As the regular season winds down, all eyes are turning to March Madness. With conference tournaments set to kick off next week and the NCAA tournament approaching, this is the best time of the year for college basketball fans.
With so much excitement building, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories around college basketball this week.
History Of Futility Made Last Saturday
Last Saturday was not a good day to be a top-ranked team. Seven of the top nine teams in the nation all lost on the same day, including the top-six teams. Gonzaga, Arizona, Auburn, Purdue, Kansas, Kentucky, and Texas Tech all went down.
Despite their losses, both No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Arizona held their top spots. After that, everything was turned upside down. Two of the biggest benefactors were Baylor (moving from No. 10 to No. 3) and Duke (moving up to No. 4).
Gonzaga (+370), Arizona (+600), Kentucky (+750), Baylor (+1000), and Duke (+1300) remain the favorites to win the National Championship this season.
Still, the biggest takeaway from this last week is that even the favorites are susceptible to a loss, meaning there may be some extra madness this March.
Wisconsin Favored To Win Big Ten
Not only did Purdue lose on Saturday to unranked Michigan State, but they may have also blown their chances at the Big Ten regular-season title on Tuesday as they dropped their road game to No. 10 Wisconsin 70-67.
As a result of the loss, Wisconsin will at worst claim a tie for the Big Ten regular-season title and can win it outright with a win over unranked Nebraska on Sunday.
Badgers’ head coach Greg Gard has his squad playing great basketball at the right time. They have now won five games in a row and are one of the hottest teams in the country right now.
Wisconsin is tied for the 14th-best odds of winning the National Championship this season at +5000.
Krzyzewski’s Regular Season Finale Looming
In a long and illustrious career, one that has spanned 41 years, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is set to coach his final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday. With so much history, it is only fitting that they are hosting North Carolina.
Given the history of coach Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils’ program, it is no wonder why ticket prices are soaring for this game. In fact, Mike McDaniel of Sports Illustrated reports that the current minimum ticket price is just shy of $3,700.
For Duke, they are currently 26-4 overall and 16-3 in the ACC. North Carolina is in second in the ACC with a 14-5 record.
While Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils are likely more concerned with the ACC and NCAA tournaments, it is certainly going to be an emotional farewell at Cameron Stadium.
Love him or hate him, coach Krzyzewski leaves behind a legacy at Duke that is unparalleled and one that has rightfully put him amongst the best coaches in college history.
Ewing Appears Safe At Georgetown
It has been quite a precipitous fall for the Georgetown Hoyas. With their loss to Seton Hall on Wednesday, Georgetown has now lost a whopping 19 games in a row.
In fact, the last time that they won a game was a 85-73 win over Howard all the way back on December 15.
Still, for as rough as the season has been, it does not appear that head coach Patrick Ewing’s job is in jeopardy. Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed recently indicated that Ewing’s status as head coach is safe for the foreseeable future.
Since being hired in 2017, Ewing has gone just 68-81 and only has a single winning season. Still, the former Hoyas’ star will continue to get an opportunity to turn it around. In the meantime, Big East opponents continue to get a relatively easy win as the Hoyas are winless in the conference this season.
For more NCAAB betting picks and previews, check out our picks page.