Author: Aidan Joly

By Aidan Joly

The SEC is the highlight of the second part of my transfer portal additions pieces for the 2025-26 college basketball season.

Florida, the defending national champions, have made great backcourt additions in recent weeks, while Kentucky has made some adds that’ll put them back towards the top of the league again.

Let’s get into 20 more of these moves.

Henri Veesaar; Old school: Arizona | New school: North Carolina

Veesaar came off the bench the majority of the time for the Wildcats in 2024-25, but there is no doubting that Tommy Lloyd’s teams were better when he was on the floor. In just under 21 minutes per game Veesaar averaged 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. For a seven-footer he shoots the ball well, just under 60% from the field and a bit over 32% from three. A versatile defensive player, he will have a chance of playing at the next level if he succeeds at UNC.

Morez Johnson; Old school: Illinois | New school: Michigan

Johnson was a top-30 recruit one year ago and did decently well as a freshman in Champaign, to the tune of 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game before going down with a wrist injury in mid-February that knocked him out for a month before the postseason. Before getting hurt, he had 11+ points in four of the eight previous games. If he can take a step in Ann Arbor, he can have a very nice sophomore season.

Boogie Fland; Old school: Arkansas | New school: Florida

Fland joins the defending national champions, coming back to college basketball after testing the NBA waters. He was only projected to be a mid-second round pick. A five-star recruit a season ago, he had a terrific first season at Arkansas, averaging 13.5 points per game. He is also a very good and mature for his year passer, averaging 5.1 assists per game in his first season in college basketball. Paired up with Xaivian Lee (we’ll get into him a little later), Fland will be the replacement for Walter Clayton Jr. in what will be another elite Gator backcourt.

Jaland Lowe; Old school: Pitt | New school: Kentucky

Lowe had a tremendous freshman season at Pitt in the 2023-24 season that resulted in draft buzz heading into 2024-25, but dips in efficiency led him back to college basketball for 2025-26. He did nearly double his scoring output from 9.6 PPG to 16.8 PPG, but shooting averages went down, especially from three, which went from 35.2% as a freshman to just 26.6% as a sophomore. If he can improve those numbers, he can go back to being a very, very productive player.

Owen Freeman; Old school: Iowa | New school: Creighton

Freeman is a very good post-up player who had a good season as a sophomore under Fran McCaffery, averaging 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on 63.8% shooting from the field. Those numbers improve on freshman numbers. He has shown a little bit of potential from three-point range as well. He did have 1.8 blocks per game on the defensive end, but will need to be surrounded by good defenders in order to succeed on that end of the floor. We will see if that happens with the Bluejays.

Dailyn Swain; Old school: Xavier | New school: Texas

Swain follows new coach Sean Miller, who went from Xavier to Texas earlier in the off-season. Swain is a legitimate NBA prospect who prospered in his first season of college basketball, averaging 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on 53.2% from the field, helping lead the Musketeers to an NCAA tournament win. He had 27 in a round of 64 loss to Illinois. It was actually something of a surprise that he didn’t declare for the draft this time around, even to test the waters. He needs to improve his shot, but if he does that he could hear his name called by the NBA in 2026.

Xzavier Brown; Old school: St. Joseph’s | New school: Oklahoma

Brown was quietly one of the best mid-major players in the country this past season, averaging 17.6 points per game and shot 35% from three on a team that finished in the top half of the Atlantic 10. He was a very consistent player at that too and got better as the season went along. He’ll find a way to get his points, even though he’s moving up considerably in the level of play.

Rodney Rice; Old school: Maryland | New school: USC

After struggling through injuries for a couple years at Virginia Tech – he played just eight games over two seasons – Rice showed what he is made of for a high major team. He averaged 13.8 points per game for the Terps and was a key piece on a team that went to the Sweet 16. He shot over 37% from three and 43.4% overall, a very capable shot maker when he gets open. He’ll get plenty of chances to do that with Eric Musselman and USC.

Wesley Yates III; Old school: USC | New school: Washington

Yates was a lethal knockdown shooter for the Trojans. As a freshman he made 43.9% of his attempts on the way to averaging 14.1 points per game. He shot over 47% from three in Big Ten play too, an extremely impressive figure. He is also six-foot-four, large for a guard, and plays with good physicality. He returns to Washington after spending a year there in 2023-24, albeit sitting.

KJ Lewis; Old school: Arizona | New school: Georgetown

Lewis does leave something to be desired on the offensive side of the floor, but he is one of the best defensive players you’ll see at this level. He started a handful of games at the beginning of the season before lineup change that saw him come off the bench the rest of the season. He thrived in it though, showcasing an ability to play multiple positions. Definitely a glue guy, and one that Georgetown could use in year three under Ed Cooley.

Jaron Pierre, Jr.; Old school: Jacksonville State | New school: SMU

Pierre was the Conference USA player of the year in 2024-25, averaging 21.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while hitting 38.2% of his threes on a team that came within a game of the NCAA tournament and ended up in the second round of the NIT. That was enough to get him a little bit of NBA buzz, too. He needs to work on his efficiency, but if he does that he can be maybe SMU’s best player in 2025-26.

Reed Bailey; Old school: Davidson | New school: Indiana

Bailey was another one of the best players in the Atlantic 10 this past season, averaging 18.8 points per game, admittedly for a Davidson team that struggled and finished just 6-12 in league play. Still he established himself as a solid sharpshooter, hitting 41.5% of his attempts from behind the arc. That’s especially impressive from a guy who stands at 6-foot-10. He is a very skilled big who will make an impact in year one under Darian DeVries.

Malique Ewin; Old school: Florida State | New school: Arkansas

Ewin is a do-it-all center. He averaged 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for a Florida State team that did struggle, but he was a bright spot for the Seminoles. He can hit shots at the rim and rebound well. He has good handles and is a good passer. He’s not the best defender in the world, but he plays solid defense. A shot is really the only thing he lacks, but for a player of that type that is OK. He should have an impact for the Razorbacks.

Jason Edwards; Old school: Vanderbilt | New school: Providence

Edwards was a very good player on a Vanderbilt team that was one of the biggest surprises in college basketball in 2024-25. After starting his career at North Texas, Edwards came in and averaged 17 points per game and made 35% of his threes for a Commodores team that made the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012. He plays better along another guard, but as long as Providence has good guard play, he should be great as a playmaker.

Kam Williams; Old school: Tulane | New school: Kentucky

Williams had a very good freshman season at Tulane in 2024-25, averaging 9.3 points per game while quickly getting a reputation for being a very good three-point shooter; he hit 41.2% of his attempts. Standing at 6-foot-8 he is also an active defender, having averaged more than one steal and block per contest. He still needs a little bit of development, but he is certainly a player who is starting to attract some NBA eyes.

Xaivian Lee; Old school: Princeton | New school: Florida

Lee has been one of the best mid-major players in the country the past two seasons. He could have left Princeton after the 2023-24 season but elected to return to the Tigers for another season. He averaged 16.9 points per game and made 36.8% of his threes. He has also garnered the reputation for being an elite passer, just the epitome of a good ball-handling guard. Coming to play for the defending national champions, he and Fland should create an elite backcourt in Gainesville.

Jacob Cofie; Old school: Virginia | New school: USC

Cofie had a very solid freshman season and at times looked like a one-and-done player, but slowing down as the season went on showed the need for a little bit more development. In just over 20 minutes per game he averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Standing 6-foot-10 he has the ability to play both the four and the five, something that will help his development both in the college game and as he works to the next level.

Aday Mara; Old school: UCLA | New school: Michigan

Mara came into college basketball two seasons ago as a highly touted prospect coming out of Spain, but his college career has left a little bit to be desired so far. He averaged 6.4 points per game for the Bruins in 2024-25 as a sophomore, but really came into his own as the season went on. He is a player who is due for a breakout season, and he very well could have that opportunity at Michigan under Dusty May.

Blake Harper; Old school: Howard | New school: Creighton

Harper had a terrific freshman season for Howard, averaging 19.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game on the way to the MEAC player of the year in his first season of college basketball. He has a great touch and shooting stroke, but there are some levels of concern about his efficiency. He will certainly have time to develop, but he will have to do it eventually as he makes the big jump from the MEAC to the Big East.

Mouhamed Diabate; Old school: Alabama | New school: Kentucky

Diabate is one of the best glue guys in the country. He has shown the ability to do just about everything on and off the ball and has the reputation for being a very, very good playmaker. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for Alabama in 2024-25 and was one of the better offensive rebounders in the country. He is a player who leans into what he is good at, which makes him efficient. He’ll be a guy who Mark Pope loves and will have a very important role in Lexington.

By Aidan Joly

After taking a month off of writing in this blog following the national championship game, all eyes were on the portal.

Much of the dust has settled and most players are where they will be for the 2025-26 season. For the second year in a row, I will do several of these writing about players and how they fit in their respective new spots.

As for this first part, St. John’s has grabbed several of the top names in the portal, while the rest have scattered among other teams in power conferences. Louisville has had a good month as well and will head into a promising year two under coach Pat Kelsey.

With that all being said, let’s get into the first group of names.

Yaxel Lendeborg; Old school: UAB | New school: Michigan

A NBA draft decision looms for Lendeborg, but for now Michigan has landed arguably the best player in the portal this year in the stud who spent last season at UAB. Lendeborg can get it done on both sides of the floor, averaging 17.7 points on offense. On defense, he averaged 11.4 rebounds per game and is a two-time AAC defensive player of the year. He is the type of two-way player who can be the centerpiece of Michigan’s roster – if he makes it to Ann Arbor at all.

Bennett Stirtz; Old school: Drake | New school: Iowa

The leader of Drake’s 31-win team that got to the second round of the NCAA tournament, he follows coach Ben McCollum to Iowa City from Des Moines. He was among the leaders of the most minutes played per game in the country and can score from everywhere on the court, to the tune of a 19.2 points per game mark this season. He will have a great chance of landing on an All-America list and propelling Iowa in the post-Fran McCaffery era.

Donovan Dent; Old school: New Mexico | New school: UCLA

Dent, one of the best point guards in college basketball this past season, makes the move out of the Mountain West and into the Big Ten. He shot 49% from the field for a team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament and shot just under 41% from three on the season. He averaged 20.4 points per contest. He earned conference player of the year honors this season. He’s great on defense too. Like Stirtz, he will have a real shot at being an All-American.

Ian Jackson; Old school: North Carolina | New school: St. John’s

Jackson has some flaws to his game, but he is a lethal shooter. That came to the tune of shooting 39.5% from three for the Tar Heels this past season on the way to averaging 11.9 points per game. The criticisms are there that he is a shooter and not much more while being turnover-prone, but he is a true shot-creator. Going from Hubert Davis to Rick Pitino, it will be interesting to see how he develops in what will be a very good Red Storm team.

Robert Wright III; Old school: Baylor | New school: BYU

Wright had a very solid freshman season at Baylor, averaging 11.5 points per game on just around 41% from the field and 35% from three. He is only 6-foot-1 but he is a big 6-foot-1, checking in at 185 pounds with the build of a football player, something that helps the physicality of his game in a big way. On what is going to be an extremely talented BYU roster, one that features top recruit AJ Dybantsa, he will look to be a guy who sets other guys up, while doing some of the scoring himself.

Adrian Wooley; Old school: Kennesaw State | New school: Louisville

Wooley had a dominant freshman season in Conference USA for Kennesaw State, averaging 18.8 points per game while shooting 51.2% from the field and 42.4% from three, while tacking on 76.9% from the free-throw line. He dominated all aspects of the game and came within one win of getting Kennesaw State into the tournament, scoring 28 points in a two-point loss in the conference title game. He is a potential future NBA player who can really blossom at a high-major.

Jayden Quaintance; Old school: Arizona State | New school: Kentucky

Quaintance is still only 17 and has a full season of college basketball experience under his belt. In his first year playing college hoops, he averaged 9.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Sun Devils. Those numbers don’t necessarily pop out, but keep in mind that this was being done by a player who was barely 17 years old. On defense, he was named all-Big 12. He still has room to grow offensively, but he has plenty of time. He could very well be a top-10 NBA pick in 2026.

Cedric Coward; Old school: Washington State | New school: Duke

Another player with a draft decision looming. It is a meteoric rise for Coward, who began his collegiate career at Division III and is now a potential first-round NBA pick who will go to Duke if he pulls his name out of the draft. He was off to a great start at Washington State and averaged 17.7 points per game until a shoulder injury ended his season six games into the year. He averaged 15.4 points per game at Eastern Washington two seasons ago. He would be a great fit in Durham for Jon Scheyer if he does play college basketball in 2025-26.

Moustapha Thiam; Old school: UCF | New school: Cincinnati

There seems to be a very high ceiling with Thiam. He is 7-foot-2, an elite shot blocker and has the ability to step out and make a three. As a freshman he averaged 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game at UCF, but was a little inconsistent shooting the ball. Most notably, he only made 29.1% of his 79 three-point attempts on the season. If he can be a little bit more of a consistent shooter, he can be a force for the Bearcats.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie; Old school: Maryland | New school: Tennessee

After transferring in from Belmont one year ago Gillespie made an immediate impact for the Terrapins, serving as the starting point guard on a team that made it to the Sweet 16. He averaged 14.7 points per game while shooting 45.3% from the field including 40.7% from three, and made over 88% of his free throws. A truly very good point guard, he should again be one of the best point guards in the country for the Vols.

Silas DeMary Jr.; Old school: Georgia | New school: UConn

DeMary took a big step as a sophomore at Georgia this season, averaging 13.5 points per game as the starting guard on a Bulldogs team that made the NCAA tournament. He stands at 6-foot-5, which is large for a guard, but gives him a big benefit as a bigger guy that can still run an offense as if he was two or three inches shorter. He really turned it on in February and March, averaging 19.3 points per game over Georgia’s final 10 games of the season. He should become a national star at UConn.

Ryan Conwell; Old school: Xavier | New school: Louisville

After a breakout season at Indiana State two years ago Conwell was perhaps Xavier’s best player in 2024-25, averaging 16.5 points per game and helping the Musketeers reach the tournament. He shot 41.2% from three and played very well on defense. He also has the ability to completely take over the game, which he did a few times. He scored 34 points in a win against Villanova on Jan. 14 and then scored 38 in a Big East tournament quarterfinal win against Marquette.

Dedan Thomas; Old school: UNLV | New school: LSU

Thomas was a two-time all-Mountain West pick and was one of the better point guards available in the portal. He averaged 15.6 points per game for the Runnin’ Rebels this past season to go along with 4.7 assists per game, making him an elite passer who can create plays. His shooting numbers took a little bit of a dip this season compared to his freshman year, but they were still good. He will have a chance to LSU’s best player in 2025-26 and perhaps have a shot at being all-SEC.

Bryce Hopkins; Old school: Providence | New school: St. John’s

Hopkins has had quite the journey in college basketball. He was a top-40 prospect headed to Kentucky in 2021-22, didn’t have a great freshman season, burst onto the scene as a sophomore at Providence a year later, tore his ACL midway through 2023-24 and played just three game for the Friars this past season before a bone bruise ended his season. Now, he heads to St. John’s. When he’s healthy he can be one of the best players in the country, but the key is staying healthy. He’s played just 17 games over the past two seasons.

Keyshawn Hall; Old school: UCF | New school: Auburn

Hall is another player who has entered the NBA draft, but if not he will spend the 2025-26 season at Auburn after an impressive season at UCF. He was one of the few contributors on a team that struggled in the Big 12, but still found a way to average 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds while being at least semi-efficient from the field. Auburn will be his fourth school, but his biggest one yet. He also spent time at George Mason and UNLV.

Tucker DeVries; Old school: West Virginia | New school: Indiana

DeVries was the best player in the portal one year ago after following his father Darian to Morgantown from Drake, but was limited to just eight games due to a wrist injury. Now he follows his dad again, this time to Bloomington. He averaged 14.9 points per game for West Virginia, but he is a two-time Missouri Valley player of the year and gaining notoriety for being an elite shooter and scorer. We will see what he looks like in the Big Ten.

Josh Dix; Old school: Iowa | New school: Creighton

Dix was a true breakout star in the Big Ten in 2024-25, averaging 14.4 points per game on 51% from the field. He’s a lethal shooter from behind the three-point line, nailing 42.2% of his threes while taking five of them per game. He’s a true shooter who can hit shots from all over the floor, something that will help Creighton. He is a good size too, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 210 pounds. He will be a difference-maker in Omaha.

Isaac McKneely; Old school: Virginia | New school: Louisville

Another solid add for Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals. Put simply, McKneely is one of the best three-point shooters in the country. For the Cavaliers in 2024-25, he made them at a 42.1% clip while taking around seven per game. That was even a slight drop from two seasons ago, when he made 44.5% of them. McKneely is sure to be the go-to guy when it comes to shots behind the arc for a Louisville team that is set to have some deep talent in 2025-26.

Chad Baker-Mazara; Old school: Auburn | New school: USC

It may come as something of a surprise, but Baker-Mazara still has collegiate eligibility. He is 25 years old and is one of the few players in the country who still has the extra COVID year. He is certainly an up-and-down player who can both help and hurt a team depending on the situation, but when he is on, he is on. He is a typical 3-and-D wing, averaging 12.3 points per game and is a career 39.8% three-point shooter. He can be a great defender if he is engaged, but can be a liability when he isn’t. Despite all of this, Baker-Mazara was a key cog on an Auburn team that made the Final Four.

Joson Sanon; Old school: Arizona State | New school: St. John’s

Sanon was a five-star recruit one year ago who had a solid freshman season at Arizona State. He averaged 11.9 points per game and shot just under 37% from three, just over 42% from the field overall. His season was something in parts though: he averaged 15.9 points per game over the first nine games, 6.5 PPG over the next 13 and then 18.8 in the final five. What kind of player is he actually? We’ll probably have a good chance at finding out.

By Aidan Joly

Florida is back on top of the college basketball world.

The Gators won the program’s third-ever national championship and first since 2007 by beating Houston in a 65-63 thriller on Monday night to close out the 2024-25 season.

Even more impressive in and of itself is that the Gators did it by coming back from 12 down in the second half, and having their star player in Walter Clayton be held scoreless in the first half. Clayton only finished with 11 points on the night on 3-10 from the field, including going just 1-6 from three.

We said throughout the entire tournament that Florida’s offense was the key to victory. On Monday night in San Antonio we saw its defense come through, holding Houston to just under 35% from the field and only 6-25 from three.

Florida’s offense wasn’t great, shooting just under 40% from the field and was 6-24 from three, but the ball bounced their way at the end and forcing multiple Houston turnovers in the closing minutes was crucial.

It caps off a season for the Gators that saw them end up going 36-4 overall, win a conference championship, earn a No. 1 seed in the tournament, and end up being the team cutting down the nets on a Monday night in April.

The Gators are indeed a worthy national champion. It beat a pair of No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, beat a No. 3 seed in Texas Tech, took down a No. 4 seed in Maryland and survived a furious effort from two-time defending national champion UConn in the second round of the tournament nearly three weeks ago now.

Despite a bad night Clayton delivered an all-time NCAA tournament performance that included a pair of 30-point performances – one in the Elite Eight and another in the national semifinal game. Will Richard, Alijah Martin, Alex Condon and even Rueben Chinyelu all had their moments over the past three weeks that allowed them to be the last team standing.

Among national champions in the KenPom era (since 1996-97), this Florida team has the second-highest overall net rating at 36.46, only trailing the 2001 Duke team that had a rating of 37.32. It barely edged out last season’s UConn team, which finished with a net rating of 36.43. About as close as you can get, but barely got them. (For reference, I will put them in order at the bottom of this post.)

Florida went 14-4 in and won a SEC that was considered to be the best conference in college basketball history, won 18 of its final 19 games and finished the year on a 12-game winning streak. It felt right for an SEC team to win the title after the league dominated this year and ended up sending a record 14 teams to this tournament.

It would have been a worthy national champion either way. After the loss, Houston finishes the season 35-5, went 19-1 in and won the Big 12, earned a No. 1 seed and led by 12 in the second half of the national championship game. It would have been a major, major vindication for coach Kelvin Sampson, who brought this program back from a really bad place a decade ago, but the 69-year-old coach has earned his flowers several times over. It’s heartbreaking for him, as a basketball lifer who had never made it to this point in the year, but Houston will have a real shot to be back at this point next season.

For Florida coach Todd Golden, he does what former Florida coach Billy Donovan did twice, win a national title in Gainesville. At 39 years old he becomes the first coach since Jim Valvano in 1983 to win a title before he turns 40. He does it in his third season with the program.

Golden did it by embracing analytics, something he was known for at his previous job at San Francisco, as well as knowing how to utilize the transfer portal with the best of them. Clayton came from Iona. Richard from Belmont. Martin from Florida Atlantic. Micah Handlogten from Marshall. A lot of times in college basketball it feels like all coaches want to do is collect the most talent they can and figure it out. Here, Golden comes out looking like a roster-building savant. Few of these players were highly regarded coming out of high school and even the portal itself, but Golden found a way to bring all of these pieces together to create a machine. It worked.

All in all, Golden is quickly becoming one of the best coaches in the country. He has found the formula. For as long as he is there, expect the Gators to be back at this point, continuing to be in the conversation for national championships.

All national champions since 1997, ranked by KenPom net rating

1. 2001 Duke (37.32)
2. 2025 Florida (36.46)
3. 2024 UConn (36.43)
4. 2008 Kansas (35.21)
5. 2019 Virginia (34.22)
6. 2021 Baylor (33.87)
7. 2018 Villanova (33.76)
8. 2000 Michigan State (33.61)
9. 2010 Duke (33.29)
10. 2013 Louisville (32.92)
11. 2005 North Carolina (32.77)
12. 2012 Kentucky (32.59)
13. 2015 Duke (32.48)
14. 2016 Villanova (32.01)
15. 1999 UConn (31.38)
16. 2009 North Carolina (31.14)
17. 2007 Florida (30.81)
18. 2023 UConn (29.86)
19. 1998 Kentucky (29.29)
20. 2002 Maryland (29.25)
21. 2004 UConn (28.30)
22. 2006 Florida (28.28)
23. 2017 North Carolina (28.22)
24. 2022 Kansas (27.49)
25. 1997 Arizona (24.61)
26. 2011 UConn (23.93)
27. 2003 Syracuse (23.28)
28. 2014 UConn (22.13)

By Aidan Joly

Much was made of the lack of upsets in this year’s NCAA tournament and the fact that the Final Four was made up entirely of 1-seeds for the first time since 2008.

How many complaints are there now?

We saw two instant classics on Saturday night at the national semifinals in San Antonio, with Florida beating Auburn 79-73 and Houston stunning Duke 70-67 to advance to Monday night’s national championship game.

The one everyone is talking about is the second game of the night. Duke led by 14 points with 8:03 to go. It led by nine with 2:06 to go. It led by six with 35 seconds left.

Yet, Houston went on a 10-1 run in the final 1:14, including scoring the final nine points of the game, to pull off an improbable comeback win.

A three from Emanuel Sharp with 34 seconds left cut the deficit to three. That was followed up by a steal from Mylik Wilson, which led to a Joseph Tugler layup with 24 seconds left to cut it to one. Then a Tyrese Proctor miss from the free throw line that led to a questionable foul call on Cooper Flagg. J’Wan Roberts hit the biggest free throws of his life to give the Cougars the lead. Flagg missed again, L.J. Cryer hit two more free throws to make it 70-67, and Duke never found a good shot in the final seconds.

For the first 32 minutes or so of this game, it was all Duke. Freshman phenom Flagg played well and it just felt like every time Houston had some life, Duke hit a big bucket to take the wind out of the sails.

Flagg dunked with 10:31 to go to make it 58-45 and that was the beginning of the end. The Blue Devils hit just one field goal the rest of the way as it was suffocated by Houston’s defense, the same defense that has allowed it to win 18 games in a row and has not lost in regulation since November. It went 19-1 in Big 12 play and won the conference tournament in what is Kelvin Sampson’s best coaching job to date. It’ll play in the title game for the first time since the days of Phi Slama Jama, going for the program’s first-ever championship.

Duke came into this season with tons of promise. The consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft flanked by other future lottery picks, along with veterans, although the year-to-year experience was there. There were certainly skeptics coming in.

Flagg and Kon Knueppel are not to blame for this loss – they finished with a combined 43 points and 14 rebounds. However, it’s fair to say the big buckets we were waiting for never came.

Duke’s season is certainly not a failure. The Blue Devils won 35 games, went 19-1 in the ACC, won a conference championship and made the Final Four. But the way the season ends is excruciating, even more than losing to 11-seed NC State in the Elite Eight last season. Duke has made it further in the tournament each year of Jon Scheyer’s three seasons than the season before. A national title is coming for Mike Krzyzewski’s heir. But it’ll have to wait.

The first game of the night featured the evening’s first come-from-behind victory.

Florida trailed fellow SEC squad Auburn by eight at halftime, and it felt like Auburn would end up cruising in the second half and getting to the national championship game.

Nope. Florida erased the deficit and took the lead in less than five minutes thanks to key scores from Will Richard, Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin. Until the final 1:33 no side had a lead larger than four, until Clayton had a three-point play to put the Gators up six, allowing them to stomp on Auburn’s neck and get to the national championship game since 2007.

All year, we have spent a lot of time talking about the two best players in the country: Flagg and Johni Broome. This tournament, Clayton has emerged as the consensus third best player in the country, and the argument can certainly be made that he has been the best player of the postseason.

Clayton has averaged 24.6 points per game through five tournament contests, and last night scored 30+ for the second straight game. He finished with 34 on Saturday night. According to Fox Sports Research, Clayton is the first player to have back-to-back 30+ point performances in the Elite Eight or later since Larry Bird. He is the first player to drop 30 in a national semifinal since Carmelo Anthony for Syracuse in 2003, and the fifth player to have 30+ in a Final Four game since 2000.

Not bad from a player who was a zero-star recruit out of high school in Florida, was considered a better prospect in football and began his college basketball career at Iona under none other than Rick Pitino.

This is the third game in this tournament Florida has escaped from. It barely beat UConn in the second round, and then found a way against Texas Tech in a classic Elite Eight game. Clayton, Martin and Richard have found a way.

Florida has won 11 in a row and 17 of 18. It won the SEC championship and got a 1-seed out of the best conference in college basketball history. Coach Todd Golden, in his third year in Gainesville by way of San Francisco, will now try to do what Billy Donovan did twice – bring a national title to swamp country.

By Aidan Joly

As the NCAA tournament roars on, as does the college basketball coaching carousel for the teams no longer alive.

Some of the biggest jobs on the market have been filled, some others remain open, while other hires have created domino effects for other schools. Let’s take a look at the power conference openings, plus a few more.

Florida State

Out: Leonard Hamilton | In: Luke Loucks

After 22 years at the helm in Tallahassee, Leonard Hamilton has retired. Hamilton won more than 450 games in his time with the Seminoles, but the program has slipped in recent years. It has not finished above .500 in ACC play since the 2020-21 campaign. It just finished a season where it went 8-12 in ACC play and 17-15 overall.

In his place is Luke Loucks, an alum of the program who will turn 35 next week. He was previously an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings.

Indiana

Out: Mike Woodson | In: Darian DeVries

A middling 41-39 in the Big Ten and 82-53 overall across four seasons was enough for Indiana to make a move off of Mike Woodson. Indiana is now on its sixth coach in 25 years with Darian DeVries, the former Drake coach who spent the 2024-25 season at West Virginia.

The other big name here was Ben McCollum, who Indiana was very interested in before going back to DeVries. DeVries went 150-55 in six seasons at Drake and made the NCAA tournament three times between 2021 and 2024, before a 19-13 campaign at West Virginia this year.

Iowa

Out: Fran McCaffery | In: Ben McCollum

The McCaffery era at Iowa came to an end after 15 seasons. McCaffery won nearly 300 games with the Hawkeyes, but back-to-back years missing the NCAA tournament was enough to prompt a change. He led them to the tournament seven times but never got to the second weekend.

In his place is the aforementioned McCollum, the Division II savant who spent spent a year at Drake, going 31-4, winning the Missouri Valley as well as an NCAA tournament game. A phenomenal hire in Iowa City.

Miami

Out: Jim Larranaga (Bill Courtney interim) | In: Jai Lucas

Larranaga announced his retirement the day after Christmas with his team sitting at 4-8. Interim coach Courtney didn’t do any better, going 3-16 as the team finished 7-24, one of the worst seasons in program history. A Final Four appearance two years ago feels much longer ago than that.

Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas, 36, takes the program over. A massive roster flip has begun as Lucas tries to right the ship in Coral Gables.

Minnesota

Out: Ben Johnson | In: Niko Medved

Johnson struggled in his four years with Minnesota, going 22-57 in Big Ten play, never finishing higher than tied for ninth in the league, and 56-71 overall. The program needs better financial backing in order to get top talent to compete in the Big Ten.

In his place is former Colorado State coach Niko Medved, a Minneapolis native and an alum of the program. He was the clear-cut favorite for the job and had been for some time. He went 143-85 in seven years with Colorado State and 78-50 in Mountain West play. He reached the NCAA tournament three times and was a buzzer beater shy of going to the Sweet 16 this year.

NC State

Out: Kevin Keatts | In: Will Wade

Keatts and NC State went on a miracle run to the Final Four one year ago, now he is out in Raleigh after a 12-19 season that saw the Wolf Pack go 5-15 in ACC play.

Wade, the exiled former LSU coach who returned to the game with two years at McNeese that culminated with a round of 32 appearance this year, is next up for the job. He was looking to get a power conference job and had been a candidate for just about every one that opened up. NC State wins those sweepstakes.

Texas

Out: Rodney Terry | In: Sean Miller

It never truly felt like Terry was going to be a long-term solution in Austin, but forced the school’s hand after going 22-8 and going to the Elite Eight as an interim head coach two years ago. Overall, he went 62-37 overall and 27-27 in Big 12 and SEC play over his time in Austin.

Replacing him is former Xavier coach Sean Miller. Now in the SEC, the program’s goal should be to be a top 10 program in the sport and compete for national championships. We will see if Miller, who went to the Elite Eight three times at Arizona, is able to make that happen.

Utah

Out: Craig Smith (Josh Eilert interim) | In: Alex Jensen

Smith was fired with four games remaining in the regular season with Utah sitting at 15-12 overall and 7-9 in the Big 12. The timing of the move was certainly strange.

However, in the end, it helped Utah get a head start on hiring Alex Jensen, a member of the program’s 1998 national title team. He was previously an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks. This is another program that does not have a great NIL situation and will need to get that up in order to compete in the Big 12.

Virginia

Out: Ron Sanchez | In: Ryan Odom

Ron Sanchez took over for the season following the sudden retirement of Tony Bennett in October weeks before the season began. It did not go well, with Virginia finishing 8-12 in ACC play and 15-17 overall.

Odom was a fairly obvious choice. His father was an assistant coach for the program in the 1980s and Odom has had success at fellow Virginia school VCU. Overall, he has a record of 201-117 as a Division I head coach between Charlotte, UMBC, Utah State and VCU. You’d also be remiss if you didn’t mention that he was the coach of UMBC when he shocked Virginia, becoming the first 16-seed to beat a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament.

Xavier

Out: Sean Miller | In: Richard Pitino

Miller departs for Texas, marking the end of his second tenure with Xavier. His second stint, three seasons, came with two NCAA tournament appearances and a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2023.

Replacing him is former New Mexico coach Richard Pitino, it was reported on Tuesday night. Pitino returns to the power conference ranks after struggling at Minnesota, but rebuilding his reputation at New Mexico, where he went 88-49 across four seasons and went to the tournament twice, including getting to the second round this year.

This also means we get Rick Pitino vs. Richard Pitino conference games.

Power jobs still open

Villanova

Out: Kyle Neptune

Villanova did what had been inevitable since November or December, moving on from Jay Wright’s successor after three seasons. It was the right hire at the time, but it just never worked out. Neptune went 54-47 overall and 31-29 in Big East play during his tenure.

Reportedly, this seems to be down to two names: Maryland’s Kevin Willard and New Mexico’s Richard Pitino. Maryland is still playing, which might delay a hire for at least a few more days.

West Virginia

Out: Darian DeVries

DeVries left West Virginia for Indiana after just one season in Morgantown. The Mountaineers went 19-13 and 10-10 in the Big 12 before surprisingly missing the NCAA tournament.

Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun was seen as an obvious candidate, but that speculation was seemingly put to bed on Tuesday as he signed a big contract extension keeping him with Utah State. I’ve seen North Texas’ Ross Hodge thrown around as a backup plan.

Hopefully, this hire will bring some much-needed stability for the program. The new coach will be the fourth coach in four years at WVU.

Other notable changes

Colorado State: Niko Medved is done at CSU after taking the job at Minnesota. Associate head coach Ali Farokhmanesh is the obvious pick here. He was a major part of Colorado State’s success and is ready for a head coaching gig.

Drake: Another program looking for a new coach after its coach departed for a power conference gig. Drake is a very good job and its last three coaches (McCollum, DeVries, Medved) are all coaching in the Big Ten. The new coach will need to keep that goung.

Fordham: Keith Urgo is out after just three years on the job. Fordham went 25-8 in his first season at the helm in 2022-23, but the Rams plummeted to 12-21 and 3-15 in the Atlantic 10 this season. Fordham is a very hard job, deep down in the Atlantic 10 pecking order.

Iona: The school’s administration was blasted for moving on from Tobin Anderson after just two seasons and a trip to the MAAC title game this season. Expectations are sky-high at that program, but moving on after just two seasons is tough to justify. Replacing him is Dan Geriot, a former New Orleans Pelicans assistant.

La Salle: Philly legend Fran Dunphy has retired at the age of 76. Dunphy won more than 600 games in a coaching career that lasted half a century, one of the most accomplished coaches at his level. Replacing him is former Radford coach Darris Nichols, who went 68-63 in four seasons with that program.

McNeese: After Will Wade departed after two seasons, Baylor assistant Bill Armstrong is the new head coach in Lake Charles. He will look to keep the program’s momentum going after back-to-back Southland conference titles.

Sacramento State: This one came out of nowhere. Fourteen-year NBA veteran Mike Bibby is the new coach of Sacramento State. Bibby’s only coaching experience came at a Phoenix-area high school from 2014-2019. We’ll see how he does. He replaces Michael Czepil, who went 7-24 in his lone season after taking over for David Patrick, who left to take an assistant job at LSU.

South Florida: This is a sad one to include. Former Arkansas State head coach Bryan Hodgson is the new coach at South Florida after the untimely death of Amir Abdur-Rahim in October. Abdur-Rahim was a rising star and went 16-2 in the AAC and 25-8 overall in his only season there. Ben Fletcher ran the team this year and went 13-19. Hodgson went 45-28 in two seasons with Arkansas State.

UNLV: Josh Pastner is back in the game after taking two seasons off. The former head coach of Memphis and Georgia Tech has been to the NCAA tournament five times and has an ACC title to his name dating back to 2021. He replaces Kevin Kruger, who was underwhelming in four seasons. The Runnin’ Rebels went 18-15 this season.

VCU: The Rams have another hire to make after Ryan Odom departed for Virginia. The job is consistently one of the top mid-major jobs in the country.

By Aidan Joly

Between Thursday and Sunday, 48 teams had their dreams of winning a national championship dashed, leaving just 16 left in the tournament.

Overall, it’s been a chalky tournament. All of the 1-seeds, three 2-seeds, two 3-seeds and three 4-seeds remain. Only one double digit seed is left, and that is 10-seed Arkansas.

That means we have a ton of high quality teams still left in the tournament. Let’s rank the 16 of them.

1: Duke

The Blue Devils have not had a problem in either of their tournament games so far, with a 93-49 win against Mount St. Mary’s in the first round and followed it up on Sunday with a 89-66 win against Baylor to advance.

Right now, Duke should be the favorite to win the national championship. They have been great against each opponent. Tyrese Proctor has been the best player on the floor in both games and was particularly great in the second round game, scoring 25 points on 9-10 from the field. Cooper Flagg had 14 points in the first game and 18 in the second as he returns from injury.

Final Four seems like the absolute bare minimum for what the Blue Devils will do. They see Arizona on Thursday night.

2: Florida

The Gators survived an outstanding performance from two-time defending national champion UConn on Sunday, what ended up being a 77-75 win. It came after an easy win against Norfolk State in the first round.

Alijah Martin was huge in the win for the Gators, but it was Walter Clayton’s shot making late in the game, headlined by a three with 1:07 to go that put Florida up six. He had 23 in the win.

The three-headed trio of Martin, Clayton and Will Richard is very, very good. In the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017, Florida will face Maryland on Thursday night in San Francisco.

3: Houston

Another team that survived a charge from a lower seed in the second round, Houston advances to the Sweet 16 after an 81-76 win against Gonzaga on Saturday.

Defense has been the reason why this team is so good, but its offense can’t be overlooked. LJ Cryer had 30 points in the win against Gonzaga, while J’Wan Roberts had 18 and hit big shots the whole way.

The Cougars, in the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight year, will need its defense to step up in a big way against Purdue on Friday night, one of the best offenses in the country. It will be a de facto road game Houston as well, being played in Indianapolis just an hour away from Purdue’s campus.

4: Auburn

The Tigers looked to be on the ropes a little bit in its second round game against Creighton, but a pair of 10-0 runs in the second half allowed them to put away the Bluejays by 12.

Tahaad Pettiford was great off the bench, scoring 23 points on 7-14 from the field, while Chad Baker-Mazara had 17 and Denver Jones had 15. Johni Broome only had eight, but he finished with 12 rebounds.

The Tigers have dominated on the boards in each of their first two games, out-rebounding their opponents 75-56 through the first two games.

The next game is a huge test though. The Tigers will face Michigan and their pair of seven-footers, Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin, on Friday night in Atlanta.

5: Tennessee

The Vols have looked good on both ends of the floor in the second round win against UCLA, leading by as many as 19 and ended up beating the Bruins 67-58.

The defense stepped up as UCLA only shot 37% from the field, including just 7-23 from three. The Vols shot 50% from three. Chaz Lanier was great, with 20 points, while Zakai Zeigler had 15.

Tennessee will face SEC conference-mate Kentucky on Friday in Indianapolis. The Wildcats swept the Vols in two meetings this season, winning 78-73 in Knoxville on Jan. 28 and 75-64 on Feb. 11 in Lexington. Now, they meet with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.

6: Texas Tech

Texas Tech never truly put 14-seed UNC Wilmington away until the closing minutes of Thursday’s first round game, winning by 10. It then turned away 11-seed Drake in the second round 77-64.

The Red Raiders have gotten to this point thanks to two great performances from JT Toppin, who is shooting 17-21 from the field in this tournament. Darrion Williams had 28 points in the second round win.

More good news is coming for the Red Raiders: they have a shot at getting Chance McMillan back, who hasn’t played since the Big 12 quarterfinals, and they get to play another double digit seed. Texas Tech will face 10-seed Arkansas in San Francisco on Thursday.

7: Alabama

Alabama could have been sent packing early. The Tide trailed 15-seed Robert Morris by one with seven minutes to go in Friday’s first round game before coach Nate Oats had to use a “break glass in case of emergency” move in bringing Grant Nelson in for the final seven minutes. Ultimately, Alabama won by nine.

The Tide looked much better on Sunday against Saint Mary’s, never letting the Gaels get close and winning by 14.

Having Nelson healthy is a welcome addition for an offense that already has a ton of guys. The Tide will play BYU on Thursday in Newark. It’s a game between two top-10 offenses in the country, so it should be a shootout. First to 90 wins?

8: Michigan State

I probably have Michigan State ranked a little lower than I should, but alas.

The Spartans had some trouble with New Mexico in the second round on Sunday night, but escaped with a 71-63 win. It got the win while having a dud from Jase Richardson, who shot just 1-10 from the field and finished with six points, his lowest point total in a month and a half.

Jaden Akins and Tre Holloman picked up the slack, finishing with 16 and 14 points respectively.

The Spartans will face Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Atlanta. The Rebels are a team that defends the three-point line very well, something the Spartans will surely have to game plan for.

9: Maryland

Maryland has lost on a buzzer beater three times this season.

On Sunday night the Terps finally came out on the right end of one, with Deriq Queen hitting a floater at the horn to give his team a 72-71 win against 11-seed Colorado State. A cool story: the hometown kid from Baltimore, a freshman, hitting a buzzer beater in the NCAA tournament. It’s also the only buzzer beater of the tournament so far.

Going from Seattle to San Francisco means Maryland is likely staying on the west coast for the week. Will that give it an edge against Florida? We shall see. I still like them as a sleeper Final Four team. It just had some March Magic.

10: Kentucky

How about Mark Pope’s first season in Lexington? It’s hard to believe it has been this long, but Kentucky is in the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since 2019.

It got here by having no problem with 14-seed Troy in the first round, and then beating Illinois on Sunday 84-75. The Wildcats led by five at the break and then went on a 10-0 run to start the second half, opening the lead up to 15. That essentially put the game away as Illinois was only able to cut it to six in the final two minutes.

Koby Brea had 23 in the win against Illinois on 10-16 from the field, while Lamont Butler had 14 on 4-5 from the field.

Going back to having faced Tennessee twice in the regular season and winning both matchups, it should go into this one feeling confident it can do it again.

11: Arizona

Arizona started its second round game on Sunday night in a poor fashion by trailing 19-4, but clawed its way back to beat to lead Oregon at the half by four and eventually won 87-83 in a game that had some old Pac-12 flavor.

It had no problem with Akron in the first round in an impressive 93-65 rout.

Caleb Love was good Caleb Love on Sunday, scoring 29 points on 10-18 from the field while adding on nine rebounds.

Love, ever inconsistent, will need to have a repeat performance if the Wildcats want to have a chance against Duke on Thursday night. We’ll see how it goes.

12: Purdue

The Boilermakers have played a pair of mid-majors so far. After High Point hung tough for the majority of Thursday’s first round game Purdue pulled away for a 75-63 win. After that, it took care of business by beating McNeese 76-62 on Saturday, a game that wasn’t even as close as the score indicated.

Trey Kaufman-Renn was terrific in the second round win, scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. He had 21 and 8 against High Point.

The Boilermakers’ forwards will certainly have their work cut out for them on Friday night against a super physical Houston team. On top of that, the shooters will need to be in excellent form if they want to pull off the upset.

13: Michigan

The Wolverines survived a test in the first round by pulling out a win against UC San Diego, and then erased a 10-point deficit to beat Texas A&M in the second round on Saturday.

The two forwards, Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin, have been as advertised in the tournament so far. Goldin had 23 points and 12 rebounds in the win against Texas A&M, while Wolf has grabbed 20 rebounds for the tournament so far. In the second round win it was Roddy Gayle who came up huge, scoring 26 points on 7-14 from the field.

The Wolverines, still going in a remarkable turnaround in year one under Dusty May after an 8-24 campaign last year, will have their work cut out for them against Auburn as they try to keep their season alive.

14: Ole Miss

The Rebels were awesome on offense in the second-round win against Iowa State on Sunday, shooting 58.2% from the field, including 57.9% from three, in a 91-78 win. Sean Pedulla had 20 points, while Jaemyn Brakefield had 19 off the bench. Malik Dia had 18, forming an excellent trio.

Ole Miss is very good at taking care of the basketball, which is a key factor in allowing them to get to this point. It only had eight turnovers in Sunday’s win.

This is semi-uncharted territory for the program. It has only been to the Sweet 16 once in program history, back in 2001, and has never gotten further than the Sweet 16. It faces Michigan State on Friday in Atlanta. If they win, it could very well set up a fourth(!) matchup against Auburn this season.

15: BYU

Hot shooting has allowed the Cougars to this point. In a 91-89 win against 3-seed Wisconsin on Saturday night they shot 46% from three, making 12 of them.

BYU is certainly a team getting hot at the right time, having won 11 of its past 12 games. Richie Saunders has been a joy to watch so far in this tournament.

This marks the first time BYU has been to the Sweet 16 since 2011, when Jimmer Fredette was in Provo. A lot of credit goes to Kevin Young and the direction he has this program going. It’ll try to keep going against Alabama.

16: Arkansas

The only double digit seed remaining. John Calipari’s Razorbacks got an ugly upset win against St. John’s on Saturday. The teams shot a combined 4-41 from behind the three-point line. Zvonimir Ivicic fouled out in just 10 minutes of action.

Despite that, Arkansas frustrated St. John’s and held Big East player of the year RJ Luis to 3-17 from the field – he was controversially benched with just under five minutes to go.

On the morning of Feb. 1, Arkansas was 1-6 in SEC play, 12-8 overall and was headed into Rupp Arena in Calipari’s return to Lexington. It won that game. Including that win, Arkansas went 7-4 in SEC play the rest of the year and is 10-5 since.

Now, the Razorbacks head from Providence to San Francisco to face Texas Tech.

By Aidan Joly

The play-in games for the NCAA tournament begin on Tuesday night, and then the full bracket begins on Thursday.

By April 7, one of the 68 teams will cut down the nets in San Antonio. Who could end up being that team, and how we will get there?

Let’s get into all of it, going region by region.

South Region

No. 1 seed Auburn is easily the class of this quadrant of the bracket as well as potentially the entire tournament. The Tigers finished the regular season with a record of 28-5, but have oddly lost three of their past four games, dropping each of the last two regular season games and then losing in the semifinals of the SEC tournament.

Still, Auburn should be the favorite to get out of this region and go to the Final Four. Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly and sensational freshman Tahaad Pettiford is a group that you can put up against just about anyone in the nation.

The top jobbers to the Tigers in this region will be 2-seed Michigan State and 3-seed Iowa State. Michigan State was the class of the Big Ten this season and has won 27 games behind some fantastic guard play from Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson and Tre Holloman. For Iowa State, the Cyclones have a very good seed but could see trouble as early as the second round. Coach TJ Otzelberger said right after the bracket announcement that second-leading scorer Keshon Gilbert will not play in the tournament due to a nagging groin injury. If the higher seeds win, Iowa State will be forced to play a very solid Ole Miss team in the second round, a team that has seen a lot of success in year two under coach Chris Beard. Personally, I like Ole Miss to get to the Sweet 16 in this region.

This is a bracket where a double digit team could get to the Sweet 16, and that team is the 12-seed, UC San Diego. The Tritons are in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history, went 30-4 and cruised through the Big West tournament. UC San Diego is rightfully so the trendy upset pick in the first round, namely due to them being one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers, and will be going up against 5-seed Michigan, a team that has struggled with taking care of the ball all season. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones and Tyler McGhie are getting ready to be household names later this week.

Thursday’s action gets going with the 8/9 matchup in this region, that being Louisville taking on Creighton. Louisville is back in the tournament for the first time since 2019 in year one under coach Pat Kelsey. Louisville went 27-7 overall, 18-2 in ACC play and reached the conference title game. It certainly feels under-seeded as an 8-seed, but only has to travel less than 100 miles to play in Lexington, so they will be essentially playing home games to begin.

The 7/10 matchup here is Marquette and New Mexico, an intriguing matchup that feels like it could go either way. It will feature a fantastic guard matchup between Marquette’s Kam Jones and New Mexico’s Donovan Dent, who has become one of the premier non-Power 5 players in the nation.

Also North Carolina is in this region as a team heading to Dayton. Quite simply, the Tar Heels should not be here and was a laughable decision by the selection committee, especially when there were several deserving teams ahead of them. West Virginia is the most glaring NCAA tournament omission in several years. I’d have put Indiana and Boise State ahead of the Tar Heels as well. None made it.

I expect Auburn to make it to the Elite Eight at the very least, but the second team feels fairly wide open as to who they could face. There are a numbers of candidates to do it.

West Region

Moving onto the bottom left quadrant of the bracket, this group is headlined by Florida, who made a late push to earn a No. 1 seed and won the SEC, a league that is sending a new NCAA tournament record 14 teams to the tournament.

The Gators have been a revelation all season, going from an under-the-radar-could-be-sneaky-good team to a squad that is a trendy pick to win the national championship. It went 30-4 behind the group of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, and recently got back Micah Handlogten in a role player status after missing much of the season due to injury.

Right in their path to the second weekend though, is two-time defending national champion UConn. The Huskies have taken a considerable step back this season and are an 8-seed after going 14-6 in Big East play and 23-10 overall, making a nice recovery after a disastrous Thanksgiving week at the Maui Invitational, where it went 0-3 and raised serious questions about how good the team would be. News flash: still pretty good. Alex Karaban, Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson are the only notable players from last year still wearing a Husky jersey, but Dan Hurley knows how to win in March. However, Florida is a tall task, and it would even have to get past Oklahoma to get there.

A fellow Big East team is one of the top teams in this region. St. John’s, the 2-seed in the West, is back in the tournament for the first time since 2019 and has its highest seed since 2000. Coincidentally, this was the most recent time St. John’s won a game in the tournament. It will certainly have a great shot, going up against 15-seed Omaha in the first round. Omaha is in the tournament for the first time ever.

It was a masterful job done by Rick Pitino, in his second season with the Red Storm, going 18-2 in the Big East and 30-4 overall, winning the Big East tournament without serious challenge. RJ Luis Jr., Zuby Ejiofor, Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith have all been great for the Johnnies. They have a real chance to win this region and get to the Final Four.

In the other first round game of their pod you’ll find a matchup between legendary head coaches whose teams have struggled this year, in Bill Self’s Kansas team going up against John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks. Kansas has not been Kansas all season after starting the season as preseason No. 1 in the nation, but it just has not come to fruition. Arkansas looked dead in the water a few weeks ago, but winning four of its last five regular season games and winning a SEC tournament game pushed them into the field.

A Final Four sleeper is the No. 4 seed in this region, Maryland. The Terrapins have a great group of players in Deriq Queen, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Julian Reese and has a shot to win at least two games. However, standing in their way is Memphis, although I think they are going to lose, or Colorado State, the 12-seed in this region. The Rams have playing as well as anybody in the country right now but still needed to win the Mountain West tournament to get a bid, which they did. Nique Clifford is a fantastic guard and he should give Memphis fits. However, the first round game does feel like one where PJ Haggerty scores 30 to lead Memphis to a win. We’ll see.

The 6/11 game here is intriguing as well, with Missouri going up against Drake. After a miserable 0-18 season last year Dennis Gates led Missouri to a 10-8 SEC record this season after re-tooling in the portal. Mark Mitchell and Caleb Grill have led Mizzou to a good season. However, Drake is a very tough draw. First-year coach Ben McCollum went 30-3 with his group of former Division II players, led by Bennett Stirtz, Daniel Abreu, Tavion Banks and Mitch Mascari. Heading into the season it was going to be fascinating to follow how this team did, and they passed every single test. Now, we see if they can win a tournament game.

This feels like a region where almost anyone could make a run. This didn’t even mention 3-seed Texas Tech, which also has a ton of tools. This is a very deep, and very good, region where many teams can win.

East Region

Moving onto the top right quadrant of the bracket to the East Region, the top seed in this corner is Duke. The Blue Devils had a dominant season in the ACC, going 31-3 overall and 19-1 in league play, cruising through and winning the ACC tournament along with that.

The main story right now is around freshman phenom Cooper Flagg. He suffered an ankle injury in Duke’s ACC quarterfinal game last week and was out for the remainder of the tournament. However, Flagg is expected to return for Duke’s opening round game against either American or Mount St. Mary’s on Friday. Mississippi State or Baylor will await Duke in the second round.

Duke certainly has the pieces to win a national championship, something the program now has not done in a decade. The top competition to the Blue Devils will be Alabama. The Tide made the Final Four for the first time in program history last season and arguably have a better team this year, behind one of the best players in the country in Mark Sears, topping the group off with Grant Nelson and Aden Holloway.

The rest of the region feels relatively weak. Wisconsin is a good team but I don’t expect the Badgers to make it to the Elite Eight. Arizona could make a run if Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley can go on a run – Love has plenty of tournament experience from his time with the Wildcats as well as North Carolina.

An intriguing team in this region is the No. 11 team, that being VCU. The Rams won the Atlantic 10 and went 28-6 this season, including 15-3 in league play. Max Shulga and Jordan Bamisile are an intriguing duo to keep an eye on. They will have their hands full in the first round with BYU, though. But, if the Rams can make it past the first round, they will have a real shot at making the Sweet 16.

Maybe the most interesting matchup in this quadrant is the 7/10 game, that being No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s against the No. 19 seed in Vanderbilt. Saint Mary’s had looked good all season and beat Gonzaga twice in the regular season, but looked bad in the WCC championship game, a game they it lost by seven, but it felt like a lot more. On the other side of the matchup is Vanderbilt, which has had a resurgent season in coach Mark Byington’s first season at the helm. It returns to the tournament for the first time since 2017. The Commodores shoot the ball well and take care of the basketball.

This region is certainly one that is very top heavy. It seems like a crash course for Duke and Alabama to meet in the Elite Eight, but that’s why they play the games. We’ll see. Personally, I have Duke not only winning this region, but also cutting down the nets in San Antonio.

Midwest Region

We head down to the bottom right quadrant in the bracket for the final region to discuss.

Houston is the top seed in the region. The Cougars have had a spectacular season, going 30-4 and 19-1 in Big 12 play, winning the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City last week. The group of LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, J’Wan Roberts and Milos Uzan is so, so good.

Tennessee is the No. 2 seed in the region in another top SEC team that has a chance at making a run for the national title. Chaz Lanier is one of the best guards in the country and should have some great games in the tournament.

A team that I really have my eye on here is the No. 8 seed, that being Gonzaga. The Zags are easily the most under-seeded team in the entire tournament, but it’s because of their results – the Bulldogs were not as dominant in the WCC as they have been in previous years. The predictive metrics still love Mark Few’s squad – it is a top 10 KenPom team and ranks No. 11 in BartTorvik. Graham Ike, Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle all have plenty of NCAA tournament experience. The Zags will play Georgia in the first round before what would end up being a top-10 matchup in the second round should they advance. Houston is the 1-seed that gets the tough draw. If there’s a 1-seed that goes down in the first weekend, it’ll be Gonzaga beating Houston. Gonzaga has made the second weekend of the tournament nine years in a row. Will that streak continue?

There are two real upset potential games in the first round. In the 5/12 game you have a mid-major darling in McNeese facing Clemson. McNeese went 19-1 in Southland play and 27-6 overall as coach Will Wade rebuilds his coaching career. The Cowboys were a sexy upset pick last season but lost in the first round. This year, they are back in the tournament and looking to make the next step.

The other is in the 4/13 game between Purdue and High Point. It’s very fair to say that Purdue has taken a step back in the post-Zach Edey era after making the national title game a year ago. Still, the Boilermakers boast one of the best point guards in the country in Braden Smith. High Point, in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history after winning the Big South, will have to have a game plan for him in order to have a shot.

A third double digit seed that could win a game – should it get through the First Four game, is Xavier. The Musketeers made a late charge into the field by winning seven in a row to close out the regular season and made it as one of the last four teams in. After missing all of last year to injury, Zach Freemantle has had a very good season. Xavier will play Texas in Dayton on Wednesday night for the right to play Illinois, a team that has played .5oo basketball in the past month and are ripe to be picked off.

UCLA and Utah State will be the 7/10 matchup here. The Bruins have had a solid season in their first year in the Big Ten, going 13-7, while Utah State dominated the early parts of the season before falling off a bit, finishing 26-7 and 15-5 in Mountain West play in Jerrod Calhoun’s first year on the job – and could end up being his last (more on that probably early next week). Ian Martinez is a fantastic player who could gain even more attention should the Aggies advance.

Overall, there are a bunch of teams in this region that can be the one to get out of it. I do think Houston can get picked off early. That being said, I’ll go with Tennessee to win it.

All in all, this is the best week of the season and what we have spent the last four-plus months getting ready for. Enjoy it!

By Aidan Joly

We are officially in the final week of the regular season. What does the bracket look like?

In the second edition of the year, I have locked 37 teams into the field, put five teams in the “should be in” category and have put 14 teams in the “work to do” category, putting them on the bubble to be included in the field.

There’s a clear divide between teams that are locked in and teams that have more to do, with only five teams squarely in the middle of that. That all being said, let’s get into it.

ACC

Locks: Duke, Clemson, Louisville

Should be in: none

Work to do: North Carolina, Wake Forest, SMU

The ACC could see as few as three bids in what has been a really down year. Duke is in contention for the No. 1 overall seed, while Clemson and Louisville have done more than enough to be in the field.

North Carolina has been a point of contention for the bubble all season long. The Tar Heels are still squarely on it. UNC is 12-6 in the league and 19-11 overall. However, 13 of those wins are either Q3 or Q4, and it has an ugly 1-10 record in Quad 1 wins. No team with a record that bad in Quad 1 has ever received an at-large in seven years of the quadrant system. It is No. 42 in the NET.

It can certainly tip the scales in their favor with a win over Duke in the regular season finale on Saturday or by making a deep run in the ACC tournament next week, which they will certainly have a shot at doing, but right now those things are tough to see.

Wake Forest pretty much ended its chances with a loss to Duke on Monday night. SMU still has something of a chance, but it will have to go on a miracle run in the ACC tournament with wins against high quality opponents.

Big 12

Locks: Houston, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, BYU

Should be in: Baylor, West Virginia

Work to do: Cincinnati

The locks here speak for themselves, all of them will be in the field and seeded throughout the field.

Baylor doesn’t have the highest odds in the world, but I would put them in the field. The Bears are No. 32 in the NET and have won five Quad 1 games, putting them in the range of a 9 seed.

West Virginia is pretty close to a bid and can probably lock that up by winning another game or two before Selection Sunday. It has a similar resume to Baylor with the same overall record and similar in conference – Baylor is 9-9, West Virginia is 8-10. The Mountaineers should be included.

Cincinnati still has a chance despite a 7-11 record in the league and 17-12 overall record, but similar to North Carolina that is a team that is just 1-10 in Quad 1 games, but to be fair is 9-2 in Quad 2 games, taking care of business for the most part. A strong 10-1 non-conference schedule with wins against Dayton and Xavier is helping.

Big East

Locks: St. John’s, Creighton, Marquette, UConn

Should be in: none

Work to do: Xavier

How about St. John’s? Rick Pitino’s team clinched a Big East regular season championship and the top seed in the league tournament over the weekend. The Red Storm are 17-2 in the league and 26-4 overall.

Marquette, Creighton and the two-time defending champions UConn will all be in the field too.

Every year, there is always a team or two that towards the end of the season you look up and they have a NCAA tournament resume just by winning the games they need to win. This year, that team is Xavier.

The Musketeers are in fact only 1-9 in Quad 1 games, but only has one loss outside of Quad 1, that being a Quad 2 loss to Georgetown on Jan. 3. Overall though, Xavier is 11-7 in the league and 19-10 overall. It has winnable games to close the regular season, on the road against Butler on Wednesday and home against Providence on Saturday.

It does probably need to win both of those games, but both of them are certainly games they can win. If they can win both, and then likely a game in the Big East tournament, Sean Miller’s squad will find themselves in the field.

It’s also worth noting that the selection committee caught a lot of heat for only including three Big East teams in the field last year when many thought more were deserving, so I can see them giving a Big East team the benefit of the doubt.

Big Ten

Locks: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, UCLA, Oregon

Should be in: none

Work to do: Indiana, Ohio State, Nebraska

Indiana has been under intense scrutiny all season long. The Hoosiers looked dead in the water for much of the season, leading to coach Mike Woodson announcing he would retire at the end of the season, amid calls for his job.

Since the announcement, Indiana has suddenly flourished. Since then the Hoosiers are 4-2, including a pair of massive wins against Michigan State and Purdue that have put them right back in the conversation.

Indiana would certainly have to head to Dayton for a play-in game should it end up making the field. But it has a chance to be there. It plays Oregon on Tuesday before a big game against Ohio State on Saturday in the regular season finale.

Speaking of the Buckeyes, they are in the bubble conversation too. They are No. 36 in the NET and have five Quad 1 wins, but OSU has four Quad 2 losses. They are a team that will need some wins between now and Selection Sunday to start feeling comfortable. Still, they won’t have an easy two weeks.

Nebraska still has a chance, but I’m not really counting on them making it.

SEC

Locks: Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia

Should be in: none

Work to do: Arkansas, Oklahoma

Georgia locked themselves into the field with a win against Texas over the weekend, a loss that certainly put the Longhorns on the outside of even being on the bubble. A NCAA tournament miss could spell the end of Rodney Terry’s tenure in Austin.

Arkansas had a little momentum going in recent weeks, but had a complete n0-show on Saturday against South Carolina, who came into the game 1-14 in league play. The Razorbacks lost by 19 and the game wasn’t even that close. They did not look like anything close to a tournament team in that loss.

Still, you have to consider the four wins in Quad 1 games and South Carolina is only a Quad 2 loss, but it’s still a 19-point loss to the worst team in the conference. It has to be considered.

Oklahoma still has a little bit of a chance, but is certainly on the outside looking in.

Mountain West

Locks: New Mexico, Utah State

Should be in: San Diego State

Work to do: Boise State

New Mexico and Utah State will both be formidable opponents in the first round of the tournament. San Diego State looks good and if the season ended today, the Aztecs would be in, but another win or two to close the regular season – they play at UNLV on Tuesday and home against Nevada on Saturday – will make them feel good.

Boise State has all of the sudden put themselves in the conversation. It has won four straight since a loss to San Diego State on Feb. 15, beating both New Mexico and Utah State as part of that streak. They have also won eight of the last nine games.

It has three Quad 1 wins to boot, but does own a pair of Quad 3 losses, which were to Boston College and Washington State during the n0n-conference.

Still, the Broncos will be a team sweating it out until Selection Sunday. It goes at Air Force on Tuesday before hosting Colorado State on Friday before the league tournament.

The rest

Locks: Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga, Memphis

Should be in: VCU, UC San Diego

Work to do: Drake, UC Irvine, North Texas

VCU has been able to put together an at-large resume, but only has one Quad 1 win, but only had two opportunities to get one. It is 6-3 in Quad 2, but does have a bad Quad 4 loss to Seton Hall. Still, as long as it makes probably the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament, it should be included in the field.

The committee tends to give the nod to mediocre power conference teams over great mid-major teams, but UC San Diego could be an exception. The Tritons are now up to 16-2 in the league and 26-4 overall. They have UC Irvine to worry about in the league tournament.

Drake is a very, very good team, but likely has to make the Missouri Valley title game to feel alright. Despite a 27-3 overall record, it has a real shot at being left out if it doesn’t win the AAC. Same goes for the aforementioned UC Irvine.

North Texas is a good team and has a shot at being a bid stealer by winning the American Athletic tournament.

By Aidan Joly

The Craig Smith era has come to an end in the midst of his fourth season at the helm.

It was a semi-surprising firing as Utah has a respectable league record of 7-9 in the program’s first year in the Big 12, plus by the idea of making the move with four regular season games to go rather than waiting until the end of the year.

Smith did not go to the NCAA tournament during his tenure and was not going to this year, but the program won games against Kansas and Kansas State last week, the team’s best wins of the season. It raises some questions.

Anyway, about the job. Utah lacks NIL resources and it’s fair to say the program was not financially ready to make the jump to the Big 12. Getting more money will be important. Look what in-state rival BYU did, it brought in Kevin Young in a move that invigorated the fanbase, leading donor to shell out the dollars to land the top prospect next season in AJ Dybantsa.

It makes you wonder if Utah will go the same NBA route that BYU did. That being said, here are six potential candidates for the job. Assistant coach Josh Eilert, who served as interim head coach at West Virginia last season, will serve as interim for the remainder of the season.

Alex Jensen, Dallas Mavericks assistant

Hinting that the program could go the NBA route, Jensen’s name has to top that list. He was a starter on the 1998 team that made the national championship game under Rick Majerus and he is a Utah native. He also spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz before heading to Dallas.

He also has international ties, serving as an assistant coach for the German national team in 2015 and served as the head coach for Team USA in the FIBA AmeriCup in 2022.

BYU has had success with a former NBA assistant with international ties. Young and Jensen have similar resumes.

Andre Miller, Grand Rapids Gold head coach

Another former Utah player who starred on the 1998 team, Miller would bring significant name recognition to Salt Lake City.

Miller played in the NBA for nearly two decades before retiring in 2016. He took a few years off before resurfacing as the head coach of the G League Grand Rapids Gold in 2022 and has been in that position since.

He doesn’t have any other coaching experience outside of that and has never coached college basketball. There would be some question marks around the hire, but would follow the trend of programs hiring former players.

Johnnie Bryant, Cleveland Cavaliers associate HC

Bryant, who played for Utah from 2004-2007, still holds the program record in three-point percentage.

He got his coaching start in 2014 with the Jazz under Quin Snyder and was there until 2020, leaving to become associate head coach of the New York Knicks, and then leaded to Cleveland this past year for the same position under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson, who has led the Cavs to an NBA-best record of 48-10.

Young is young, just 39, but knows the program and region well. It would be a good hire as long as he surrounds himself with coaches who know the college landscape well.

Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State head coach

Could Utah go back to the Utah State well? Smith was the head coach at Utah State before coming to Utah, and the Aggies’ program has become known for churning out power conference head coaches.

Calhoun, in his first season in Logan after coming from Youngstown State, has the Aggies at 14-3 in the Mountain West and 24-4 overall and in line to make the NCAA tournament.

Calhoun began his head coaching career at Division II Fairmount State and has won over 250 games as a head coach.

Speaking of, I can very much see a Craig Smith-Utah State reunion if Calhoun leaves for another job.

Leon Rice, Boise State head coach

Rice is an intriguing candidate for Utah. Rice has been the head coach at Boise State since 2010 and has won over 300 games, while leading the Broncos to each of the past three NCAA tournaments.

Before he served as Boise State’s head coach he was an assistant coach at Gonzaga for more than a decade.

The semi-issue here is age, Rice is 61 years old and the vibe is that Utah wants somebody young to take over the program and be there for the long haul. Rice likely would not be that guy, as he is very much in the second half of his career.

Eric Olen, UC San Diego head coach

Olen is quickly becoming a very hot name in the coaching ranks. He has led the program from the Division II level and is 24-4 in the program’s first season of NCAA tournament eligibility, good enough to merit at-large consideration should it not win the Big West tournament.

Olen is 44 and his entire coaching career has been in San Diego after growing up and going to school in Alabama. He is still young but experienced and may wait for the right opening.

The drawback is that he does not have any area ties. Still, on coaching acumen alone, it deserves consideration.

Prediction: Jensen. I can see him or Miller, but I lean Jensen based on the fact that he is more experienced and has the international connections that Miller doesn’t. Both are beloved former players who the boosters would be willing to shell out money to bring in.

By Aidan Joly

Three key bubble wins, a statement victory for Alabama and St. John’s and Duke’s destruction of two teams in a 16 hour period in the same building highlighted the weekend of college hoops.

Let’s get into what happened around the nation.

Bubble watch

Three teams: Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Indiana, picked up key wins on Saturday that put them closer to making the tournament.

Oklahoma did so by beating No. 21 Mississippi State 93-87 in Norman, Vanderbilt beat Ole Miss 77-72 in Nashville later in the afternoon, and then Indiana picked up a big one on Sunday, beating Purdue 73-58 in Bloomington.

It gets closer to having close to double digit or 10+ SEC teams in the NCAA tournament, possibly breaking the record for most teams from one league in the tournament. Oklahoma has an eyesore of an SEC record of 4-10, but thanks to those league wins being key and good non-conference results, it has a chance. It also snapped a six-game losing streak. Vanderbilt is now 6-8 in the league and is close to being confident in its chances.

Indiana, after stumbling around all season, somehow now has a good chance of being in. After all of that.

Duke’s domination of Illinois

In a rare late season non-conference neutral site game, Duke put on a show while Illinois had a huge stinker, with the Blue Devils winning 110-67 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

It was a total destruction from beginning to end, with Duke dominating every facet of the game. Seven Blue Devils finished in double figures and the team as a whole shot 55.6% from the field and 52.5% from three, while holding Illinois to 37.7% of the field and an ugly 2-26 from three. The Illini missed 18 straight attempts from deep to start the game.

Cooper Flagg had 16 points in his MSG debut while Kon Knueppel had 15, but Isaiah Evans had 17 to lead the team. He is quickly becoming perhaps the best sixth man in the country

It feels like this Duke team, along with Auburn, is on the fast track to being in the Final Four. It is just that dominant.

St. John’s dominates UConn

Around 15 hours later in the same building Duke dominated Illinois, it was St. John’s turn to put on a show.

The Johnnies beat UConn 89-75 in a game that wasn’t even that close to improve to a Big East-best 15-2 and 24-4 overall. St. John’s has won 13 of 14. The Johnnies also finished up a season sweep of UConn for the first time since 1999-2000.

All five Red Storm starters were in double figures led by 18 each from Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor, while RJ Luis Jr. had 14 in his return to the lineup after missing the previous game against DePaul.

Rick Pitino, man. He has brought this program back to national relevancy after being just average for so long. Right now, St. John’s is likely to be a 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. This is a program that has not won a tournament game since 2000. That streak will surely end in a month.

Georgia hangs with Auburn, which is more than what most can say

Georgia only lost to Auburn by 12 on Saturday and hung around most of the way, which is more than what most teams that have played the Tigers this season can say.

The Bulldogs are very talented this year and are still have a chance to make the program’s first NCAA tournament since 2015. Asa Newell has been great, while Silas Demary and Blue Cain have made for a solid trio. Again, a 4-10 league record isn’t pretty, but so be it. It was great in the non-conference and has a win against Kentucky. It has three winnable games in the four to close the regular season.

Johni Broome had 31 for Auburn in the win. Just an unstoppable group.

Michigan State’s good win

After struggling in the first half, Michigan State turned it around in the second half to come back and beat Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday night 75-62. The Spartans only trailed by four at halftime but it did feel like more.

Tom Izzo made the necessary adjustments and MSU out-scored Michigan 41-24 in the second half. Freshman Jase Richardson had 21 on 7-12 from the field, and Tre Holloman had 18 on 6-10 from the field.

This is one of the best Spartans teams in a handful of years. There had been some questions about Izzo and how much longer he had left at MSU, and maybe if the game had begun to pass him by, but this team proves he still has it.

Oregon’s quality win

Staying in the Big Ten and with teams that had second half turnarounds, Oregon trailed by 12 at the break at Wisconsin, forced overtime, and then did enough in the extra period to grab a 77-73 OT win.

After losing five in a row and six of seven, a streak that really raised eyebrows about how good this team really was as it got into the meat of its first season of Big Ten play, the Ducks have won four in a row and have changed opinions.

Nate Bittle, Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jackson Shelstad, along with TJ Bamba, have made for a very quality group. It’s a group that will have a chance at getting a solid seed and winning a game or two in the tournament. Also important, the win is crucial in staying in the top nine in the league and avoiding playing on the first day of the league tournament in Indianapolis.

The Ducks are now 9-8 in the league and 20-8 overall. Three regular season games to go, getting a week off before playing again on March 1 against USC.

Alabama makes a statement with win

Alabama kept things rolling in a big way, grabbing a 96-83 home win against Kentucky on Saturday.

It was another performance from the Tide like we have seen all year, where they made 52.5% of their field goal attempts and hit 11 from behind the three-point arc. Mark Sears led the way with 30 points and Clifford Omoruyi had 11 points to go along with 15 rebounds.

Alabama plays like a 1 seed and should be a 1 seed. It closes the regular season with four straight ranked games, beginning with a tilt at home against Mississippi State on Tuesday. It has some wiggle room to stay as a 1 seed, but things do indeed get tricky.

Lanier goes off in Tennessee win

Staying in the SEC, Tennessee went on the road and grabbed a 77-69 win against Texas A&M on Saturday.

Chaz Lanier had one of the best games of the season you’ll see anywhere, finishing with 30 points on 10-18 from the field, eight of his field goals coming from three. That’s the type of performance the Vols will need from him in March.

Unfortunately for Tennessee they may not end up on the 1 line despite deserving to. Just too many good teams ahead of them. However, a win in Saturday’s game against Alabama will certainly help their case.

Concerns with Iowa State

Granted, losing to Houston on the road is certainly acceptable, but it is worth noting that Iowa State has not won a game against one of the top teams in the Big 12 since beating Kansas on Jan. 15.

In that time it has lost to West Virginia, Arizona, Kansas State, the second matchup against Kansas and now Houston. It has wins over two wins over UCF and one over Arizona State, TCU, Cincinnati and Colorado.

It’s not something overly concerning, but it’s something to monitor. It plays at Oklahoma State on Tuesday night before two straight games against ranked opponents in Arizona on Saturday and BYU on March 4.

Speaking of BYU…

The Cougars went on the road and got what was perhaps their biggest win of the season, beating Arizona 96-95.

Granted they got help in the final seconds on a questionable call, but it still goes in the books as a great win for Kevin Young. Young has done a fantastic job in his first year in Provo and has the program in a very, very good place.

Richie Saunders had 23 points in the win on 8-10 from the field, one of five Cougars to finish in double figures.

Now sitting at 10-6 in the league and 19-8 overall, BYU is sitting pretty to get a good seed in the tournament. Things are going very well in the program’s first year in the Big 12. Credit to Young and what he has been able to build so quickly.

Time for a Gonzaga conversation?

Gonzaga lost to Saint Mary’s 74-67 in Spokane on Saturday night to drop to 12-4 in the league and 21-8 overall. For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Gaels sweep the regular season series.

By Gonzaga standards this has been a very pedestrian season. This will be the first time in the Mark Few era (since 1999) that the program will fail to win at least a share of the regular season title in back-to-back seasons.

Furthermore, Gonzaga only has one win against a projected safe at-large team, that being the season opener against Baylor all the way back on Nov. 4. It does have wins against a pair of bubble teams in San Diego State (Nov. 18) and Indiana (Nov. 28).

Right now Gonzaga is in the field, but it doesn’t look as safe as it has in recent years. The Zags have the second longest NCAA tournament streak in the country, having not missed since 1998. With another couple losses, it may be in jeopardy. And if it does make it, the program’s nine straight second weekend appearances, one of the sport’s craziest streaks, would be even more in jeopardy.

UC San Diego deserves an at-large

UC San Diego, a team that is in its first season as a full Division I member after making the four-year transition, is a freight train.

The Tritons under coach Eric Olen are 14-2 in Big West play and 24-4 overall. They dropped an 83-44 beatdown on Hawaii on Saturday to win their ninth game in a row. The win got them all the way up to No. 35 in the KenPom rankings, ahead of the likes of Arkansas and UConn. It is also No. 36 in the NET.

Under the group of Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Tyler McGhie, Hayden Gray and Nordin Kapic, this is one of the best mid-major teams in the country and is deserving of an at-large selection should it not win the conference tournament. The top jobber in UC Irvine is also a very, very good team, sitting at 13-3 in the league and 23-5 overall. The two split their regular season matchups.

The last time the Big West was a multi-bid league was in 2005, when both Utah State and Pacific made it before moving on to larger conferences.