As March Madness is two months away, some would say that this NCAAB season has been on a level of its own. It has been filled with great games, player vs player spotlights, and wild finishes.
As it is coming closer to the tournament, there are struggling teams beginning to look to make runs and make the tournament. While this is the case for many teams, it is not for two top ones, Gonzaga and Baylor.
A Level Of Their Own
This season, the two most dominant teams have been Gonzaga and Baylor. They are the two clear cuts expected #1 seed in the tournament, and it’s not very close. On the season, Gonzaga is averaging a league-high 94 points per game, and Baylor is in third with 87 points per game. It is not just the offense with these teams, it is the margin of the wins.
Currently, Baylor is leading the league in winning margin as they are +24.2, and Gonzaga is +23.9. Although Gonzaga is known to not be in such a competitive conference on the West Coast, they have shown to beat some of the top teams also. They have dominant wins over Kansas, Virginia, Iowa, West Virginia, and Auburn. They have shown to win no matter who they play, which shows their perfect record of 17-0.
Baylor has been just as dominant as well. Sitting at 17-0, Baylor is at the top of their conference in the Big-12. They have had impressive victories as they have beaten Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and more. All incredible victories over some of the top-ranked teams in the country.
One Closer Than Others
Mainly, it is pretty clear to say that Baylor and Gonzaga are on a level of their own. The rest of the league does not seem to be able to keep up with them, and they are the teams to beat. While they are dominant over the rest of the league, there is one team that is closest to them from the rest, and that is Iowa.
Iowa Coming In Strong
Iowa is currently 13-4, and third in the Big-10. While they are not the 17-0 that Baylor and Gonzaga are, they are still an outstanding basketball team. The reason they are closer to the two from the rest of the league is mainly due to one man. The most dominant player in college basketball, Luka Garza.
Garza is having his best season yet and is yet to be stopped. Averaging 26.5 points per game, he has the ability to take over a game. Iowa also has several shooters that help out Garza when he’s in the post. Guard CJ Frederick is a great help to Garza. He has the ability to catch and shoot at an exceptional rate.
Forward Joe Wieskamp is also a versatile and important part of the Iowa roster. He has the ability to shoot and take it inside which helps Luka out when he is doubled in the middle. It is overall a great Iowa team, that has phenomenal offense, and solid defense at times.
Overall, it is clear that Gonzaga and Baylor are the two best teams, but Iowa is definitely the closest to them. They have the ability to upset either team better than anyone else does, as they have players who can single-handedly take over a game as Luka Garza does often.