6. UConn
The Huskies finally lost their first Big East game of the season, on the road at St. John’s. I still view the Huskies as a National Championship contender, but St. John’s definitely exposed the lack of interior defense that UConn can have at times.
7. Florida
The Gators are once again looking like the class of the SEC after a massive road win at Texas A&M. They will be a tough out in the postseason because most teams will struggle to match up with their massive frontcourt of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Rueben Chinyelu. Texas A&M certainly did.
8. Michigan State
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Jeremy Fears now has multiple games of questionable antics after a little hip check in the Illinois game. He’s beginning to get a reputation as college basketball’s dirtiest player, the most prominent case since Grayson Allen. True or not, it’s good for the sport to have a unified villain.
9. Kansas
I’m frankly tired of the Darryn Peterson saga. I don’t understand why one of the nation’s best players, and top NBA prospects, doesn’t outwardly appear to be trying to play every minute of basketball that he possibly can. And behind closed doors, maybe he is. But the game-by-game “will he or won’t he” is honestly annoying.
10. Iowa State
Potentially, only Arizona has a more impactful remaining schedule than Iowa State, whose Big 12 schedule is incredibly back-loaded with games against Kansas, Houston, Arizona, and BYU remaining on the docket. Tamin Lipsey is starting to look like the Tamin Lipsey we saw last season, and he will need to be in order for the Cyclones to keep pace in the Big 12.
