363 Madness College Basketball Tier Ranking - Week 9

Week 9 College Basketball Tiers

Tier 1 - National Championship Contenders

If March Madness were to take place now, these teams would be the favorites. (this is not a projection of the top teams by the end of the season).

1. Purdue | = |  Beat Eastern Kentucky

2. Houston | = |  Beat Penn

3. Kansas | = |  Beat Wichita State

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Tier 2 - Final Four Contenders

These teams still exist in the upper echelon of college basketball, but are still 1 step away from competing for a national championship.

4. Marquette | ↑1 |  Beat Creighton

5. Kentucky | ↑2 |  Beat Illinois State

6. UConn | = |  Beat St. John’s

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Tier 3 - Elite 

These teams could potentially reach tiers 1 or 2, but currently lack major fundamental experience, depth, or consistency to get there. 

7. North Carolina | ↑1 | Beat Charleston Southern

8. Illinois | ↑2 | Beat Fairleigh Dickinson

9. Arizona | ↓5 |  Beat Cal, lost to Stanford

10. Tennessee | ↓1 | DNP

11. Oklahoma | = | Beat Central Arkansas

12.  Colorado State | = | Beat Adams State

13. FAU | ↓5 | Lost to FGCU

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Tier 4 - Ranked

These teams deserve to be ranked in a traditional ranking system, but need to show a bit more in order to move up tiers. This tier may overflow beyond 25, because there may be multiple teams deserving of a spot here.

14. Memphis | ↑1 | Beat Austin Peay

15. Clemson | ↑1 | Beat Radford

16. Providence | ↑1 | DNP

17. Ole Miss | ↑1 | Beat Bryant

18. Wisconsin | ↑1 | DNP

19. Duke | ↑1 | Beat Queens

20. Baylor | ↑1 | DNP

21. BYU | ↑2 | Beat Wyoming

22. Colorado | ↑4 | Beat Washington, Washington State

23. James Madison | ↑1 | Beat Texas State

24. Texas | ↑1 | Beat UNC Greensboro

25. San Diego State | ↑23 | Beat Gonzaga

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Tier 5 - Tournament Teams

These teams could be considered to be ranked teams, but do not yet have the resumes to back themselves up. However, all would likely make the tournament if it were to begin today.

26. Nevada | ↑1 | Beat Fresno Pacific

27. Auburn | ↑1 | Beat Chattanooga

28. Utah | ↑1 | Beat Washington State, Washington

29. Miami | ↑1 | Beat North Florida

30. Grand Canyon | ↑1 | Beat Bethesda, Louisiana Tech

31. Gonzaga | ↓17 | Lost to San Diego State

32. Creighton | ↓10 | Lost to Marquette

33. Ohio State | = | Beat West Virginia

34. Mississippi State | ↑1 | Beat Bethune-Cookman

35. Iowa State | ↓1 | Beat New Hampshire

36. Villanova | ↑1 | DNP

37. South Carolina | ↑2 | Beat Florida A&M

38. Northwestern | = | Beat Jackson State

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Tier 6 - Upper Bubble

These teams have a real good chance to make the tournament, but aren’t exactly comfortable. They’re one good win or bad loss away from moving up to Tier 5 or down to Tier 7.

39. Texas A&M | ↑1 | Beat PVAMU

40. Nebraska | ↑1 | Beat South Carolina State

41. Virginia | ↓11 | Beat Morgan State, lost to Notre Dame

42. Michigan State | = | Beat Indiana State

43. Kansas State | = | Beat Wichita State

44. New Mexico | = | Beat Eastern New Mexico

45. Dayton | = | Beat Longwood

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Tier 7 - Lower Bubble

These teams are just on the wrong side of the bubble. A big win could push them into the tournament, but a bad loss would pull them further out.

46. Butler | = | DNP

47. TCU | = | Beat Texas A&M-Commerce

48. Utah State | ↑1 | DNP

49. Alabama | ↑3 | Beat Liberty

50. Texas Tech | = | Beat Sam Houston State

51. Florida | = | Beat Quinnipiac

52. Indiana | ↑2 | Beat Kennesaw State

53. Princeton | ↑2 | Beat Delaware

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Tier 8 - On the Outside Looking In

These teams are relevant, but just barely. They need a couple of really solid wins to push themselves back into the bubble.

54. Georgia | ↑2 | Beat Alabama A&M

55. Wake Forest | ↑6 | Beat Virginia Tech

56. Cincinnati | ↑2 | Beat Evansville

57. Syracuse | ↑5 | Beat Pitt

58. Oregon | ↑7 | Beat USC, UCLA

59. Washington | ↓24 | Lost to Colorado, Utah

60. Drake | ↓1 | DNP

61. Arkansas | NR | Beat UNC Wilmington

62. Georgia Tech | ↓1 | DNP

63. St. John’s | ↑2 | Beat Hofstra

64. McNeese | ↑5 | Beat Michigan

65. NC State | ↓1 | DNP

66. Boston College | ↑2 | DNP

67. Indiana State | ↓10 | Lost to Michigan State

68. Virginia Tech | ↓14 | Lost to Wake Forest

69. Maryland | ↑2 | Beat Coppin State

70. Boise State | ↑2 | Beat Utah Valley

71. Seton Hall | ↑2 | DNP

72. San Francisco | ↑2 | Beat Mississippi Valley State

73. Stanford | NR | Beat Arizona, lost to Arizona State

74. George Mason | NR | Beat NC A&T

75. UNC Wilmington | ↓5 | Lost to Arkansas

76. George Washington | NR | Beat Maryland - Eastern Shore