-Jim Root
The Rankings have emerged from a holiday slumber to once again pay homage to the country’s top 12 teams (as determined by one highly subjective and possibly biased writer). Plenty of things have changed since the Ranks last saw the light of day, but at least we can rely on Gonzaga and Baylor continuing to tear their foes apart, limb from limb.
1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
The ongoing duel between these two is the preeminent storyline of this college basketball season, and rightfully so. Both squads have blasted their competition, rising well above the pack in every set of rankings you’ll find, and though the order varies by site, these two have comfortably settled into a tier of their own. For my money, Gonzaga’s hellfire offense makes them the better and more terrifying squad, but I won’t begrudge anyone who opts for Baylor’s experience and connected defensive unit.
The primary difference, for now: Baylor has one Q1 win (Illinois on a neutral), while the Zags currently sport four such victories (Iowa – neutral, Kansas – neutral, Virginia – neutral, West Virginia – neutral). Gonzaga also won three of those games by double figures. Fortunately, Baylor’s schedule stiffens ASAP, with three Q1 games coming up next: at Texas Tech, home to Kansas, and at Oklahoma State, we we’ll see if they can match the Zags’ dominance.
And don’t worry, because the narrative will eventually settle into “Gonzaga hasn’t played anyone.” It’s inevitable!
3. Villanova
Having not played since before Christmas, the Wildcats feel like a forgotten team right now. But their ruthlessly efficient offense and versatile defense are still lurking in the top five at KenPom (9th at Haslametrics, 12th in T-Rank), making it very clear that Villanova is still a legitimate contender. While we anxiously await the Wildcats’ return to play, let’s celebrate them with one of my favorite plays – Collin Gillespie dribbling through the paint to create open threes, a la Steve Nash:
Get well soon, Nova!
4. Texas
The Longhorns’ section goes out to Andrew Jones, who dominated cancer and somehow managed to return to the court, eventually becoming as potent as he ever was beforehand. That resurrection culminated this past weekend with a thrilling game-winner on the three-year anniversary of the team learning about his diagnosis:
Sure, it’s been said in other parts of the college basketball world, but if anything warrants repeating, it’s that Andrew Jones beat cancer and worked his way back into peak physical form. Keep killin’ it, Andrew.
5. Houston
Very rarely can a team lose the preseason Player of the Year in the conference and not skip a beat, but that’s Houston this year. Caleb Mills was obviously a potent offensive weapon, but Kelvin Sampson has made sure the guard rotation is plenty capable without him, with multiple playmakers and scorers waiting to fill the void that Mills left behind when he entered the transfer portal.
In fact, the team’s dynamite quartet of guards has almost all blossomed without Mills on the floor – shout out to Hoop-Explorer for these great on/off impact numbers:
Only DeJon Jarreau has suffered without Mills, but he’s never been known for his efficient offensive game. Quentin Grimes has (finally?) fully delivered on his tantalizing potential (he’s currently 10th in KenPom’s National Player of the Year algorithm!). Marcus Sasser has emerged into a devastating second banana, tallying 28 points against Tulane while averaging 18.0 PPG in his last five games. And freshman Tramon Mark has been the unsung hero, adding even more size and length to the rotation – look out if he ever starts knocking down jumpers. The Cougars are going to be just fine, folks.
6. Tennessee
Rick Barnes raised eyebrows with his starting lineup to begin the year for multiple reasons: for one, it was all lefties (that’s fun!), and two, he excluded the jewels of his highly-touted recruiting class, choosing to bring Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer off the bench in favor of Victor Bailey and Josiah-Jordan James. After the home loss to Alabama, though, Barnes has given Johnson and then Springer each a start over the Vols’ past two contests.
Springer and Johnson are the team’s two highest-usage players, so bringing at least one off the bench probably makes sense – getting players like John Fulkerson and Santiago Vescovi involved early probably sets the Vols up better for a full game. But there’s no denying the outrageous talents that Johnson and Springer possess, and the two can unlock an even higher level for Tennessee on both ends of the court if Barnes is able to weave them into the fabric of his already-impressive squad. It’s a great problem to have, but Tennessee may feel like it’s merely scratching at its own ceiling until the rotation and offensive pecking order is nailed down more thoroughly.
7. Michigan
I’m going to surrender this space to Eric Shapiro, Michigan writer, who put together this terrific video of Franz Wagner being a Monstar on the defensive end:
Wagner ranks 214th nationally in block rate (and 7th in the entire Big Ten), consistently using his length and instincts to disrupt jump shooters. That has been a huge part of the Wolverines’ stalwart 2P% defense, which now ranks 2nd in the entire country at 39.1%.
8. Iowa
Iowa’s offense is a delight for all kinds of reasons – everything about Luka Garza, the shooting trio of Jordan Bohannon, CJ Fredrick, and Joe Wieskamp, Fran’s intricate motion, etc. – but one of my favorite aspects has been Connor McCaffery’s creative passing.
It’s not just the “A to B” nature of the assists, either. McCaffery is so crafty with the height of his bounce passes and the loft of his post entries, consistently finding ways to hoodwink defenders that believe they’re in solid position to cut off any angles:
I LOVE the patience in that second clip where he wants for the Terrapin defender to come around just a bit too far to the top side, opening up the baseline pass as Garza seals.
McCaffery sees the game differently than most players, and that incisive passing skill weaponizes everyone else on the roster to an even more terrifying level.
9. Wisconsin
Wisconsin has been running the swing offense for two decades now, and though it has undergone some minor tweaks and facelifts (plus Greg Gard mixing in more ball screens and staggers), the most basic tenet of the Badger offense remains: invert the floor and attack mismatches. Having bigs that can shoot opens up the floor, and Wisconsin has found a true weapon in posting up its guards.
Aleem Ford is the most obvious example as a 6’8, 217-punder that starts as a wing, but Johnny Davis, Tyler Wahl, and Brad Davison have all taken turns on the block:
For context: Micah Potter has scored 61 points on 59 post ups, while fellow big Nate Reuvers has tallied 38 points on 49 such possessions. The Badgers’ guard/wing corps has collectively given Greg Gard what amounts to another elite post scorer, and the flexibility to attack a foe’s weakest/smallest defender is part of what makes Wisconsin’s attack so difficult to contain.
10. Creighton
To my eyes, Marcus Zegarowski has not looked right all year, seemingly lacking an element of burst and verve that made him especially deadly the past two seasons. Through his guile and shooting touch, he’s clearly still been effective, but it was ultimately not that surprising to see him sit out a game (possibly more) to get his body right. Without him, Shereef Mitchell stepped into the starting lineup, and the sophomore performed admirably, notching 10 points and three assists (one turnover) as the host Bluejays torched a putrid St. John’s defense by raining in 16 triples and shooting 54.4% from the field.
It was the balance that really dazzled, though. Every player that logged at least 10 minutes had 2+ assists, everyone but Antwann Jones had 9+ points, and three separate players (Mitch Ballock, Denzel Mahoney, Alex O’Connell) drained four threes each. That’s an encouraging sign for Coach Greg McDermott, as he now knows his team can function just fine without its All-American candidate on the floor, empowering him to rest Zegarowski more frequently during the Big East season. And if the dynamic point guard recovers his burst in time for March, then McDermott should finally reach that elusive first Sweet 16 berth, a surprising hole in his otherwise sterling coaching resume.
11. Kansas
With Marcus Garrett on the shelf last week at TCU, redshirt freshman Dajuan Harris earned his first career start, and he was nearly flawless as the Jayhawks posted an incredible thrashing of an otherwise-solid defense (KU tallied a volcanic 1.41 PPP). Harris scored just seven points, but his seven assists (vs. just one turnover) were emblematic of KU’s hyper-efficient demolition of the Horned Frogs.
This isn’t the first time Harris has clearly popped, though. He was instrumental in KU’s second half surge against Saint Joseph’s down in Fort Myers, and he played quite well against Kentucky soon after. His mintues have been spotty in Big 12 play, but there’s no denying how good the offense has been with him on the court:
Harris is thin and prone to gambling (and fouling) defensively, which likely has limited Bill Self’s trust in him, but he seems destined to emerge as KU’s next great under-recruited gem at point guard.
12. Clemson
Between Clemson, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, orange is the color of defense this year, but even among the country’s elite defenses, Clemson has risen slightly above. As of today (Tuesday), the Tigers rank first in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency by a hair over the Vols, and Brad Brownell’s aggressive, physical man-to-man has made life a waking nightmare for every opponent it has played. Only Miami (FL) managed to hit 1.0 PPP, and no foe has exceeded that number.
Clemson is not particularly massive – only 190th in average height, per KenPom – but the Tigers get into opponents’ airspace at every position, with guards Nick Honor and Al-Amir Dawes setting the tone via on-ball pressure and versatile weapons like Aamir Simms, John Newman, and Jonathan Baehre backing them up elsewhere. This weekend, the Tigers get the opportunity to measure their defense against the ACC (and national) standard on that end as they host Virginia, while also seeking their first win against Tony Bennett since January of 2013.
Next 10, in order: Louisville, Texas Tech, Ohio St., UConn, Colorado, Illinois, West Virginia, Virginia, Saint Louis, Drake