Power Rankings: Tennessee’s stumble could cost Vols a 1-seed
After upsetting No. 5 Tennessee, Auburn’s players share the moment with the home crowd. (0:18)
Tennessee’s loss to Auburn on Saturday — while mired in quite a bit of goaltending controversy — cleared up the 1-seed debate entering Champ Week, as the Volunteers now need an SEC tournament championship to even get back in the discussion.
Depending on what Kentucky does against Florida this afternoon, Tennessee could end up as the 3-seed in the SEC tournament, and the Volunteers’ strength of schedule (SOS) numbers pale in comparison to the likes of Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke.
After back-to-back elite defensive performances against Kentucky and Mississippi State, though, Tennessee really struggled to guard Auburn, especially in the second half. The Tigers made 13 3-pointers and turned it over just five times. In fact, it was the fifth straight road game that Tennessee has allowed at least one point per possession — and if you include a game against South Carolina in which the Vols allowed 0.99 points per possession, the streak would run to eight games.
The Volunteers aren’t as good defensively this season as they were last season — that’s not really up for debate anymore. But the metrics are somewhat concerning for the NCAA tournament. They rank in the bottom half of the SEC in defensive turnover percentage and 3-point percentage allowed, which can cause problems against dynamic guards who can make shots.
Tennessee is still a Final Four and title contender; the Vols’ offense is too good and they’re too experienced. But the Volunteers are likely out of the 1-seed discussion and have things to fine-tune in the next week and a half.
1. Virginia Cavaliers (28-2)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: Beat Syracuse 79-53 on Monday, beat Louisville 73-68 on Saturday
The Cavaliers needed a strong finish on Saturday to beat Louisville and secure at least a share of the ACC regular-season title. Ty Jerome was terrific, as he has been so often throughout his career in Charlottesville. The multitalented guard finished with 24 points, six assists — and just one turnover. Jerome totaled 40 points and 20 assists this week in wins over Syracuse and Louisville.
2. Gonzaga Bulldogs (29-2)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: West Coast Conference tournament
If Sean Farnham’s remarks on Saturday night’s broadcast were any indication, it sounds as if Gonzaga could get Killian Tillie back at some point this season. Though Tillie hasn’t been a major factor this season because of injuries, he’s a versatile big man who can switch defensively and also step out and make shots. He provided an added dimension off the bench during his nine healthy games in January and early February.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels (26-5)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: Beat Boston College 79-66 on Tuesday, beat Duke 79-70 on Saturday
North Carolina forced a share of the ACC regular-season title by completing the season sweep of Duke. The Tar Heels bossed the Blue Devils in the paint in the first meeting and hurt them from the perimeter on Saturday, making 12 3-pointers — including four apiece from Coby White and Kenny Williams. The Tar Heels now have the edge for a second 1-seed coming out of the ACC on Selection Sunday.
4. Kentucky Wildcats (26-5)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: Beat Ole Miss 80-76 on Tuesday, beat Florida 66-57 on Saturday
Kentucky’s win over Florida, combined with Tennessee’s loss to Auburn, gives the Wildcats the inside track if an SEC team is to get a 1-seed on Selection Sunday. It was a slow first half, but John Calipari got balanced production in the second half en route to victory. Here’s a crazy stat: Tyler Herro has missed just five free throws all season — and four came in the month of December. After going 4-for-4 on Saturday, he’s now 70-for-71 in the other four months this season.
5. Duke Blue Devils (26-5)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: Beat Wake Forest 71-70 on Tuesday, lost to North Carolina 79-70 on Saturday
Duke dropped to 3-3 without Zion Williamson on Saturday, which is the reason they fall from 1-seed territory. The Blue Devils are simply not a top-four team (maybe not even a top-10 squad) without Williamson, and until he returns, it’s hard to judge their résumé. Fortunately, Mike Krzyzewski said after Saturday’s game that he expects Williamson to return for the ACC tournament. If that’s the case — and Williamson looks like himself — Duke could rise back up.
6. Tennessee Volunteers (27-4)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: Beat Mississippi State 71-54 on Tuesday, lost at Auburn 84-80 on Saturday
The Volunteers likely lost their chance at a share of the SEC regular-season title on Saturday, as LSU just needs to beat winless Vanderbilt in Baton Rouge in order to earn an outright championship. Tennessee is going to need Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden to find their perimeter shot before the NCAA tournament. In the Volunteers’ last seven games, the two guards are a combined 11-for-68 from 3-point range.
7. Michigan State Spartans (25-6)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: Beat Nebraska 91-76 on Tuesday, beat Michigan 75-63 on Saturday
What a second-half performance for the Spartans. Michigan State outscored Michigan by 18 points after halftime to complete a sweep of the Wolverines and earn a split of the Big Ten regular-season championship. Cassius Winston once again showed why he’s arguably the best point guard in the country with 23 points and seven assists. The Spartans finishing tied for first despite injuries to Joshua Langford and Nick Ward is yet another feather in Tom Izzo’s cap.
8. Michigan Wolverines (26-5)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: Lost to Michigan State 75-63 on Saturday
The Wolverines came up short in their quest to earn a split of the Big Ten title, as they simply couldn’t handle Cassius Winston and Michigan State’s second-half onslaught. They’re still without Charles Matthews, and their lack of consistent scorers could be an issue in the postseason if Jon Teske or Zavier Simpson aren’t producing much offense on a given night. Michigan’s long-shot 1-seed hopes are also likely done.
9. LSU Tigers (26-5)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: Beat Florida 79-78 on Wednesday, beat Vanderbilt 80-59 on Saturday
After 48 hours that saw its head coach get suspended indefinitely, a starting guard held out and a starting forward injured, LSU went out and simply dominated Vanderbilt to earn the outright SEC regular-season title. The Tigers still had six players in double figures. The question will be whether they get Javonte Smart or Naz Reid back moving forward. They will need them in the postseason.
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders (26-5)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: Beat Texas 70-51 on Monday, beat Iowa State 80-73 on Saturday
The Red Raiders clinched at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with a road win at Iowa State, their first conference championship since 1996, when James Dickey was coaching them in the Southwest Conference. Jarrett Culver was tremendous with 31 points. Tech has now won nine games in a row heading into the Big 12 tournament — scoring 80-plus in five of its past six games, along with having the No. 1 defense in the country.
11. Houston Cougars (28-2)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: Beat SMU 90-79 on Thursday, at Cincinnati (Sunday)
Thursday was a good night for Houston. Not only did the Cougars beat SMU to bounce back from their loss to UCF last weekend, but Cincinnati also lost to UCF in Orlando. As a result, Houston is alone in first place at the top of the AAC standings and is guaranteed at least a share of the regular-season championship. Of course, the season finale on Saturday comes at Cincinnati — the Cougars won the first meeting between the two teams in Houston by seven.
12. Purdue Boilermakers (23-8)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: Lost to Minnesota 73-69 on Tuesday, beat Northwestern 70-57 on Saturday
Matt Painter capped a tremendous three-month turnaround with a win at Northwestern on Saturday, clinching at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title for the Boilermakers. Purdue started the season 6-5 after losing four starters from last season but went 17-3 in its past 20 games. Chris Beard deserves National Coach of the Year, but Painter isn’t far behind.
13. Kansas Jayhawks (23-8)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: Lost to Oklahoma 81-68 on Tuesday, beat Baylor 78-70 on Saturday
Although the narrative all week surrounded Kansas’ Big 12 streak ending, the Jayhawks are still going to be a factor in the postseason. They bounced back after Tuesday’s loss with a win over Baylor, led by another 20-10 performance from Dedric Lawson. The question for Kansas is going to be how it performs away from Lawrence. The Jayhawks went just 3-6 on the road in Big 12 play and also lost at Kentucky and Arizona State. On the plus side, they beat Michigan State, Marquette and Tennessee on neutral courts.
14. Florida State Seminoles (25-6)
Previous ranking: 16
This week: Beat Virginia Tech 73-64 on Tuesday, beat Wake Forest 65-57 on Saturday
The Seminoles have now won 12 of their last 13 games, with the lone loss coming at North Carolina in late February. They have secured a double-bye in the ACC tournament, and their depth, versatility, size and experience make them a tough team to prepare for on a short turnaround. Saturday’s performance wasn’t great, but they locked down defensively — especially after halftime. Wake Forest made just three 3-pointers.
15. Wisconsin Badgers (21-9)
Previous ranking: 15
This week: Beat Iowa 65-45 on Thursday, at Ohio State (Sunday)
The Badgers have now won 10 of their last 13 games after crushing Iowa by 20 on Thursday — although it was their seventh time in the last eight games scoring fewer than one point per possession. On the plus side, it was their best defensive performance of the season. Khalil Iverson had another nice game for the Badgers, posting his first career double-double. Iverson is now averaging 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in his last five games.
16. Kansas State Wildcats (24-7)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: Beat TCU 64-52 on Monday, beat Oklahoma 68-53 on Saturday
Kansas State earned a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with a blowout victory over Oklahoma on Saturday, and the Wildcats will be the 1-seed in the Big 12 tournament. It caps a tremendous midseason turnaround for Bruce Weber and the Wildcats, who started conference play with losses to Texas and Texas Tech — then proceeded to win 14 of their final 16 Big 12 games. They’re 7-4 against Quadrant 1 teams, which gives them the edge over Virginia Tech for the final spot in the rankings.
Dropped out: Marquette (No. 13), Virginia Tech (No. 16)