College Basketball Power Rankings – February 24

The college basketball season enters the last week of February, which means that ranking the top teams in the country become a stronger and more clearer reflection of the top seeds in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. We’ll rank the top 10 teams not just by how good they appear to be (though that’s part of this process), but how they are likely to be seeded for March Madness.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Zags are likely to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, which. since they are a Western team. will put them as the top seed in the West Region. They simply aren’t losing, and more than that, they aren’t coming close to losing. Their toughest games are still 10-point wins, and this is happening in a West Coast Conference which has a number of very talented and competitive teams. It’s true that the WCC might get only two teams into the NCAA Tournament, but some of its bubble teams, chiefly San Francisco and BYU, have shown a measure of skill at various points this season. It’s not that Gonzaga is unbeaten in the WCC; what matters is the extent to which Gonzaga is dominating or at least controlling every single game it plays. No team looks or feels more like a Final Four favorite than Gonzaga, though the Zags aren’t quite as good as they were last year, when they came one game away from completing an unbeaten season.

2. Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats have increasingly solidified their hold on a No. 1 seed. Why this matters, even though Gonzaga will be the No. 1 seed in the West Region, is clear: The South Region goes through San Antonio, which is not that far from Tucson and would give Arizona fans a relatively convenient regional site to attend in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Being the No. 1 seed in the South, rather than the Midwest Region (Chicago) or East Region (Philadelphia), would be of real value to Arizona. The Wildcats appear to be in line to do that, making them the second overall seed in the NCAA Tournament behind Gonzaga.

3. Auburn Tigers

The Tigers are in line to get the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. They did just lose to Florida, but that won’t knock them out of a top seed. Auburn would have to lose two more games to be in danger of falling to a No. 2 seed. Auburn has not lost a home game this year. The Tigers have lost only one game in regulation time, with two of their losses being in overtime. Their only regulation loss, to Florida, was by one point. They have mopped up the competition in their other games and are still about to win the SEC regular-season championship. Bruce Pearl’s team is about to finish the most successful Auburn basketball regular season since the 1999 team also gained a top seed in March Madness.

4. Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks are in line to win the Big 12 since Baylor has suffered significant injuries. Kansas gets a rematch with Baylor in a few days after having crushed the Bears a few weeks ago. The Big 12 is the toughest top-to-bottom conference in the country. Kansas, by winning that conference, should get the fourth and final No. 1 seed, this one being in the East Region.

5. Kentucky Wildcats

The Wildcats were without two important players, TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler, this past Saturday against Alabama, and they fell behind by double-digits before rallying to win. That showed a lot of toughness. TyTy Washington has been Kentucky’s most important player; when he has previously gotten hurt and has been forced to miss games, UK lost. This time, the Cats rallied around Washington and also Wheeler to prevail. Kentucky’s best player is Oscar Tshiebwe, who is a leading candidate for National Player of the Year in college basketball. The Wildcats are safely a No. 2 seed. If they win the SEC Tournament and beat Auburn in the process, they could rise to a No. 1 seed.

6. Baylor Bears

The Bears have suffered a lot of injuries, and have lost forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua for the rest of the season. They are fighting an uphill battle, and that’s why they won’t be a No. 1 seed. They will be a No. 2 seed, however, based on all the work they have done in the first two and a half months of the season before the injuries. which existed throughout the season. got even worse.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Red Raiders won at Texas this past Saturday to sweep the Longhorns and move into the No. 2 seeding position. The Red Raiders will give the Big 12 three teams seeded second or higher in March Madness. They have earned it with a sweep of Baylor and a split with Kansas. This team plays elite defense and will contend for the Final Four due to that very fact.

8. Duke Blue Devils

The fact that the Blue Devils beat Gonzaga and Kentucky earlier in the season will keep them on the 2 line, even though the Atlantic Coast Conference is the weakest it has been in quite some time. Duke has suffered from a lack of elite competition to push the Devils through the regular season. Duke has at times looked bored on the court. However, this team has shown too many rough edges and has a lot of flaws to correct heading into March.

9. Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers aren’t playing their best basketball right now, and the fact that they haven’t sealed the Big Ten title (they’re in a close race with Wisconsin and Illinois) could keep them from being a No. 2 seed, though they might be able to jump past Duke if they win the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue has a lot of talent in its starting five, but the bench is a real concern with March just around the corner.

10. Villanova Wildcats

The Wildcats won at Providence last week, moving up from a No. 4 seed to a No. 3 seed. This team is getting better at the right time, and guard Collin Gillespie is improving at the right time, the central reason VU has re-entered the conversation as one of the nation’s 10 best teams.