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NBC Sports Top 25: Duke stays at No. 1; Purdue, Kansas State in the top ten

Zion Williamson

Duke’s Zion Williamson watches from the bench during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Miami in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

AP

I know that I’m probably going to end up getting some flack for this, but I’m sticking to my guns.

I believe that Duke is the best team in college basketball. The only team that they have lost to when they’ve been at full strength is the No. 2 team in the country, who beat them by two points on a neutral court. They swept the team that is sitting at No. 3, including a double-digit win on Virginia’s home floor. As far as we know, Zion Williamson is going to be back at some point this season, and it might be as soon as Tuesday’s game against Wake Forest.

So I’m going to leave Duke at No. 1. If Zion doesn’t play on Tuesday, then I will start worrying about whether or not he is actually going to be back in time for the game at North Carolina, the ACC tournament and, eventually, the NCAA tournament. If Zion is not going to come back to play this season, I think would slot Duke at eighth, behind Michigan and in front of Purdue, Kansas State and LSU.

One other point that I think needs to be made here: This is not necessarily how I would seed these teams if the NCAA tournament started today. If it did, Virginia and Gonzaga would be the top two seeds with Tennessee, Duke and Kentucky sliding in behind them in some order I’m not totally certain of. But even if Duke ends up as a No. 2 seed or the last No. 1 seed in the field, I would still set them as favorites to win the national title.

Beyond that, the only major change to the top ten is that I flipped Tennessee and Kentucky. I can see them being ranked either way, and I am 100 percent here for the rubber match coming in the SEC tournament title game, although it does not look like that is something that will happen.

I’ve also vaulted Purdue and Kansas State into the top ten with LSU sitting at No. 11. I really have no idea what to make of the teams sitting between No. 9 and No. 16, and I’m not sure I’d quibble with them being in any order.

Anyway, here is the full top 25:

1. Duke (25-4, Last Week: 1)
2. Gonzaga (29-2, 2)
3. Virginia (26-2, 3)
4. North Carolina (24-5, 5)
5. Tennessee (26-3, 7)
6. Texas Tech (24-5, 6)
7. Kentucky (24-5, 4)
8. Michigan (25-4, 9)
9. Purdue (22-7, 13)
10. Kansas State (22-7, 14)
11. LSU (24-5, 15)
12. Michigan State (23-6, 8)
13. Houston (27-2, 11)
14. Marquette (23-6, 10)
15. Nevada (26-3, 12)
16. Kansas (22-7, 17)
17. Virginia Tech (22-6, 19)
18. Florida State (23-6, 22)
19. Wisconsin (20-9, 16)
20. Buffalo (26-3, 22)
21. Iowa State (20-9, 18)
22. Wofford (24-4, 24)
23. Villanova (22-8, 25)
24. Cincinnati (25-4, NR)
25. UCF (22-6, NR)

Dropped Out: 20. Maryland, 21. Iowa
New Additions: 24. Cincinnati, 25. UCF