2013 College Basketball Power Rankings: Top 5 National Title Contenders: It was another wild weekend in college hoops as four teams ranked in the top 10 went down, including the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country. Not surprisingly, the power rankings have been shuffled up a bit, and a new team has grabbed the top spot. Of course, that could end up being more of a curse than a blessing given how poorly top-ranked teams have fared this year. Conference play is always rough, but it has been particularly unpredictable this season. It will be interesting to see how the conference races play out with March fast approaching, but in the meantime, here is a look at the top five national title contenders.
2013 College Basketball Power Rankings: Top 5 National Title Contenders
1. Indiana Hoosiers (20-2, 8-1 Big Ten)
They can play a little out of control at times, but after taking down top-ranked Michigan at home, the Hoosiers jump back to the top spot in the rankings. The Hoosiers’ offense is beyond loaded, and no team in the country can match Indiana’s combination of perimeter firepower, frontcourt scoring and transition speed. Cody Zeller gets a lot of the headlines, but five players are averaging double figures for the top-scoring offense in the country, including athletic slasher Victor Oladipo. There aren’t many freebies in the Big Ten these days, but the Hoosiers’ offense has them running towards a conference title and a top seed in March.
2. Florida Gators (18-2, 8-0 SEC)
Florida’s defense is absolutely suffocating, and it is one of the reasons the Gators are riding a 10-game winning streak and are in control of the SEC. Of course, Florida’s offense isn’t terrible either, ranking seventh in field goal percentage. The Gators actually have some solid balance with Kenny Boynton and Scottie Wilbekin on the perimeter and Patric Young and Erik Murphy in the post. Florida is fresh off a dominating win over a ranked Ole Miss team, and the Gators have crushed four ranked opponents on the year. This team is the real deal.
3. Michigan Wolverines (20-2, 7-2 Big Ten)
The loss to Indiana exposed Michigan’s lack of size inside, but losing a competitive matchup at Assembly Hall to the highest-scoring team in the country isn’t a terrible loss. In fact, both of the Wolverines’ losses have come on the road to top-15 opponents. Meanwhile, Michigan’s backcourt remains one of the best in the country, and the young frontcourt should only get better heading toward March. Point guard Trey Burke is a game changer, and at the end of the day, the Wolverines have a shot against any team as long as they have their floor general.
4. Duke Blue Devils (19-2, 6-2 ACC)
Duke has bounced back nicely from its horrible loss to Miami, winning three straight and staying within striking distance of the surprising Hurricanes. The recipe for winning hasn’t really changed for the Blue Devils, and when their perimeter players are hitting shots, the offense can be as good as an in the country. In fact, they have wins over Louisville, Ohio State and Kentucky to prove it. On the flip side, there are question marks as to whether Duke can handle bigger teams with only Mason Plumlee as a legitimate frontcourt weapon. Balanced or not, the wins speak for themselves, and Blue Devils are certainly a national title contender.
5. Kansas Jayhawks (19-2, 7-1 Big 12)
A late rally against Oklahoma State came up short, snapping Kansas’ 18-game winning streak. While the loss at home was surprising, the Jayhawks remain solid across the board thanks to the outside scoring of Ben McClemore and the inside presence of Jeff Withey. Stronger point guard play is probably the team’s biggest weakness, but Kansas is deep and has plenty of athletic defenders. This is still the same group that went on the road and took out a pair of teams ranked 11th or better, and it is still coached by the same man that has helped them have a stranglehold on the Big 12. This isn’t a star-studded Kansas team, but it is tough and relentless and looks an awful lot like the group that went all the way to the title game a year ago.
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