Power Rankings: Don’t forget about North Carolina
No. 1 Duke is fueled by Zion Williamson’s new career high of 30 points as the Blue Devils steamroll Wake Forest 81-53. (1:40)
North Carolina has been forgotten a bit in the ACC race, with Duke and Virginia getting most of the attention, and Virginia Tech moving up the rankings with a chance to play spoiler. But the Tar Heels reminded everyone that they’re still going to be a factor on Tuesday night, when they went into NC State and knocked off the Wolfpack, 90-82.
On nights like this, Roy Williams’ team has all the pieces. NC State had no answer for Luke Maye, of course, but freshman Coby White was terrific creating offense, while Cameron Johnson and Kenny Williams were hitting open shots and crashing the glass consistently. Big man Garrison Brooks got in on the action with an all-around effort, 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. And Nassir Little didn’t do much, but we still expect him to make an impact at some point in the final two months.
Carolina has had some hiccups this season, but its defense is starting to pick up lately and Williams is getting the balance he needs on the offensive end. Turnovers were an issue on Tuesday, but that’s always going to be an issue against Kevin Keatts-coached teams.
Another thought: We could see North Carolina go on a little bit of a run in the coming weeks. The Tar Heels head home for six of their next nine games, starting this weekend with Louisville. They also get Virginia Tech, NC State and Virginia at home during that stretch — meaning Carolina could make a few statements over the next month.
Don’t look now, but Michigan State is quietly inching its way toward the top-five conversation — and potentially the national title contender discussion.
The Spartans didn’t have a ton of buzz for most of the first month of the season. They entered the campaign as a borderline top-10 team after losing Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson to the NBA, and then got handled by Kansas for 37 minutes in the season opener before making the final margin only five. Three weeks later, they went to Louisville and lost to the Cardinals in overtime.
Since then, however, Tom Izzo’s team has done what Tom Izzo teams generally do. They have slowly gotten better and better and seem to be hitting their stride entering the final two months of the regular season. The Spartans won at Ohio State on Saturday, to go with wins over Iowa, Florida and Texas. There might not be a true elite-level win in that group, but Michigan State’s performances have been impressive.
The Spartans have one of the most efficient offenses in the country, and much of that can be credited to the All-America-caliber play of point guard Cassius Winston. They are playing at a much faster pace than in recent years, they’re sharing the ball as well as anyone in the country — and they’re taking care of the ball. Nick Ward has also figured out how to stay on the floor for more than 20 minutes a game this season, and his efficiency and ability to draw fouls has remained at a high level. Throw in junior Joshua Langford, who has missed the past two games with a foot injury, and Izzo’s core trio is consistent and balanced.
Unlike the past couple of years, Izzo also has a ton of experience on the roster. Along with the aforementioned trio of juniors, Kenny Goins is a senior and Matt McQuaid and Kyle Ahrens are juniors. Izzo’s teams are at their best when they’re older, with some younger guys filling in. One of those is sophomore Xavier Tillman, who has emerged as an elite rebounder and will be a double-double machine by the time his career in East Lansing is over.
The Spartans aren’t a finished product yet, as they will hope for a quick return from Langford, but they are coming together with Big Ten play heating up.
1. Duke Blue Devils (13-1)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: Beat Wake Forest 87-65 on Tuesday, at Florida State (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN)
If you were the type of person waiting for Duke to play a road game to truly believe in the Blue Devils, they probably answered your questions on Tuesday. Zion Williamson had the first 30-point game of his career (along with 10 rebounds and five assists), cementing his early lead for the Wooden Award. Duke did whatever it wanted around the rim, scoring 58 points in the paint.
2. Michigan Wolverines (15-0)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: at Illinois (Thursday, 8 p.m. ET on FS1), vs. Northwestern (Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET on BTN)
After a slow start to the season, Jordan Poole started becoming a consistent third option — but he has developed into more than that in recent weeks. He has now scored 17 or more points in six of his past nine games, forming a three-headed monster alongside Ignas Brazdeikis and Charles Matthews. In addition to making 3s at a 48 percent clip, Poole has been a weapon as a playmaker.
3. Tennessee Volunteers (13-1)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: Beat Missouri 87-63 on Tuesday, at Florida (Saturday, 6 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Admiral Schofield woke up in the second half, but he and Grant Williams combined for just three points in the first half — and Tennessee still took an 11-point lead into halftime. One issue that has popped up at times for the Volunteers has been creating consistent offense outside of its two go-to-guys, but if their supporting cast performs like it did on Tuesday, Rick Barnes’ team will be even tougher to beat.
4. Virginia Cavaliers (12-0)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: at Boston College (Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU), at Clemson (Saturday, noon ET on ACC Network/Watch ESPN)
While Virginia’s defense will always get the majority of the credit, this season’s version of the Cavaliers also has the second-best offense of Tony Bennett’s coaching career. They have three guys capable of getting 20-25 points on a given night — something they were missing once De’Andre Hunter went down with an injury last season.
5. Gonzaga Bulldogs (12-2)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: vs. Pacific (Thursday, 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2), at San Francisco (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2)
Saturday was huge for Gonzaga — not because the Bulldogs beat Santa Clara, but because of the return of guard Geno Crandall and, perhaps more notably, forward Killian Tillie. Tillie had been out the entire season with an ankle injury, while Crandall has been out since late November with a fractured hand. Tillie could slot into the starting lineup when he’s 100 percent, while Crandall provides needed backcourt depth.
6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (14-1)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: Beat Oklahoma66-59 on Tuesday, at Texas (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET on Longhorn Network)
Yet another elite defensive performance for the Red Raiders. Oklahoma actually had success in the first half, but Chris Beard must have said something at halftime. The Sooners made just eight shots after halftime, scoring 24 points as the Red Raiders outscored them by 11 points in the second half. Jarrett Culver went for 23 points and 13 rebounds.
7. Michigan State Spartans (14-2)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: Beat Purdue 77-59 on Tuesday, at Penn State (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET)
Michigan State still hasn’t missed a beat while Joshua Langford is sidelined, as the Spartans handled Purdue with relative ease on Tuesday. Cassius Winston also won the guard battle with Carsen Edwards, as Winston finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists — while Edwards had 11 points on 3-for-16 shooting. The Spartans are rolling right now.
8. Kansas Jayhawks (12-2)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: vs. TCU (Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2), at Baylor (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET on ESPN)
It was a bad weekend for Kansas. Not only did the Jayhawks get blown out by Iowa State, but news came down Sunday night that Udoka Azubuike needs surgery for a torn ligament in his right hand and will miss the rest of the season. Azubuike has already missed five games this season, and the Jayhawks are just 3-2 in those outings. The dominant big man just provides a dimension down low that will be impossible to replace.
9. Virginia Tech Hokies (13-1)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: at Georgia Tech (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network/Watch ESPN)
The Hokies can’t get caught looking ahead this week. They head to Virginia next Tuesday, but first have to play at Georgia Tech on Wednesday. A win there and Buzz Williams’ crew is 14-1 (3-0 in the ACC) with a real statement opportunity in Charlottesville. Wabissa Bede’s emergence as a defensive stopper has been a boost for the Hokies; he locked down Boston College’s Ky Bowman over the weekend.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels (12-3)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: Beat NC State 90-82 on Tuesday, vs. Louisville (Saturday, noon ET on ESPN)
There was a scary moment in the Tar Heels’ win over NC State when Cam Johnson went down and reached for his right knee. He had surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee last November, and Johnson went straight to the locker room on Tuesday. Early reports, however, are that Johnson was just suffering from a cramp and he did return to the bench late in the game.
11. Nevada Wolf Pack (14-1)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: vs. San Jose State (Wednesday, 11 p.m. ET on CBSSN), at Fresno State (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU)
How the Wolf Pack respond moving forward will be interesting to see. The quest for an unbeaten season is no longer in play, so some of the intrigue is gone. At the same time, some of the pressure is also gone for Eric Musselman’s team. Its next game is against San Jose State, which has won two Division I games all season and lost its last two games by a combined 50 points.
12. Auburn Tigers (11-2)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: at Ole Miss (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2), vs. Georgia (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2)
The Tigers have been off since Dec. 29 and in fact have played only two games since the loss at NC State on Dec. 19. They seemed to have righted some of their wrongs in the win over North Florida, but that could have been a result of the competition. One thing to monitor is Danjel Purifoy‘s role. He missed all of last season and the first nine games of this season, and has played sparingly since becoming eligible.
13. Florida State Seminoles (12-2)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: vs. Miami (Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET on ACC Network/Watch ESPN), vs. Duke (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN)
We’re still waiting to really figure out the Seminoles. The metrics look good and they’ve got a couple of nice wins, but they also lost to a middling Villanova team and got destroyed by Virginia (despite a late 16-0 run to make it less embarrassing). Leonard Hamilton’s team has a huge opportunity this week, as it hosts Miami and then No. 1 Duke.
14. NC State Wolfpack (13-2)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: Lost to North Carolina 90-82 on Tuesday, vs. Pittsburgh (Saturday, noon ET on ACC Network/Watch ESPN)
NC State had its chances on Tuesday, but the Wolfpack could never get over the hump. They never led against North Carolina despite being within striking distance pretty much all game, as the halfcourt offense bogged down for stretches — and Carolina hit big shot after big shot. Their 3s didn’t fall and they got annihilated on the glass by the Tar Heels.
15. Houston Cougars (15-0)
Previous ranking: unranked
This week: at Temple (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPNews), vs. Wichita State (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on CBSSN)
One of three unbeatens remaining in college basketball, the Cougars are sort of the forgotten of the trio. Kelvin Sampson has this team rolling, though. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country, and while they don’t have a Rob Gray on the offensive end, they have multiple options. Houston has already defeated LSU, Oregon, Utah State and three other top-100 opponents.
16. Kentucky Wildcats (11-3)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: Beat Texas A&M 85-74 on Tuesday, vs. Vanderbilt (Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network)
Earlier in the season, John Calipari seemed to be shuffling through a couple different guys to solve his point guard issues. Ashton Hagans has made it his own the last few weeks, highlighted by his performance against Texas A&M on Tuesday: 18 points, four assists, five steals and just one turnover. He’s an elite defender, but his playmaking ability continues to improve.
Dropped out: Ohio State (No. 16)