NCAA Basketball: Ranking the final 8 unbeaten teams of 2021-22 season

1. Baylor Bears (8-0)

Even after losing four stars from last year’s NCAA Basketball championship team, voters still believed that head coach Scott Drew would still have this next group in contention this season. And so far, they’re right, as the Bears have moved up the rankings into the top-3. They handily won the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, beating Arizona State, VCU, and Michigan State along the way.

Even without freshman Langston Love (injury) and big man Dain Dainja (transfer portal), there’s plenty of quality depth left over to form a title contender. Sophomore guard LJ Cryer has become a national breakout candidate, averaging a team-leading 15.4 ppg off the bench. Arizona transfer James Akinjo is averaging 9.9 ppg and 6.1 apg as the starting point guard, while 6’8 freshman Kendall Brown is second on the team with 13.4 ppg.

This is all going on while both Matthew Mayer (11.6 ppg and 5.1 rpg) and Adam Flager (8.4 ppg) are solid but not playing at a star level as some expected. But with the new rotation players doing well, there just hasn’t been a need.

Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and Jeremy Sochan round up one of the best 8-man rotations in the country that plays top-10 level defense. It’ll be tested this weekend when they face Villanova in a top-5 battle.