This time a year ago, there was one legitimate title contender that few believed in yet.
That team? The eventual national champion Florida Gators. The reason for such skepticism was Florida’s weak schedule. The Gators were 10-0 in mid-December, but without a win over a ranked opponent.
The top five teams in my poll this week have combined for 17 wins over ranked opponents. The best college basketball teams this season should be celebrated for actually playing legitimate competition; they did it again Saturday, when Arizona — No. 1 in last week’s Associated Press Top 25 — knocked off No. 12 Alabama for its fifth win over a ranked team. The loaded nonconference schedules this season make it surprising that we still have seven teams with perfect records — and six who will be ranked this week — when that number this time last year was three.
Those six undefeated teams have combined for 14 wins over ranked opponents and 29 over high-major programs. Only Vanderbilt has yet to play a ranked opponent.
Could Vandy be this year’s Florida? I’m buying the Commodores as a very good (and entertaining) team, but these teams at the top are on another level.
More below on four of those unblemished squads — Michigan, Arizona, Iowa State and Nebraska — as well as nuggets on BYU, Louisville, Arkansas and Kansas.
Dropped out: None
Keeping an eye on: Saint Louis, Auburn, Clemson, Miami, LSU
1. Michigan (10-0)
Michigan is on a ridiculous run, scoring 100-plus in four of its last five games and winning by an average of 31.4 points during that stretch, which has come against all high-majors. Since the start of Thanksgiving week, Michigan’s offense and defense have been the best in college basketball, per Bart Torvik, and it’s not close. This is historic stuff, and one reason for the dominance is Michigan’s ability to control the game inside the arc on both ends.
The Wolverines have a chance to become the first team to finish first in both offensive and defensive 2-point percentage since the start of KenPom’s tracking of the stats, in 1996-97. Earlier in the week, the Wolverines were leading in both, but Georgia passed them over the weekend.
The 2021-22 Gonzaga team, the year the Zags had a front line of Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme, has been closest to pulling it off. Those Zags led college hoops in defensive 2-point percentage and finished second in offensive 2-point percentage. The closest high-major to pull it off was Kansas in 2007-08, which finished sixth and fourth in the two categories. Those Jayhawks won the national title.
2. Arizona (9-0)
Similar to Michigan, Arizona is winning because of its massive front line. The Wildcats are most dominant on the boards. They’ve grabbed a higher percentage of their misses in every game and crushed Alabama on Saturday, 96-75, by attempting 28 more shots.
On nine of those offensive boards, Alabama actually had everyone boxed out, but the Wildcats won the war by pushing their man closer to the basket:
Arizona’s bigs are strong and great at wedging their men closer to the bucket. It’s a strategy, called tagging up, which is growing popular in the NBA. (My colleague Fred Katz had an excellent story last week on the NBA’s offensive rebounding revolution, and I wrote about tagging up in 2021).
What’s different about Arizona from most of the best offensive rebounding teams is the Wildcats often only send three and sometimes just two to the glass, but still get back 41.8 percent of their misses, in large part thanks to Tobe Awaka (highest offensive rebounding rate in the country) and Motiejus Krivas (11th best). When those two share the floor, Arizona is getting back 55.2 percent of its misses and grabbing 80.4 percent of its opponent’s misses, per CBB Analytics. Those are unreal rates.
3. Iowa State (11-0)
Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz is one of the toughest players to cover in college basketball. He’s constantly on the move and Iowa sets a ton of ball screens for him. It’s exhausting to defend him.
Joshua Jefferson continued to play like an All-American last week in the Cyclones’ comeback win over the Hawkeyes, but the unsung hero was freshman guard Killyan Toure, tasked with guarding Stirtz. With Toure as the primary defender, Stirtz went 0-of-6 and had two turnovers. Here’s some of his best work:
8. BYU (9-1)
In its come-from-behind win over Clemson on Tuesday, BYU took its first lead of the second half on a play that always works.
Going into the game, BYU had run this set six times. Coach Kevin Young puts AJ Dybantsa in a high ball screen with a shooter lifted to his left and an exit screen in the right corner to distract the tag.
Here is it on opening night, with Villanova in an extreme drop, so Keba Keita sets a “Gortat screen” in the lane to allow Dybantsa to get to the rim:
Young went to it again a minute later, with the same result.
On none of the first six times had Dybantsa been able to hit the roller, because typically the defender on the shooter exiting to the right hasn’t taken the bait and stayed at the rim, as UConn’s Malachi Smith does here, breaking up the lob:
Young tried it again late against Clemson, and it worked to perfection, Dybantsa realizing the tag had left and delivering the ball on a platter:
And Young went right back to it, dialing up the same action late in the game. Same result:
So that’s eight times this season the Cougars have run that action, scoring 15 points with just the one turnover.
The story Tuesday at Madison Square Garden was Dybantsa taking over — 22 of his 28 points and five of his six assists in the second half — but Young spent much of the second half joysticking to get the spacing right and dialed up a few great sets to help Dybantsa dominate.
11. Louisville (9-1)
Louisville is attempting 55.4 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. The Cards lead college basketball in 3-point rate and are on pace to have the highest 3-point rate of any team since Savannah State in 2018-19. They’ve had only one game in which they’ve attempted more 2s than 3s.
It’s obvious Louisville is always hunting for 3s, and what’s so difficult is you can try to take them away and the Cardinals still find a way. What I love is when they turn down good looks for great ones. Here’s a possession where three shooters could have shot a 3, and it’s the fourth who ends up taking the shot:
Louisville made 18 3s in Saturday’s 99-73 win over Memphis and 15 of those were of the catch-and-shoot variety.
13. Nebraska (11-0)
“The game, in my opinion, was all controlled by Fred’s son,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after Nebraska’s 83-80 win on Saturday. “Anytime you’re plus-23 in a 3-point game, your ability to dominate a basketball game doesn’t always show up in points and all that. He got the rebound late. He made the pass late. He guards, comes up with steals. Sam Hoiberg was absolutely the A-plus.”
Pryce Sandfort (32 points) was the star and Jamarques Lawrence made the game-winner, but like Underwood, let’s celebrate the coach’s son. Some context to his clutchness: Sam Hoiberg has four offensive rebounds all season; two have now come in the final minute of a one-possession game. His offensive rebound against Kansas State set him up to make the game-winning free throws.
Fred Hoiberg has also put the ball in his son’s hands to be the decision maker in both instances. On the final play against the Illini, Sam Hoiberg could go off either a ball screen set by Sandfort or Rienk Mast, who had combined to make nine 3s. The Illini weren’t going to leave either, which forced the help to come once Hoiberg hit the paint:
Hoiberg made the right read, and the Huskers are one of seven undefeated teams left in college hoops.
14. Arkansas (8-2)
Going into Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, Arkansas power forward Trevon Brazile had attempted only three pick-and-pop 3s all season, according to Synergy’s play-by-play data. He made three pick-and-pop 3s against Texas Tech and the Razorbacks won the game down the stretch by using Brazile as a screener — both on the ball and off — or to initiate a dribble-handoff on six straight possessions. Arkansas got buckets all six times.
It started with Darius Acuff scoring back-to-back buckets off Brazile screens because his man was unwilling to help. After those two, the Red Raiders tried to switch and Arkansas wisely fed Brazile:
Next, Brazile set an off-ball screen and then got the ball, pump-faking the 3 to get JT Toppin to bite and getting a dunk. Next, he rolled off a dribble-handoff, and his roll gravity set up Karter Knox for a wide-open 3:
And, finally, another dribble-handoff roll. Only this time, no one went with Brazile:
Brazile finished with 24 points and 10 boards. The fifth-year senior has long been one of those players who everyone talks about for his potential and he doesn’t always play to it, but this was his third 20-point game this season. Don’t be surprised if he becomes more involved as a screener going forward. When he’s making 3s and playing with confidence, it not only makes him dangerous, but also makes his teammates better.
16. Kansas (8-3)
Going into Saturday’s game at North Carolina State, Melvin Council Jr.’s career-high for 3s made was four, which he did once. He started this season making only two of his first 18 jump shots. So Will Wade played to the numbers and told his guys not to guard Council.
Loyal readers of the Top 25 know this strategy is called “dorking.” It’s an uncomfortable feeling for the man not being guarded. Do you shoot? Do you allow them to ignore you?
Council decided to shoot. A lot. He took a career-high 15 3s. He made nine of them, but not until overtime did the Wolfpack finally decide to show him some respect.
The best 3 of the bunch is this one below. Watch Tre Holloman’s look back to the bench:
Seriously Coach. We still doing this?
The dork finished with a career-high 36 points, carrying the Jayhawks to an overtime win.
Council has quickly become a fan favorite at KU after barking into the mic following KU’s comeback win over Tennessee in Vegas. (KU students are now barking anytime he gets the ball at Allen Fieldhouse.) He could one-up that move by showing up to his next news conference dressed as Steve Urkel. Someone get this man some suspenders!
