College Basketball Best Jockey for Position – Selection Sunday is fast approaching and teams are jostling for position with conference titles and NCAA Tournament spots on the line. Some programs, like Tennessee, Arizona, and Duke, further cemented their status among the nation’s elite with critical wins this past week, generating significant interest in legal online betting circles. Others, like Kansas and Wake Forest, stumbled at an inopportune time.
Let’s hand out grades for 16 notable college basketball teams over the last week based on their results and where they stand heading into the most exciting time of the year.
College Basketball Best Jockey for Position: Tennessee Volunteers Grade: A+
Tennessee grabbed hold of the SEC lead with a gritty 81-74 road win against SEC rival Alabama. The Vols then fended off Auburn in another tough conference battle. This team is a Final Four good behind a deep, skilled roster.
Arizona Wildcats Grade: A+
The Wildcats took command of the Pac-12 title race with victories over Arizona State and Oregon. Their offense looks ready for a deep tourney run. Watch out for Bennedict Mathurin and this group in March.
Duke Blue Devils Grade: A+
Duke responded to getting court-stormed a week ago with blowout wins over Louisville and Virginia. The Blue Devils ran Virginia off its home floor in a 73-48 dismantling. This team has all the pieces for another Coach K title run.
UConn Huskies Grade: A+
The Huskies, winners of five national titles, didn’t break a sweat in demolishing Villanova and Seton Hall. UConn has now won eight straight games with an average margin of victory of 21 points over that stretch. Scary team.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Grade: A
Doubts crept up after back-to-back losses, but Gonzaga is safely in as an NCAA Tournament team now. Impressive wins over San Francisco and Saint Mary’s proves Mark Few has this group ready to make noise in March again.
Princeton Tigers Grade: A
Princeton kept pace in a tight Ivy League title race with a narrow win over Cornell. The Tigers remain tied with Yale atop the standings heading into the final weekend. The winner goes dancing.
Houston Cougars Grade: A
Houston went into Norman and outlasted Oklahoma thanks to some late-game magic from Jamal Shead. The Cougars aren’t healthy but remain perfect at 14-0 this season when ranked No. 1.
Boise State Broncos Grade: A
Boise State scored an enormous home win over New Mexico to pull even with Utah State in the Mountain West standings. The Broncos have a chance to capture their third conference title under coach Leon Rice.
South Florida Bulls Grade: A
South Florida clinched the AAC title behind a 14-game winning streak. At 24-4 overall with wins in 20 of their last 21 contests, this team is dangerous and poised to bust brackets.
Purdue Boilermakers Grade: B+
Purdue held off pesky Michigan State at home thanks to ten 3-pointers. Around 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, this team has elite shooting that makes it scary.
North Carolina Tar Heels Grade: B-
North Carolina endured some tense finishes but took down both Miami and NC State. With a mix of star power and depth, the Tar Heels have the pieces to battle for another national title.
Kentucky Wildcats Grade: C+
A pair of wins over Mississippi State and Arkansas kept Kentucky’s hopes alive for an SEC regular season crown. But neither win came easy. There’s still work left before this young team is tourney ready.
Dayton Flyers Grade: C-
Dayton recently controlled its own destiny in the Atlantic 10. But a bad home loss to Loyola Chicago has the Flyers two games out of first place with two contests left. Their tourney hopes took a hit.
Virginia Cavaliers Grade: D+
Virginia’s dreadful offense mustered just 48 points in an ugly home blowout against Duke. It was the fourth time in five games Tony Bennett’s group failed to score 50 points. Hard to watch.
Kansas Jayhawks Grade: D
Kansas took a damaging loss at Baylor that leaves their Big 12 title hopes on life support. The Jayhawks have seven conference losses for the first time in the Bill Self era. Not what we expect from KU.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Grade: D-
Wake Forest followed up its seismic upset over Duke with two disheartening losses to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. Blowing a huge lead to VT capped a rollercoaster week.
With Championship Week on deck, the stakes will be even higher as March Madness latest prediction becomes a focal point. Teams like Tennessee and Arizona have clearly separated themselves from the pack with the tournament looming on the horizon. Meanwhile, Kansas, Virginia, and Wake Forest need to right the ship quickly or risk letting rare opportunities slip through their fingers. Grades will soon be final, and these last games and conference tourneys are the last chances to make an impression before Selection Sunday.
