NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Illinois rises, Dayton keeps impressing

Baylor continues to hold onto its top spot in the rankings with a very strong week. After defending their home court against an underrated Oklahoma squad, the Bears then went on the road and handled Florida by double-digits. It was an impressive pair of performances by my No. 1 overall team as the Bears proved once again that there are some elite teams in college basketball.

Baylor has been absolutely superb during its current 16-game winning streak that includes victories over seven wins over the KenPom Top 50.

Baylor’s elite defensive abilities have kept it among the best teams in the nation all season long. Thanks to Freddie Gillespie anchoring the inside, the Bears are surrendering just 42.2% shooting on 2-point attempts for the season and they swat shots at the 37th-highest rate. With regard to perimeter defender, Baylor comes away with a ton of steals (33rd-best rate) and does a nice job running teams off the 3-point arc. As a whole, Baylor ranks fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency rating.

With that said, though, the Bears can also win with their offense when necessary. MaCio Teague and Jared Butler form a dangerous scoring backcourt that very few opponents can stop. They are both elite 3-point shooters that can let it fly with the best of them. This also yields the several offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities that allow the offense to rank 18th in the nation in adjusted efficiency.

Baylor is a well-rounded unit that just keeps handling its business. It is undefeated in true road games this season (5-0) and it should be regarded as the favorite to win the Big 12 considering its road win in Lawrence already.

That concludes this edition of my NCAA basketball power rankings. There will surely be plenty of major shifts over the next seven days so check back again next week for another version.