Vanderbilt climbs into the top 15 in latest Power 37 rankings

Five things that caught my eye this week:

1. Minnesota beat Iowa on the road and took down Oregon. The win over Oregon was the second-straight win over a ranked team at home. The last time that happened was in 2021 when Richard Pitino was the head coach. Dawson Garcia was sensational with 31 in the win over Oregon and 20 at Iowa. The previous week he hit the game-winning 3-pointer to beat Michigan. Garcia came home to Minnesota after playing at North Carolina three years ago. He is committed to the school and coach Ben Johnson. Johnson has tremendous respect from his coaching peers and clearly the players enjoy playing for him. The portal departures (Pharrell Payne, Elijah Hawkins and Joshua Ola-Joseph) left for more money. Had they all stayed, the Gophers would/should have been an NCAA Tournament team this season. Hopefully now Minnesota will invest in the men’s basketball program. Johnson deserves a shot to be on more of an equal playing court with other Big Ten schools. They’ve won three in a row and are fully in contention to be in the Big Ten tournament and avoid the embarrassment of finishing in the bottom three and missing out on the event. 

2. The MAC has quite a race at the top with Akron ahead of Miami of Ohio by a game. The Zips knocked off the Redhawks 102-75. Both schools are coached by former power coaches in Akron’s John Groce (Illinois) and Miami’s Travis Steele (Xavier). Both are great examples that coaching wasn’t the issue at their previous stops. They can maximize talent and are thriving again, albeit at just a tad lower level. 

3. Pat Kelsey’s energy at Louisville is contagious. He has done wonders completely turning the program around. Kelsey was the right person at the right time for the Cards. Expect Louisville to be in the mix in the top five of the ACC for quite some time. 

4. Two names that better be familiar to the AP All-American voters aren’t household names: Memphis’ P.J. Haggerty (22 ppg) and New Mexico’s Donovan Dent (19.6 ppg).

5. Great to see the Martelli family tree is doing well. Phil Martelli Jr., has Bryant as the team to beat in the America East. The Bulldogs are 6-0 (12-9 overall) and already have a win over the three top contenders Vermont, Lowell and Maine.

RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | NET Rankings

The Power 37 for the week of Jan. 26:

1. Auburn (1, 18-1): The Tigers held off Tennessee and got Johni Broome back. All good news!
2. Duke (2, 17-2): The Blue Devils got challenged at Wake Forest but then flipped the script late and won their 13th in a row. 
3. Houston (4,16-3): Yes, the Cougars are now my No. 3 ahead of Alabama after the win at Kansas.
4. Alabama (3, 17-3): The Tide keep rolling, save one blip at home against Ole Miss. 
5. Iowa State (5, 17-2): The Cyclones have won two in a row since the stunner against West Virginia. 
6. Michigan State (6, 17-2): The Spartans have won 12 in a row after knocking off Rutgers at MSG.
7. Purdue (7, 16-5): The Boilermakers bounced back really well by dismantling Michigan. 
8. Marquette (9, 17-3): The Golden Eagles are tied atop the Big East with St. John’s. 
9. Tennessee (12, 17-3): The Vols did lose at Auburn — but the game wasn’t in doubt until the final few seconds. 
10. Florida (14, 18-2): The Gators have won three in a row and are on pace to challenge for a top-two finish in the SEC. 
11. St. John’s (15, 17-3): Rick Pitino has transformed the Red Storm into a potential second weekend March Madness team. 
12. Wisconsin (17, 16-4): The Badgers’ offense is clicking at an all-time level in Madison. This has become a highly entertaining team. 
13. Memphis (23, 16-4): The Tigers have won three in a row and continue to look like a deep, deep March team. 
14. Vanderbilt (32, 16-4): The Commodores have done quite well the past few weeks with wins over Tennessee and Kentucky at home. 
15. Kansas (10, 14-5): The Jayhawks had the game won against Houston twice before losing in the second OT. 
16. Kentucky (11, 14-5): The Wildcats got clipped at Vanderbilt but have a monster week ahead with Tennessee and Arkansas. 
17. Missouri (13, 16-4): Don’t look now but the Tigers are tied for third with Florida in the SEC.
18. Creighton (18, 14-6): The Bluejays are right now and have won five in a row. 
19. Texas A&M (16, 15-5): The Aggies got clipped in the final possession at Texas, but are still just a game out of third. 
20. Mississippi State (22, 16-4): The Bulldogs head a long list of five teams tied for fourth in the SEC. 
21. Louisville (20, 15-5): Rayne Smith buried 10 3s for 30 points in a 15-point win at SMU. 
22. Clemson (21, 17-4): The Tigers are keeping pace with the Cards for second in the ACC. 
23. Maryland (NR, 16-5): The Terps got a sweep of Illinois and Indiana on the road. Derik Queen and Julian Reese were dominant and the guard play was sensational. 
24. Illinois (8, 14-6): The Illini would be much higher if they could stay healthy. Injuries and illnesses have hampered them in their losses. 
25. New Mexico (30, 17-4): Donovan Dent had 34 in a monster road win at UNLV. 
26. Arizona (27, 13-6): Tommy Lloyd has done a great job turning this season around. Patience. The talent just needed to mature and mesh. 
27. Texas Tech (26, 15-4): The Red Raiders’ pickup of JT Toppin will turn out to be one of the best in the portal. 
28. Utah State (31, 18-2): The Aggies are primed for a showdown with UNM this weekend. 
29. Saint Mary’s (35, 18-3): The Gaels are undefeated in the WCC and have won eight in a row. 
30. Ole Miss (24, 15-5): The Rebels continue to be a tough out every game. 
31. Texas (NR, 14-6): Tre Johnson scored 30 in the win over Texas A&M and 12 against Missouri in two key wins. 
32. Xavier (NR, 13-8): The Musketeers got the split with the Huskies and nearly had the sweep after a close loss at UConn earlier this season. 
33. UConn (19, 14-6): The Huskies are trying to survive without Liam McNeeley. 
34. UCLA (NR, 14-6): The Bruins have won three in a row and now have a new offensive weapon in big man Aday Mara. 
35. George Mason (37,15-5): The Patriots have won five in a row and are tied with VCU atop the A10. 
36. VCU (NR, 16-4): The Rams have won six in a row. 
37. Cleveland State (NR,16-6): The Vikings have won 12 in a row and could be a team no one wants to play in the NCAA Tournament. 

Under consideration: Oklahoma, Stanford, Baylor, BYU, Bradley, Utah Valley. 

Dropped out: Michigan (25), West Virginia (28), Oregon (29), Georgia (33), Wake Forest (34), UC Irvine (36).

RECAP SATURDAY'S LOADED SLATE: Auburn edges Tennessee, Houston defeats Kansas in 2OT and more 

March Madness National Team of the Week
Houston: The Cougars just needed time to mature and evolve into a power. The Cougars are one of the toughest teams, if not the most difficult, to play against in the country, let alone the Big 12. Every possession seems to be a chore. They guard, trap, and frustrate each opponent. This was on full display in the 70-36 obliteration of Utah. And then in a miraculous comeback, they beat Kansas in Lawrence 92-86 in double overtime. The Cougars were down 40-31, scored 13 straight, and then down six with 1:09 left tied it to go to overtime. Houston was down six with 28 seconds left before a frantic run to tie it and send it into a second OT. Houston outlasted Kansas in the final stanza 13-7. Houston is now 16-3, 8-0 in the Big 12. 

March Madness National Player of the Week
Julian Reese, Maryland: The senior big man was instrumental in Maryland’s massive road sweep at Illinois and Indiana. The Terps won at Illinois 91-70 behind Reese’s 27 points and 17 boards. The Terps exploited Illinois’ vacuum in the middle with Tomislav Ivisic out with mono. Reese joined forces with freshman Derik Queen (25) to control the middle. But Reese didn’t wilt against the Indiana big men combo of Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau. Reese scored 14 and 10 in the paint. Sure, guards Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel and Jacobi Gillespie scored a combined 56 points. But the Terps don’t win if the middle wasn’t won by Reese and Queen. Reese’s leadership throughout the road weekend has transformed the Terps into a Big Ten top-three contender.

March Madness Top 10 Games of the Week 

North Carolina at Duke, Saturday: The greatest rivalry in men’s college basketball NEVER disappoints. Duke is rolling and is a lock to be a No. 1 seed at this pace and maybe the No. 1 overall. The Blue Devils may not lose again in the ACC. But the Tar Heels are in a desperate mode to pull off an upset. So who knows what we shall get?

Indiana at Purdue, Friday: The Hoosiers are struggling. Purdue is not. But this is still one of the best rivalries in the game.

New Mexico at Utah State, Saturday: These are the two best teams in the Mountain West. And we get this rivalry twice! The winner has the early upper hand in the top seed in Las Vegas. 

Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s, Saturday: The script has flipped. Now Gonzaga needs this game more than the Gaels. That’s not normally the case. But Gonzaga needs a Quad 1 road win. 

Florida at Tennessee, Saturday: The Gators have proven to be one of the SEC’s best. The Vols are still elite in the conference and difficult to put away, regardless of venue. 

Arkansas at Kentucky, Saturday: John Calipari’s return to Lexington comes at a time when the Hogs are struggling and have just one SEC win. Kentucky entered the week losing two in a row and can’t afford another loss to a lower-level SEC team if it wants to stay in contention for a top-three league finish. 

Wisconsin at Maryland, Wednesday: The Terps are coming off a sweep of Illinois and Indiana while the Badgers have been relatively red hot. Both are trying to catch Michigan State. 

Iowa State at Arizona, Monday: Houston is now the team to beat in the Big 12. Iowa State needs to keep pace and Arizona would like to be in the conversation. 

Kentucky at Tennessee, Tuesday: Both are coming off losses and need to try to keep up with Auburn and Alabama. 

Auburn at Ole Miss, Saturday: This could be the game where Auburn loses in the SEC. Ole Miss going for the State of Alabama sweep.