It is officially February, which means we are a month away from March Madness. Conference play is in full effect and it’s time to take a look at who can make the most noise in the big dance. We have seen it all this season. From high-flying freshman, to veteran hoopers outsmarting defenses, this college basketball season has been electric.
The Unbeaten
Two undefeated teams remain in the country, and if someone had told me that Miami of Ohio is 22-0, I probably would have sent them to get checked for a concussion. The Redhawks have surprised everyone in the basketball world and are poised to turn some heads in March. Head coach Travis Steele has yet to make an NCAA Tournament as a head coach. After four mediocre years at Xavier, Steele accepted the job in Oxford, Ohio. After two seasons finishing below .500, Steele and the Redhawks went 23-8 in the regular season and entered the MAC Tournament as the second seed. Miami matched up against Akron in the championship game, which ended in an Akron game-winning layup with two seconds to play. After finishing the season a game away from earning a bid to their first March Madness since 2007, Miami regrouped and hasn’t looked back since. The Redhawks enter February undefeated. In their first 22 games, Miami has scored at least 100 points seven times, including back-to-back overtime wins over MAC opponents. Miami is now ranked in the latest AP Poll and are bound to have their highest seed this century.
The other unbeaten team is a little less surprising, considering they had one of the best recruiting classes in the country and had many key players return. Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats are ranked No. 1 in the country, and have been for a while. Freshman duo Koa Peat and Brayden Burries have been skyrocketing up draft boards and veteran guard Jaden Bradley is as dominant as any player in the country. Arizona has played tough opponents both in conference play and non-conference play. Arizona has remained unfazed against multiple ranked teams including Uconn, UCLA, Alabama, and BYU. The Wildcats sit atop one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA. It will be very interesting to see if Lloyd and Arizona can stay undefeated with a month to go until March.
Contenders
This season has been one for the ages. As of Jan 31, the top in ten he current AP Top 25 has a combined 14 losses and five teams have just one loss. Uconn has been one of the best all around teams in the country with their only loss coming from undefeated Arizona before Thanksgiving. The Huskies have five players averaging double-digits in points, including freshman Braylon Mullins and program legend Alex Karaban. Georgia transfer, Silas Demary Jr, is also averaging above 10 points a game while shooting 45% from three.
Michigan has also been a dominant force this season. They started out with strong performances in the Players Era Tournament in early November. Dusty May and his loaded transfer class have the Wolverines atop the Big 10 and look to run the table in March. Their same state rival, Michigan State, has also had an electric season. Despite a recent loss to Michigan, the Spartans have looked dangerous. Veterans Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, and Jaxon Kohler hope to give Tom Izzo his second national title in Lansing.
Mark Few and Jon Scheyer are used to seeing their teams in the top ten. Both coaches have led their teams to just a one loss season so far and hope to continue their dominance into the big dance. Scheyer’s Duke squad, led by phenom freshman Cameron Boozer, have looked like the best team in the country in some games. Their depth gives them a good shot to secure Duke’s first title since 2015. Few’s Gonzaga team has experience and lots of discipline. Their only loss of the season came at the hands of Michigan, in a 40 point blowout loss early in the season. The Bulldogs haven’t looked back since, beating all of their opponents handedly.
Nebraska has also raised a lot of eyebrows this season. The Cornhuskers have famously never won a March Madness game in their program’s history, however, Fred Hoiberg has his team ready to make a splash. Nebraska won their first 20 games of the season, thanks to elite play from junior forward Pryce Sandfort. Another Big 10 team that’s ready for a deep run in March is the Purdue Boilermakers. The Preseason number one ranked team has fallen a bit in the rankings, but their experience and veteran leadership has them ready for any opponent in March. Star point guard Braden Smith is one of the best playmakers in the entire country. Longtime Boilermakers Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer are great sidekicks for Smith as they both are averaging close to 13 points per game.
Iowa State, Illinois, Houston, and so many other teams have shown flashes this season. With conference play heating up, college basketball fans should get familiar with which teams will go far in the NCAA Tournament. February 1st means March is right around the corner. The madness will be here before we know it and there is no doubt that the greatest month in sports will be special this year.