Happy New Year, everyone! I also want to shout out to everyone who has read this blog because it turned two years old yesterday. Thank you all so much, and I promise there will be more. Apologies for the inactivity, seriously. To begin 2023, I would like to take a look at the top 25 teams in the country, in my opinion:
- Purdue (13-0) (PREV: 1)
Purdue should be the easy pick for the top team in the nation after UConn lost on Saturday. Every game will matter from here on out, as they have Big Ten games now and no more buy games. Rutgers, Ohio State, and Penn State this weekend is tough for Zach Edey and the Boilermakers.
- Arizona (13-1) (PREV: 5)
Arizona beat a very good Arizona State team on Saturday in Tempe, improving to a seven-game winning streak. With the Twin Towers in Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo, the Wildcats are one of the best teams in the country. They will have two Washington teams this week at home against Washington and Washington State.
- UConn (14-1) (PREV: 2)
UConn has looked vulnerable ever since the Georgetown game, and they paid a price for that as they suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday at Xavier. UConn is in the middle of its toughest five-game stretch, which began with a win over Villanova in Hartford. Two massive games this week for the Huskies as they are on the road against Providence, the defending Big East regular season champions, and host Creighton, a team they have yet to beat.
- Texas (12-1) (PREV: 6)
Texas defeating Oklahoma could end up being the Longhorns’ best road win this season, which they won in a 70-69 thriller on New Year’s Eve. No one stood out in that game for me offensively, but Marcus Carr continued to lead for Texas with four steals. The Longhorns will have Kansas State and Oklahoma State on their schedule this week
- Kansas (12-1) (PREV: 4)
Kansas held off Oklahoma State in a New Year’s Eve battle at the Phog, winning 69-67. Jalen Wilson led the Jayhawks with 20 points in the win, with his name mentioned as maybe the Big 12 Player of the Year. Texas Tech and West Virginia are two road games next up for the defending champions.
- Houston (14-1) (PREV: 3)
.Houston ended 2022 with a 71-65 win over UCF at the Fertitta Center. Marcus Sasser continues to be in the race for National Player of the Year, a conversation he hasn’t been mentioned in a lot due to the frontrunners separating themselves from the rest of the competition. SMU and Cincinnati are next up for the Cougars as they continue to keep their undefeated conference record alive.
- Alabama (11-2) (PREV: 8)
Alabama is phenomenal, with Brandon Miller without a doubt my pick for Freshman of the Year. The Crimson Tide picked up a road top-25 win on Wednesday over Mississippi State, beginning their SEC schedule with a bang. Despite Miller being the star, it was Mark Sears who led the team in scoring in their last game. Nate Oats & Co. will stay in Tuscaloosa this week for two games against Ole Miss and Kentucky.
- Tennessee (11-2) (PREV: 7)
Tennessee ended 2022 on Wednesday with a 63-59 road win over Ole Miss to begin conference play. Santiago Vescovi led the Vols with 22 points and 8-for-14 shooting. They can improve to 3-0 in the SEC if they earn wins over Mississippi State and South Carolina this week.
- Gonzaga (12-3) (PREV: 10)
Drew Timme led the Zags to a blowout victory over Pepperdine to begin their conference schedule in the West Coast Conference. He had 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the win, continuing to make his case for the Wooden Award. Gonzaga will have San Francisco and Santa Clara on the road this week.
- UCLA (13-2) (PREV: 11)
The Bruins have not lost since finishing last in the Continental Tire Main Event, on a ten-game winning streak. Jaime Jaquez has made his name known in the Pac-12 Player of the Year competition. He and point guard Tyger Campbell led the Bruins to back-to-back road victories over Washington State and Washington this past weekend. UCLA will have a rivalry game at home against USC on Thursday as the only game this week.
- Virginia (10-2) (PREV: 13)
Virginia ended 2022 with a blowout win on the road against Georgia Tech, led by a 15-point, eight-assist game by Kihei Clark. The Cavaliers have now won back-to-back games after losing twice in a row to Houston and Miami (FL). The Hoos will take on Pittsburgh and Syracuse this week as every game from here on out is against an ACC opponent for Virginia.
- Miami (FL) (13-1) (PREV: 14)
Miami continues to impress this season as they earned an 11-point win at Notre Dame on Friday. The Hurricanes have only lost once, to Maryland at Mohegan Sun. They’re on a nine-game winning streak going into a road game on Wednesday against Georgia Tech. Isaiah Wong is the best player on the team, but it was Nijel Pack who led Miami in scoring against the Fighting Irish with 21 points.
- Xavier (12-3) (PREV: 22)
I’m very high on Xavier right now, with an impressive ten-point win over UConn on New Year’s Eve. Zach Freemantle deserves more recognition in the Big East, as he led with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Jack Nunge was awesome. Despite him having flu-like symptoms, he came back on the floor and scored 15 points for the Musketeers. Sean Miller’s team showed that they’re more than just Souley Boum. Xavier is at Villanova on Saturday for a huge showdown.
- Arkansas (11-2) (PREV: 9)
Arkansas struggled to start the SEC part of their schedule, falling 60-57 at LSU. Davonte Davis had 16 points to lead the Razorbacks in scoring in the loss. With Ricky Council leading the way, they look to bounce back with two games against Missouri and Auburn this week.
- Duke (11-3) (PREV: 17)
Duke bounced back with a 19-point win over Florida State after falling to Wake Forest on December 20. Ryan Young came off the bench for the Blue Devils and put up 20 points and 12 rebounds in the rout. I have loved freshman Kyle Filipowski leading his team, averaging nearly 14 points per game. NC State and Boston College are two road games for Duke this week.
- TCU (12-1) (PREV: 18)
TCU came out with a 67-61 victory over Texas Tech on New Year’s Eve, beginning their Big 12 schedule off on the right foot. Mike Miles had 23 points in the win. A ten-game winning streak for the Horned Frogs makes me forget about their lone loss, which was to Northwestern State. TCU has an extremely difficult schedule this week with games against Baylor and Iowa State.
- Missouri (12-1) (PREV: N/A)
Missouri is 12-1, picking up two huge wins recently over Illinois and Kentucky. Kansas is their only loss, which was a blowout in Columbia. The Tigers could be back, but it is way too early to say that. They have a phenomenal offense, led by Dmoi Hodge averaging 16.5 points per game. The offense goes beyond just Hodge, as Kobe Brown had 30 points in the win over Kentucky on Wednesday. Mizzou will have Arkansas and Vanderbilt this week as they look to stay undefeated in the SEC.
- Wisconsin (10-2) (PREV: 15)
Wisconsin only played two games in the second half of December, two buy games that ended up in wins. Now, the Badgers just have Big Ten teams on their schedule. They will begin with Minnesota and Illinois.
- Baylor (10-3) (PREV: 12)
Baylor suffered a 15-point loss in Ames against Iowa State to finish 2022. It’s not a great start for the Bears in the Big 12, but have Keyonte George as one of the conference’s best players. He and Adam Flagler combined for 36 points in the loss on Saturday. Baylor will stay in Waco this week as they host TCU and Kansas State.
- Indiana (10-3) (PREV: 16)
Indiana has back-to-back wins going into 2023, beating Elon and Kennesaw State before a long break. After nearly two weeks off, the Hoosiers will play Iowa on Thursday. They also host Northwestern on Sunday. Will Indiana be rusty, that is the question we’re all asking.
- Auburn (11-2) (PREV: 20)
Auburn began SEC play with a 61-58 win over Florida on Wednesday night. The Tigers were led by Johni Broome, who had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Bruce Pearl and his team will have Georgia and Arkansas this week, the latter being a top-25 matchup.
- New Mexico (14-0) (PREV: 22)
New Mexico is one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the country, Purdue being the other team. The Lobos are ranked, but they haven’t had the best schedule. Their best win has come against Saint Mary’s on the road, which is quite impressive. They also beat Iona in the battle of Pitinos. Fresno State and UNLV are up next in New Mexico’s Mountain West schedule.
- Kentucky (9-4) (PREV: 19)
What is wrong with Kentucky? A lot. They did give Louisville some hope in the first half before routing the Cardinals 86-63. They lost to Missouri, a team they normally handle just fine. How will the Wildcats respond as they turn the calendar to 2023? LSU and Alabama are two challenges this week for John Calipari, whose coaching has been questioned this season.
- Iowa State (10-2) (PREV: N/A)
I love Iowa State this year, coached by T.J. Otzelberger who has proved doubters wrong so far. They blew out Baylor by 15 points, led by Gabe Kalscheur who had 23 points with five three-pointers.
- Providence (12-3) (PREV: N/A)
Guys: Bryce Hopkins is for real. He has made his name as possibly the best transfer player in the country, certainly one of the best players in the Big East. They went undefeated in December and began 2023 right with a blowout road victory over DePaul. Devin Carter led the Friars with a 22-point, four-block, five-steal performance. That’s unreal. They will host UConn and St. John’s on Wednesday and Saturday respectively.
Calhoun's Corner 