The selection committee's top 16 teams were unveiled over the weekend. While there are lots of similarities between the top-16 reveal and the latest Power 36 rankings, there are some differences, too.
Please digest and debate:
1. Baylor (1): The best team keeps rolling.
2. Gonzaga (2): Killian Tillie is back and the Zags are crushing the competition (see: Saint Mary’s).
3. San Diego State (3): The Aztecs are on cruise control in the Mountain West.
4. Kansas (4): The Jayhawks are looking like a lock for a 1 seed.
5. Louisville (5): The Cardinals are the team to beat in the ACC now.
6. Dayton (6): Showdown with Rhode Island looms large this week.
7. Duke (8): The Blue Devils came back at Boston College and then at North Carolina in epic fashion.
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8. Maryland (9): The Terps are now the best in the Big Ten.
9. Auburn (10): The Tigers are on an amazing run in the SEC the past two seasons.
10. Florida State (11): The Seminoles head into Duke Monday to see who will chase the Cardinals in the ACC.
11. Seton Hall (16): The Pirates now have a commanding lead in the Big East after winning at Villanova.
12. Kentucky (12): The Wildcats have a dominant post in Nick Richards and are ready to make a deep run.
13. Penn State (20): We told you the Nittany Lions were no joke. This team is the real deal.
14. Colorado (25): The Buffaloes are now alone atop the Pac-12.
15. LSU (7): The Tigers had Auburn beat but couldn’t close.
16. Marquette (30): Markus Howard continues to deliver.
BRACKETOLOGY: Selection committee releases first top-16
17. Rhode Island (24): The Rams are rolling in the A-10, heading for a showdown with Dayton.
18. Houston (NR): The Cougars are back to being the best in the American after obliterating Wichita State.
19. Illinois (15): The Illini got beat at home by Maryland, which should tell you how well the Terps are playing now.
20. Michigan (26): The Wolverines got the season split with Michigan State.
21. Creighton (21): The Bluejays are starting to look like a serious threat to finish in the top two in the Big East.
22. Northern Iowa (NR): The Panthers are the best in the Valley and a team few will want to face in the first round if they get the bid.
23. Purdue (NR): When the Boilermakers are good, they are really, really good.
24. BYU (31): The Cougars are one of the more dynamic offensive teams in the country.
25. Iowa (14): The Hawkeyes had an out-of-body game at Purdue, but they bounced back against Nebraska.
26. Michigan State (16): The Spartans look tired but I still can’t dismiss them from the case.
27. Oregon (17): The Ducks got beat in their rivalry game against Oregon State, but are still a threat to make a late push for the Pac-12 title.
28. Rutgers (27): The Scarlet Knights came back to beat Northwestern and continue to stay in the Big Ten chase for a top five finish.
29. Wisconsin (28): The Badgers are a different team at home where they have nearly gone unblemished.
30. Butler (29): The Bulldogs had the epic win over Villanova, but life on the road in the Big East offers little chance to celebrate.
31. West Virginia (19): The Mountaineers got a two seed and then got run by Oklahoma. But I still believe this team will thrive.
32. Villanova (22): The Wildcats have lost three in a row but don’t dare dismiss this team.
33. Arizona State (NR): The Sun Devils got the home weekend sweep of the LA schools. Rival Arizona did not.
34. Texas Tech (34): The Red Raiders are going to be a tough team to figure/seed.
35. Xavier (NR): The Musketeers are surging at the right time.
36. Oklahoma (NR): The win over West Virginia gets the Sooners back on the good side of the bubble.
Team of the Week
Auburn: The Tigers have won six in a row and last week had two late possession wins, by three at Arkansas and by one in overtime at home against LSU. J’Von McCormick hit the mid-range shot with 0.1 seconds left for the win. Auburn has just two losses on the season, both in the SEC. Auburn has been the most consistent of the four Final Four teams from last April.
Player of the Week
Tre Jones, So., G, Duke: Jones had a sensational week, scoring 18 and dishing out four assists with just two turnovers in a gritty comeback 63-55 win at Boston College. But his play in the epic rivalry game at North Carolina will go down in the history of this iconic matchup. Jones scored 28 points (six assists, three steals and two turnovers), but he converted off a missed free throw to send the game into overtime and then his missed shot in a helter-skelter play led to a Wendell Moore Jr., conversion at the buzzer for the win.
Brackets: Andy Katz's first 2021 March Madness projections
