21. Saint Mary’s
Some of the biggest winners of the week were the Saint Mary’s Gaels, who knocked off the top two teams in the WCC in Gonzaga and Santa Clara. A big reason why? Mikey Lewis has turned into a microwave that can get hot at any time.
22. Virginia
Well, Virginia, you had your chance this past weekend. And you blew it. A resume that was devoid of signature wins (and bad losses) went into Cameron Indoor with a chance to shock the college basketball world. Spoiler alert: they did not. And did not look remotely competitive against a team of Duke’s caliber.
23. Wisconsin
Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. That’s exactly what you get with Wisconsin. A team that has a ceiling high enough to beat Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State also has a floor low enough to lose to Oregon. But it’s guard play that rules in March, and the Badgers have two of the best in Nick Boyd and John Blackwell.
24. North Carolina
No team in the country is going to be relying on getting a player back from injury quite like the North Carolina Tar Heels. If they get Caleb Wilson back, they have legitimate Final Four upside. Without him, I could envision a first-round exit.
25. Texas
I continue to bang the drum for the Texas Longhorns. They’re going to be an incredibly tough out in March. They have experienced guards in Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope, glue guys in Chendall Weaver and Camden Heide, an NBA prospect in Dailyn Swain, and a 7-footer who will foul out your entire student body in Matas Vokietaitis.
As we get ready for the Madness, make sure to check out the rest of our college basketball analysis.
