16. Nebraska
We are 27 games into the season, the Cornhuskers are 23-4, and I still don’t think I really have a feel for how good they are. I feel like the way Fred Hoiberg has constructed this team creates a high floor and low ceiling. To me, they feel like a team that will be a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament and lose in the Round of 32 to a 6 or 11-seed who shoots the lights out.
17. Arkansas
The Razorbacks are not a team that I would want to see in my bracket if I were a top seed when March rolls around. John Calipari has an illustrious list of guards that he has coached, and Darius Acuff may just be the best of all of them when examining only their time in the collegiate ranks.
18. Texas Tech
Grant McCasland must love the movie “Moneyball.” He’s not trying to replace the production of JT Toppin with one man, and instead, he’s recreating it in the aggregate. A little bit of shot blocking and interior finishing from Luke Bambgoye, a little bit of pick and roll play from LeJuan Watts, and some energy from youngster Josiah Moseley, and you’ve done about as good of a job of replacing JT Toppin as you possibly can.
19. Vanderbilt
On one hand, the Commodores are losers of two straight and are fading fast, going 5-6 since starting 16-0. On the other hand, every one of their recent losses feels like it was a play or two away from being a win, and they possess one of the nation’s best guards in Tyler Tanner. I’m not counting them out.
20. Alabama
It’s funny how things work out – Alabama is actually 4-0 since Charles Bediako was ruled ineligible. A big reason why is the improved play from Aiden Sherrell, who would have made the whole Bediako saga irrelevant if he were playing like this the entire season.
