It's March; It's Time for Madness

Don’t worry about being cool. Worry about being the best -- Jeff Van Gundy

It’s officially March and spring is around the corner. But more importantly, it is time for March Madness—the 68-team tournament of college basketball teams competing for the title. So let's break down this year's landscape of the college basketball season—looking at dominant and sleeper teams entering this chaotic March.

The 2024-25 NCAA basketball season has not disappointed so far; it has been filled with entertaining moments, upsets, and the impossible becoming possible. This year’s top 25 has been dominated by the South Eastern Conference but the B1G10 and BIG12 have also represented well this year. Let's break down the list of the top 25 currently.

Top Four Teams Ranked Accurately in AP Poll

The Ap poll's top four teams—Auburn (1), Duke (2), Houston (3), and Tennessee (4)—are ranked accurately based on their performances this season.

Auburn (27-2) has dominated a tough schedule, with key wins over Alabama, Tennessee, Purdue, Iowa State, Houston, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Despite early losses to Duke and two conference defeats, they remain the best team in college basketball.

Duke, led by standout freshman Cooper Flagg, has taken down elite teams like Louisville, Auburn, and North Carolina. However, some question their strength of schedule, pointing to struggles against Kansas and Clemson. Still, their roster—featuring Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, and Tyrese Proctor—may be the nation’s best.

Houston is surging, recently defeating Iowa State, Arizona, Texas Tech, Kansas, and BYU. L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp have led the charge, keeping the Cougars in the title conversation.

Tennessee, once ranked No. 1, suffered a blowout loss to Florida but bounced back with quality wins over Georgia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, and Alabama. However, losses to Auburn, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt have raised concerns.

The AP poll’s top four rankings appear spot-on as the season nears its climax.

Analyzing the Next Tier of the Top 25

The next four teams—Florida, Saint John’s, Alabama, and Michigan State—round out the top 25, but not without controversy.

Alabama appears overrated after losses to Tennessee, Auburn, and Missouri. Despite Mark Sears’ strong play, the Crimson Tide have more to prove. Florida and Saint Johns have had elite years—considering they were not projected to end in the top 25 at the start of the season—emerging as legitimate tournament contendors.

Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. has been electric for the Gators, while the Red Storm's great starting five makes them a powerful squad. Two great teams that are legit contenders in the tournament.

Michigan State deserves more respect. With four straight wins over ranked opponents (Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan, and Purdue), they’re peaking at the right time. While the Big Ten has been criticized as overrated, MSU’s roster—led by Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson, and Jaxon Kohler—looks formidable. They should be ranked ahead of Florida, Saint John’s, and Alabama.

Underrated Teams in the Top 25

Texas Tech, Iowa State, Clemson, and Wisconsin are ranked fairly but remain underrated.

Iowa State, led by Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert, Curtis Jones, and Joshua Jefferson, boasts one of the best backcourts in college basketball. Texas Tech is great and had an impressive win over Houston a month ago. Meanwhile, Clemson and Wisconsin have both shown they can beat good teams, but they lack consistency.

The next group—Maryland, Louisville, Missouri, and Memphis—features a standout Missouri squad that deserves a top-10 ranking, led by Caleb Grill and Mark Mitchell. Memphis, powered by P.J. Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter, has talent but suffers from a weak conference schedule. Louisville and Maryland are solid, with Louisville’s win over Duke standing out, but both still have more to prove.

Overrated Teams and Unsteady Performers

Michigan, Purdue, Kentucky, and Marquette are overrated. Despite their good wins and strong rosters, they are inconsistent and should be performing way better than they are—especially Kentucky, which struggles in the SEC despite its stacked roster. Saint Mary’s and Texas A&M cannot perform in the big games, and they shouldn't be in the top 25. BYU, Arizona, and Mississippi State have experienced plenty of ups and downs this year. As a Mississippi State fan, I almost have a heart attack every time I watch them and I bet BYU and Arizona fans can relate.

My Current Top 25 Schools in the Nation

1) Auburn 2) Duke 3) Houston 4) Tennessee 5) Michigan State 6) Florida 7) Saint Johns 8) Iowa State 9) Clemson 10) Alabama 11) Missouri 12) Louisville 13) Texas Tech 14) Wisconsin 15) Maryland 16) Memphis 17) Michigan 18) Kentucky 19) Saint Mary’s 20) Marquette 21) BYU 22) Arizona 23) Purdue 24) Oregon 25) Drake

I added in Oregon (they have the best uniforms) after their impressive win over Wisconsin last weekend. I also decided to add Drake; they have been great and they will be very sneaky in the tournament this year. Some more teams I have my eyes on are New Mexico, Creighton, UCLA, Mississippi State, Mississippi, North Texas, VCU, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Colorado State. All of those teams struggle to win the big games; however, they all have great rosters with some work to be done.

My projected conference tournament winners:

South Eastern Conference: Auburn

Atlantic Coast Conference: Clemson (upset over Duke)

B1G10: Michigan (takes down Michigan State in a rematch)

BIG12: Iowa State (just like last year, takes down Houston)

Mountain West Conference: Boise State (cinderella run)

West Coast Conference: Gonzaga

Atlantic 10 Conference: VCU

American Conference: North Texas (cinderella run)

MVC: Drake

March is here and madness is already starting after Auburn fell to Texas A&M, Tennessee fell to Ole Miss, Marquette lost to UConn, and Missouri lost to Oklahoma. If we are already getting these types of upsets, I can’t imagine the upsets we will get in the NCAA tournament.