Ohio’s Clayton OL Jayden Clark of Northmont explains his spring timetable and the reason one school has already reserved an official spot.
Clayton (Ohio) Northmont offensive lineman Jayden Clark is a multi-Power Four offer prospect who is now a good ways through scheduling spring visits.
“Right now, I’ve scheduled some spring practices for Ohio State, I believe that is the 28th, Cincy the 29th, Kentucky the 30th, and Indiana the 23rd,” Clark said.
College basketball rankings: AP Top 25 projection includes UConn slide, Kentucky, Wake Forest surge
College basketball’s AP Top 25 rankings are expected to shift significantly following UConn’s loss at Creighton and Kentucky’s scorching win over Alabama that further complicated things near the top of the SEC standings. The Huskies received all 62 first-place votes in last week’s AP Poll, but the latest rankings suggest Dan Hurley’s team will be moving out of the top spot.
After the NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed its early look at the top 16 seeds, fluctuation happened near the top ahead of conference tournaments. With March Madness commencing in just over a week, the all-important finishing touches on respective resumes will determine who gets the eight coveted 1-seeds and 2s when the brackets come out.
And for teams on the bubble, marquee wins are needed. Wake Forest’s victory over Duke on Saturday couldn’t have come at a better time for Steve Forbes’ squad.
Here are Monday’s projections for the AP Top 25 and which teams will move up — or slide — after the votes are tallied:
25. Wisconsin Badgers
Last week’s ranking: N/A
24. TCU Horned Frogs
Last week’s ranking: N/A
23. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last week’s ranking: N/A
So many bubble teams could enter Monday’s AP Poll, but the only certainty should be the Demon Deacons after holding off Duke at home. Unfortunately, the ending was marred by a court-storming incident that left Wake Forest’s athletic director forced to apologize following an injury to Blue Devils star Kyle Filipowksi. The bigger news for Wake Forest is that the Demon Deacons grabbed a much-needed Quad 1 victory and should be in the rankings.
22. Washington State Cougars
Last week’s ranking: No. 21
21. Florida Gators
Last week’s ranking: No. 24
20. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Last week’s ranking: N/A
Washington State upended Arizona with a big-time win, but then returned to the floor with a stunning loss to Arizona State. That took the Cougars out of first place in the Pac-12 as Arizona regained it advantage by a half-game with a couple contests left to play. … The Florida Gators went 1-1, but their narrow loss to Alabama proved this team belongs and is playing well down the stretch.
19. Baylor Bears
Last week’s ranking: No. 11
18. South Carolina Gamecocks
Last week’s ranking: No. 20
19. Dayton Flyers
Last week’s ranking: No. 16
The schedule got rocky for Baylor and consecutive losses to BYU and Houston could take the Bears outside of the top 20. … There’s a chance South Carolina jumps ahead of Baylor in the new rankings after the Gamecocks beat Ole Miss on the road by double digits after losing consecutive games for the first time this season under second-year coach Lamont Paris. The latest bracketology projection places South Carolina as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.
16. Auburn Tigers
Last week’s ranking: No. 14
15. Alabama Crimson Tide
Last week’s ranking: No. 13
14. Kentucky Wildcats
Last week’s ranking: No. 17
Welcome to the logjam of quality SEC teams. A wild week in the conference saw Kentucky lose to LSU at the buzzer and then expose Alabama with a 117-point explosion. Auburn bounced back from the loss to the Wildcats with a win over Georgia while the Crimson Tide handled Florida in a shootout prior to the setback against Kentucky. Got all of that? Alabama and Tennessee are tied atop the SEC standings with Auburn one game back of first and Kentucky two.
13. Creighton Blue Jays
Last week’s ranking: No. 15
12. Illinois Fighting Illini
Last week’s ranking: No. 12
11. St. Mary’s Gaels
Last week’s ranking: No. 18
Creighton should’ve seen this week’s biggest rise in the AP rankings after throttling previously top-ranked UConn. However, Sunday’s loss to St. John’s was tough to stomach at Madison Square Garden. The win over UConn was the Blue Jays’ best win of the season and the Huskies’ first loss since December. If Greg McDermott’s team is able to win out and take out a couple more nationally-ranked opponents before March Madness begins, the Blue Jays could get into the No. 2 seed mix prior to the selection committee’s final meeting. This loss to St. John’s really stings, though.
10. DUKE BLUE DEVILS
Last week’s ranking: No. 8
Duke slips after the loss in Winston-Salem while St. Mary’s should move up a few spots after two wins. The Blue Devils’ setback to Wake Forest won’t damage this team’s high-seed opportunity in the NCAA Tournament if they’re able to win out — including a victory against North Carolina on Senior Day in a few weeks. That game likely decides the regular-season ACC title.
9. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
For the first time in 12 years, the Tar Heels own a road win at Virginia. Saturday’s triumph — coupled with Duke’s loss at Wake Forest — gives North Carolina possession of first place in the ACC with a few games to play, including that much-anticipated trip to Cameron Indoor in early March. North Carolina coach Hubert Davis was pleased with his team’s effort level in Virginia’s slow down style of play.
“It’s hard to win on the road, especially for our program here,” Davis said. “The reason being is because Virginia is one of the better teams and programs in the country. We’re very thankful and fortunate enough that we were put in a position to be able to be successful and were able to finish it out today.”
8. KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Last week’s ranking: No. 9
Beating Texas by 19 points is more than enough proof the Jayhawks should remain a top 10 team entering the final week of February in Monday’s rankings. And Kansas is getting a scoring punch from just about everyone in the lineup after Nick Timberlake tied a season-high point total with 13 in Saturday’s victory.
“I thought he was great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “You know one thing about Nick, he’s an athlete. I think he’s proven that multiple times this year. But that athletic dunk play was a big-time play, and I thought he played quick. I thought he didn’t shoot a lot of shots but took good shots and just played within himself and guarded pretty good. I thought he played a really solid game.”
7. MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES
Last week’s ranking: No. 7
Marquette dropped three spots in last week’s AP Poll following a blowout loss to UConn, but recovered with a win over DePaul and was a heavy favorite heading into Sunday evening’s matchup with Xavier. The Golden Eagles’ Tyler Kolek managed a school-record 18 assists against the Blue Demons, and kept Marquette’s outside shot at a No. 2 seed in March Madness alive with a scintillating performance. UConn’s going to win the Big East, but Marquette’s trying to hold onto second-place in front of Creighton by a half-game.
6. IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Last week’s ranking: No. 6
One game back of Houston in the Big 12 title race after losing to the Cougars on the road and then holding off West Virginia, the Cyclones set themselves up for a quality seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong finish and shouldn’t fall too far in Monday’s updated AP Poll. Five of Iowa State’s six losses this season have come against nationally-ranked competition and like most capable of cutting down the nets in April, the Cyclones are battle-tested and most importantly, consistent with their style of play.
5. ARIZONA WILDCATS
Last week’s ranking: No. 4
After the season’s first home loss, to Washington State, the Wildcats recovered with a needed win over Washington. Caleb Love scored a game-high 28 points, pushing him over 2,000 for his collegiate career, much of that coming at North Carolina previously. Arizona is still very much in the running for a No. 1 seed with the win.
“Today was a response game,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “You just want to get the result.”
4. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Last week’s ranking: No. 5
Tennessee rolled to an 86-51 win over Texas A&M to secure Rick Barnes’ 800th career win and move into a tie for first place with Alabama in the SEC standings. Vols star guard Dalton Knecht led the way with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Knecht was one of three players to reach double figures on the night, as junior forward Jonas Aidoo chipped in a double-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, and sophomore forward Tobe Awaka added 12 points and six rebounds, respectively.
3. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Purdue’s loss at Ohio State was one of the few disappointing performances of the campaign for a squad eyeing another No. 1 seed. The Boilermakers are one of the nation’s best 3-point shooting teams at 40.1%, but if this group goes cold in a tournament game or star big man Zach Edey gets into foul trouble, Purdue’s not as upset-proof as other national title favorites. This week’s blowout win over Rutgers was a nice bounce back, especially for Edey who poured in 25 points.
2. UCONN HUSKIES
Last week’s ranking: No. 1
After receiving all 62 first-place votes last week, that’s going to change Monday after the Huskies suffered a double-digit loss at Creighton, which marked the program’s 21st consecutive road setback against nationally-ranked competition. Dan Hurley needs to do what he can to stop that streak, but with the conference tournament and March Madness approaching, that’s all that concerns him right now. UConn won’t be No. 1 in the new rankings, but did bounce back Saturday night with a 24-point victory over Villanova.
1. HOUSTON COUGARS
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Houston should be Monday’s new No. 1 in the AP Poll with a voting split with UConn after beating Baylor in overtime. Despite squandering a 16-point lead, the Cougars managed to prevail behind L.J. Cryer and Jamal Shead’s play in the extra session. Houston plays Cincinnati on Tuesday night and will try and maintain its lead atop the Big 12 standings. This looks like one of Kelvin Sampson’s best teams he’s had and they’re staring at a potential No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
