6. Iowa State
Right after I doubted them, Iowa State responded with two of its biggest wins of the season, picking off Kansas and Houston at home. The experience of Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, and Nate Heise has shown up in these two wins, and they’re going to be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.
7. UConn
Like Molly Hatchet, UConn was flirtin’ with disaster this past weekend, narrowly escaping Georgetown with a 4-point victory. Tarris Reed, who has been instrumental to the Huskies’ success this season, has now been called out by his coach. Let’s see how he responds this week.
8. Illinois
Keaton Wagler has been on an absolute tear, but I think we’re starting to see a blueprint for defending him. He lacks the high-end athleticism as some of the other top freshmen in the class. Now, we also have the return to the lineup of Kylan Boswell that also throws a wrench into how this team will operate, but may increase their ceiling in March.
9. Purdue
The Boilermakers are starting to heat back up, winners of their last four, including a road OT victory over Nebraska and road demolition of Iowa. This team will go as far as Braden Smith can take them, but getting an extra scoring punch of Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn will help go a long way.
10. Texas Tech
The ranking may seem high for Texas Tech’s overall resume, but this team has high-end wins that no other team in the country can compete with. They’ve literally beaten Duke, Houston, and Arizona, three teams in my top-4. They also boast my vote for National Player of the Year, JT Toppin.
