What a fun start to the 2021-2022 season! The opening week was full of upsets, surprises, and a few of the top teams showing off their dominance. A few teams stood out above the rest, and are highlighted as our teams of the week. Check it out below!
Top 5 "Teams" of the Week
1. The Consensus Top 3
If you look across the vast majority of college basketball sites after week 1, you'll see the same three names at the top of the charts: Gonzaga, UCLA, and Kansas. All three picked up impressive, resume building wins this past week. Gonzaga looked dominant at home against Top-10 Texas, UCLA won an OT thriller against Villanova, and KU beat Michigan St on a neutral floor opening night. While it's early, all three look poised to be threats come March.
2. The Big West
What makes college basketball so special is the exposure smaller conferences get both in the regular season, and in the NCAA Tournament. That was the case as well in the opening week. In the Big West, three schools picked up impressive wins regardless of conference affiliation. UC Davis won on the road against Utah State, UC San Diego earned double digit wins over Cal and George Washington, and UC Riverside beat Arizona State on the road with a half-court buzzer beater. If you have not seen the UCR shot, it is worth a look! Excited to watch this conference moving forward!
3. MACtion
The MAC had such a successful first week that we could probably fill the entire article on just this conference. Miami (OH) won at GT, Ohio beat both Belmont and a Cleveland State side that battled BYU, and Northern Illinois took down Washington. On top of those wins, Akron took Ohio St to the final possession before falling short by 1, Buffalo got within 5 of Michigan with 6 minutes to go, and Eastern Michigan gave Indiana a scare at Assembly Hall. If your favorite team plays against the MAC anytime soon, be worried!
4. Marquette
Marquette had close calls against SIU Edwardsville and New Hampshire, but that was offset and then some when the Golden Eagles beat Illinois last night 67-66. Yes, Illinois was without Kofi Cockburn, but this is an important non-conference win for Marquette nonetheless. Darryl Morsell, (Maryland transfer), led the way with 21 points on 7/12 shooting.
5. Minnesota
The final team of the week is Minnesota after winning the Asheville Championship, the first of many early season tournaments this season. The Gophers defeated Western Kentucky and Princeton to win the tournament. While those wins may not have the prestige of some others last week, there is something to be said about the confidence teams gain after winning an early season tourney. Keep an eye on Minnesota!
Honorable Mentions:
-Duke: won opening night against UK on a neutral floor.
-UCF: beat ACC in-state foe Miami on the road
-BYU: picked up a strong win over a projected tourney team in San Diego State
-Seton Hall: beat Ivy League favorites Yale by 36 points
-Florida: 16 point win over Florida State
-Furman: OT victory on the road against Louisville
-Santa Clara: 16 point W over Stanford
Send us a DM @TBracketology if there is a school we missed! What a great start to the year!
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