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Brian Dunleavy's top 10 NCAA college basketball (CBB) rankings, from a fantasy basketball perspective, as of 12/20/17. His fantasy CBB rankings are updated weekly.
There's an old saying, "A day late and a dollar short."
Consider us both.
Yes, we usually do our rankings on Tuesdays but, as another saying goes, "Life got in the way."
So here we are. Thinking: It's never too late to share our thoughts on the current college basketball landscape. Or: "Better late than never."
Or is it. We fear that's your call.
So, with apologies, here are the Rotoballer college hoops rankings, as of December 20, 2017 (won-loss records in parentheses).
NCAA College Basketball (CBB) Rankings
1. Villanova, (11-0)
Why do we feel like Villanova is almost always the last team standing? The Wildcats are still undefeated, and guard Jalen Brunson (18.5 PPG/3.5 RPG/4.8 APG) is seeing his stock rise by the day. And with the state of the Big East this year still unclear, he and his teammates may still see a "0" under "L" come March.
2. Michigan State, (10-1)
The Spartans are always a safe bet this days, and while we're diddling with our Top 10 sophomore forward Nick Ward is making the most of his time, averaging 14.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG in just 18.2 minutes per contest.
3. Arizona State, (10-0)
Everybody is on the Sun Devils' bandwagon now, us included. And we also like ASU's freshman forward Romello White (14.8 PPG/8.7 RPG). Unlike us, he's arriving early.
4. Miami, (9-0)
We can't help but feel like the Hurricanes are mirroring their schoolmates on the football team in fooling people with their undefeated record before they hit the meat of their schedule. But they haven't lost yet, so we see no need to drop them.
5. Texas A&M, (10-1)
The Aggies have rebounded from a tough home loss to Arizona with three straight wins, albeit against lesser opponents. We still see them as the second-best team in the SEC, though, in terms of talent, thanks in large part to inside presence Tyler Davis (13.7 PPG/8.2 RPG/1.7 BPG).
6. Xavier, (11-1)
Following their loss to our No. 2 Arizona State, the Musketeers have rattled off six straight wins. The Big East looks like a two-horse race, but we can't see the X-men being an X-factor against 'Nova, even with pure point guard Quentin Goodin (7.5 PPG/6.2 APG).
7. North Carolina, (10-1)
We'll know a lot more about Roy William's team after Christmas, when they face two Top 25 teams (according to the AP--what do they know?) back-to-back and a belly-to-belly, as John Sterling would say. Still, we already know guard Joel Berry II (16.5 PPG/3.5 APG) is a player.
8. Kentucky, (9-1)
The Wildcats are starting to gel, perhaps a bit earlier than expected, given the annual turnover on their roster. Emerging as a star, earlier than expected, is freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.0 PPG/4.1 APG/2.3 SPG).
9. West Virginia, (9-1)
The Mountaineers lost their opener to A&M, and have won nine straight since. And guard Jevon Carter (19.4 PPG/5.4 RPG/6.0 APG/3.8 SPG) keeps getting better, too. Seriously, he may have the best stat line in the country.
10. Duke, (11-1)
Wichita State's loss (at home to Oklahoma) is the Dukies' gain. Coach K's team hasn't played since their disappointing loss to BC, but we know the Blue Devils rate. Just ask them.
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