By Aidan Joly
The final full month of the season has arrived and there is still plenty of questions left to be answered before the end of the regular season and postseason play begins. Here are six of my questions as we enter the last few weeks of the college basketball season.
Is Purdue far and away the best team?
Of the true national championship contenders, the Boilermakers are the only one with one loss. It is one of two teams in the country with only one loss, Florida Atlantic being the other. Heck, it it one of four teams in the country with two losses or less, with Houston – another title contender – and Charleston being the only two-loss teams in the country. The overall record of 22-1 (11-1 Big Ten) may look better than what it is due to the lackluster nature of the rest of the Big Ten, but it still extremely impressive nonetheless. Nobody should declare the Boilermakers national champs, but if things hold up, this program might have its first national title ever.
Who will win the Big 12 and the Big East?
The Big 12 has been a collision course all year and now has six teams in the top 15 of this week’s AP Poll. Any of the six between Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, TCU, Iowa State and Baylor could end up winning the league. Every single game matters. In the Big East, it seems to be down to two teams in Marquette and Xavier, with Providence waiting in the wings in third. Creighton could get hot, too. A date on February 15 between Marquette and Xavier in Milwaukee looms, with the winner getting a major lift to the Big East regular season title.
What will Kentucky’s March look like?
It has certainly been a season of basketball in Lexington this year. Fans were calling for John Calipari to get the ax following a 3-4 stretch in December and January that included losses to Missouri and South Carolina. However, the Wildcats have gone 5-1 since the loss to South Carolina, including a huge win over Tennessee. Now, it is 6-3 in SEC play and 15-7 overall. It’s tough to predict how the rest of the season will go in Lexington. It could really go either way.
Will the bluebloods (outside of Kansas) do anything in March?
This is kind of a part two to the last question. It’s tough to tell with Kentucky. Meanwhile, Duke and North Carolina both sit at 7-4 in a mediocre ACC, both having disappointing seasons by program standards. Neither of them have been nationally relevant all year, it seems. Expect both to be in the bracket, but maybe not do too much. Also, if you want to call Indiana a blueblood – the Hoosiers are the only other ranked team in the Big Ten but are still just 6-5 in the league. It is also sure to drop out of the rankings following a loss to Maryland on Tuesday, a loss that snapped a five-game win streak after a 2-5, 3-6 stretch. It seems like a one step forward, two steps back season in Bloomington. Second round seems to be the ceiling for all three of these teams.
Can we trust Tennessee?
Conventional wisdom says, sure, trust the Vols. However, the offense of this team has been incredibly inconsistent and has put up a few putrid performances shooting the ball. That was on display on Wednesday night, when it only managed 54 points against unranked Florida and lost by 13, shooting just under 28% from the field along the way. This is a team where you might not be sure what you’re going to get. It feels like the Vols are on the way to the Elite Eight, or a second round exit.
Could Gonzaga lose the WCC regular season title?
This is one of the weaker Gonzaga teams in recent memory and it is showing with the on-court product. It has only lost one game in conference play, but it was against a Loyola Marymount team that will not sniff the NCAA tournament. Meanwhile, St. Mary’s is rolling, undefeated in the league and hasn’t lost a game since December 18. Gonzaga and St. Mary’s are set to face off the first time this season on Saturday, a game that could be very telling in how the rest of the regular season will go in that league. Gonzaga has won 10 WCC regular season titles in a row and that streak is in danger of being snapped (and it has only not won it once since 2000).
AJ Hoops 