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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 18

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason (0) celebrates after forcing a turnover during the second half of the game against the Baylor Bears at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks won 73-68. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2017; Storrs, CT, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin talks with guard Kevin Johnson (25) as they take on the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Cincinnati defeated UConn 67-47. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Storrs, CT, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin talks with guard Kevin Johnson (25) as they take on the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Cincinnati defeated UConn 67-47. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
21

Cincinnati Bearcats

Last week: 25-4, 14-2 AAC
Last rank: 22

Cincinnati’s brief stretch of poor play came to an end this week, as the Bearcats picked up two blowout victories over top-half AAC teams.

The Bearcats immediately bounced back from Sunday’s loss at UCF with a 65-47 victory over a Houston team that was in the bubble discussion up until last week. A 20-point road win at Connecticut followed to help Cincinnati finish the regular season with just two losses since Dec. 10.

Mick Cronin’s offense had been looking sluggish for much of February, so the two performances this week were a welcome sign, particularly with Jarron Cumberland coming off the bench to score a combined 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting over the two games. The main concern will be getting Kyle Washington out of his current shooting slump, as the NC State transfer has really struggled since a Feb. 23 win over Memphis.

As usual, Cincinnati’s defense is good enough to compete against any tournament opponent and is up to seventh overall in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency following the two dominant performances this week. The offensive upside is there for this to be Cronin’s best chance yet at an Elite Eight run, but the unit has been inconsistent and could be hurt by poor free throw shooting in a close game.

Cincinnati will open its postseason in Friday’s AAC quarterfinals against the winner of Tulane and Tulsa. A loss to any team outside of SMU in the conference tournament could drop the Bearcats from around a five seed to the six or seven line.