Unraveling the Battle for the No. 1 Spot in College Basketball
No. 1 Auburn
In three games against top-10 opponents this season, freshman point guard Tahaad Pettiford has been a key contributor. Averaging 18.3 points and 2.3 assists, he kept Auburn in the game against Duke in the second half. One pick-and-roll-and-replace play was particularly effective. With Pettiford as the handler, the Tigers ran this play five times and scored four times when he went to his right hand. He also had an assist when the play went to his left. Pettiford has been the handler for this play 10 times this season, and Auburn has scored nine times. He is naturally left-handed but is making most of these plays going to his right, as shown in a ridiculous double-team split and righty floater. However, one reason Auburn may not have reached its peak yet is that Pettiford is coming off the bench and playing just 19.5 minutes per game. This could change by March.
If Cooper Flagg at Duke can make such progress in a month, one wonders how high Auburn can rise by March. The potential is clearly there.
No. 2 Tennessee
In the first clip, Tennessee showed their hustle by drawing two defenders to the ball and having Jyare Davis scramble to recover. Instead of boxing out, he ran towards the rim to rebound, demonstrating their tenacity. In the second clip, Zakai Zeigler was left scrambling after Syracuse drew two to the ball and the center left the paint. Tennessee's ability to nail all the hustle plays and be great on the boards is a key reason for their success. They are getting back 42.7 percent of their misses, the second-best rate nationally (per KenPom), and are outscoring opponents 14.1 to 9.1 on second-chance points.
This is what sets the Vols apart and allows them to win games consistently.
No. 3 Iowa State
T.J. Otzelberger has been targeting big, physical guards in the transfer portal, and he found Nate Heise last spring. During the preseason trip to Ames, assistant coach Kyle Green praised Heise's ability to create collisions when guarding the dribble. Marquette star Kam Jones found this out the hard way. After Marquette went on a 10-0 run to tie the top-10 showdown at 61, Otzelberger turned to Heise to guard Jones. The Cyclones responded with a 14-0 run during which Jones went 0 for 4 and had a turnover. Running into Heise's chest repeatedly was exhausting. Once Marquette drew two to the ball, it was easy to hit the popping big man. Now Otzelberger knows he has a stopper he can rely on off the bench.
Iowa State's offense has been impressive, but their defense can still be dominant.
No. 6 Kentucky
Mark Pope made a defensive tweak in the second half of Saturday's 90-89 win against Gonzaga, which gave Kentucky a chance at a comeback. He diagrammed a play to set up Andrew Carr for the bucket that sent the game to overtime. Kentucky runs a lot of five-out action, but this was a different look, creating a triangle in the paint to get Carr an isolation in the middle of the lane. Carr made a tough shot, but Pope's awareness of his player's strengths was evident. It was also something Gonzaga probably wasn't expecting since most of Kentucky's actions take place on the perimeter.
Kentucky's coaching decisions and player performances are crucial to their success.
No. 7 Marquette
The Golden Eagles carved up Wisconsin's defense by hunting switches. Once a Marquette guard got a big on him after a ball screen or dribble hand-off, the priority was to give him the ball and get to the rim. This put the opposing guard in a tough spot. When Marquette drew two to the ball, it was easy to hit the popping big man. Now the big started to think twice about helping. Kam Jones is a nightmare in these situations, scoring 16 of his 32 points at the rim against the Badgers and averaging 10.6 points at the rim this season, the seventh-most among high-major players and the most among guards.
Marquette's offensive strategy is paying off.
No. 10 Michigan
Yale transfer 7-footer Danny Wolf is starting to find his place in the Michigan offense. In the last three games against high-major opponents, he is averaging 17.7 points, 3.0 assists, 11.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. Dusty May has helped Wolf find his niche by running four-five ball screens with Vlad Goldin. Wolf has scored nine points and had three assists in the last two games off these ball screens. The duo took over down the stretch in last week's win against Wisconsin. There aren't many 7-footers who can pull this off.
Wolf's presence is making a significant impact on Michigan's game.
No. 14 Houston
Houston got back to their dominant form on Saturday with a 79-51 win over Butler. This was vintage Kelvin Sampson defense. The Bulldogs made only 4 of 18 shots from inside the arc, a remarkable feat. According to Ken Pomeroy, a team has been held to four or fewer made 2s a total of 98 times since 1997, and only 10 of those times has the victim been a power-conference team. Butler was 1 of 10 inside the arc in the first half. After a slow start at the Players Era Festival, Houston was a nightmare for the team that played them next. Their half-court defense was suffocating.
Houston's defense is a force to be reckoned with.
No. 17 Mississippi State
Mississippi State sophomore guard Josh Hubbard is one of the fastest guards with the ball. He is terrific at penetrating and throwing lobs. Out of his 22 assists this season that have set up a 2, seven have been alley-oops. His speed forces help, as seen in the win against Pitt. He threw two oops in that game, which was an impressive beatdown. Hubbard is off to an awesome start, averaging 19 points and shooting 43.2 percent from deep on more than eight attempts per game. Despite playing so fast, he has only three turnovers, and none of them came on a pass. His assist-to-turnover ratio is better than 10 to 1.
Hubbard's speed and playmaking ability are a major asset for Mississippi State.
No. 18 Clemson
Clemson was the first team all season to hold Kentucky to fewer than 70 possessions. Their opponents are averaging 19.2 seconds per possession, the third-slowest in college hoops. There seems to be a direct correlation between possession length and defensive success. Among the 20 teams with the longest defensive possessions, 10 rank in the top 20 of adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom. The Tigers are No. 5, showing their defensive prowess.
Clemson's slow-paced defense is a key part of their game.
No. 21 Penn State
Mike Rhoades and his aggressive, pressing defense is making a big impact at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are turning opponents over on 24.5 percent of their possessions and forced 22 turnovers in a 81-70 win against Purdue. It was the highest turnover rate for Purdue since a 2015 game. Four of the turnovers came against the press. When Penn State starts out pressing, their turnover rate for the season goes up to 30.3 percent. Penn State is 8-1 with their lone loss coming to Clemson on a neutral floor, and that loss looks better after Clemson knocked off Kentucky.
Penn State's defense is a force to be reckoned with.
Dropped out: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Illinois, Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, Memphis.Keeping an eye on: Utah State, Drake, Rhode Island, San Diego State, Dayton, St. John’s, Saint Mary’s, Arizona State, West Virginia, Creighton, Missouri.(Photo: Lance King / Getty Images)