NCAA basketball rankings Top 50 2021: Gonzaga, UCLA vie for top spot

NCAA basketball rankings Top 50 2021: Gonzage, UCLA vie for No. 1; Duke, Michigan, Kentucky in Top 10

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 05: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts during the first half in the National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Baylor Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 05, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 11: Keve Aluma #22 of the Virginia Tech Hokies posts up against Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their quarterfinals game in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

30. BYU Cougars (West Coast Conference)

There are other teams that play basketball in the West Coast Conference and BYU is the best of the rest. Alex Barcello is a star and the roster around him is loaded, making another tournament appearance almost certain for the Cougars.

29. USC Trojans (Pac-12)

Losing Evan Mobley to the NBA will hurt but his brother Isaiah is back along with most of the core of the team that went to the Elite Eight before bowing out to Gonzaga. The ceiling may not be as high without the younger Mobley but the Trojans should remain a force in the Pac-12.

28. Virginia Cavaliers (ACC)

Tony Bennett’s Pack Line defense will always make the Cavaliers a tough challenge for any of their opponents. There is a lot of turnover for Virginia, however, making it imperative for Kihei Clark to take on more offensive responsibility than he had a year ago.

27. Connecticut Huskies (Big East)

The loss of James Bouknight to the NBA will hurt but UConn brings back pretty much everyone else from last year’s tournament team, including guard R.J. Cole and big man Adama Sanogo. The Huskies are loaded with experience as well, which will help them deal with crunch-time situations better than most.

26. Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC)

The real sleeper in the ACC may well be Virginia Tech, which retains five of its top six scorers from a squad that made the NCAA Tournament ahead of schedule. The addition of Wofford grad transfer Storm Murphy also adds some significant offensive firepower to a Hokies’ lineup that could use a boost on the perimeter.