Sporting Zone's Top 25 College Basketball Rankings, based on statistics, the eye test, and recent success.
HM's: Wisconsin, San Diego State and Memphis
25. Indiana State
For the first time since the Larry Bird era, Indiana State is ranked at no. 23, and deservingly so. Led by Center Robbie Avila, who draws comparisons to Nikola Jokic because of his tremendous passing ability. They are top 20 in assists per game and have an incredible offense.
24. BYU
Despite having valuable Quad I wins over San Diego State and Iowa State, their Quad I record is 3-4. Led by senior guard Jaxson Robinson, this BYU team has a high powered offense that can score in bunches.
23. Dayton
DaRon Holmes II is for real. Holmes is averaging around 19 points a game and 8 rebounds, solidifying himself as the best player in the A10 conference. Dayton is a high powered offense, but their weaker defense and easy strength of schedule may come back to haunt them later on in the season.
22. Oklahoma
Oklahoma may not be strong on the offensive end, they rank top 15 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency per 100 possessions. Javian Mccollum is a talented point guard that is their main source of offense. However, when they have been battle tested against UNC, they have played much worse than their ranking.
21. Creighton
Led by Ryan Kalkbrenner and Trey Alexander, Creighton has had a very up and down season up to this point this year. Losing to both Butler and Villanova hurts their tournament resume if they want to be a top 4 seed come March. However, some of their best wins include No. 15 Alabama and a very good St. John's team.
20. New Mexico
The Lobos had a massive conference win over San Diego State earlier in the year, and look to be at the top of the Mountain West this season. Donovan Dent and Jamal Mashburn Jr. are star players that lead this team to a 18-4 record. They have a top 30 assist-turnover ratio and could make a deep run in March Madness if given a favorable bracket. Even though they lost to Boise State, this team is still top 20 caliber in my opinion.
19. FAU
FAU has been extremely unpredictable this season. One day, they beat a top 10 team in Arizona, and a couple games later, they lose to unranked Charlotte. Johnell Davis is a top 20 player in the country, but their bench is extremely lackluster when it comes to providing an offensive spark when FAU needs it.
18. Utah State
Utah State is at the top of Mountain West and is top 40 in effective field goal percentage (KenPom). Although Utah State has had a relatively weak schedule, they rank 1st in a competitive Mountain West conference and the AP poll has not penalized teams like Duke for having weaker strength of schedules up to this point.
17. Virginia
In a weaker than normal ACC, Virginia has thrived this season. Led by Senior guard Reece Beekman, this team is a defensive powerhouse, which is expected under the leadership of Tony Bennett. However, their weak offense has been showcased in some of their losses to teams like Wake Forest and Memphis.
16. Kentucky
Despite losing 4 out of their last 6 games, Kentucky is still an elite offense team that has a ton of depth. Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard can both make the case that they are the best freshman in the country. Kentucky is top 15 in bench points per game and has been great on both sides of the ball this season thus far.
15. Alabama
Despite the early season struggles, Alabama has picked it up the past few weeks. Led by Seniors Mark Sears and Grant Nelson, Alabama leads the NCAA in offensive efficiency per 100 possessions (KenPom).
14. South Carolina
Meechie Johnson and the Gamecocks have been on fire during the late stretch of the regular season before conference tournaments begin. With impressive wins over Tennessee and Kentucky, they now rank 1st in the SEC. Although they havc had a meteoric rise, they had massive struggles to begin the year that cannot be overlooked, which is why they are ranked a bit lower than some other teams.
13. Baylor
Ja'kobe Walter and RayJ Dennis have led this Baylor team all year long. Despite adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom) favoring Baylor, their adjusted defensive efficiency (KenPom) hates Baylor. Also, Baylor has struggled against top tier teams such as Kansas and Duke this season.
12. Illinois
This Illinois team has still managed to win even with all of the drama surrounding their star guard, Terrence Shannon Jr. Now that he's back into the lineup, Illinois should see a lot more success in the Big Ten. They rank 33rd in SOS, and have been tested against some of the best teams in the country.
11. Auburn
With impressive wins over Alabama and Texas A&M, other than these wins, Auburn has coasted and has not played the better teams in the SEC yet. This team is top 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency (KenPom) and has been pretty consistent with their offensive production as well.
10. Iowa State
Iowa State has climbed their way up to the top 10 in both the AP poll and Sporting Zone's rankings, and for good reason. They rank 3rd in adjusted defensive efficiency, and have major quad 1 wins over teams like Kansas and Houston. Their star-studded backcourt of Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey could put them in prime position for a Big 12 title.
9. Tennessee
If not for Zach Edey, Dalton Knecht would easily win the Wooden Award and it wouldn't even be close. Averaging just under 20 points a night on efficient splits, Knecht has single-handedly won Tennessee crucial games throughout the year. Tennessee has had the 6th hardest schedule in all of college basketball (KenPom), and yet they still are around the top of the SEC.
8. Duke
Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach have both led this team to an impressive 19-5 record thus far. Duke ranks top 10 in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom) thanks to the tremendous 3pt scoring that Freshman guard Jared McCain has provided for them. Overall, this team just has a lot of weapons that can win them games, but their mediocre defense may end up biting them in the future.
7. North Carolina
After an impressive home win against Duke, North Carolina then loses their next home outing to an inconsistent Clemson team. However, the statistics love Carolina on both sides of the ball, especially offensively. UNC has scored over 100 points in 3 games, one of those being against Tennessee. Behind the leadership of Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis, UNC sits comfortably atop the ACC.
6. Arizona
Led by Transfer guard Caleb Love, Arizona has had their fair share of ups and downs thus far. However, as of late, they have won their last 5 games and scored over 90 points in three of those outings. Arizona is starting to play their best basketball before the Pac-12 tournament.
5. Houston
Led by guards L.J. Cryer and Jamal Shead, Houston has seamlessly transitioned into the Big 12 this year. Although their SOS is up for debate, losing only 3 games up to this point is still impressive nonetheless.
4. Kansas
Although Kansas is nothing special in terms of the advanced stats, their SOS ranks top 10 in the country. In any other year, Hunter Dickinson easily wins the Wooden Award with the season he's playing. Kansas is a dangerous offensive team that also can shut down opposing offenses when needed.
3. Marquette
Led by star guard Tyler Kolek, Marquette has climbed its way up into the top 5. They are top 15 in adjusted defensive efficiency and the eye test proves it. Until proven otherwise, Marquette should be a top 3 team in the country.
2. Purdue
It certainly helps Purdue that the best player in College Basketball is on their team, Zach Edey. Purdue ranks top 10 in free throw attempts (NCAA.com) this season, in large part to Zach Edey, who leads the country in free throw attempts by over 30! If there is a year Purdue can win it all, this year is it.
1. UConn
Even without Stephon Castle, this UConn team still is the best team in the country. Donovan Clingan, Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban are all amazing players that help UConn succeed on both sides of the floor. If I had to bet money on the National Championship winner this year, my money would go to a UConn back-to-back.
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