6. Houston
It’s hard to beat someone twice, especially on their home floor. Houston had already beaten Texas Tech and got a 42-point performance from Kingston Flemings, and it still wasn’t enough to beat Texas Tech in Lubbock. I’m not sweating it, though, and am still in on this team as a National Championship contender.
7. Purdue
I’m not a doctor, and I’m not in the locker room, but it seems like something is wrong with Trey Kaufman-Renn. He hasn’t scored more than 12 points or grabbed more than 9 rebounds in a game since January 3rd. This Boilermaker team needs him to be at his best if they want to go far in March.
8. Texas Tech
The advanced metrics don’t love this team, and they have zero depth behind their starters, but it’s hard to ignore what the Red Raiders have done on the court. They have wins over Duke, Houston, and BYU. No other team has a trio of wins that good. JT Toppin is my vote for National Player of the Year.
9. Gonzaga
No Braden Huff, no Graham Ike, no problem for the Zags this past week. The development of Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Supery has been a big reason why. However, they’ll want to get at least one of their big men back by Saturday, as they take on the massive frontcourt of Saint Mary’s.
10. Nebraska
This is going to be the toughest week of the season for the Cornhuskers – they travel to Michigan on Tuesday night and then take on Illinois on Saturday, all while being potentially without Braden Frager and Rienk Mast. That incredible win streak looks like it’s going to come to an end – either that or I’ll have the Huskers at #2 in my next rankings.
