We are less than two weeks away from Selection Sunday, can you believe it?! All excitement aside, this week features the start of Championship Week as well as teams fighting for seeding and tickets to the Big Dance. But first, let’s look at the best from the week that was…
Team of the Week: Kansas (24-5)
Last week the Jayhawks made an excellent case for #1 seed consideration. After beating down Texas A & M by double digits, they showed resilience in the Border War against Missouri. Down by 19 points, Kansas came back and beat their bitter rivals in overtime 87-86 to clinch their eighth-straight Big 12 Title.
Thomas Robinson dominated this game like he has been all season scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Perhaps the most impressive part of this comeback was that the Jayhawks did it without Center Jeff Withey, who was limited to nine minutes with an ankle injury.
Kansas continues to improve as the season goes on, something that no one imagined last fall when they were written off as Big 12 contenders.
Other Teams that Impressed:
Valparaiso (21-10): Valparaiso, Indiana is best known for two things: Orville Redenbacher and Bryce Drew. It feels like Drew’s game winning three against Ole Miss in 1998. Today, Drew is the head coach of his Alma matter and in his first season at the helm they won the Horizon League Title. They will host the semifinals and possibly the final of their conference tournament.
Drexel (25-5): It’s time to show the Dragons some love after clinching the Colonial for the first time in school history. Drexel has won 17 games in a row, that’s right, 17! With the added play-in games, I think the Dragons are among the top 68 teams in America whether they win or lose their conference tournament.
Alabama (19-9): For years I felt this was an underachieving program that couldn’t tap into its potential. That all changed when Anthony Grant left VCU to take charge in Tuscaloosa. The suspensions he handed out to some of his best players are an example of how tight he runs the ship. Yet, the Crimson Tide have won three of five games since the suspensions. Last week they won two of those games in impressive fashion winning at Arkansas by 11 and steamrolling a talented Mississippi State team by 17. So fear not Bama nation, the Tide will be dancing in March thanks to the great work done by their head coach.
Player of the Week: Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Davis dazzled the nation again this week with two outstanding performances against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. He owned the paint on both ends against Vandy scoring 28 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and blocking 6 shots. For a guy that’s taken a lot of criticism for his offensive game, he only missed one shot (11-of-12 FG) in the game.
This performance followed a 13 point and 11 rebound effort against Mississippi State in which Big Blue had to will their way to victory. Right now I have Davis slightly edging out Kansas’s Thomas Robinson as the Naismith Winner, but it will be a tight race all season.
Honorable Mention:
Jae Crowder, Marquette: He’s a major reason why Marquette will get a top four seed in March. He scored a combined 53 points in wins over Rutgers and West Virginia. If the Golden Eagles will go as far as Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom takes them.
Kenny Horton, Central Connecticut State: Here’s a shout-out to a talented shooter from back home in Connecticut. The Senior dropped a combined 61 pts (22-32 FG), 20 rebs, 8 asts, 10 stls in wins over FDU and Wagner.
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State: Usually I honor those who play multiple good games in a single week, but Franklin’s unbelievable stat line against Colorado State deserves mention. Franklin dropped 31 points and 16 rebounds against the Rams, not bad for a 6-5 guard.
Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev. Week |
| 1 | Kentucky | 28-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Syracuse | 29-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Kansas | 24-5 | 4 |
| 4 | Duke | 25-4 | 5 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 25-4 | 6 |
| 6 | Michigan State | 24-5 | 7 |
| 7 | Marquette | 24-5 | 10 |
| 8 | Missouri | 25-4 | 3 |
| 9 | Murray State | 28-1 | 12 |
| 10 | Ohio State | 23-6 | 8 |
| 11 | Baylor | 24-5 | 13 |
| 12 | Georgetown | 21-6 | 9 |
| 13 | Florida | 22-7 | 11 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 21-8 | 16 |
| 15 | Wichita State | 26-4 | 19 |
| 16 | UNLV | 24-6 | 21 |
| 17 | Louisville | 22-7 | 18 |
| 18 | Michigan | 21-8 | 14 |
| 19 | Notre Dame | 20-9 | 17 |
| 20 | Indiana | 22-7 | 25 |
| 21 | Florida State | 19-9 | 15 |
| 22 | St. Mary’s | 25-5 | 22 |
| 23 | Temple | 22-6 | 23 |
| 24 | San Diego State | 22-6 | 24 |
| 25 | Creighton | 25-5 | NR |
Next Up: Drexel, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt, New Mexico
Dropped Out: 20 New Mexico
What to Watch For this Week:
Monday
19 Notre Dame vs. 12 Georgetown- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
Tuesday
6 Michigan State vs. 20 Indiana- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
13 Florida vs. Vanderbilt- 9:00 PM EST on ESPN
Xavier vs. St. Louis- 9:00 PM EST on CBS Sports Network
Wednesday
7 Marquette vs. Cincinnati- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN2
Maryland vs. 5 North Carolina- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
Iowa State vs. 8 Missouri- 8:00 PM EST on ESPN3
Thursday
18 Michigan vs. Illinois- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
21 Florida State vs. Virginia- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN2
Georgia vs. 1 Kentucky- 9:00 PM EST on ESPN
Saturday
Ohio Valley Title Game- 2:00 PM EST on ESPN
12 Georgetown vs. 7 Marquette- 2:00 PM EST on ESPN3
17 Louisville vs. 2 Syracuse- 4:00 PM EST on CBS
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee- 4:00 PM EST on ESPN
5 North Carolina vs. 4 Duke- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
Texas vs. 3 Kansas- 9:00 PM EST on ESPN
Sunday
1 Kentuck vs. 13 Florida- 12:00 PM EST on CBS
Missouri Valley Title Game- 2:00 PM EST on CBS
Ohio State vs. Michigan State- 4:00 PM EST on CBS
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