Baylor, Duke, Purdue and Gonzaga sit atop Andy Katz's Tiers
By Andy Katz
FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst
Pauses, cancellations and disruptions have infiltrated men’s college basketball yet again.
But only four out of my top 16 teams this week have been affected. The majority of games are still plowing ahead. Let’s hope that stays the case.
Baylor headlines Andy Katz's college basketball tiers for the week of Dec. 23 | CBB on FOX
Here are this week's tiers.
Tier 1: Title teams
Baylor: The Bears won at Oregon and have the best shot to win back-to-back titles since Florida in 2006 and ’07.
Duke: The Blue Devils had to scramble to find an opponent last weekend and dispatched Elon. They then ran past Virginia Tech to win their ACC opener.
Purdue: The Boilermakers looked like the team from the first few weeks of the season in a win over Butler in Indianapolis. Matt Painter made the move and is now starting the best big in the Big Ten in Trevion Williams.
Gonzaga: Welcome back to Tier 1, Gonzaga. The convincing win over Texas Tech in Phoenix catapulted the Zags back into the top four.
'They will be national contenders all year long!' — Steve Lavin, CBB on FOX crew discuss Baylor's championship odds
Tier 2: Final Four contenders
Kansas: Ochai Agbaji is having an All-American season, and the Jayhawks are just as much a title contender as the top four.
UCLA: A notable omission last week, the Bruins shouldn’t be punished for being on pause. Let’s not forget their road win at Marquette after showing up a few hours before tipoff.
Iowa State: The Cyclones are undefeated and undaunted — and being discussed as a top-eight team heading into the holidays.
USC: The Trojans are on pause but are also one of the few remaining undefeated squads.
UCLA dominates from start to finish vs. Marquette
Tier 3: Teams on the rise
Kentucky: The buzzer-beater loss to Notre Dame seems like a lifetime ago. Since then, Kentucky has blitzed North Carolina in Las Vegas and signed up Western Kentucky to help tornado victims. The Hilltoppers, who had beaten Louisville, were no match for the Wildcats.
Tennessee: Vols fans have been vocal in pushing me to take notice. But Tennessee had to win a big-time game — especially after the Memphis game was canceled. And the Vols did, beating previously unbeaten Arizona.
Arizona: The Wildcats drop after losing at Tennessee by four. And now the grind begins for this team, which will open Pac-12 play with UCLA, USC and Arizona State, all on the road.
Seton Hall: The Pirates got a forfeit win against DePaul and a loss to St. John’s while on pause. That should all change with policies being adjusted. They should win those games whenever they are played.
'I'm very concerned for UNC' — Tate Frazier on Kentucky's 98-69 win over the Tar Heels I Titus & Tate
Tier 4: Sleepers
Ohio State: The Buckeyes were rolling before a hiatus hit. Still, EJ Liddell is my pick for national player of the year after the first six weeks.
Michigan State: The Spartans are hitting their stride heading into the Big Ten, with Marcus Bingham flying around and Tyson Walker feeding him and others as a true playmaker.
Illinois: Kofi Cockburn can be the most intimidating post player. He was in a win over Missouri in St. Louis.
Auburn: Jabari Smith might end up being the national freshman of the year, and the Tigers could make a run at the SEC title. Auburn snagged my last spot over Houston, LSU and Villanova.
Kofi Cockburn shows out in Illinois' blowout Braggin' Rights victory against Missouri
Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on FOX Sports and Big Ten Network platforms, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.
