top of page

CBB: Kansas, Gonzaga clash incoming

Chas Post

1. Gonzaga (29-2, 15-1, +0): The Bulldogs remain at the top of our rankings after wins against San Diego (94-59) and St. Mary’s (86-76), following their second loss to #23 BYU (91-78) right before that. Gonzaga, who is led by Killian Tillie’s 13.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, we’ll get San Francisco in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals on Monday, March 9. Gonzaga has likely locked up a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.


2. Kansas (28-3, 17-1, +2): The Jayhawks are just behind Gonzaga in our power rankings, but they should be considered the favorites alongside the Bulldogs following recent victories over Kansas State (62-58), TCU (75-66), and Texas Tech (66-62). Kansas, behind Devon Dotson’s 18.1 points and 4.0 assists, will look to make a run in the Big 12 Tournament starting on Thursday, March 12 against Texas or Texas Tech. Kansas is also a #1 seed.


3. Duke (25-6, 15-5, +0): The Blue Devils have faltered a bit in recent weeks, including a loss to Virginia (52-50) on the road. Duke responded, though, with a pair of impressive wins against NC State (88-69) and rival North Carolina (89-76). Tre Jones and his team will open the ACC Tournament on Thursday, March 12 against either NC State, Wake Forest, or Pittsburgh. Jones is averaging 16.2 points and 6.4 assists as Duke looks primed for a #2 seed.


4. Kentucky (25-6, 15-3, +2): The Wildcats aren’t a complete team, which showed in last week’s home loss to Tennessee (81-73), but they certainly have the talent to make a run at the Final Four and that showed in wins over #15 Auburn (73-66) and Florida (71-70) on the road. Tyrese Maxey has been so good in his freshman campaign, averaging 14.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Kentucky is likely a #2 seed as well right now but nobody wants to play this team with how they’ve looked in SEC play.


5. Auburn (25-6, 12-6, -3): The Tigers have been a tough team to judge and a lot of people gave up on them following losses to #8 Kentucky (73-66) and Texas A&M (78-75). However, they bounced back with another impressive win at Tennessee (85-63) and with Samir Doughty in the backcourt, I think they can win multiple games in the SEC and NCAA Tournament. Doughty is averaging 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds. They are projected as a #4 seed for now.


Final Four picks:

Midwest: Kansas

West: Gonzaga

East: Dayton

South: Oregon


Photo Credit: Sunflower State Radio.

Recent Posts
bottom of page