The college basketball season has just a few days left in February. March Madness is getting very close. What’s noticeable in college basketball, at least in terms of seeding for the NCAA Tournament, is the stability and lack of drama in the top four. The number one seeds right now are not really in dispute among analysts. Nothing has happened that would suggest or demand a change among the number one seeds. If that change occurs, everyone will know about it, but it hasn’t emerged. The drama in many ways begins with the number five team in the country, and the race for number two seeds in geographically favorable regions.
Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks do not have their strongest team under Bill Self. They lack depth inside and have to play a relatively short rotation. They don’t have blazing quickness at many spots on the floor. Their jump shooting has been no better than average over the past several weeks. They have played extremely close games on a regular basis. Yet, the Jayhawks have found ways to win very consistently. They wrapped up their 13th straight Big 12 regular season championship, a great point of pride in Lawrence. They don’t look like the best team, but their results are better than anyone else, so they go here for now. They are assured of a number one seed in the Midwest Region.
Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats lost to Butler, but they are still solidly a number one seed in the East Region based on all the work they’ve done. The main question is if Villanova should be ranked ahead of Kansas. The Jayhawks keep finding ways to win in a Big 12 Conference which is tougher than Villanova’s Big East. That has to count for something. If Villanova and Kansas played, Villanova would probably be the favorite, based partially on the fact that Villanova beat Kansas in last year’s NCAA Tournament. However, in terms of a resume, Kansas – having won at Baylor a week ago to complete a season sweep of the Bears – has probably surpassed Villanova in terms of the quality of resume.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Had the Zags kept winning they would have earned the number one seed in the West Region. However, they lost to BYU on Saturday in stunning fashion. In the grand scheme of things, that might be good for them as it gives them a chance to reset and refocus. And in terms of our college basketball power rankings, our view doesn’t change on them.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels have solidified their grip on the top seed in the South Region, which is the fourth number one seed in the brackets and the one source of true uncertainty among the four number one seeds which will be handed out in just over two weeks. The Tar Heels had a great week. With Duke losing to Syracuse, Carolina’s victory over Louisville on Wednesday gave Roy Williams’ team a two-game lead in the ACC. North Carolina, by winning the ACC, should be able to wrap up the number one seed if it can manage to lose no more than one game over the remainder of its schedule. It can drop one contest, but if it loses twice, then the battle for the top seed in the South will open up to the competition.
Oregon Ducks
Heading into the weekend, we had the Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks neck in neck for this spot but the results of the weekend changed things up. The Wildcats lost to UCLA on Saturday, which hurts their standing. They could have owned a season sweep over UCLA. However, they lost and Oregon won at Stanford. Combined with the fact that Gonzaga lost, we might be looking at Oregon as the No. 1 seed in the West. The Ducks look like they’re the favorite to win the Pac-12. They have won five straight games and will finish out the regular season with a matchup at the Oregon State Beavers.
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