College Basketball Power Rankings: Michigan is back, and a rough week for the SEC

The NCAA tournament selection committee's mock reveal on Saturday didn't bring too many surprises, with the 16 teams mostly matching the consensus top 16 entering the weekend. But it did raise one interesting talking point that will be worth considering the rest of the season: the pecking order at the top of the Big Ten. Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois were 3-4-5 in the mock reveal and have been 3-4-5 in these Power Rankings over the past two weeks. But I can't imagine it ends that way, and who knows how much room will be available for the league on the 1-seed line or in the top five.

Michigan has the edge right now, and the Wolverines started to resemble their pre-pause selves in the second half against Wisconsin. Ohio State has the best top-end résumé of the group, with eight Quadrant 1 wins and the head-to-head advantage over Illinois, while the Fighting Illini have the best talent of the group on paper and perhaps the highest ceiling.

This will sort itself out, though. Michigan could get a few more games to make up for postponements, but right now, the Wolverines still have to go to Ohio State and host Iowa. The Buckeyes must face both Michigan and Illinois, as well as Iowa. The Illini have four of their final five games (as of now) on the road, but they likely have the friendliest stretch in terms of opponents.

The top of the Big Ten and how those three teams look in a few weeks will have a huge impact on how the top of the bracket looks in a month.

Team of the Week: Creighton Bluejays

It might have taken a few months for Creighton to hit its stride, but after Saturday's win over Villanova, the Bluejays look like they're playing their best basketball at the right time. They've now won six of their past seven since dropping back-to-back games to Butler and Providence in mid-January. This past week's success started with a 15-point win at Georgetown, a game in which the Bluejays' defense was the standout. They held the Hoyas to 21 first-half points and ultimately allowed just 0.66 points per possession.

On Saturday, Creighton made a statement. The Bluejays dominated Villanova in the second half en route to an 86-70 win that wasn't really that close. They shot better than 71% inside the arc and 46.2% from 3-point range and led by as many as 21 points late in the second half. Marcus Zegarowski was terrific, finishing with 25 points and five assists, while Mitch Ballock hit six 3s en route to 20 points -- 17 coming in the second half.

We had been waiting most of the season for Creighton to have a performance like it did against Villanova. Even when the Bluejays were playing well, it still seemed like something was missing. But after a week that saw Creighton put up its best offensive outing of the season (vs. Villanova) and its best defensive effort of the campaign (vs. Georgetown), the Bluejays could be starting to roll.

Player of the Week: Marcus Burk, IUPUI Jaguars

This award usually ends up going to the player on a top-25ish team who had the best week and a couple of nice wins. And while I could have easily gone with LSU's Ja'Vonte Smart, who had 22 points and 11 assists against Mississippi State and followed it up with 20 points against Tennessee, I wanted to go off the beaten path this week. And that brings me to Burk. The senior guard from Indianapolis has had a ridiculous past two years with IUPUI since transferring from Campbell, averaging 21.3 points last season and 22.0 points this season. But he has never had a stretch like he did over the past few days.

Burk had 36 points on Friday against Illinois Chicago, then came back on Saturday to drop 34 on the Flames. It was an efficient effort too, as he missed just 12 shots in the two games -- and IUPUI won both games to improve to 6-8 in the Horizon League. Burk was the first player since Marquette's Markus Howard last season to total at least 70 points on back-to-back days -- at least until Oral Roberts' Max Abmas topped Burk. (Abmas scored 42 on Saturday and 30 on Sunday, but the latter came in a loss, giving the edge to Burk -- in my view -- this week.) One other player I wanted to mention was Loyola Maryland's Santi Aldama, who had three extremely productive games this past week: 30 points and 10 rebounds; 30 points and 22 rebounds; 19 points and nine rebounds.

Win of the Week: Oklahoma Sooners 91, West Virginia Mountaineers 90

West Virginia was one Miles McBride jumper from winning its fourth in a row, jumping into the top 10 and -- most importantly, of course -- earning Team of the Week honors. But both McBride jumpers in regulation failed to fall, and Oklahoma ended up pulling out a double-overtime win. It was one of the best games of the Big 12 season, with the two teams going back and forth with big shots for most of the contest. Umoja Gibson and Austin Reaves consistently made plays late for the Sooners. And when Derek Culver's two attempts at the rim in the final seconds of the second overtime rimmed out, it resulted in a huge road win for Lon Kruger's program. Reaves was terrific, finishing with 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, just barely outdueling McBride, his fellow high-level Big 12 guard counterpart. Gibson sent the game to overtime with a late bucket and went for 21 points. Kruger deserves to be in the coach of the year conversation, as my colleague Myron Medcalf wrote on Saturday, and his constant adjustments this season to deal with the different absences of key players has been highly impressive.

Coach of the Week: Casey Alexander, Belmont Bruins

Because of its schedule, I'm not sure Belmont will find itself in the top 16 of my Power Rankings this season; but the Bruins deserve attention, and Alexander warrants consideration for coach of the year honors nationally. This was supposed to be the season Belmont -- picked third in the preseason Ohio Valley poll, behind co-favorites Austin Peay and Murray State -- took a step back. As we enter the final couple of weeks of the regular season, the Bruins have the most wins in the country with 22, and their only loss was to Samford back on Dec. 5.

This past week, they faced the two teams directly behind them in the standings, Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State, and won both by a combined 33 points. Neither game was much of a contest in the second half. The Bruins still might have to win the Ohio Valley tournament, because they don't have a single Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 2 game on their résumé, but this is a legitimately good team that can make noise in the NCAA tournament. In his second season at the helm since taking over for Rick Byrd, Alexander has done a terrific job in Nashville.

Three teams with questions

What has happened to the team that beat Wisconsin and Creighton in December, with the latter coming on the road? The Golden Eagles have capitulated in the last month of Big East play, losing six of their past seven games since starting 4-4 in the conference. This week saw a 32-point loss at Villanova and a defeat at Seton Hall, leaving them in 10th place in the league.

I don't have too many concerns about Tad Boyle's team ultimately making the NCAA tournament. But its loss on Saturday at California was Colorado's third Quadrant 3 defeat of the season, following losses at Washington and at home versus Utah. On the flip side, the Buffaloes only have two Quad 1 wins. The metrics love Colorado, but its overall résumé isn't great.

It's almost time to add Tom Izzo's group to the pile that includes Kentucky and Duke after the Spartans' 30-point home loss to Iowa on Saturday. They're now 4-8 in the Big Ten, entering a 12-day stretch that includes games at Purdue, Indiana and Maryland, with home games versus Illinois and Ohio State. Anything short of 3-2 in that stretch and it's over.

Power Rankings

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (20-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: vs. Saint Mary's (Thursday), vs. San Diego (Saturday)

Five straight road games, five straight double-digit wins. BYU is the second-best team in the WCC and Gonzaga jumped out to a 15-2 lead and kept the Cougars at an arm's length the rest of the way. San Francisco is generally a tough test for the Zags, especially on the road, but Gonzaga scored 100 points, had its third-best offensive performance of the season and held the Dons to 0.84 points per possession. Drew Timme was the star of the week for Mark Few's team. He scored 20 points and grabbed 13 boards against BYU. Timme followed that up with 28 points and 10 boards in only 22 minutes against San Francisco; he put up 21 points in the first half and could have had a bigger tally if there hadn't been such a wide margin on the scoreboard.

2. Baylor Bears (17-0)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday)

Baylor hasn't played since a Feb. 2 win at Texas due to COVID-19 issues, and it isn't scheduled to play again until Oklahoma State comes to town on Saturday. By that point, the Bears will have had five games postponed due to the latest pause. In the first meeting against the Cowboys, Mike Boynton's team led for most of the first 25 minutes, then Baylor went on a 19-1 run -- Jared Butler was the catalyst, of course -- and it was over. It also was one of two games that Oklahoma State played without Cade Cunningham. It will be interesting to see how Baylor decides to guard him. The Bears have several elite defenders, but I wouldn't mind seeing Mark Vital defend Cunningham for a few possessions given Vital's size and physicality.

3. Michigan Wolverines (14-1)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: vs. Rutgers (Thursday), at Ohio State (Sunday)

It took 20-plus minutes for the Wolverines to get some rhythm following a three-week pause, but their second-half performance against Wisconsin should have restored confidence that they're not going to fall off much from the way they played the first two months of the season. Michigan's defense after halftime was elite: Wisconsin shot 25% from the field and 1-for-12 from 3-point range in the second half, and the Wolverines outscored the Badgers 40-20. Hunter Dickinson was a dominant force for Michigan; he had 11 rebounds in the second half and finished with a double-double. (His counterparts on the Badgers, Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter, combined for zero rebounds in a combined 40 minutes.) Michigan isn't going anywhere.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (17-4)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: at Penn State (Thursday), vs. Michigan (Sunday)

Ohio State is operating at an extremely high level on the offensive end lately. The Buckeyes have scored at least one point per possession in each of their past 10 outings, making double-digit 3-pointers in six of those and shooting 50% or better from 2-point range in nine. Most of that has coincided with Justin Ahrens' insertion into the starting lineup; he has made at least three 3s in seven of his past nine games as a starter. CJ Walker also is starting to round into form after missing four games due to injury; he has come off the bench in each of his past six games, but he has scored in double figures in three of his past four and is averaging 4.0 assists in his past six.

5. Illinois Fighting Illini (14-5)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: vs. Northwestern (Tuesday), at Minnesota (Saturday)

Ayo Dosunmu is playing his way into the Wooden Award conversation. I had him at No. 3 in the pecking order entering the past couple of weeks, but he has been on a tear over his past two games. Against Wisconsin last weekend, he had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, and he followed that up with 31 points and six assists in the overtime win at Nebraska on Friday. Dosunmu was unstoppable down the stretch against the Cornhuskers, single-handedly forcing overtime and hitting multiple big shots in the extra session. There might not be a better late-game player in college basketball than Dosunmu. Teams know he likes to drive right, but they still have difficulty staying in front of him or keeping him from getting to the rim with his right hand.

6. Alabama Crimson Tide (17-5)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: at Texas A&M (Wednesday), vs. Vanderbilt (Saturday)

Alabama has officially snapped out of its offensive funk. The Crimson Tide were held below one point per possession in their past five games entering the weekend but then erupted against Georgia for its best offensive performance of the season. They scored 115 points, with 64 coming in the second half; they made 18 3-pointers, their second-highest total of the season; and five players scored in double figures, with eight making at least one 3. How about this for a stat: According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Alabama is the first SEC team to score 115 points in a conference game since Rick Pitino's Kentucky team scored 120 against Vanderbilt in 1996. Not bad company.

7. Houston Cougars (17-2)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: at Wichita State (Thursday), vs. Cincinnati (Sunday)

Hopefully, for Kelvin Sampson's sake, the Quentin Grimes of nonconference play is back for the Cougars. The former Kansas transfer started the season on a tear, was consistent during the first half of conference play and then missed a game and struggled in back-to-back contests against SMU and East Carolina. But he went for 29 points and six 3-pointers against South Florida this past week, and that should be enough to get him back on the right track. Grimes is the best player in the AAC, and he has shown for long stretches this season why he was considered an elite guard coming out of high school. When his shot is falling, he is good enough to carry the Cougars on the offensive end in March.

8. Virginia Cavaliers (15-3)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: at Florida State (Monday), at Duke (Saturday)

For a few weeks, all the talk about Virginia was how good its offense was and how the Cavaliers weren't being carried by their defense anymore. Well, maybe Tony Bennett caught wind and decided to remind people about their ability at that end of the floor. This past week, the Cavaliers held both Georgia Tech and North Carolina below 50 points, with the Yellow Jackets and Tar Heels each scoring fewer than 0.83 points per possession. They shot a combined 6-for-37 from 3-point range, and now, Virginia's last four opponents have made four or fewer 3s. By the way, give me Virginia as a sleeper pick to grab a 1-seed. If the Cavaliers beat Florida State on Monday, they're the favorite to win the ACC regular-season title -- and will be the favorite to win the ACC tournament title. Assuming the Big Ten and Big 12 teams beat up on each other, it opens the door for a dual-champion Cavaliers team to grab a 1-seed, if things go their way.

9. Oklahoma Sooners (13-5)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: vs. Texas (Tuesday), at Iowa State (Saturday)

The Sooners found themselves at No. 12 in the selection committee's top-16 reveal on Saturday, and then they went out and beat West Virginia on the road in double overtime. They now have five Quadrant 1 wins on the season: home vs. Alabama, a sweep of West Virginia, home vs. Kansas and at Texas. There aren't too many teams with a handful of victories of that caliber, and it helps that their worst loss came at Xavier back in early December. It's a rock-solid résumé, and one that can improve on Tuesday at home against Texas. The battle to be the Big 12's second-best team behind Baylor is a four-way fight between the Sooners, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Texas, but Lon Kruger's team has the edge right now.

10. Villanova Wildcats (13-3)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: vs. UConn (Saturday)

After a few closer-than-expected wins and an overwhelming loss to St. John's, it looked like Villanova was getting its post-pause sea legs back with a 32-point win over Marquette on Wednesday. And then the Wildcats went to Omaha on Saturday and got run out of the gym by Creighton. The Wildcats have actually had some pretty big losses to Creighton in recent history, including two in 2014 by a combined 49 points. That's what happens sometimes against a program that bases most of its offense around 3-point shooting. But there's something a bit concerning about Villanova's defense since the pause: The Wildcats have allowed at least one point per possession in five of their seven games upon returning, and they're now ninth in the Big East in adjusted defensive efficiency.

11. Iowa Hawkeyes (15-6)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: at Wisconsin (Thursday), vs. Penn State (Sunday)

I've written in past weeks about how Iowa's supporting cast has disappeared in some recent losses, especially late in games. The Hawkeyes' complementary players answered the call this week, as Luka Garza didn't have a banner week. The Wooden Award candidate registered 22 points against Rutgers but took 20 shots to get there; then he followed it up with eight points against Michigan State for his first single-digit scoring effort since scoring nine against San Diego State on Nov. 29 of last season. But Joe Wieskamp had a combined 47 points and 17 rebounds, while Keegan Murray and Jack Nunge both produced up front. Perhaps most importantly, the Hawkeyes shot the ball well. They were a combined 24-for-48 from 3-point range in the two wins.

12. West Virginia Mountaineers (14-6)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: at Texas (Saturday)

The Mountaineers' smaller lineup in the post-Oscar Tshiebwe era has brought about improved perimeter shooting and a far more versatile and potent offense than Bob Huggins has had in recent years. At the same time, they're not defending with the same effectiveness we've seen from past West Virginia iterations. The Mountaineers have allowed at least one point per possession in their past three games and in nine of their past 12 outings -- with the three exceptions coming against Northeastern, Kansas State and Iowa State. They're struggling on the defensive glass and allowing opponents to shoot better than 52% from inside the arc. With TCU and Kansas State coming up after Texas, though, it could give the team an opportunity to restore some confidence on the defensive end.

13. Texas Tech Red Raiders (14-6)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: at TCU (Monday), vs. TCU (Wednesday), at Kansas (Saturday)

I think Texas Tech is going to make for an interesting test case for the selection committee. The Red Raiders came in on the 4-seed line in Saturday's reveal, which is understandable after their loss earlier in the week to West Virginia. While they have very good efficiency metrics, and they sat in the top 10 of the BPI entering the week, their strength of record is in the 30s, and six of their 14 wins are against Quadrant 4 opponents. After the two games against TCU this week, Tech heads to Kansas and Oklahoma State, before coming back home to play Texas. That will give the Red Raiders an opportunity to beef up their résumé to ensure they find themselves as a top-four seed come Selection Sunday.

14. Texas Longhorns (13-5)
Previous ranking: 15
This week: at Oklahoma (Tuesday), at Iowa State (Thursday), vs. West Virginia (Saturday)

It was a solid bounce-back week for Texas, which won two in a row after a three-game losing streak. Greg Brown had one of his better weeks of the season, scoring in double figures in both games, while also going 7-for-12 from 3-point range and grabbing a combined 13 rebounds. Brown is the best NBA prospect on the team, but he has had some ups and downs, as all freshmen do. He is now shooting 48.6% from 3-point range in Big 12 play, which does answer some questions about his ability to step out and consistently make jump shots at the next level. I still think Brown is the key for Texas come March; not only is he the type of player who can cause matchup problems, but he can make a play simply off length and physicality, which makes a difference in the NCAA tournament when everything is so well-scouted.

15. Creighton Bluejays (16-5)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: None

Marcus Zegarowski chose a good time for arguably his best game of the season, going for 25 points, five assists and three 3-pointers against Villanova on Saturday. Zegarowski entered the season as a preseason All-American and one of the best point guards in college basketball, but his numbers are down across the board: points, 2-point shooting, 3-point shooting, assist rate, efficiency. If Zegarowski can return to his sophomore-year form -- or continue to play how he did against the Wildcats over the weekend -- that immediately raises Creighton's March ceiling. The Bluejays have their usual assortment of shooters and versatile players, in addition to improved defense and more size than last season, but Zegarowski is the X factor.

16. USC Trojans (17-3)
Previous ranking: In the waiting room
This week: vs. Arizona State (Wednesday), vs. Arizona (Saturday)

We briefly addressed this in our Wooden Award roundtable last week, but Evan Mobley isn't getting nearly enough attention for the season he is having. Mobley has been the best freshman in college basketball, and I'm not sure it's close. He has been the best player in the Pac-12 this season; he is one of the best interior defensive players in the country; and Saturday's 20-point, 11-rebound, six-block performance against Washington State was his third 20-point, 10-rebound, five-block effort of the season. Mobley is the primary reason USC is a top-10 defensive team and one of the toughest 2-point defenses in the country. The Trojans have won 12 of their past 13 games and are rising in every metric despite lacking a true marquee win.

Dropped out: Missouri (No. 9), Tennessee (No. 16)

In the waiting room

Just as I was starting to buy into the Volunteers, they go out and lay an egg against an LSU team that had really been struggling on the defensive end. They're scoring fewer than one point per possession in SEC play -- 12th in the conference. And while they're a very good defensive team, they're not guarding at the same level they were back in November and December.

The Seminoles' first game in two weeks wasn't overly impressive, but Scottie Barnes' coast-to-coast layup rescued them in regulation and enabled them to grab an overtime win against Wake Forest. Their ACC title hopes could come down to Monday night's game at home against Virginia. Having one post-pause game under their belts can only help.

Back-to-back losses for the Tigers send them tumbling out of the rankings, although Saturday's overtime defeat to Arkansas came without big man Jeremiah Tilmon. But Missouri is going to have to bounce back if it wants to regain a chance at a top-four seed. As we've mentioned before, the Tigers' NET and efficiency-based metrics are unimpressive.