11. Gonzaga
Maybe Mark Few’s team just needed a loss to kick it into high gear, as they have been absolutely rolling since their loss to Portland. With Braden Huff still out, Graham Ike has upped his game even more, tallying 21 and 15 in the most recent win over Santa Clara.
12. Michigan State
The loss to Wisconsin showcased one of my concerns with this Michigan State team – if another team has a really hot shooting night, they can struggle to keep up. When Wisconsin hit 43% from 3, Michigan State did not have the offensive firepower to keep up. Developing Kur Teng into their new shooting guard with the injury to Divine Ugochukwu will be something to monitor as the season goes on.
13. Kansas
I don’t quite know what to make of this Kansas team. And of Darryn Peterson. But what I do know is that no one-seed or two-seed will want them to be in their bracket come Selection Sunday, because they have the high-end ceiling to beat anyone on any given night.
14. Virginia
Time just keeps going by, and Virginia just keeps on winning. Granted, none of the wins are all that impressive in a vacuum, but the nightly consistency in year one of the Ryan Odom era is what impresses me the most with this team.
15. St. John’s
The Red Storm withstood one of the most egregious fouls in the history of college basketball and a few ejections in their win over Providence on Saturday. The biggest development of this team is that they may have finally found their starting point guard – Dylan Darling has been electric in the last two wins.
