6. North Carolina Tar Heels – The Tar Heels had a very emotional week.
Losing to arch-rival Duke in Chapel Hill was very heartbreaking, but instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they took their frustration out on Miami to the tune of 96-71.
Opponents this week: @ NC State and @ Virginia.
7. Michigan State Spartans – Sparty only played one game last week.
In their lone impression of the week, Tom Izzo’s bunch took care of a pesky Wisconsin Badgers team 69-57.
No matter where Michigan State is seeded come March, it’s never a bad idea to have them penciled in your final four.
Opponents this week: @ Ohio State and vs. Penn State.
8. Virginia Cavaliers – After what was their toughest loss of the season, when the Cavs fell to Duke and Grayson Allen at the buzzer in Cameron, Virginia responded in dominant fashion.
Just like Sparty, Virginia only played one game last week, where they demolished NC State by 20 points.
Opponents this week: @ Miami and vs. North Carolina.
9. Miami Hurricanes – Before Saturday, the Canes were on a five-game winning streak.
However, it all came to an end before getting stomped out by North Carolina. If more teams in the top 20 didn’t lose last week, Miami would’ve fell lower.
Opponents this week: vs. Virginia and vs. Louisville.
10. Louisville Cardinals – The Cardinals knocked off Syracuse and Duke within a four-day span.
It’s a shame this team won’t be able to partake in the NCAA tournament.
Opponents this week: @ Pittsburgh and @ Miami.
Teams on the outside looking in: (11) Iowa Hawkeyes, (12) Duke Blue Devils, (13) Oregon Ducks, (14) West Virginia Mountaineers, (15) Indiana Hoosiers, (16) Baylor Bears, (17) Iowa State Cyclones, (18) Purdue Boilermakers, (19) Texas A&M Aggies, (20) Kentucky Wildcats.
Extra: How good is Duke?
When it comes to perimeter play, there isn’t a better scoring duo than Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. In their win over North Carolina last week, they were totally outclassed in the post. However, they combatted that with their perimeter shooting.
If this team gets Amile Jefferson back, they’ll be looked at as legit national title contenders, but until then, this team will solely rely on their outside game.
