ESPN’s Bracketology analysis now has North Carolina as their First Team Out. At this point, the Tar Heels were still on the tournament bubble solely on the basis of their name, but after losing to N.C. State on Sunday, they now have an 0-9 Quadrant 1 record, and the regular season only has two weeks left. North Carolina (16-11, 8-8 ACC) might have a chance if they can win three of the last four, or if they win the conference tournament next month. We have the latest AP Top 25 rankings, featuring Houston at the top for the third time this year. Check out the rankings as well as some other insights about contending teams that may help you with your NCAA Basketball betting decisions.
NCAA News: College Basketball Top 25 Rankings & Betting Opportunities
Kansas is, once again, inserting itself into the national conversation as one of the top teams. Their strength of schedule is tops in the nation, and they have four more Quadrant 1 wins than any other team in the nation. They have three more Quadrant 1 and 2 wins than any other teams. They have three Big 12 games remaining: at Texas, and at home against West Virginia and Texas Tech. They have lost more games than Alabama, Purdue, and Houston, but they have more momentum in recent weeks, so if they can finish with three wins in Big 12 play and then reach at least the semis of the Big 12 tournament, they should have a shot at the top overall seed.
Texas Tech is an unranked team that also has a shot at making a deep run after looking like a disappointment. They started the year 10-2 but then dropped their first eight conference games. Since then, though, they have gone 5-2, including a home win over Texas and a win at West Virginia. In those two games, the offense has scored 1.13 points per possession and gone a combined 13 of 28 from behind the arc. One reason for the transformation is the return of Fardaws Aimaq from injury. The Utah Valley transfer missed 21 games but has been back for the last three – all Red Raider wins. They still have just a 4-10 record in Big 12 play, so they need to keep the winning up, and they need a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament, if not an outright win.
Alabama bounced back from a Wednesday loss to Tennessee with a Saturday demolition of Georgia, rolling to a 108-59 win. The loss to the Volunteers had to do with that Tenessee defense, as Alabama made only eight field goals inside the arc, shooting 33.3% from that part of the floor, their worst percentage from inside the arc in two seasons. They also coughed the ball up 19 times. Alabama now has four losses, and in three of those, they have turned the ball over on at least 25% of their possessions.
It’s only been three weeks since Clemson led the ACC standings with a 10-1 record in conference play. However, they have dropped four of five, including a loss at Louisville on Saturday night. That’s right, that’s the same Louisville team that was 3-23 before that win. West Virginia opened Big 12 play with a five-game skid before turning things around with a 5-2 stretch. They followed that up with three straight losses, including that weekend home loss to Texas Tech, and they are now just one game out of the Big 12 basement.
AP Top 25 Rankings
- #1 Houston Cougars
- #2 Alabama Crimson Tide
- #3 Kansas Jayhawks
- #4 UCLA Bruins
- #5 Purdue Boilermakers
- #6 Virginia Cavaliers
- #7 Arizona Wildcats
- #8 Texas Longhorns
- #9 Baylor Bears
- #10 Marquette Golden Eagles
- #11 Tennessee Volunteers
- #12 Gonzaga Bulldogs
- #13 Miami (FL) Hurricanes
- #14 Kansas State Wildcats
- #15 St. Mary’s (CA) Gaels
- #16 Xavier Musketeers
- #17 Indiana Hoosiers
- #18 Connecticut Huskies
- #19 Creighton Bluejays
- #20 Providence Friars
- #21 Northwestern Wildcats
- #22 San Diego State Aztecs
- #23 Iowa State Cyclones
- #24 TCU Horned Frogs
- #25 Texas A&M Aggies
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