2024 College basketball rankings: Houston takes over No. 1 ranking

John Fanta

College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter

The overall Saturday of the lads’s school basketball steady season, with some convention match motion getting sprinkled in, delivered the products. Sooner than we strike on any takeaways from the groups in our ratings, congratulations are to deliver to Preston Spradlin and Morehead State Eagles, who booked the primary of 32 automated bids to the NCAA Match with a 69-55 win over Little Rock. With the win, the Eagles are going dancing for the primary generation since 2021. The insanity has handiest simply begun. 

As for the heavyweights around the recreation, the most important debate on the peak is who must be the general Incorrect. 1 seed within the Fat Dance? Arizona, projected within the committee’s top-16 disclose 3 weeks in the past, added a 3rd Quad 2 loss on Saturday with a 78-65 defeat to USC. 

In the meantime, North Carolina captured a 7th Quad 1 win and an 8th true highway victory – probably the most of any high-major program – with an 84-79 win over Duke to finish a season sweep and earn the outright ACC regular-season championship. The alternative staff in rivalry for the 1-line, Tennessee, misplaced at house to Kentucky. Date it’s a Quad 1 loss and the Vols nonetheless have 8 victories over the peak Quadrant, it will increase the controversy about who that terminating Incorrect. 1-seed belongs to then to Houston, UConn and Purdue. 

The Tar Heels, who’ve now gained 3 of the terminating 4 conferences with their arch rival performed at Cameron Indoor Stadium, raced out to a 15-point supremacy within the first part and not seemed again. Saturday’s victory will eternally be recognized in Chapel Hill as “The Cormac Ryan Sport“ for the reason that UNC cover went off for a career-high 31 issues within the victory. That attempt produced the highest-scoring duel through a Tar Heel in a duel at Duke since Hubert Davis scored 35 on March 8, 1992. 

Marquee highway wins had been a theme on Saturday, as Kentucky proved why John Calipari has a staff with nationwide championship upside. In spite of first-team All-American frontrunner Dalton Knecht scoring 40 issues, Antonio Reeves scored 27 issues, and Reed Sheppard delivered 27 month taking pictures 7-for-10 from 3-point dimension for Kentucky to drag out an 85-81 victory in Knoxville. Throw in Justin Edwards posting some other encouraging efficiency with 16 issues, month hitting 4 triples, and this staff’s offensive skills are really infinite. Date it’s a difficult loss for Tennessee, Rick Barnes’ staff handiest has one Quad 2 loss, while Arizona and North Carolina have more than one defeats in that column. The committee has some pondering to do, and this age’s convention match efficiency must play games an element in figuring out seeding. 

As for the people’s peak groups, Houston bullied Kansas, 76-46, in the back of Jamal Shead’s 13 issues, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. For the Cougars to be 28-3 total and 15-3 within the Fat 12 as outright convention champions in Age 1 in that league is phenomenal. In the meantime, the Jayhawks have important problems. Hunter Dickinson dislocated his shoulder and Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) didn’t play games in the second one part. I might no longer believe Invoice Self’s staff age the primary weekend of the NCAA Match, if even that. 

And nearest there’s Connecticut, who’s my frontrunner to win the nationwide championship and might be my select to shorten unwell the nets in Arizona when the bracket is perceptible then Sunday. UConn overcame a sluggish get started, one during which they trailed 15-2, and rolled to a 74-60 win with 5 scoring in double-figures and the Friars going scoreless within the ultimate 8:46 of the primary part.

Connecticut is the Incorrect. 1 seed within the Fat East Match, with Incorrect. 2 seed Creighton incomes its 7th win in 8 video games. The shot of the hour on Saturday? It comes from Trey Alexander, who strike the game-winner to overcome Villanova, handing the Wildcats a horrendous loss for his or her at-large hopes. 

Creighton’s Trey Alexander hits a game-winning shot with .1 left to jerk unwell Villanova

Two alternative effects that stood out: Danny Sprinkle, who took over at Utah State within the offseason, has the Aggies as Mountain West outright regular-season champions for the primary generation ever. 

The alternative? USF was once bounced from our ratings with a loss to Tulsa. Date the Bulls are 23-6 and having a paranormal generation, they should win the American Athletic Convention Match to get the NCAA bid. Their résumé isn’t sturdy plenty.

Whole ratings: 

1. Houston (28-3)
2. UConn (28-3) 
3. Purdue (28-3)
4. North Carolina (25-6)
5. Tennessee (24-7)
6. Creighton (23-8)
7. Arizona (24-7)
8. Kentucky (23-8)
9. Iowa State (24-7)
10. Marquette (22-7)
11. Duke (24-7) 
12. Auburn (24-7)
13. Illinois (23-8)
14. Baylor (22-9)
15. South Carolina (25-6)
16. Utah State (26-5)
17. BYU (22-9)
18. Gonzaga (24-6)
19. Saint Mary’s (24-7)
20. Nevada (26-6)
21. Kansas (22-9)
22. Alabama (21-10)
23. Texas Tech (22-9)
24. Dayton (24-6)
25. Drake (28-6)

John Fanta is a countrywide school basketball broadcaster and scribbler for FOX Sports activities. He covers the game in a lot of capacities, from calling video games on FS1 to serving as supremacy host at the BIG EAST Virtual Community to offering observation on The Farmland of 68 Media Community. Observe him on X at @John_Fanta.

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