LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — It's less than 7 weeks until Selection Sunday so I'm not billing this as a Clip and Save Edition.
But four teams continue to make their cases they are the most likely picks to be No. 1 seeds for the men's NCAA Tournament when the field is announced March 14 — UConn, Purdue, Houston and North Carolina,
They also lead the latest edition of my weekly ballot for the AP Top 25.
- UConn (18-2): The Huskies have won eight straight and will try to take over Madison Square Garden against Rick Pitino and St. John's Saturday.
- Purdue (19-2): The Boilermakers' trip to Wisconsin Sunday is the game of the year in the Big Ten.
- Houston (18-2): Cougars are at Texas and at Kansas this week. They've got their shot to separate or fall back in the Big 12.
- North Carolina (17-3): The Tar Heels have won 10 straight — with five ACC road wins.
- Tennessee (15-4): You know where the Vols will be Saturday night, right? Rupp should rock.
- Wisconsin (16-4): The Badgers, not the Boilermakers, lead the Big Ten — and they have a win over Marquette. They also visit Nebraska before Purdue visits.
- Marquette (15-5): Shaka Smart has a top-20 defense but only a top-35 offense.
- Duke (15-4): The Blue Devils are at North Carolina on Saturday. Try to avoid as many of those ESPN commercials as you can.
- Auburn (16-4): Two SEC road losses last week. Close, but losses.
- Kentucky (16-4): The Wildcats showed a bit of growth on the road by rallying to win that game at Arkansas on Saturday.
- Creighton (16-5): Put the Bluejays down as a solid longshot Final Four pick.
- FAU (17-4): The Owls can't really prove anything to their skeptics until March.
- Texas Tech (16-3): A nice road win over Oklahoma put the Red Raiders atop the Big 12 — for now.
- Iowa State (16-4): The Cyclones took care of Kansas State and Kansas last week.
- Kansas (16-4): The Jayhawks keep reminding us they're really not that good.
- Arizona (16-5): I usually vote the Wildcats lower than anybody else in the poll. I have also noticed they lost to Stanford, Washington State and Oregon State.
- Illinois (15-5): The less said about the Illini the better.
- Alabama (14-6): The Crimson Tide lead the SEC and are in the Top 10 of the analytics' ratings.
- New Mexico. (18-3): Richard Pitino's team has handled Utah State, San Diego State and Nevada — but all at home.
- Utah State (18-2): The Aggies' got a solid road win in overtime against Boise State.
- Dayton (16-3): The Flyers' romp through the Atlantic 10 ended at Richmond Saturday — and the Spiders replaced them atop the A10 standings.
- South Carolina (17-3): Lamont Paris is the early leader in the SEC coach of the year discussion.
- Saint Mary's (16-6): The Gaels, not Gonzaga, lead the West Coast Conference.
- BYU (15-5): I know the Cougars are 3-4 in the Big 12. I also know the computer ratings say they are a top-10 team.
- Northwestern (15-5): Beat Purdue. Beat Illinois, too.
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