It was a wild week in the world of college basketball as two top teams suffered losses in Duke and Kansas. The Duke Blue Devils got their unwelcome surprise at Boston College, a team that was considered to be far inferior. As for the Kansas Jayhawks, they lost back-to-back games. First they fell at home to Washington. It’s odds to see the Jayhawks lose at Allen Fieldhouse in a non-conference game. But then they lost again to No. 16 Arizona State in what seemed like a bit of a hangover from the first loss. It just goes to show how up and down college hoops really can be as many of the top teams still have a lot of issues to figure out as conference play gets underway for some of them.
1. Michigan State Spartans
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +450
The Spartans (9-1, 2-0 Big Ten) beat Southern Utah at home last week, and this week, they’ll play Oakland in the Hitachi College Basketball Showcase in Detroit along with a home game against Houston Baptist. Three players scored 17 points in the win over Southern Utah, but the Spartans also out-rebounded their opponents 49-34, which is no surprise as Michigan State is eighth in the country in total rebounds per game.
2. Duke Blue Devils
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +450
The Blue Devils (11-1, 0-1 ACC) fell at Boston College in their ACC opener, and this week, they’ll host Evansville as they try to get back on track. The Blue Devils got 25 points from Gary Trent Jr., but they were brutal from three-point land, going 8-of-30 and Grayson Allen was 1-of-9. They also allowed Boston College to go 15-of-26 from beyond the arc. This was a humbling loss for the Blue Devils, but maybe that is a good thing before Duke really gets into the ACC portion of the slate.
3. Villanova Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +800
The Wildcats (11-0) finished the Big 5 Philadelphia tournament by beating La Salle and Temple, and now they get eight days until their next game, which is the Long Island Showcase against Hofstra. Jalen Brunson had a huge game against Temple, pouring in 31 points with six rebounds and five assists, and he shot 11-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-10 from three-point range. The Wildcats do need to improve on the boards, however, as they’re tied for 156th in the country in rebounds per game.
4. Kansas Jayhawks
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1000
The Jayhawks (7-2) followed up their loss to Washington by losing to Arizona State at home, and they’ll visit Nebraska before they host Omaha. Allowing 95 points to Arizona State is worrying, but the biggest concern for Kansas should be that they lost both of these games at home, and Kansas is perennially very good at home. They lost one game last season to Iowa State to snap a 54-game home win streak, and they have lost two home games already. That has to change if the Jayhawks want to be in the conversation for a #1 seed in March.
5. Arizona Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1000
The Wildcats (7-3) held off Alabama at home and they’ll head to New Mexico before hosting North Dakota State this week. Arizona has now won four in a row after a three-game skid, and Deandre Ayton continues to lay claim to being the best freshman in the country. Ayton had 29 points and 18 rebounds to power the Wildcats to a big win, and there were some that thought he would be the sidekick to Allonzo Trier; it might be the other way around going forward.
6. Kentucky Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1200
The Wildcats (8-1) dropped Monmouth in the Citi Double Cash Classic New York, and they’ll welcome Virginia Tech this week. Kentucky jumped out to a 23-point halftime lead to put the game out of reach as Hamidou Daillo scored 23 points to lead the Wildcats, who shot 53.4% from the field and outrebounded Monmouth 44-34. It was a solid performance from Kentucky, but they still have some kinks to work out before SEC plays starts at both ends of the floor.
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1500
The Tar Heels (9-1) has been off since a 43-point romp over Western Carolina on December 6th, but they’re back this week, visiting Tennessee and then hosting Wofford. It is a good break for the defending national champions, who lost in their only game against a ranked team this season against Michigan State, who beat North Carolina by 18. A road win against the ranked Volunteers would be great for the Tar Heels.
8. Florida Gators
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1500
The Gators (6-3) snapped a three-game skid by beating a ranked team in Cincinnati in the Never Forget Tribute Classic in Newark, and they’ll play Clemson in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Florida along with hosting James Madison. Egor Koulechov had 21 points to lead the Gators, who were helped by 21 turnovers from Cincinnati. It was a good win to stop their slide and now the Gators have to keep their momentum going.
9. Wichita State Shockers
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1800
The Shockers (8-1) won at Oklahoma State last week, and they’ll host Oklahoma and Arkansas State this week. Landry Shamet dropped 30 points to lead the Shockers, who hit 26 of their 32 free-throw attempts. There are a lot of college-basketball teams that struggle from the foul line, and in these power rankings, only Florida shoots a better percentage from the foul line than Wichita State. That is a skill that could pay off for them in March.
10. Arizona State Sun Devils
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1800
The Sun Devils (9-0) beat St. John’s in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, and then they won at Kansas. They’ll host Vanderbilt and Longwood this week, and the Sun Devils will look to keep their momentum going after they scored 58 points in the second half of their win at Kansas. Tra Holder scored 29 points as three players hit the 20-point mark for Arizona State, who shot 50.8% from the floor and 50% from three-point land. The Sun Devils are going to be a very interesting team to watch going forward.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
