NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 2021 NCAA Tournament teams

True Contenders

8. Arkansas (22-6): Arkansas, which had its nine-game winning streak snapped in the SEC Tournament semifinals, is a well-balanced team. The Razorbacks play extremely fast and are deep, but where they “make their living” is on the defensive end as they are very active defensively. Offensive rebounding is the Backs really only concern. Moses Moody leads four players, three of whom are averaging at least 13 points,in double-figures. It is unknown whether Jaylin Williams (Covid protocols) will be available.

7. Ohio State (21-9): The Buckeyes entered the Big Ten Conference Tournament, having lost four straight but won three close games to get to the Finals. OSU is a physical team that shoots the ball well as well as take care of the ball. However, they do bog down offensively when Duane Washington and EJ Liddell struggle or out of the game. Defense is a concern, as is who will step up and become the team’s third-scorer.

6. Texas (19-7): The Longhorns are the first team from the state of Texas to win the Big 12 Conference Tournament. UT, which is strong on both ends of the floor and extremely athletic, has won five straight contests. The Horns can score inside and out and are an outstanding rebounding team. Turnovers forcing turnovers and foul trouble are concerns for Texas. Andrew Jones leads six players averaging at least eight points and three boards a game.

5. Iowa (21-8): The Hawkeyes are 7-2 in its last nine games as they have done a fantastic job at protecting the ball and tightened up on the defensive end. Iowa is highly efficient offensively due to their ability to protect the ball as well as having a monster down low, in National POY candidate Luka Garza, and several outstanding shooters — Joe Weskamp, Jordan Bohannon, and CJ Frederick. However, they do have limitations defensively, particularly with creating turnovers.

4. Alabama (23-6): The Crimson Tide, who are on a six-game winning streak, won the SEC regular-season crown for the first time since 2002 and the first SEC title since 1991. The Tide are a good shooting team, and they like to play fast and launch 3-pointers — 47.1% of their shots this year have been from beyond the arc.

They are strong defensively, particularly guarding the 3-point line and force turnovers, though they don’t get to the foul line that often, and they struggle on the defensive boards as well as foul issues. Jaden Shackleford leads four players in double-figures while eight players average at least five points a game.

3. Illinois (22-6): Illinois, which has one of the best guard/center combos in the nation in Ayo Dosunmi and Kofi Cockburn, is 12-5 in Quad I games. On a six-game winning streak,  the biggest concerns for the Illini going forward is who will step up if either Dosunmu or Cockburn struggle as well as their ability to force turnovers.

2. Baylor (22-2): The Bears, who are 9-2 against quality opponents, are extremely talented, but they have struggled on the defensive end over the last six games. Jared Butler leads the way for the nation’s 3rd most efficient offense and top 3-point shooting team in terms of percentage.

1. Gonzaga (26-0): The only unbeaten team in the nation. Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs, leads perhaps the best starting lineup in college basketball. The Zags are, without question the best shooting team in the country.  Relative inexperience is their only apparent weakness.