DECOURCY: Eight Hall of Famers talk about what it was like to face Coach K7. Kansas (24-6, 13-4 Big 12 Campbellsville Tigers Jerseys)Primary weakness: Continuity.We never know what the Jayhawks might look like from game to game. We know Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun will be out there, and probably Jalen Wilson. Think about th

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A week ago, I planned to do a breakdown of the various teams in my weekly Power Rankings that was designed to show where each particular team was vulnerable, what stood out as its primary weakness. I abandoned that idea because I thought it would work better once we arrived in March.

I wasn’t even prescient enough to recognize how prescient I could appear.

The flaws of this season’s best teams were exposed for all to see last Saturday, when the first six teams in the Associated Press poll lost on the same day – for the first time ever. Some of those teams played terribly by their standards; some played well, but just not well enough to win.

It was a day, though, that demonstrated that while we may see some familiar names on the top seed line in 2022, they won’t be quite the same teams. And we might not see many or all of them last to the end of March Madness.

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Yes, even the teams at the top of my weekly power rankings have something they need to address – or disguise:

1. Gonzaga (24-3, 13-1 WCC)

Primary weakness: Frontcourt physicality.

It may not happen often. It probably takes an extraordinary team to make it an issue. But Baylor punished the Zags up front physically in the championship game last season – and, with Chet Holmgren joining the squad, they’re even less physically powerful now – and it was the biggest reason Saint Mary’s was able to upset them in the Blue Ridge Community College Jerseys WCC finale. Drew Timme is a tremendous player, but he needs to stand up to these challenges, whether the opponent is Purdue or Arizona or Illinois or someone who might start flexing earlier in the tournament.

2. Arizona (27-3, 17-2 Pac-12)

Primary weakness: 3-point prominence.

It’s harsh to say “3-point shooting” is a weakness. Benn Mathurin shoots 38.2 percent from deep; point guard Kerr Kriisa is at 35.2 percent. But there are 73 Division I players who’ve made more than Kriisa’s 73 threes. Mathurin has made even fewer. Arizona ranks 255th, according to KenPom.com, in terms of the percentage of its total points that come from long distance. This is 2022, not 1995. It is not easy to beat teams that are scoring points three at a time if you’re not close to matching in that department.

3. Baylor (25-5, 13-4 Big 12)

Primary weakness: Ball control.

The Bears have a very capable point guard in James Akinjo, but even with him in the lineup, they can prone to turning over the ball. They committed 14 in their loss to Kansas, 13 in the loss to Texas Tech and an even dozen in going overtime at Oklahoma State before pulling out a win. They rank in the bottom half of D1 in turnover percentage. There is the added complication of having to reinvent themselves following the injury to big man Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua.

4. Kentucky (24-6, 13-4 SEC)

Primary weakness: Ball screen defense.

The UK D was wrecked on this fundamental by Auburn in their late January game, with Oscar Tshiebwe failing to clamp down hard enough on the ballhandler and Walker Kessler dunking his way to 23 points. Arkansas was built even better to take advantage of this, with coach Eric Musselman teaming star guard JD Notae w College Operation Hat Trick Apparel ith ballhandling big man Jaylin Williams in as many pick-and-rolls as possible. The Wildcats again struggled and lost a road game that might have been theirs. Getting this right will be the most important component of Kentucky’s potential for March advancement.

5. Auburn (26-4, 14-3 SEC)

Primary weakness: Point guard reliability.

Coming off the bench to be a team’s primary point guard is an unusual role for Wendell Green, but that’s how the Tigers have played it. When he arrives, he is a high risk/high reward player. Perhaps he could be all reward for six consecutive games, but he has s Brown Bears Jerseys hot 25.3 percent from the field over College Cold Weather Gear the past half-dozen and averaged just 7.7 points. Starter Zep Jasper is the height of reliability, but he hasn't been dynamic enough on offense – until lately – for Bruce Pearl to stick with him. He has two double-figure games in the past three, so maybe that's the direction Auburn turns. Is it good to make such a significant adjustment the game's most important position so late in the year? Maybe not. But look up Peyton Manning and the 2015 Denver Broncos.

6. Duke (26-4, 16-3 ACC)

Trevor-Keels

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Primary weakness: Point guard play.

Here we go again, and this probably won’t be the last team with this particular issue. Jeremy Roach is averaging 7.5 points and 3.4 assists in just under 30 minutes a game. He generally does his job defensively, but winning at the level Duke wants generally requires more of a creative force this position. So Mike Krzyzewski often uses muscular Trevor Keels (above) to initiate the offense, or he runs it through wing Wendell Moore, who leads the Devils with 4.6 assists. They’ve done well, but remember, when one of them is having to run the offense, it takes away at least a little from his ability to score.

DECOURCY: Eight Hall of Famers talk about what it was like to face Coach K

7. Kansas (24-6, 13-4 Big 12)

Primary weakness: Continuity.

We never know what the Jayhawks might look like from game to game. We know Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun will be out there, and probably Jalen Wilson. Think about this: Those three played a combined 104 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to TCU. The other 96 minutes were split among eight players, from Dajuan Harris’ 26 at point guard to Zach Clemence’s cameo. Bill Self isn’t doing this to mess with opponents; he’s trying to find a formula that consistently dominates.

8. Illinois (21-8, 14-5 Big Ten)

Primary weakness: Familiarity.

The Fighting Illini have played fewer than a dozen games with their full rotation because of injuries and a ridiculous NCAA suspension assigned Cal State L.A. Golden Eagles clothes to center Kofi Cockburn. Sunday, we at last saw what point guard Andre Curbelo might do for this team on both offense and defense if presented a role he could embrace and make his own. He showed again he is the one player on this team who excels at attacking the lane and creating, and he also filled a gap in the perimeter D. Is there enough time for everyone to get fully comfortable with one another?

9. Texas Tech (23-7, 12-5 Big 12)

Primary weakness: Deep shooting.

One is tempted merely to s Broward Seahawks clothes ay talent; as tremendous as this team is defensively, national championships usually are won by sure-fire pros, and there does not appear to be a first-round pick among the Raiders. But the real problem that will emerge is the absence of long-distance shooting. Tech shoots 31.3 percent from deep, and no one on the team even has 40 makes.

10. Tennessee (22-7, 13-4 SEC)

Primary weakness: Scoring.

Tennessee ranks only 49th in offensive efficiency at KenPom.com, and those who saw that first half at Texas are not wondering why. This team has the capacity to struggle generating points. Even though they’ve got a creative point guard in freshman Kennedy Chandler and rank 13th in assist rate as a team, they also have the problem of sometimes forgetting how to put the ball in the basket. It’s not often you’re going deep into the tournament while shooting under 43 percent.

11. Wisconsin (24-5, 15-4 Big Ten)

Primary weakness: Depth.

I’ve always though “bench scoring” is the second-most overrated stat in college basketball, behind free throw percentage. If my starting five scores 80 a game, isn’t that enough? But you’d like to UNC vs. Duke Rivalry shirt have someone in reserve who puts up more than 3 points on average. The Badgers don’t. The stat that really matters when it comes to the bench is minutes: How much can you trust your reserves to play? The Badgers rank near the bottom 10 percent of Division I teams in that category.

12. Purdue (24-6, 13-6 Big Ten)

Primary weakness: Defense.

Although a program known for defensive ability, these Boilermakers rank No. 100 in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. They aren’t effective keeping opposing ballhandlers out o College Cold Weather Jerseys f the lane. Although they play a 7-4 center in Zach Edey, they’re not even great at blocking shots around the rim. They could get by in the NCAAs for a while with favorable matchups, but you’re not winning an NCAA championship with a D performing at that level.

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13. Arkansas (24-6, 13-4 SEC)

Primary weakness: Limited options.

Who wouldn’t want to start a team with All-America candidate JD Notae at guard and Jaylin Williams in the frontcourt? The problem is, those guys need more to go with them. Like Wisconsin, the Razorbacks have a limited bench, but they also struggle to shoot the ball effectively from deep. They can execute beautifully on offense, but too often the result is a missed shot attempt.

14. Providence (24-4, 14-3 Big East)

Primary weakness: Making buckets.

By that we mean the ability to convert opportunities that should be of high quality: 2-point attempts. The Friars, among top teams, may be more reliant on getting fouled than any team in college basketball. That’s an admirable skill, but what happens when there’s a loose whistle? If the defense lets them advance the ball inside the 3-point arc, the Friars will have a tougher time converting than almost any D-I team.

15. UCLA (22-6, 14-5 Pac-12)

Primary weakness: Lack of disruption.

The Bruins are not easy to score against, but they can be easy to play against at that end of the floor. They don’t take away the ball much and they block fewer shots than many top teams.

16. Houston (26-4, 15-2 American)

Primary weakness: Health.

A 1-2 record against the other top two American Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry shirt teams raises some doubt about the Cougars. But there’s no question they’d be better Emory Eagles shirt if they had Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, guards who were averaging a combined 27.8 points before they were lost for the year with injuries.

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