NCAA Basketball: Evaluating “blue bloods” and “new bloods” heading into March
By Ryan Kay
New Bloods
Villanova
Record: Overall: 15-3 Conference: 10-2
Rankings: Net: 10 KenPom: 11 AP: 8
Key Victories: Arizona State (neutral court), Texas (away), Seton Hall, and UConn
Losses: Virginia Tech, St. John’s (away), and Creighton (away)
Baylor
Record: Overall: 18-0 Conference: 10-0
Rankings: Net: 2 KenPom: 2 AP: 2
Key Victories: Illinois (neutral court), Oklahoma, Texas Tech (away), Kansas, Oklahoma State (away), and Texas (away)
Losses: None
Gonzaga
Record: Overall: 22-0 Conference: 13-0
Rankings: Net: 1 KenPom: 1 AP: 1
Key Victories: Kansas (neutral court), West Virginia (neutral court), Iowa (neutral court), Virginia (neutral court), and BYU (Sweep)
Losses: None
Baylor, Gonzaga, and Villanova have a ton of momentum right now and they are not worried about qualifying for the NCAA tournament, they are focused on securing a No. 1 or 2 seed in the tournament this year.
They do have some teams from the Big Ten for example competing with them for the top seeds of the tournament but either way, all three of the above-mentioned teams are not worried about the same things that the Blue Bloods are having anxiety about. However, the season is not over and nothing is guaranteed as March Madness always has a surprise upset or two.