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It's that time of year, again! We're entering the most pivotal point of college basketball season. With enthralling conference matchup's taking place every night, the bright lights are firmly on the court. It's fair to say the spotlight in NCAA college basketball is not shared equally amongst all programs, as usual blue collared programs will always attract more media attention. But, this season, the excitement is through the roof, as we barrel down into March Madness.
NCAA College Basketball - Power Ranking
The 2020-21 campaign has been dotted with major upsets and unforeseen results. On January 19th, unranked Purdue knocked off No. 13 Ohio State in a contest that went down to the wire. However, with so many alterations and teams bumping up and down the ranking -- some even getting knocked out (teams like Duke, shockingly) it appears the selection process for March Madness will only get interesting from here on.
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
The most elite team in this lineup has to be the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The West Coast Conference members (16-0, 7-0 WCC) still remain as one of few teams unbeaten this season, recently beating Pacific Saturday 95-49.
Bulldogs have had a historic start to the season, having already beaten some really prestigious programs in Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia, and Virginia. Though, the real test will come whenever the NCAA reschedules Gonzaga’s much anticipated matchup against No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears.
Player to look out for -- Senior Corey Kispert, the 6”7 small forward, serves as a great asset for this team. He was on fire Thursday night with 19 points in Gonzaga's win against the San Diego Toreros.
A reliable catch and shoot player, who has the ability to convert from anywhere beyond the arc with his unlimited range. Kispert also moves great off of the ball, posing a huge threat on the perimeter for the opposition.
2. Baylor Bears
Another team that stands unbeaten are the Baylor Bears. This powerhouse squad is stacked with guard play, which revealed itslef, recently, in back-to-back Big XII wins against No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma State.
Baylor Bears (15-0, XII 8-0) is the real deal, and, arguably, the best in the country at taking teams out of sync. They have been excellent on the defensive end, managing to hold their opponents to just 61.8 points per game so far this season.
Player to look out for -- Guard Jared Butler is the embodiment of this team: tough. Now, Butler is not a guard with a lot of size that strikes fear into his opponents, but, please, don’t be fooled. The junior guard is a physical player on both ends of the floor, as his offensive game predicates on creating space for himself to attack the lane at any time and finishing strong at the rim. He can also be a handful from the shooting range.
3. Michigan Wolverines
When it comes to the Michigan Wolverines, you can’t help but notice the amount of firepower on this roster. Generally, there’s always the one guy on a team who can do it all for their program. Though, in contract a team like Michigan, (12-1, 8-1 Big 10), is utilizing multiple players willing to function in unison offensively and defensively -- creating difficult matchups for any team that comes up against them.
Player to look out for -- Freshman center Hunter Dickinson is a player many need to keep their eyes on. He’s developing at a rapid pace and serves as an integral piece for the Michigan Wolverines program. At 7’2, Hunter rim-runs very well for his size. The textbook big-man gives opposing teams chaos down low and knows where to place the ball on the floor -- putting the team's offense in automatic scoring position.
4. Villanova Wildcats
A 73-81 loss suffered to Virginia Tech on November 11 shouldn’t cause Villanova (10-0, 5-0 Big East) fans to press the panic button come tournament time. You win some, you lose some (this one was bad, though). But, since that loss, Villanova has won six straight (including a big win against No 17. Texas) and has the No. 1 seed in the Big East at 5-0. This team should go far in March, as expected.
Player to look out for -- Returning guard, and leading scorer for the Wildcats, Colin Gillespie, provides much needed, veteran leadership for this program. Gillespie's ability to back down smaller guards with his size serves great for this team’s offense. Currently the senior guard is averaging 15.9 points per game on 44.3% shooting and 44% from beyond the arc.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
The most intriguing, yet hottest, team on this list goes to the No. 9 ranked (in the nation) Alabama Crimson Tide. The team replaces Tennessee with a No. 1 spot in the SEC standings. On Tuesday night, Alabama defeated Kentucky, 70-59 en route to their 10th straight victory at 14-3.
With wins against No. 3 SEC ranked Tennessee (ranked 18th overall), No. 4 SEC ranked LSU, and the win against Kentucky, tonight, Alabama is a team that should have everyone's attention. It’s safe to say Alabama (14-3, SEC 9-0) deserves a spot on this list.
Player to look out for -- Guard John Petty, senior, is playing, outright, phenomenal. Last Tuesday night, in leading his team to a win over LSU, Petty set a record for most 3’s made in Alabama Crimson Tide history.
Although, Tuesday night, the senior guard came up with just 10 points on 4-7 shooting, he still shows a lot of promise for this team moving forward.
