The story of the last week in college basketball was that #2 Wisconsin, #3 Virginia, #5 Villanova and #8 Kansas continued on their paths towards regular season conference titles. After easy victories over Nebraska and Illinois, the Badgers are now 23-2 overall and their 11-1 Big Ten record gives them a commanding three-game lead over Maryland and Purdue. Bo Ryan’s team just quietly keeps chugging along. In its first week without star swingman Justin Anderson, Virginia had to battle to earn wins over NC State and Wake Forest last week. But those latest victories now put the Cavaliers at 23-1 overall and 11-1 in the ACC. Tony Bennett’s squad has a two-game lead over Notre Dame and does not play another ranked opponent until the final weekend of the regular season. Things are definitely in place for Virginia to take home its second consecutive regular season conference title. Villanova may have turned in the most impressive performance of any team last week. The Wildcats were victorious at both Providence and Butler, which improved its record to 23-2 overall and 10-2 in the Big East. Jay Wright’s team has a fairly easy slate through the rest of Big East play, so it is reasonable to think that the Wildcats could also win their final six regular season contests. After some shaky play in recent weeks, Kansas again looks in prime position to take home its 11th consecutive Big 12 title. After last Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks rebounded in sterling fashion with a dominant victory at Texas Tech and a come-from-behind win over Baylor at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Jayhawks currently hold a two-game lead over Iowa State in the standings and it would be stunning if they relinquished that lead.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty Analysis after the jump….
Quick N’ Dirty Analysis.
- Kentucky remains the unanimous #1 for the 13th consecutive week. The unbeaten Wildcats faced their toughest test of the season last Tuesday, as they needed a Karl-Anthony Towns jump hook with 1:30 to play to notch a comeback 71-69 victory over LSU. Kentucky brought its record to 25-0 on Saturday with a 34-point thumping of South Carolina in Lexington. John Calipari’s unit will return to action Tuesday night when it travels to Knoxville to take on a feisty but undersized Tennessee team. With just six games left on its regular season slate, expect the “Can Kentucky go undefeated?” chatter to reach even new heights over the next week.
- Louisville and North Carolina take a bit of a fall. The Cardinals fell three spots to #12 this week after suffering its second loss in three games Saturday in a surprising 74-65 home defeat at the hands of NC State. North Carolina fell five spots to #16 after a game-long defensive lapse led to an 89-76 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday. The loss to the Panthers was North Carolina’s third loss in its last four games. Both Louisville and North Carolina will have a chance to get back on track Wednesday when they hit the road to take on Syracuse and Duke, respectively.
- Arkansas keeps winning. Entering this season, the theme of Mike Anderson’s tenure at Arkansas had been the team’s inability to win conference road games. The Razorbacks have put the brakes on that narrative this season, as they currently hold a respectable 4-2 road record in SEC play. Two of those wins came last week with victories at Auburn and at Ole Miss. Arkansas’ most arduous conference road test will not come until February 28 when it travels to Lexington to take on Kentucky in a game that we can already guarantee will be appointment television.
Game of the Week. #4 Duke vs. #16 North Carolina. College basketball’s greatest rivalry takes center stage in Durham on Wednesday night when the Blue Devils host the Tar Heels. While North Carolina is reeling a little bit right now, Duke is playing some of its best basketball of the season. We should know by now, though, that throwing the records out the window is the best course of action when it comes to these games. The individual match-up to keep an eye on here will be between point guards — Duke freshman Tyus Jones and North Carolina junior Marcus Paige. Getting into the lane will be important in determining the outcome of this one, so Jones and Paige will look to be game-changers for their respective squads.
Keep Tabs On. #8 Kansas vs. #24 West Virginia; #3 Virginia vs. Pittsburgh; #1 Kentucky vs. Tennessee; #14 Iowa State vs. #25 Oklahoma State; #23 SMU vs. Temple; #24 West Virginia vs. #25 Oklahoma State; #6 Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s.
Conference Call. Big 12 (6), ACC (5), Big East (3), Big Ten (3), Pac-12 (2), SEC (2), Missouri Valley (2), AAC (1), WCC (1).