2024 College basketball polls: South Carolina in the top 10 and Arizona rising to No. 3
The approaching Super Bowl Sunday serves as a calendar reminder that NCAA basketball is coming next.
Yes, Selection Sunday is just five weeks away, and there are plenty of intriguing storylines in the sport between the top two teams, No. 1 UConn and No. 2 Purdue, as well as plenty of parity between them.
The Huskies defeated Georgetown 89-64 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to 12 games. With a 12-1 record in league play, Connecticut has outscored its Big East rivals by an average of 12.1 points per game, and Dan Hurley’s squad looks to be coasting to a conference regular-season championship. Probably after playing against DePaul on Wednesday, UConn will ride a 13-game winning streak into a top-10 ranking.
On Saturday night at Mackey Arena, Purdue defeated rival Indiana 79-59 to complete a revenge sweep. For the first time since 1933–34, the 22–2 Boilermakers have won eight straight games and defeated the Hoosiers by more than 20 points twice in a single season. Zach Edey recorded his 13th game of the season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, while the Boilers’ upgraded bench performed as expected, going 7 of 12 from 3-point range. I wrote on Matt Painter’s program’s merits and Purdue’s convincing victory over the Hoosiers:
48 hours had passed since the Wildcats’ thrilling and emotional triple-overtime victory at Utah. They faced a Colorado squad that was very much in the hunt for a victory and desperately needed a boost to their resume. The Cats haven’t defeated the Buffaloes on the road since 2015. Colorado and Utah are facing one of the toughest road weekends in the Pac-12.
Arizona demonstrated to us all on Saturday night why, with the right circumstances, it is capable of winning a national championship. In a crushing victory of 99-79, the Wildcats exploited the Buffaloes, whose defense was nonexistent. When Tommy Lloyd’s team is playing well, it’s entertaining to watch basketball, and they have one of the best offenses in the nation. Transfer to North CarolinaWith 19 points, Caleb Love led the five players in double digits. Senior Pelle Larsson continued to scorch with 18 points on 7 of 11 from the field, and Oumar Ballo controlled the paint with 16 of his own. Not to add that Arizona forced 16 turnovers and showed off its quick hands defensively while converting them into fast break points, it was simply a demolition in Boulder. Kudos to the Cats, who improved to 7-3 in their Quadrant 1 record after winning the trip weekend. That puts America’s Q1 wins ranking second.
2. Tyler Kolek is making an All-American and Big East Player of the Year push as Marquette has won seven in a row.
Look out, America. Here come the Golden Eagles. Shaka Smart’s group overcame a 47-38 halftime deficit on Saturday to beat St. John’s 86-75. How did they do it? Behind a point guard who talks and actually backs it. Reigning Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek put up 27 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in the victory, making some history in the process. According to college basketball reference, Kolek is the first high-major player since 2010 to post a stat line of 27-7-13.
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