Suddenly, more than half of February has passed, and March Madness is merely a couple of weeks away. The college basketball season features action throughout, but in the blink of an eye, we’re on the brink of another NCAA Tournament. While March Madness is the most exciting time on the college basketball calendar, there’s still plenty of intrigue in the current affairs of this sport.
Conference play has shown us quite a lot in recent weeks out of every league, from the mid-majors that few people follow to the elite matchups in the SEC. Nearly a month before we get that NCAA Tournament bracket, we’re seeing hundreds of teams jockeying for positioning in their leagues and in their national standing. In fact, each passing week can change a lot for an individual team both in a good way or a bad way.
Despite the quick passing of the regular season, there is still a lot to learn before the postseason and when the games matter most. Every week seems to bring numerous SEC or Big 12 battles that grab national attention, while some very talented teams are making themselves known in weaker leagues. Most of the focus goes to those top teams, the ones that will be comfortable in the NCAA Tournament field, though there’s plenty of intrigue across the board.
Regardless, our focus is indeed on the top teams as we provide this week’s edition of our Top 25 rankings. Every week features ranked matchups, upsets, and memorable finishes, making this process trickier with each passing day. We’ve done our best to pick and rank who we believe is currently the best team in the nation, though it could certainly change again in seven days. Let’s get right into those teams and talk a bit about where they currently stand.
25. Kansas (17-8)
Even after winning their first seven games of the season, a start that included wins over Duke and Michigan State, Kansas has come back down to earth since Big 12 play began. They’ve had particular struggles playing outside of Lawrence and haven’t been able to string a bunch of wins together in league play. Even after last week’s great win against Iowa State this team just lost over the weekend, but could they finally buck that trend?
The first part of the week went according to plan, as the Jayhawks won 71-59 over Colorado. Hunter Dickinson exceled with 19 points and 9 rebounds while Zeke Mayo added 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. The heading on the road part is where things fell short, as Kansas dropped a rough one 74-67 at Utah on Saturday night. Mayo had 15 points and six rebounds but this team just didn’t make enough plays.
With the Jayhawks now sitting just 8-6 in the Big 12, it’s going to be another season where we don’t see Kansas finishing atop the conference after all those titles in a row. Things have changed in this program and conference, but Kansas absolutely has the talent to be winning these kinds of games on a more consistent basis. Hoping to get back on track, they’ll stay out west for a game at BYU before Oklahoma State comes to town, with their spot in the national rankings in serious jeopardy.