Sunday marked the conclusion of the regular season, and we were spoiled with upsets and close games. Here is my top 25 at the end of the regular season:
- Gonzaga (24-0) The Bulldogs finished the regular season undefeated, thanks to a weak conference schedule. If they lost any of the games against some of the top teams, they wouldn’t be on here. However, their dominance in the West Coast Conference shouldn’t take away from the fact that they have one of the best offenses in the league. Gonzaga plays Saint Mary’s tonight in the semifinal round.
- Baylor (21-1) Baylor was unreal against Texas Tech yesterday, shooting a whopping 15-24 from the three-point line. MaCio Teague scored 35 points, shooting 10-24 from beyond the arc. This team is dangerous.
- Michigan (19-3) Michigan lost two of the last three games, which wasn’t a terrific end to the season. Michigan won the Big Ten Regular Season Title, defeating Michigan State on Thursday. I’m interested to see how they do in the Big Ten Tournament.
- Illinois (20-6) Ayo Dosunmu is going Rip Hamilton mode after suffering a broken nose. He’s by far the best closer in college basketball. The Fighting Illini upset Michigan on Tuesday and have defeated three top 25 teams in a row.
- Iowa (20-7) The Hawkeyes could be without Joe Wieskamp after he twisted his ankle in the season finale against Wisconsin. Iowa won that game and announced that they would be retiring Luka Garza’s number 55. A fitting tribute for the greatest Iowa basketball player ever. Garza is healthy, but if Wieskamp doesn’t play again this season, the Hawkeyes could be in trouble.
- Houston (21-3) Houston finished the regular season on a four-game win streak. The cherry on top comes from Tramon Mark after hitting a contested, buzzer-beating three-pointer from the logo, which won the game over the Memphis Tigers. Props to Memphis, especially Boogie Ellis after hitting a clutch three-pointer to tie the game.
- Alabama (21-6) The Crimson Tide won the SEC Regular Season Championship and finished the season winning six of their last seven. If the SEC Coach of the Year Award does not go to Nate Oats, it’s rigged.
- Arkansas (21-5) The Razorbacks are white-hot going into the SEC Tournament. They’re on an eight-game winning streak and have won 11 of their last 12 games. Arkansas hasn’t lost a game since the end of January, catching fire at the right time.
- West Virginia (18-8) The Mountaineers have lost two of their last three games, both against ranked opponents. They look to get revenge on their regular-season finale loss Thursday against Oklahoma State. If they win, Bob Huggins will get his 900th win.
- Ohio State (18-8) The Buckeyes are trending downwards at the worst time possible. They’ve lost four straight games, with three of them against top 5 teams. They’re lucky that they were on a seven-game win streak going before to the current losing streak. They need to stop looking lost on offense.
- Kansas (19-8) The Jayhawks have won 7 of their last 8 games, including a big win being over Baylor. The Big 12 is looking incredible this year. David McCormack should be first-team All-Big 12.
- Oklahoma State (18-7) The Cowboys showed that their team goes beyond Cade Cunningham by beating West Virginia on the road without him. Oklahoma State is better than I thought.
- Villanova (16-5) Villanova will be without Collin Gillespie, possibly their best player, for the rest of the season. He’s a tough kid, but will they survive without him? Only time will tell.
- Virginia (17-6) The Cavaliers won the ACC Regular Season Title after Florida State lost and Virginia beat Louisville. I’m curious to see what we will see when they play in this year’s ACC Tournament.
- Texas (17-7) The Longhorns end the regular season on a three-game winning streak, the best win being Oklahoma. Texas looks to win a game against Texas Tech after getting swept in the regular season.
- Florida State (15-5) The Seminoles lost two of the last three games, which cost them the ACC Regular Season Title. They’re a really good team, but ending the season on that note isn’t a good look.
- Creighton (18-7) The Bluejays are in quite a spot. Greg McDermott received a suspension by the university for using a “plantation” analogy, and they’ve lost two of the last three games. Beating Butler to end the season is a good look heading into the Big East Tournament.
- Loyola Chicago (24-4) The Ramblers are going dancing! They’ve won 9 of their last 10 and will be coming into Indianapolis on a six-game winning streak. They are one of my favorite teams to watch, and I have no doubt they will do damage in the tournament.
- San Diego State (20-4) The Aztecs are white-hot right now. They’re on an 11 game winning streak, which is only going to get better in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
- Purdue (18-8) The Boilermakers are heating up at the right time. On a five-game win streak, Purdue is a team none of the Big Ten teams want to face in the conference tournament.
- Texas Tech (17-9) Texas Tech has won three of their last four but unfortunately closed the regular season with Baylor, who had the best three-point shooting performance I’ve seen in a while. Don’t sleep on this team, though.
- USC (21-6) The Trojans finished the season beating Stanford and UCLA. Evan Mobley is my pick for Pac-12 Player of the Year.
- Oklahoma (14-9) The Sooners ended the season on a four-game losing streak, which isn’t good coming into the Big 12 Tournament. Austin Reaves is a terrific player, however.
- UConn (14-6) The Huskies are white-hot going into their first Big East Tournament since 2013. They’ve won six of the last seven, and RJ Cole has been getting better by the game. They have a wide-open shot at the Big East Championship. This team is much better than an 8 or 9 seed, but having no ranked wins isn’t ideal.
- Colorado (20-7) The Buffaloes finished off the season defeating some of the top teams in the Pac-12. McKinley Wright is one of the top players in the conference, and Colorado is a tournament team. If only their students didn’t throw a massive party for no apparent reason.
Calhoun's Corner 