It took about one week to come to the conclusion that Gonzaga and Baylor were a level above the rest of men’s college basketball this season, and that hasn’t changed two months in. Yet we continue trying to shoehorn teams into the same tiers as the Bulldogs and Bears. I think Gonzaga is in its own tier, with Baylor right behind the Zags, also in its own tier. And then there’s a gap.
After Tennessee won at Missouri by 20, the Volunteers entered the conversation — and then they lost at home to Alabama three days later. Texas has been a consideration, but the Longhorns just saw their six-game winning streak snapped at home against Texas Tech. The newest Final Four favorite du jour was Michigan, which had one of the best performances of the season in its 23-point win over Wisconsin on Tuesday. And then the Wolverines lost to Minnesota by 18 on Saturday.
Perhaps Iowa is up next. Or Villanova, which is ranked No. 3 but also hasn’t played in weeks.
Or maybe we should just stop trying to pretend anyone is as consistently good as Gonzaga and Baylor this season.