Power 24

Welcome to Bracketville’s Power 24. It’s a look at teams based on performance and potential. This way, a team’s evaluation is more inclusive, including strength of schedule, wins against top teams, and evalation against the RPI. Power 24 is not configured like a traditional poll. Potential is an important consideration; not just current performance – especially early in the season. RPI data comes from CollegeRPI.com.

Current Update: Monday, March 5

Final Update: Monday, March 12

Moving IN: San Diego State, New Mexico | Moving OUT: Notre Dame, Louisville

BRACKETVILLE’S Power 24
1	Kentucky	The Wildcats completed a perfect SEC slate and came within one point of an undefeated season.  Expect Kentucky to be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday.
2	Syracuse	Syracuse finished with just one loss in the Big East and went unbeaten in its non-conference season.  The Orange should be the No. 1 seed in the East Region.
3	Kansas	Despite losing several key players, the Jayhawks won their 8th straight Big 12 title and are in position to claim another No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
4	North Carolina	The Tar Heels began the season No. 1 overall and ended it with another ACC championship. Although inconsistent at times, UNC has the talent to make another run at the Final Four.
5	Michigan State	The Spartans came within two points of winning an outright Big Ten title and will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.  However, MSU will be without Brandon Dawson for the rest of the year after he tore his ACL in Sunday’s loss to Ohio State.
6	Duke	It’s been another strong season for the Blue Devils who finished a game back of UNC for the ACC crown.  The two teams split during the regular season and it wont’ be a surprise to see them meet again for the ACC tournament title.
7	Ohio State	A lack of depth can be an issue for the Buckeyes, but William Buford was on his game Sunday in the second half at East Lansing.  It wouldn’t be a surprise to see OSU cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
8	Missouri	The Tigers put together a great season and finished second to Kansas in the Big 12. Mizzou is dangerous when their shots are falling.  Another epic battle with Kansas could be on tap in the conference tournament.
9	Baylor	A step behind Kansas and Missouri in the Big 12, Baylor put together an excellent campaign overall.  If the tournament draw is favorable, the Bears have the talent to stick around awhile.
10	Marquette	The Golden Eagles finished second in the Big East and will be the No. 2 seed in New York.  Marquette likes to play up-tempo and defends well.  MU should be able to lock up a 3 or 4 seed for the NCAAs.
11	Michigan	It’s been a great season in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines forced a three-way tie at the top of the Big Ten standings.  Michigan is the three-seed in the Big Ten tournament and has likely locked up a Top 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.
12	Indiana	The Hoosiers put together a memorable season in Bloomington, beating Kentucky, Ohio State and Michigan State at Assembly Hall.  They closed Sunday by sweeping Purdue.  When shots are falling, IU can score with anyone.
13	Georgetown	While the Hoyas haven’t been overwhelming, they’ve been very consistent.  They head to New York with a Dance ticket in hand and will try to improve an already good seed.
14	Wisconsin	Despite some rare home losses at the Kohl Center, the Badgers were actually a good road team – which included a win at Ohio State.  Wisconsin is never a fun matchup. They head to the Big Ten tournament with a lot of momentum.
15	Temple	The Owls were the class of the Atlantic 10 and have a history of doing well in the conference tournament.  Another good performance should provide Temple a protected seed on Selection Sunday.
16	Murray State	The Racers completed a truly memorable season, losing just once.  Murray beat Memphis, Southern Mississippi, St. Mary’s, and Dayton along the way.  It will be interesting to see how the Selection Committee seeds the Racers.
17	Wichita State	A late loss to Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference semifinal doesn’t diminsh a great season for the Shockers.  With the right matchups, they could easily reach the Sweet 16.
18	Florida State	When shots are falling, the Seminoles can be a handful.  Defense is a constant. FSU beat North Carolina by 30 and won at Duke.  Despite some inconsistent play, this can be a dangerous team.
19	Vanderbilt	The Commodores are loaded with talent.  Other than North Carolina and Indiana, no team played Kentucky tougher – despite two losses.  Vandy has a history of early NCAA exits.  Maybe this is the year that changes.
20	UNLV	The Rebels were one of four teams to beat North Carolina this year.  Up next, UNLV will try to improve its seeding via the Mountain West tournament.
21	Creighton	After a couple of surprise losses, Creighton found its groove and survived Illinois State in OT to win the Missouri Valley tournament title.  Much like fellow MVC mate Wichita State, the Bluejays could advance with the right matchups.
22	Florida	Florida couldn’t beat Kentucky or Tennessee, but largely fared well against the rest of the SEC.  The Gators can present matchup problems when they spread the floor. What they lack is a consistent inside game.
23	San Diego State	Somewhat quietly, the Aztecs put together a surprising season.  SDSU tied with New Mexico for the Mountain West crown.  Now, they’ll try to win it outright at the MTW tournament.
24	New Mexico	The Lobos might be the most talented team in the Mountain West.  They will have the chance to showcase that talent at the MTW tournament.  Winning a title is certainly within their reach.

Next in Line: Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Louisville, Cincinnati, St. Mary’s, Purdue, Iowa State.

Thanks for your joining us here at Bracketville. Have a different opinion? Send a rebound. – Dave.