Male’s Power Rankings: Mizzou likely isn’t done rising after beating

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  • height =”40″/ > Jeff BorzelloFeb 20, 2025, 09:00 AM ET Close Basketball recruiting expert.
  • Joined ESPN in 2014.
  • Graduate of University of Delaware.Auburn, Alabama,

Florida, Tennessee, possibly Kentucky if it gets healthy.When talking about the SEC groups that could potentially make a Final 4 run, those have actually been at the forefront of the conversation. But in a conversation earlier this week with an SEC coach– before Wednesday night’s games– he explained that people are forgetting about Missouri. His reasoning was simple: size, length and talent at all five spots, a group that will be truly hard to get ready for on a brief turnaround.And then Missouri went out and dropped 110 points on Alabama.Dennis Gates has done an exceptional job this season in Columbia. Remember, this group did

n’t win a single SEC game last season and finished 8-24 general. Plus, Gates didn’t do a complete teardown; 3 of this season’s beginners were on last year’s team. Missouri now has 2 wins that will carry a lot of weight on Selection Sunday: at Florida and over Alabama. The Tigers have 6 Quadrant 1 wins, no losses beyond Quad 1– and, beyond a 16-point loss at Auburn on Jan. 4, they have not lost another game by more than 8 points.Their internet ranking remains in good condition, their résumé-based and efficiency-based metrics are both very strong, and they might be favored in each of their five remaining games in the routine season. Missouri is likely not done increasing in these Power Rankings. Previous ranking: 1 Auburn winning at Alabama over the weekend felt as if it essentially secured the total No. 1 seed for the Tigers, with Bruce Pearl’s team trending towards having

perhaps the best NCAA tournament résumé we’ve ever seen. Auburn likewise prevented a loss in the supreme letdown area, hanging on to beat Arkansas on Wednesday in what was the Tigers’second-worst offending efficiency of the season. Something to enjoy progressing is whether Chad Baker-Mazara continues to come off the bench as soon as fully healthy.Next 7 days: vs. Georgia(Feb. 22), vs. Ole Miss(Feb. 26 ) Previous ranking:

3 Alex Condon’s injury came at an inopportune time– he was poised to become one

of the SEC’s many dominant frontcourt players down the stretch of the season– but has actually also enabled Florida’s other bigs to play a bigger function. And they’re all excelling. Thomas Haugh averaged 18.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in his very first two games with an increased function, while Rueben Chinyelu has actually struck double figures in scoring in three straight games. And Micah Handlogten is currently showing to be a protective presence.Next 7 days: at LSU(Feb. 22), at Georgia (Feb. 25) Previous ranking: 4 Maliq Brown’s shoulder injury will keep him out indefinitely, and while his scoring numbers might fool people into believing it’s not a significant lack, the Blue Devils will miss him. He has been among the very best protective players in the ACC,

at both Syracuse and Duke, and his ability to slow down Johni Broome back in December was a primary factor Duke beat Auburn. This now puts more pressure on 2 freshman bigs: starter Khaman Maluach and reserve Patrick Ngongba, who has actually played double-digit minutes just 7 times this season.Next 7 days: vs. Illinois in New york city City( Feb. 22), at Miami (Feb. 25) Editor’s Picks 2 Related Previous ranking: 5 Houston’s 1-seed case might boil down to its two upcoming games. The Cougars have now won 18 of their past 19 games, with the lone loss coming over one point in overtime against Texas Tech.

One big increase for Kelvin Sampson’s club would be Emanuel Sharp recovering. After striking double figures in 14 of 16 games, he suffered an ankle injury and missed out on three games, and averaged just 5.7 points in the six games he actually played while banged up.

But versus Arizona State on Tuesday, Sharp set up 17 points and made four 3s. Next 7 days: vs. Iowa State(Feb. 22 ),

at Texas Tech(Feb. 24) Previous ranking: 2 Alabama’s offense is as good as anyone’s in college basketball, efficient in setting up 100 in any game. However it has also eclipsed a defense that has truly started to battle. The Crimson Tide permitted 204 points in back-to-back losses to Auburn and Missouri, and they have actually given up at least 80 points in four straight games– and 7 of their past 9. Their defensive efficiency numbers are down to No. 10 in the SEC.Next 7 days: vs. Kentucky (Feb. 22 ), vs. Mississippi State(Feb. 25) Previous ranking: 6 After missing one game with a knee injury, Zakai Zeigler is playing perhaps the best basketball of his career. The senior point player is balancing 19.3 points and 7.8 helps over his previous four games, shooting much better than 71 %from 3-point range– while likewise coming up huge late. Against Vanderbilt, he had 22 points in the second half, shooting 3-for-4 from 3 and dishing out

4 assists.Next 7 days: at Texas A&M (Feb. 22), at LSU(Feb. 25)

Previous ranking: 9

Iowa State has actually restored its swagger on the offensive end in time for Saturday’s showdown at Houston– and it unsurprisingly has happened in the 4 games since Milan Momcilovic returned from injury. The Cyclones have scored a minimum of one point per possession in all 19 of Momcilovic’s games, while they were held below that mark in 4 of the seven getaways he missed out on. Because returning, he has struck double figures 3 times and is shooting 9-for-23 from 3-point range.Next 7 days: at Houston (Feb. 22

), at Oklahoma State (

Feb. 25) Previous ranking: 15 John Tonje is surging into the All-America conversation and making a case to be considered the best transfer in the country this season. He’s now balancing 25.1 points over his previous eight games, opting for 31 points in Tuesday’s blowout win over Illinois after finishing with 32 in the road win at Purdue.

Tonje has at least 22 points in seven of his past eight games. It’s a remarkable dive after he played simply 8 games and balanced 2.6 points at Missouri last season.Next 7 days: vs. Oregon(Feb. 22), vs. Washington (No. 25) Men’s Tournament Challenge Register now to play the # 1 Men’s bracket game for FREE! $135,000 in prizes.