This week, most of college basketball flips from nonconference to league play. The top six conferences figure to have some entertaining battles for their respective regular season titles.
Here are the top six leagues ranked in order of which races should be the most fun to follow:
Legit contenders: Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia
Maybe: Florida State
Duke has yet to really play at full strength between injuries and suspensions, yet none of that has really tripped the Blue Devils up so far. Even if Grayson Allen doesn’t come back (and he will come back), Duke still looks like a national championship contender.
Louisville’s win over Kentucky has raised its profile, but it will be tested early in the ACC.
North Carolina and Virginia each have something to prove. The Tar Heels have just one noteworthy win (Wisconsin), but with the talent they have it’s hard not to picture them in the mix.
Virginia’s slate has been soft up to this point and there are still questions about the impact of dismissing Austin Nichols.
Legit contenders: Villanova, Creighton, Xavier
Maybe: Butler
Villanova is the defending national champ, ranked No. 1 and undefeated. But the Wildcats are far from a sure thing to win the Big East.
Creighton, which hosts Villanova on Saturday, has been outstanding and should challenge the Wildcats.
Xavier hasn’t been as good as expected, but that’s largely because of the suspension of Myles Davis, who is expected to return soon.
Legit contenders: Baylor, Kansas, West Virginia
Since Kansas has won the Big 12 for the last 83 seasons, it’s hard to picture a true dogfight for the conference tournament’s No. 1 seed.
That said, Baylor has four RPI top-50 wins. It’s beaten Louisville, which is about as hard as beating Kansas right now, so it’s certainly possible.
West Virginia is playing as well offensively as Bob Huggins’ teams ever have and boasts a win over Virginia.
Legit contenders: Indiana, Wisconsin, Purdue
Maybe: Maryland
Indiana is good enough to win the national championship, but inconsistent enough to finish fourth in the Big Ten.
Neither Wisconsin, nor Purdue have gotten a lot of attention, but both are quietly building strong resumes. Either could win the conference.
Legit contender: UCLA
Maybe: Oregon, USC, Arizona
Only UCLA has really proven itself as elite. Oregon could be. USC is undefeated but still needs to beat better teams before it can be trusted. Arizona has two acceptable losses (Gonzaga, Butler) and like USC, no top-50 wins to this point.
Legit contender: Kentucky
Maybe: South Carolina, Florida
Kentucky’s place here is obvious. Before suspending Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina looked like a contender. How long he sits will determine how serious to take the Gamecocks.
Florida has been solid, but its wins over Seton Hall and Miami aren’t enough to scare Kentucky yet.
MY TOP 10 — 1. UCLA; 2. Villanova; 3. Baylor; 4. Kansas; 5. Duke; 6. Louisville; 7. Creighton; 8. Kentucky; 9. North Carolina; 10. Gonzaga.
For the rest of my Top 25, visit the College Hoop Week Guide on gazettenet.com’s UMass Sports Blog.
GAMES OF THE WEEK: — The start of conference play in most leagues has instantly created some fun matchups:
No. 6 Louisville’s week — After beating Kentucky last week in a game that further legitimized the Cardinals as a true title contender, they’ll have to fight to keep their lofty perch.
They’ll face No. 12 Virginia at home Wednesday (7 p.m. ESPN2) in a game that could re-establish the Cavaliers as an ACC contender, and then will face No. 16 Indiana in Indianapolis, Saturday (12:30, CBS). The Hoosiers have been tremendous at times this year. When they are, they’re good enough to beat anyone.
No. 2 UCLA at No. 21 Oregon, Wednesday, 9 p.m. ESPN2 — The best matchup of the Pac 12 season might be the first one.
No. 1 Villanova at No. 10 Creighton, Saturday 1 p.m. FS1 — There are six undefeated teams left in college basketball. This Big East opener for both teams will eliminate one of them.
ATLANTIC 10 GAME OF THE WEEK: VCU at George Mason, Friday, 8 p.m. CBSSN — Is GMU the most improved team in the conference, ready to truly challenge at the top of the A-10, or a product of its soft nonconference schedule? VCU should provide some instant clarification.
BUZZER BEATER — How much will Syracuse’s struggles this season affect when Jim Boeheim chooses to retire?
Barring health issues, it’s hard to picture Boeheim walking away after a disappointing year and he’ll likely want to give promised successor Mike Hopkins every chance to succeed.
Last week’s 93-60 loss to a mediocre St. John’s team was stunning. It could take a little while to get things right again.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage