I started writing this column on Saturday around 10:30 am PST. Since I started writing, he has had 7 upsets among the top 25 teams. There’s no better representation of this season in college basketball I can think of, it’s been one of the wildest seasons ever, and the madness he broke long before March. So what was the biggest headline of the week?
Saturday’s Wild Big 12 Second Challenge
The day started as usual, with the No. 7 Virginia beating out Boston College from Charlottesville. Then Alabama experienced the unceremonious awakening of real college basketball by the Big 12. Of course, I’m referring to West Virginia conquering his No. 15 Auburn 80-77, Oklahoma putting Boomer into his Sooners, and the Sooners being decimated. No. 2 Alabama 93-69.
The Big 12 looked set to overwhelm the SEC after the morning’s game. However, Missouri got revenge on its brothers in the South and upset the 13th Iowa State 78-61.
The two meetings went back and forth with heavyweight competitors trading blows, with Mississippi State upset No. 11 TCU and No. 17 Baylor outlasting Arkansas by a small margin. The fight was a “fancy orange” clash between No. 10 Texas and No. 4 Tennessee, which the Volunteers won 82-71, and a blue-blood battle between No. 9 Kansas and Kentucky, which the Jayhawks outlasted. The Wildcats 77-68.
To me, these are by far the two best conferences in all of college basketball, and I believe one of the top teams in those conferences will beat March Madness. Both conferences are wide open, with some of the top teams in each conference losing games that were hugely favorable. Realistically, there are six or seven teams in the Big 12 that could win the conference, and six teams in the SEC.
These teams are playing better against other college basketball not just because their in-conference opponents are better.
If I had to choose now, I think Tennessee and Baylor would win their respective conferences, but like I said, it could be either of them. Or don’t be surprised if it becomes the Big 12.
a lot of upset
Five of the last seven days there were upsets. I could go into each matchup in detail, but since most of them were within the Big 12 Conference Play, it feels redundant. Outside of the Big 12-SEC Challenge, the most notable upsets included USC ringing the victory bell and defeating No. 8 UCLA, Clayton thrashing his tired No. 13 Xavier, Pit blew his No. 20 Miami in his Hurricane.
But this isn’t the first time this year has been this crazy. Two weekends ago, he had a 24-hour period with 14 losses in the top 25. fourteen. So why can’t we keep the top 25 consistent?
I think the simplest answer to this question is that college basketball has never been more competitive. The transfer portal is the deepest ever, with talent spread across the country.
This year, dropping out of the top 10 teams seems to be a common occurrence. As one who has pushed the theory that UCLA is overrated, Thursday’s Trojan victory was not surprising. But seeing the Big 12 and Big East teams vie for supremacy at their respective conferences is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Both the Big East and Big 12 are typically dominated by blue bloods (Kansas and Villanova), but neither team is currently in a prime position to win the conference.
What I do know is that the race to stay in the top 25 is heating up with the conference tournaments starting six weeks away, and I expect 10+ upsets in the next two weeks. only. no one is safe.
One thing we can all agree on is that when Selection Sunday arrives on March 12th, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will have their hands full.
