Here we go, one final power rankings article before the NCAA Tournament takes over. It's been a wacky season but thank you to everyone for following along. Be sure to check out my final bracketology article, along with the extensive March Madness coverage we will be providing.
My power rankings might be a bit different than seeding. For me, power rankings are essentially a ranking of my championship level teams in order whereas the bracket seeding reflects a team’s entire season performance and resume.
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College Basketball Power Rankings Week 19
| Team (AP Rank) | Rank (?") | Last Week | This Week | Notes |
| Gonzaga (1) | 1 | W vs. San Francisco 81-71; W vs. Saint Mary's 82-69 | - | Gonzaga is your clear favorite to win it all with good reason, don't be afraid to bet on the Bulldogs. |
| Kentucky (5) | 2 | W vs. Vanderbilt 77-71; L vs. Tennessee 69-62 | - | Before the bracket is revealed, Kentucky is my choice to cut down the nets in April. |
| Arizona (2) | 3 | W vs. Stanford 84-80; W vs. Colorado 82-72; W vs. UCLA 84-76 | - | The loss of Kerr Kriisa could be detrimental to this Arizona offense. They are still a clear title contender. |
| Tennessee (9) | 4 | W vs. Mississippi State 72-59; W vs. Kentucky 69-62 | vs. Texas A&M (SEC Title Game) | The Volunteers are playing their best basketball at the perfect time. |
| Kansas (6) | 5 | W vs. West Virginia 87-63; W vs. TCU 75-62; W vs. Texas Tech 74-65 | - | Kansas is riding hot, taking down the Big 12 title leading up to the tournament. |
| Baylor (3) | 6 | L vs. Oklahoma 72-67 | - | Baylor's injuries may prove fatal to their championship hopes. |
| Texas Tech (14) | 7 | W vs. Iowa State 72-41; W vs. Oklahoma 56-55; L vs. Kansas 74-65 | - | Texas Tech will have to ride their defense to the promised land if they expect to win it all |
| Auburn (4) | 9 | L vs. Texas A&M 67-62 | - | Auburn faltered late in the season but still has the talent to make a deep tournament run. |
| Purdue (9) | 9 | W vs. Penn State 69-61; W vs. Michigan State 75-70 | vs. Iowa (Big Ten Title Game) | Purdue will have to ride their offense to the promised land if they expect to win it all. |
| Duke (7) | 10 | W vs. Syracuse 88-79; W vs. Miami 80-76; L vs. Virginia Tech 82-67 | - | Can Duke get over their defensive inconsistencies to make a title run? |
| Villanova (8) | 11 | W vs. St. John's 66-65; W vs. UConn 63-60; W vs. Creighton 54-48 | - | Death, taxes, and Villanova as a title contender. |
| Arkansas (15) | 12 | W vs. LSU 79-67; L vs. Texas A&M 82-64 | - | Eric Musselman has turned this team around in the second half, let's see if they can keep up their momentum after a tough loss to the Aggies. |
| Wisconsin (12) | 13 | L vs. Michigan State 69-63 | - | We will see if Wisconsin can keep their magical season alive for long in the tournament. |
| Iowa (24) | 14 | W vs. Northwestern 112-76; W vs. Rutgers 84-74; W vs. Indiana 80-77 | vs. Purdue (Big Ten Title Game) | Iowa is arguably the hottest team in the nation and I fully expect their momentum to flow over into March Madness. |
| Illinois (16) | 15 | L vs. Indiana 65-63 | - | Illinois is the most well-rounded team in the Big Ten that can make waves in the tournament. |
| UConn (20) | 16 | W vs. Seton Hall 62-52; L vs. Villanova 63-60 | - | UConn seems to be a consensus sleeper squad to make the Final Four. |
| Providence (11) | 17 | W vs. Butler 65-61; L vs. Creighton 85-58 | - | It may seem that Providence's luck has finally run out. |
| Houston (18) | 18 | W vs. Cincinnati 69-56; W vs. Tulane 86-66 | vs. Memphis (American Title Game) | Houston is still a great team despite the injuries they've faced this season. |
| UCLA (13) | 19 | W vs. Washington State 75-65; W vs. USC 69-59; L vs. Arizona 84-76 | - | UCLA has the name recognition but I am generally out on this team’s ability to make a tournament run |
| Murray State (19) | 20 | W vs. Southeast Missouri State 88-74; W vs Morehead State 71-67 | - | Boy wouldn't it be something if Murray State makes a Final Four run. |
| Texas (22) | 21 | L vs. TCU 65-60 | - | We will see if one of the most talented teams in the nation can put it all together for the tournament. |
| Saint Mary's (17) | 22 | W vs. Santa Clara 75-72; L vs. Gonzaga 82-69 | - | Saint Mary's is still an underrated team with clear Final Four chances. |
| Memphis (NR) | 23 | W vs. UCF 85-69; W vs. SMU 70-63 | vs. Houston (American Title Game) | Memphis seems to be putting it all together just at the right time. |
| USC (21) | 24 | W vs. Washington 65-61; L vs. UCLA 69-59 | - | USC has stayed around in the top-25 all season but I can't see them as a legitimate title contender |
| Boise State
(NR) |
25 | W vs. Nevada 71-69; W vs. Wyoming 68-61; W vs. San Diego State 53-52 | -- | The Broncos take over my final spot in the top-25 with their incredible defense. |
Rankings Part 2: Championship Caliber Teams
All season it has been a crapshoot of which teams are viable title contenders. This may change once the bracket is revealed and matchups are in place but right now, these are my true title-contending teams, ranked into three tiers.
- Tier 1: Gonzaga, Kentucky
- Tier 2: Arizona
- Tier 3: Tennessee, Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech
The final three Big 12 teams I was incredibly hesitant on including, but they've done enough to deserve a spot. You may be noticing a real lacking of Auburn, which was also a tough decision. Bruce Pearl's Tigers simply has not shown me enough to give me confidence they can play in late games, and string together six victories. If I was a betting man, which I am, I would take Gonzaga, Kentucky, Arizona, and Tennessee against the field.
Rankings Part 3: Napping Final Four Teams
Now, these aren't exactly in the "sleeper" category teams, we will get to those next. I wanted to highlight teams ranked worse than a three-seed, but still not quite a shocking sleeper to make the Final Four. Again, this is my ranking in tiers which could absolutely change once the bracket is released.
- Tier 1: Iowa, Arkansas
- Tier 2: UConn, Saint Mary's
Iowa has been the second-best team in the nation since February 1st and is seriously firing on all cylinders, Arkansas and UConn seem to be pretty consensus teams tagged as 'unlikely' teams to make a Final Four run, and Saint Mary's has been underrated all year.
Rankings Part 4: Sleeper Final Four Teams
Here we have teams that would be legitimate surprises if they make the Final Four. My goal is that if you told me before the tournament a team seeded eight or worse made the Final Four, it would be one of the following.
- Tier 1: Memphis
- Tier 2: TCU, San Francisco, Davidson, Virginia Tech
- Tier 3: Vermont, South Dakota State
Memphis has put together an incredible second-half season and seems to clearly have figured it all out. I am surprised at how much I trust this team to perform. San Francisco has lost by five or fewer points to every team not named Gonzaga they fell to this year. Davidson and Virginia Tech can both catch easy fire from deep and go on a tear. Vermont and South Dakota State are my fun Cinderella options – I'm tagging them as the most likely double-digit mid-majors to make the second weekend.
Covid-19 and Injuries – It is imperative to remember the impact the pandemic and injuries had on teams during the season. It might be tough to follow every team's injury status but I would recommend checking out Evan Miya's website, as he includes a ranking of teams with injuries baked in.
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