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Houston, UCLA, Purdue lead final Power 36 college basketball rankings – NCAA.com
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The pressure was on UCLA in its final homestead. Win two and the Bruins would be outright Pac-12 champs and in the hunt for a No. 1 seed.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., made sure that was going to happen. The senior forward playing in his final homestand at Pauley Pavilion led the Bruins to an undefeated home record with 26 in a win over Arizona State and 22 in the win over Arizona. Jaquez has been the ultimate student athlete during his career. He finished with class and will be one of the stars in March. His play this past week was All-American-esque and that’s why he’s our March Madness National Player of the Week.
Our March Madness Team of the Week, Penn State, had to win both games this week to be an NCAA tournament team. The Nittany Lions did in thrilling fashion. They came back to beat Northwestern at the buzzer and then stormed back from a double-digit deficit to knock off Maryland.
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The rankings, our final Power 36 of the regular season, had some tweaks but not a major overhaul. Time to debate and digest the last Power 36 of the season.
1. Houston (1): The Cougars rose to the challenge and got the last-second W at Memphis to secure a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
.@Thejshead FOR THE WIN🚨🚨🚨#ForTheCity x #ScTop10 pic.twitter.com/KaVYdWshNh
2. UCLA (4): The Bruins could make a case that they are playing the best basketball in the country and deserve a No. 1 seed. They may just get one.
3. Purdue (10): The Boilermakers took care of business by beating Wisconsin on the road and Illinois at home to wrap up the Big Ten.
4. Marquette (5): The Golden Eagles are the Big East champs and Shaka Smart should be the coach of the year in the conference.
5. Alabama (3): The Tide won the SEC but lost at Texas A&M and seemed a bit vulnerable heading into the postseason.
6. Texas (9): The Longhorns got the much-needed W over Kansas for some momentum heading into the postseason.
7. Kansas (2): The Jayhawks are done with road games and will be the favorite in Kansas City this week.
8. Miami (12): The ‘Canes got the W over Pitt and won a share of the ACC regular-season title.
9. Kansas State (7): The Wildcats are going to be a real threat to win in KC this week.
10. Xavier (25): Saw the Musketeers in person. I was so impressed with their offense. They are going to be a tough out this month.
11. UConn (16): The Huskies are playing their best basketball at the right time.
12. Kentucky (17): John Calipari is doing one of his best coaching jobs in the latter part of the season. Crazy to say but the Wildcats have flown under the radar.
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13. Duke (18): The Blue Devils get the sweep of North Carolina and head into the ACC tournament with plenty of momentum.
14. Gonzaga (14):The Zags are co-champs of the WCC heading into the conference semifinals.
15. Saint Mary’s (15): The showdown looms possibly Tuesday night in Las Vegas with a third Zags-Gaels game.
16. Texas A&M (21): The Aggies got the W over Alabama for their most significant win of the season.
17. Baylor (8): The 15-point loss to Iowa State came at a surprising time, but the Bears still have plenty of potential.
18. Arizona (11): The Wildcats got the split in LA and could meet UCLA for a third time this week in Las Vegas.
19. San Diego State (20): The Aztecs head into the Mountain West as the top seed.
20. Indiana (6): The Hoosiers had a rough week, losing at home to Iowa but then finding a way to beat Michigan in OT.
21. Virginia (30): The Cavaliers got a share of the ACC title, showing just how dominant Tony Bennett has become in Charlottesville.
22. Michigan State (NR): The Spartans had a thrilling comeback win over Nebraska and took care of Ohio State. Look out for the surging Spartans.
23. West Virginia (NR): The Mountaineers are coming on at the right time.
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24. Maryland (13): Still believe in the Tarps, even if they are a much better team at home.
25. VCU (33): The Rams may have to still win the A-10, but the are going to be dangerous if they can get a bid.
26. Iowa (28): The Hawkeyes won at Indiana but then lost at home to Nebraska.
27. Missouri (27): Dennis Gates has done a phenomenal job in year one.
28. Penn State (NR): The Nittany Lions got a pair of must wins over Northwestern on the road and at home against Maryland.
.@Thejshead FOR THE WIN🚨🚨🚨#ForTheCity x #ScTop10 pic.twitter.com/KaVYdWshNh
Dropped out: Providence (19), Tennessee (23), Arizona State (31), Bradley (36).
Andy Katz is an NCAA.com correspondent. Katz worked at ESPN for 18 years as a college basketball reporter, host and anchor. He’s covered every Final Four since 1992, and the sport since 1986 as a freshman at Wisconsin. He is a former president of the United States Basketball Writers Association. Katz can also be seen covering college basketball on Big Ten Network, Fox and FS1. Follow him on Twitter at @theandykatz. Follow his March Madness 365 weekly podcast here.
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