RADIO
Brian Dunleavy's top 10 NCAA college basketball (CBB) rankings, from a fantasy basketball perspective, as of 03/07/18. His fantasy CBB rankings are updated weekly.
It's conference tournament time, and because every conference wants to hold its big event in the Big Apple, schedules are all over the map.
And, it seems a few of the teams in our rankings--notably a couple of Big Ten stalwarts--failed to update their calendars. As a result, there's been some shakeup in our final rankings before the Big Dance.
Here are the RotoBaller college hoops rankings as of March 7, 2018 (won-loss records in parentheses). We'll be back after the NCAA Tournament with our final rankings disguised as an NBA Draft preview.
NCAA College Basketball (CBB) Rankings
1. Virginia, (28-2)
The Cavs head into the ACC tourney, in New York, as one of the hottest teams in the country. Ty Jerome (10.6 PPG/3.0 RPG/3.7 APG) is one of the team's most consistent players, and he could be a relative bargain as a tourney fantasy player.
2. Villanova, (27-4)
Oh yeah... 'Nova. The Wildcats struggled a bit down the stretch of the regular season, but guard Jalen Brunson (19.0 PPG/4.8 APG) is a player to watch as the games become more important. And we like forward Omari Spellman (10.9 PPG/7.8 RPG), too.
3. Gonzaga, (30-4)
The 'Zags are practically perennial Sweet-16ers, and we think Killian Tillie (13.2 PPG/6.0 RPG) and his mates will be there again.
4. Duke, (25-6)
Frankly, we're ranking the Blue Devils here because, on paper, this is one of the strongest squads in the country--especially when viewed from a fantasy perspective. Five players average in double figures in scoring. Point guard Trevon Duval (10.4 PPG/5.3 APG/1.5 SPG) has emerged as one of the best floor leaders in the country--and he's just a freshman.
5. Xavier, (27-4)
It's almost a forgone conclusion that the Big East tournament--in, you guessed it, New York--will come down to Villanova and Xavier. But we're a little bit worried about the Musketeers beyond that. Point guard Quentin Goodin (9.0 PPG/5.0 APG) had been creating shots for himself against the likes of Providence and Georgetown before turning in a four-point stinker against DePaul.
6. Cincinnati, (27-4)
We'll stay in Cincy for the time being, though it's hard to figure how competitive the Bearcats will be coming out of the AAC. We do like their "Swiss Army Knife," though. And that would be Gary Clark (12.7 PPG/8.2 RPG/2.1 APG/1.5 SPG/1.3 BPG).
7. Michigan State, (29-4)
We know. Sparty lost in the Big Ten semis (in, uh, New York) to arch-rival, and eventual champion, Michigan, but we still think they have a better chance to go deep in the Big Dance. Why? Well, Cassius Winston (12.6 PPG/3.5 RPG/6.8 APG) is one of the best point guards in the country, for one thing.
8. Purdue, (28-6)
Yep, the Boilermakers lost to Michigan, too. So what? The Maize and Blue don't have Carsen Edwards (18.5 PPG/3.9 RPG/3.0 APG/1.2 SPG).
9. Michigan, (28-7)
We're not sold on the Wolverines, but they do seem to be getting hot at the right time. They've won nine in a row, in fact, including, as mentioned, the Big Ten tourney in, ahem, New York. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman is a solid player (12.6 PPG/3.9 RPG/3.3 APG).
10. Wichita State, (24-6)
The Shockers just lost to Cincy, so either the top teams in the AAC are really good or... One thing is for sure: Landry Shamet is a heck of a guard (14.6 PPG/3.2 RPG/5.2 APG).
