Auburn, Iowa State and Duke top the latest men's basketball Power 37 rankings
1. Cooper Flagg could be the first freshman to win the Naismith Award since 2019 when fellow Duke player Zion Williamson won the award. The list of freshmen winners is small, with Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas' Kevin Durant (2007) also winning the award. Hopefully, Auburn’s Johni Broome won’t be out long with an ankle injury. The two could have a great race to the award in the season's final month. Flagg has lived up to the hype, which rarely happens. He’s not just scoring and rebounding but doing a tremendous job of leading, defending, and getting the offense flowing. Flagg is averaging 19.1/8.3 but is the No. 1 scout and continues to excel despite the attention.
2. There is strength in numbers in conferences. The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC are proving that, and it will pay off in NCAA Tournament bids. That’s why I wish the new Pac-12 and Mountain West would get together and form one conference. Men’s basketball in the Mountain West has been sensational in past years and continues this season. Sure, Utah State and Boise State, which played a terrific, late-possession game Saturday night, will continue to play each other. But New Mexico and San Diego State will not. The Lobos and Aztecs have consistently had high-quality games at Viejas and the Pit. I’m not naive. These leagues are formed from a football perspective, although the new Pac-12 is adding Gonzaga for hoops. But if they had formed one league — the current Mountain West — with the additions of Gonzaga (Pac-12), Oregon State (Pac-12), Washington State (Pac-12), Hawaii, UTEP, and Grand Canyon (all 3 joining in 2026) — would have made for a super conference in the West. UC Davis is also joining, and men’s basketball has progressed. Instead, the MWC and the Pac-12 could have years where they have a low of 2 bids (and in a bad year, just one) instead of the potential to be a league where they could have 5-6. It’s a shame that neither league commissioner could see this and come together for one super league.
3. Shout out to Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr. The Bulldogs got blasted 116-66 at Grand Canyon. And all Martelli Jr. did with Bryant was turn around a week later and beat Maine and league favorite Vermont back-to-back to start the America East 2-0. Great job erasing a poor non-conference performance and not letting it affect the start of conference play.
4. A healthy Saint Louis is atop the A-10. Two Billikens' top scorers came with Josh Schertz from Indiana State: Isaiah Swope and Robbie Avila. Gibson Jimerson leads the team in scoring and was a returnee with Saint Louis. The Billikens took down two of the A-10 favorites at home, Saint Joseph’s and St. Bonaventure.
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2025-01-13/auburn-iowa-state-and-duke-top-latest-mens-basketball-power-37-rankings
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