shannon Jr. since he won a court injunction.
8. Texas at Oklahoma, Tuesday: Next season this will be an SEC game, not one in the Big 12. Texas is coming off a buzzer-beater to knock off Baylor while the Sooners have won two in a row, including at Cincinnati.
9. Houston at BYU, Tuesday: The two new members of the Big 12 meet for the first time in Provo. BYU is a game back of Houston and four others in the Big 12. This should be a highly entertaining game.
10. Villanova at St. John’s, Wednesday: The Red Storm, which won in Philadelphia the first time they played, has lost three in a row, while Nova has lost two. This game is important to both in the quest to finish in the top 5 in the Big East.
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March Madness National Player of the Week
Zach Edey, Purdue: The case is closed. Edey is going to win back-to-back national player of the year awards. He will be the first person to do it since Ralph Sampson in 1982 and ’83. The other players who have done so are Jerry Lucas, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. That’s the list. Well, after Edey demolished the competition this past week he will be a lock to do so. Edey scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a road win at rival Indiana and then dropped 30 and 18 rebounds with four blocks in the road win at Iowa. Edey is averaging 23.5 points and 11.5 boards a game, thus far.
🏆 Weekly Awards from 🏆
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB)
Player of the Week: Zach Edey
Team of the Week: Tennessee
March Madness National Team of the Week
Tennessee: The Vols have re-emerged as one of the top teams to beat in the SEC, along with Kentucky and now Auburn. Tennessee crushed Florida 85-66 and destroyed Alabama 91-71. The star in both games is a potential first-team all-American in Dalton Knecht. He scored 39 points in the win over Florida and 25 in the victory over Alabama. The previous week Knecht scored 36 in the win over Georgia. He’s averaging 18.8 a game in his first season with the Vols after playing at Northern Colorado.
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