College Basketball: Top 5
By Martin James
March Madness is less than a month away, which means that more and more people are tuning into college basketball to see who the favorites are. The five teams below are all very much in the discussion for one of the #1 seeds in the tournament on Selection Sunday. Here’s a look at the most recent power rankings.
#1 Kentucky
There is really no debate when it comes to which team has been the most impressive in the 2014-2015 college basketball season so far. With a perfect 25-0 record, Kentucky is trying to be the 1st team since 1976 to go undefeated and win the national championship. Those are certainly high expectations, but the Wildcats knew that they were going to be outstanding before the season even started. Everything hasn’t been smooth sailing the entire year for Kentucky, but they have always found a way to win the close games. Look at their schedule, they have a very good shot at entering the tournament undefeated. Their depth is what sets them apart.
#2 Virginia
Losing Justin Anderson definitely hurt Virginia’s title chances, but the fact of the matter is they have found ways to continually win even without one of their best players. They only have one loss on the year, and that is to another team that is pretty good in Duke.What really hurts Virginia is the fact that they lost their best 3 point shooter on offense. Anderson was able to space the floor, and without him, they are really struggling to put up points beyond the arc. It is something to watch in the next couple of weeks in the ACC. They could start to slip down rather quickly if things don’t go their way.
#3 Wisconsin
Wisconsin only has two losses on the year, and one of them came without star player Frank Kaminsky. After making the Final Four a year ago, this team looks like a good bet to make it back. They know that the final stretch in the Big Ten is going to be difficult, but that would just give them an opportunity to strengthen their bid. They probably do not even need to win the Big Ten tournament to get a #1 seed.
#4 Duke
The Duke Blue Devils might be playing better than Wisconsin right now, but it is very difficult to put them ahead of the Badgers when they lost to them earlier in the year. Duke has survived a rough patch at the beginning of the ACC season to look like a strong #1 seed option.Even though it was controversial, the dismissal of Rasheed Sulaimon seems to have the Duke Blue Devils playing better than ever. They are really starting to put together a strong campaign.
#5 Gonzaga
Is Gonzaga the fifth best team in the country? That is certainly debatable. However, they have the clearest path to a #1 seed if one of the others fall off. They have one loss on the year, and that is likely going to be their only loss going into the tournament. A weaker conference and a lack of historic success (compared to other top notch schools) could keep them at a #2. They certainly have Final Four talent though.
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March Madness is less than a month away, which means that more and more people are tuning into college basketball to see who the favorites are. The five teams below are all very much in the discussion for one of the #1 seeds in the tournament on Selection Sunday. Here’s a look at the most recent power rankings.
#1 Kentucky
There is really no debate when it comes to which team has been the most impressive in the 2014-2015 college basketball season so far. With a perfect 25-0 record, Kentucky is trying to be the 1st team since 1976 to go undefeated and win the national championship. Those are certainly high expectations, but the Wildcats knew that they were going to be outstanding before the season even started. Everything hasn’t been smooth sailing the entire year for Kentucky, but they have always found a way to win the close games. Look at their schedule, they have a very good shot at entering the tournament undefeated. Their depth is what sets them apart.
#2 Virginia
Losing Justin Anderson definitely hurt Virginia’s title chances, but the fact of the matter is they have found ways to continually win even without one of their best players. They only have one loss on the year, and that is to another team that is pretty good in Duke.What really hurts Virginia is the fact that they lost their best 3 point shooter on offense. Anderson was able to space the floor, and without him, they are really struggling to put up points beyond the arc. It is something to watch in the next couple of weeks in the ACC. They could start to slip down rather quickly if things don’t go their way.
#3 Wisconsin
Wisconsin only has two losses on the year, and one of them came without star player Frank Kaminsky. After making the Final Four a year ago, this team looks like a good bet to make it back. They know that the final stretch in the Big Ten is going to be difficult, but that would just give them an opportunity to strengthen their bid. They probably do not even need to win the Big Ten tournament to get a #1 seed.
#4 Duke
The Duke Blue Devils might be playing better than Wisconsin right now, but it is very difficult to put them ahead of the Badgers when they lost to them earlier in the year. Duke has survived a rough patch at the beginning of the ACC season to look like a strong #1 seed option.Even though it was controversial, the dismissal of Rasheed Sulaimon seems to have the Duke Blue Devils playing better than ever. They are really starting to put together a strong campaign.
#5 Gonzaga
Is Gonzaga the fifth best team in the country? That is certainly debatable. However, they have the clearest path to a #1 seed if one of the others fall off. They have one loss on the year, and that is likely going to be their only loss going into the tournament. A weaker conference and a lack of historic success (compared to other top notch schools) could keep them at a #2. They certainly have Final Four talent though.
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