The calendar has turned to 2023, and college basketball is kicking into high gear! Can Purdue stay on top? What’s going on in Texas? And who will cut down the nets??? Find out with The Circuit’s 2nd Quarter Polls!
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Now that we’re roughly 50% done with the college basketball season, it’s time to look at where things stand, and more importantly, where teams are ranked!
Top 25 Rankings
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1- Kansas Jayhawks
2- Purdue Boilermakers
3- Houston Cougars
4- UCONN Huskies
5- Arizona Wildcats
6- Alabama Crimson Tide
7- Texas Longhorns
8- Tennessee Volunteers
9- Gonzaga Bulldogs
10- Virginia Cavaliers
11- Arkansas Razorbacks
12- UCLA Bruins
13- Indiana Hoosiers
14- Miami Hurricane
15- Duke Blue Devils
16- Wisconsin Badgers
17- TCU Horned Frogs
18- Baylor Bears
19- Missouri Tigers
20- New Mexico Lobos
21- Xavier Musketeers
22- Auburn Tigers
23- Ohio State Buckeyes
24- Iowa State Cyclones
25- Charleston Cougars
The Jayhawks are rolling now. In a year where there aren’t many traditional contenders rising to the top, Kansas has a legitimate chance at becoming the first team since the 2007 Florida Gators to repeat.
Purdue is Purdue. Believe in them at your own risk.
Arizona, Alabama & Houston are three teams I am keeping a close eye on. Houston has a real shot at being the #1 overall seed given their schedule the rest of the way, Arizona has a skilled point guard who has been in big moments, and Alabama is just always difficult to play. These three teams are all going to be very high seeds and contend deep into March.
And then there’s Texas. What a mess. Before the season I picked them to get to the Final Four because they have a lot of talent, plus they have a coach who has been-there, done-that. Welp. Fast forward a couple months and the coach is fired amid scandal, and I have a hard time seeing Texas navigate March Madness now. Could they get a surge in the coming games as they rally around each other? Perhaps, if not likely. But this is a stay-away team come tourney time.
Player of the Year Predictions:
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1- Zach Edey (Purdue Boilermakers)
2- Jalen Wilson (Kansas Jayhawks)
3- Drew Timme (Gonzaga Bulldogs)
4- Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana Hoosiers)
5- Armando Bacot (North Carolina Tar Heels)
I don’t believe in the Boilermakers at all, but Edey is kicking everyone’s ass this season. Barring an utter collapse by Purdue down the stretch, Edey should run (or slowly jog) away with the Player of the Year award.
Coach of the Year Predictions:
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1- Dan Hurley (UCONN Huskies)
2- Matt Painter (Purdue Boilermakers)
3- Kelvin Sampson (Houston Cougars)
4- Jon Scheyer (Duke Blue Devils)
5- Erik Musselman (Arkansas Razorbacks)
I still don’t understand how UCONN has risen to one of the best teams in the nation. Hurley has done a phenomenal job, and has his team punching far above their weight, especially in contrast with the other coaches on this list who entered 2022-23 with national championship aspirations.
Freshman of the Year Predictions:
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1- Kyle Fillipowski (Duke Blue Devils)
2- Brandon Miller (Alabama Crimson Tide)
3- Keyante George (Baylor Bears)
Miller has been surging lately, and I fully expect him to be the best freshman by season's end. However, I’m sticking with Filipowski for now. He’s been one of the best players in the ACC and is leading Duke to a respectable first season post-Coach K.
All-America Predictions
1st Team:
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G- Jordan Walker (UAB Blazers)
G- Jalen Wilson (Kansas Jayhawks)
F- Armando Bacot (North Carolina Tar Heels)
F- Drew Timme (Gonzaga Bulldogs)
C- Zach Edey (Purdue Boilermakers)
2nd Team:
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G- Adam Flagler (Baylor Bears)
G- Brandon Miller (Alabama Crimson Tide)
F- Kyle Fillipowski (Duke Blue Devils)
F- Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana Hoosiers)
C- Oscar Tshiebae (Kentucky Wildcats)
3rd Team:
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G- Kerr Kriisa (Arizona Wildcats)
G- Mike Miles Jr. (TCU)
F- Jaime Jaquez (UCLA Bruins)
F- Adama Sanogo (UCONN Huskies)
C- Hunter Dickinson (Michigan Wolverines)
Final Four Predictions:
It is nearly impossible to truly predict a Final Four without seeing brackets, nevermind at the beginning of the season. So these are the four teams I think will make deep runs in March, and if the stars align and they are all in different regions, this is what the Final Four will look like.
Indiana Hoosiers def Kansas Jayhawks
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I love how Kansas has looked lately, and really believe they have a shot to win it all again. But Indiana has been surging, and Jackson-Davis is one of the absolute best players in the nation. I see him catching fire in March and leading the Hoosiers all the way to the championship game. The Hoosiers are back, baby!
Houston Cougars def Arkansas Razorbacks
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The Final Four is in Houston this year. Super Bowl LV was in Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay won. Super Bowl LVI was in Los Angeles. Los Angeles won. See where I’m going with this? The Cougars are the team of destiny this year, led by a guard who has been in some big games in Marcus Sasser and an elite coach in Kelvin Sampson.
Houston Cougars def Indiana Hoosiers
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I finally have gotten off of the Tar Heels! I should have seen it sooner. The Cougars will play in their second Final Four in three years, in front of their home fans, and do something James Harden couldn’t bring Clutch City; a championship!
There you have it! That’s where things stand in my eyes so far this college basketball season. Make sure to come back towards the beginning of February to check out my 3rd quarter polls, and make sure to continue to check out all of our great content here at The Circuit!