NCAA’s Andy Katz revealed his latest power rankings, notes and awards in his newest Weekly World.
Five things that caught my eye last week:
Rick Pitino’s entrance to Madison Square Garden Sunday to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind was the beginning of a sensational Sunday at the Garden for him and the St. John’s faithful. The scene against UConn was exactly what Pitino and the administration were hoping for when they hired the Hall of Fame coach two years ago. I can’t remember the last time I went to a UConn game at the Garden and the Huskies weren’t the majority fan base. St. John’s is back to where it can fill the arena with the majority of its own fans. Pitino, who was named a Naismith National Coach of the Year top 15 finalist (a major mea culpa on my part saved by the rest of the voters) has quickly put together a potential Final Four team that can defend as well as any team in the country. If the Red Storm can make 3s the way they did on Sunday then they have a real shot at making a run to San Antonio.
Jon Scheyer was the right coach at the right time for Duke. He gets this era. He’s the perfect players’ coach. And the Blue Devils are one of the favorites to win the title with the potential player of the year in Cooper Flagg. But the defense the Blue Devils are playing now was something to behold. They clamped down on Illinois to a level that was similar to what UConn did the Illini in the Elite Eight. There wasn’t a 30-0 run, but the Blue Devils pounded Illinois and won by 43. This Duke team is one of the hardest-playing and most entertaining teams put on the floor in Durham since the 2019 Zion Williamson/RJ Barrett-led team that lost to Michigan State in the Elite Eight.
You will notice the absence of a number of high-profile teams from my Power 37 below. I’m sorry, but when Purdue loses four in a row, Illinois and UConn get blown out at the Garden and the way in which Kansas got destroyed in Provo then it’s hard to justify their inclusion in this week’s rankings.
Multiple reports have Jai Lucas heading to Miami to take over for Jim Larranaga. Lucas has taken the right steps by working at Texas, Kentucky and Duke. He’s ready for this type of opportunity, has solid contacts and understands the new landscape. Miami had to hire someone with the ability to play the NIL/portal game in this new world. Working for Rick Barnes, Shaka Smart, John Calipari and Jon Scheyer gave Lucas quite the coaching education. Jai comes from a basketball family with father John an all-American at Maryland and former NBA player and coach, brother John Lucas III, a player at Baylor and Oklahoma State and former NBA player.
Michigan’s desire to extend Dusty May less than a year into his contract was a great move to quiet any attempts by Indiana to make a move toward him. May has done a tremendous job in rebuilding Michigan into a Big Ten title contender. He can create his own legacy at Michigan, possibly in the mold of John Beilein, who had the Wolverines as a consistent threat to win the league. May has connected well with the players and does a tremendous job of knowing fit. The proof is with his Final Four appearance at FAU and then getting the right players to fill key spots on this current Wolverine roster.
RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | NET Rankings
Power 37 rankings
Auburn (Prev. 1, 25-2): Johni Broome was sensational all week with 16 against Arkansas and 31 against Georgia.
Duke (Prev. 3, 21-6): The Blue Devils jump ahead of the Gators after their dominating beat down of Illinois at MSG.
Florida (Prev. 2, 24-3): The Gators have won six in a row and are making a strong push for a No. 1 seed.
Houston (Prev. 5, 23-4): The Cougars have won six in a row and have started to open up a significant lead in the Big 12.
St. John’s (Prev. 9, 24-4): The Red Storm were reigning 3s and defending at an elite clip in a dominating win over UConn.
Alabama (Prev. 4, 22-5): The Tide bounced back with a strong win over Kentucky for the season sweep after dropping two in a row.
Texas Tech (Prev. 8, 21-6): The Red Raiders have a huge week ahead if they want a chance to catch Houston.
Maryland (Prev. 11, 21-6): The Terps are one of the hottest teams in the country and have a major showdown with Michigan State this week.
Michigan State (Prev. 18, 22-5): The Spartans had a tremendous week knocking off Purdue and then winning at rival Michigan.
Iowa State (Prev. 10, 21-6): The Cyclones fell at Houston but are still elite and will be trouble next month.
Tennessee (Prev. 12, 22-5): The Vols have won two in a row and are still a strong top-two line candidate.
BYU (Prev. 30, 19-8): Kevin Young has this squad rolling at the right time.
Arizona (Prev. 14, 18-9): The Wildcats had a tough loss at home to BYU, but are still in a strong position to possibly finish second in the Big 12.
Clemson (Prev. 19, 22-5): The Tigers continue to climb up the rankings and likely the seed lines.
Texas A&M (Prev. 13, 20-7): The rugged SEC clipped the Aggies for a mini two-game slide.
Wisconsin (Prev. 6, 21-6): The Badgers blew a 17-point lead to Oregon and lost in OT. But they are still in the chase for the Big Ten title with two weeks to go.
Michigan (Prev. 7, 20-6): The Wolverines got beat at home by Michigan State and face a stern test to start the week at Nebraska.
Memphis (Prev. 17, 22-5): Penny Hardaway is doing his best job since he’s been at his alma mater. This team remains a dangerous out in the NCAAs.
Louisville (Prev. 22, 21-6): The Cardinals have been one of the best stories of the season with a top transfer in Chucky Hepburn.
Missouri (Prev. 25, 20-7): The Tigers had a sensational win over Alabama before dropping a road game at Arkansas.
Saint Mary’s (Prev. 35, 25-4): The Gaels got the season sweep of Gonzaga and won the WCC outright.
Creighton (Prev. 28, 19-8): The win over Georgetown Sunday snapped a mini two-game slide in the Big East.
Kentucky (Prev. 20, 18-9): The Wildcats knocked off Vanderbilt before losing the season series to Alabama.
Mississippi State (Prev. 21, 19-8): The wild SEC was on display as the Bulldogs beat Texas A&M before losing at Oklahoma.
UCLA (Prev. 24, 20-8): The Bruins bounced back from the shocking home loss to Minnesota to take down Ohio State.
Oregon (Prev. NR, 20-8): The Ducks catapult back into the rankings with a sweep of Iowa and Wisconsin on the road.
New Mexico (Prev. 16, 22-5): No shame in losing at Boise State. The Lobos still have a one-game lead atop the Mountain West.
Ole Miss (Prev. 26, 19-8): The Rebels are in the middle of the pack but are still trending well for a tough out in March.
Arkansas (Prev. NR, 16-11): The Hogs had a much-needed seven-point win over Missouri after two tough losses on the road at Texas A&M and Auburn.
Marquette (Prev. 29, 20-7): The Golden Eagles are heading in the wrong direction after a disappointing loss to Villanova.
Vanderbilt (Prev. NR, 18-9): The Commodores knocked off Ole Miss to end a brutal three-game losing skid where they played Auburn, at Tennessee and at Kentucky, all in a row.
Utah State (Prev. 32, 22-4): The Aggies caught a break with the Lobos loss to stay within a game of UNM.
Boise State (Prev. NR, 19-8): The Broncos are trending up at the right time with the win over UNM and Utah State pending.
VCU (Prev. NR, 22-5): The Rams beat George Mason, have won six in a row and are now back to where they were predicted — atop the A-10.
Drake (Prev. NR, 25-3): The Bulldogs are back in the rankings after handling UIC and beating Northern Iowa in OT to get back to the top of the Valley.
UC San Diego (Prev. NR, 24-4): The Tritons have won nine in a row and have a one-game lead on UC Irvine.
Yale (Prev. NR, 18-6): James Jones continues to win and win and win. The Bulldogs clinched the Ivy title with an 11-0 start, four games up on Dartmouth (another success story this season not getting much pub) and have won 12 in a row.
Dropped out: Purdue (15), Illinois (23), UConn (27), Kansas (31), San Diego State (33), Wake Forest (34), George Mason (36), Bradley (37).
March Madness National Team of the Week
BYU: The Cougars had a season-changing week with a blistering 91-57 win over Kansas and then a thrilling 96-95 win at Arizona. BYU has won four in a row and enter the week 10-6 in the Big 12, 19-8 overall and looking like a strong NCAA Tournament candidate. Richie Saunders had a sensational week with 23 points in the win over Arizona, including two clinching free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining. Saunders scored 22 in the stunning win over Kansas.
March Madness National Player of the Week
Jase Richardson, Michigan State: The Spartans have been patiently waiting for Richardson to blossom into a full-blown star. He did this past week. The freshman wing was the catalyst in a second-half surge to beat rival Michigan with 21 points in Ann Arbor. He was key in the nine-point win over Purdue with a dozen. Richardson has steadily improved his production at the right time for the Spartans. If he continues to shine then the Spartans would have the necessary impact player to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
March Madness top 10 Games of the week
Michigan State at Maryland, Wednesday: The Spartans have the lead in the Big 10 title chase and if there was one team to fear that could catch them it is Maryland. The Terps must win this game to have a chance.
Houston at Texas Tech, Monday: Houston has pulled away from the pack while the Red Raiders are trying to finish at least second.
Auburn at Kentucky, Saturday: Don’t care about any records — Rupp is going to be rocking for the top team to come calling. This should be a great atmosphere.
Alabama at Tennessee, Saturday: These two teams have swapped spots of being the top challenger to Auburn with Florida. A No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is still within reach for both.
Arizona at Iowa State, Saturday: The last time they played it was a wild game with Arizona winning in OT. This time the stakes are even higher with the second seed on the line.
Texas A&M at Florida, Saturday: The Aggies need to win this game if they want to have a chance to catch the Gators. This game will be filled with elite guard play.
Texas Tech at Kansas, Saturday: Not sure anyone saw that this game would be more important for the Jayhawks then the Red Raiders at the outset of the season.
UCLA at Purdue, Friday: The Boilers are reeling while the Bruins try to get the state of Indiana sweep after winning in Bloomington on a Friday this month.
New Mexico at San Diego State, Tuesday: The Lobos suffered their second loss of the MWC season but the Aztecs lost as well at Utah State and desperately need a marquee home win to keep pace.
Utah State at Boise State, Wednesday: The Broncos beat New Mexico at home and if they want to move up the bubble ladder beating the Aggies is a must.
