We are officially one month away from the start of March Madness, but with this week’s slate, madness might erupt early.
Last week saw every top 16 team shift in the rankings somehow.
Previously No. 1 Arizona lost their first two games of the season. First on the road to No. 9 Kansas, and then home against No. 16 Texas Tech in overtime. Their schedule continues to challenge them with a game against No. 24 BYU on Feb. 18, followed by No. 2 Houston on Feb. 21. Arizona has finally shown weakness, and teams are taking advantage of it.
How will the previous top team respond to the losses, and will they be able to rebound with the tough schedule ahead?
Current No. 1 Michigan has a tough top 5 matchup on Feb. 21 against No. 3 Duke. The Blue Devils are coming off a win against ranked Clemson responding well after their heartbreak in Chapel Hill last week.
No. 20 Arkansas will visit No. 25 Alabama for their first ranked SEC opponent since mid-January. The Razorbacks sit second in the conference with The Tide in a close third. Arkansas is 4-4 against ranked opponents this season, and the Crimson Tide are 2-5.
Both teams wish they could be higher in the rankings with the opportunity to highlight their skills and get back on track before March.
Miami (OH) moved up another spot this week still holding the only undefeated record in the country. They take on Bowling Green on Feb. 20, only beating them by 10 during their last matchup.
No. 7 Purdue hosts Indiana in a key rematch. Indiana spoiled Purdue last time the two programs met, beating them 72-67 at home. The Boilermakers will hope to get some payback and hold their top 10 ranking.
On Feb. 21, the Big 12 will display some key matchups which could shake up their conference rankings.
No. 8 Kansas will host Cincinnati in a daytime showdown with the Jayhawks looking to bounce back after their loss to No. 5 Iowa State. This was following their huge win at home taking down No. 1 Arizona. Their visit to Iowa State ended in an 18-point defeat.
The Jayhawks can rebound with this win as they must prepare for both No. 2 Houston and No. 4 Arizona again next week. The tough schedule should help them eventually prepare for the Big 12 tournament and for March.
No. 13 Texas Tech will face Kansas State after their big win against No. 1 Arizona last week. Although Kansas State has struggled and sits at the bottom of the Big 12, we are approaching March and miracles can happen.
The nightcap for the Big 12 has No. 6 Iowa State against No. 23 BYU in a showdown of top ranked teams. Iowa State got their grove back dominating Kansas last week after their loss to a weak TCU side. With a tough end of the schedule still to come, their time to get hot could not be better as they look to make a deep run next month.
In the ACC, No. 14 Virginia hosts UMiami in a battle of hot teams. The Hurricanes are on a streak defeating No. 11 North Carolina last week, holding an impressive 20-5 record on the season. Looking to take down another ranked ACC opponent, they will travel to Virginia in hopes of moving into the top 25.
In the SEC, No. 19 Vanderbilt will host Tennessee after they slipped out of the top 25. Still a dangerous team to face, the Volunteers have beaten Alabama, Louisville and Houston who were all ranked when they faced off. The two programs will end the season in Knoxville against one another, but as coaches always say, the most important game is the next one.
This week highlights top programs taking the hardcourt and going all out to win these games. With all sorts of drama shaking up the rankings last week, teams continue to prepare for the postseason.
Every team is showing some weakness; it is hard to say who will cut down the nets this year.
Teams will have the next few weeks to clean up and make their run for one shining moment.