1. SYRACUSE (24-0): A big 'thank you' goes out to Tyler Ennis on behalf of all fans. Not only did he provide us with perhaps this season's most memorable moment by sinking a 35-foot buzzer-beater at Pittsburgh; he also raised the stakes for next weekend by ensuring that Syracuse's undefeated record will be on the line during their huge rematch at Duke. Provided that the Orange beat N.C. State and Boston College between now and then. And with that one last-second heave, Ennis may have also single-handedly crippled Pittsburgh's NCAA Tournament seed. The Panthers were just a few seconds away from toppling the #1 team in the country; instead, they still can't lay claim to a single win over a likely tournament team this year, unless you're in a generous mood and want to count Stanford.
2. FLORIDA (22-2): Officially biting at Syracuse's heels. In a recent win over Alabama, Florida recorded assists on 22 of its 31 field goals. Six different players had at least three assists! The Gators might not have a single marquee star, but they're remarkably unselfish and team-oriented.
3. ARIZONA (23-1): It's immediately become clear that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is capable of replacing Brandon Ashley's lost production in the starting lineup. In the two games since Ashley's injury, Hollis-Jefferson has totaled 30 points and 15 rebounds on excellent shooting numbers.
4. WICHITA STATE (26-0): If you're looking for reason why Syracuse and Wichita State are the last two teams without a loss, the answer probably lies with point guard play. As sensational as Tyler Ennis has been (136 assists, 35 turnovers), the Shockers' Fred VanVleet (133 assists, 36 turnovers) has been just as good.
5. KANSAS (18-6): Apologies to the Big Ten, but the Big 12 has been the best conference in college basketball this year. Kansas is a national title contender, and will be joined in the tournament by Iowa State, Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. West Virginia was once considered irrelevant but now sits at 7-5 in the league after some great recent wins. Baylor is just 3-8 in the conference yet beat Kentucky on a neutral floor. Texas Tech won't make the tournament but beat both Oklahoma schools this week. TCU (0-11) is the only pushover among the ten teams in the conference.
6. MICHIGAN STATE (21-4): In two games without Keith Appling this week, the Spartans lost at Wisconsin by two on a last-second shot and then clobbered Northwestern. This team is deep enough to win without its point guard in part because of Travis Trice, who has totaled 29 points, 15 assists, and zero turnovers in three games since Appling's wrist injury.
7. DUKE (19-5): Jabari Parker's last four games, three of which were on the road: 21.5 points and 11 rebounds per game on 53% shooting. He's the main reason why Duke is now scoring the most points per 100 possessions of any team in the country.
8. VILLANOVA (22-2): The silent juggernaut of the 2014 season, Villanova is just crushing its opponents in February, winning its last four Big East games by the scores of 90-74, 81-58, 70-53, and 87-62. The Wildcats rank within the top 20 in the country in both offensive and defensive efficiency; the only other teams that can make that same claim are Syracuse, Michigan State, and Louisville.
9. SAINT LOUIS (22-2): This is partly a nod to the Atlantic 10 Conference, which is enjoying yet another banner season despite being perennially overlooked. Saint Louis is now 9-0 in a league that includes VCU, George Washington, Massachusetts, and Saint Joseph's, all of which are potentially NCAA Tournament teams. Saint Louis is also riding a 16-game winning streak, and its two losses came against Wisconsin and Wichita State. The only teams out there with a more efficient defense are Arizona and Virginia. And it's not like this season has come out of thin air -- the Billikens were a #4 seed in last year's tournament.
10. IOWA STATE (18-5): So, Iowa State may or may not be the tenth-best team in the country. They just got blown out at West Virginia. But there may not be a single team out there that can match the quality of Iowa State's top three players. Point guard DeAndre Kane is averaging 16 points and 6.5 assists per game on 47% shooting. Georges Niang is the ultimate point-forward, a six-foot-seven guy chipping in another 16 points and almost four assists per game. But the Big 12 Player of the Year might be their teammate, Melvin Ejim, who bumped up his per-game averages to 19 and 9 with a legendary performance against TCU this week: forty-eight points (48!!), a Big 12 record, and 18 rebounds, on 20-of-24 shooting. The Kane/Niang/Ejim trio leads a wide-open Iowa State offense that totals the most assists per game in the country; this is about as close as college basketball can get to its version of LeBron/Wade/Bosh.
Key Games to Watch This Weekend:
#25 Pittsburgh at North Carolina, 1:00 PM Saturday
This is literally Pittsburgh's last chance to beat a good team and prove that its 20-5 record isn't a mirage. Pitt won't face another quality opponent until the ACC tournament.
VCU at #12 Saint Louis, 2:00 PM Saturday
The surging Atlantic 10 gets its first big showdown of the year. Saint Louis is the nationally ranked team and the favorite, but VCU is having its typical season: 20-5 overall including a November win at Virginia that looks better and better with each passing week.
#3 Florida at #14 Kentucky, 9:00 PM Saturday
These two teams are exact inverses of each other on the traditional pundit's basketball spectrum. Florida is your ultimate "teamwork and veteran leadership" squad that doesn't have a top-ten draft pick but starts four seniors and gets by on experience, unselfishness, and tenacious defense. Kentucky, on the other hand, starts five freshmen who exhibit immaturity, oversized egos, and bad body language at times but who win games anyway because of their overwhelming, NBA-level talent. Kentucky needs this one more -- if not for its NCAA Tournament résumé, then for its perception, which has taken a hit these last few weeks.
#21 Wisconsin at #15 Michigan, 1:00 PM Sunday
Wisconsin winning at Michigan would make no empirical sense based on recent results, so bank on that happening.
#6 Villanova at #18 Creighton, 5:00 PM Sunday
The two best teams in the Big East facing off. In their first matchup, Creighton's high-powered offense unleashed a historic shooting barrage (21 of 35 from three-point range!) to blow Villanova out of its own building, 96-68. It wouldn't be surprising to see Villanova return the favor here.
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