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With both invitational season and non-conference schedules coming to an end, it means only one thing: conference play is almost here. Although the college basketball season has already gone every which way, conference matchups can result in more drama, nail-biters and great basketball.

Before non-con games are over, here are a few quick hitters and the latest Power 37 ranked by Andy Katz. 

1. Give me UConn or Duke at Madison Square Garden every day. Love the atmosphere anytime either team plays at the Garden. It’s just special.
2. My first-team all-American list now includes Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier, joining Auburn’s Johni Broome and Marquette’s Kam Jones. A strong case can be made to include two freshmen on the first team in Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, who should compete for the top two spots with Rutgers’ Ace Bailey in the 2025 NBA Draft. 
3. UConn freshman Liam McNeeley has been playing like a lottery pick in the last few games. He has given the Huskies a versatile scorer, rebounder and infuses the energy the Huskies needed after losing Cam Spencer. 
4. The SEC could legitimately have seven schools that compete for top-four lines in March. The ACC may have just one in Duke. But the SEC could dominate the field with as many as 14 schools probably feeling good heading into the new year with a chance to get a bid. 
5. Which SEC teams end up at first and second-round regional sites in Lexington and Raleigh will be interesting to track.
6. World Basketball Day is Dec. 21. Keep an eye out for our coverage and my top 25 internationally-born players. 
7. Adrian Wojnarowski’s timing of joining St. Bonaventure was perfect. The Bonnies are one of the sleeper teams no one is discussing. They are coming off a solid win over Providence. 
8. The A-10 is going to have a real race for first with Dayton, the Bonnies, Saint Joseph’s, URI and VCU all contenders. 
9. Mike Martin and the Brown Bears beat URI in double OT. Brown’s Kino Lilly Jr., is one of the top guards in the Ivy, averaging 20 points a game. 
10. Such a shame the WCC couldn’t keep the current group together. Washington State is off to a strong start and Oregon State knocked off UC Irvine. Gonzaga will join those two in two seasons in the new Pac-12. Grand Canyon isn’t coming, instead going to the MWC. The WCC needs to probably raid the Big West of a few UC schools if it can pry them away. 
11. The all-American freshman team will be as competitive as the all-American first team. Flagg, Harper, Bailey, McNeeley and Kasparas Jakucionis should be on the list in some order. Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe could make a late run to be included, too. 
12. Coach of the Year is wide open but there’s a good chance it will come from the SEC with Tennessee’s Rick Barnes and Auburn’s Bruce Pearl in the pole position. 
13. I’m still waiting for Arizona to bust out with a marquee win. The Wildcats (4-5) nearly got it against UCLA. The opportunities will have to come in the Big 12. 
14. Let’s see if the Georgetown win over Syracuse, even if the Orange are struggling, becomes a turning point for the Hoyas. The Big East needs Georgetown to be relevant. 
15. Villanova’s inconsistencies shouldn’t overshadow the monster season Eric Dixon is having, averaging 25.8 points and nearly six boards a game. 
16. Arkansas State has road wins at Memphis and UAB and played Alabama well. Don’t sleep on the Red Wolves in the Sun Belt if they win the league. 

Power Rankings for Dec. 16:

1. Tennessee (Prev. 1, 10-0): Jordan Gainey hits the buzzer-beater to knock off Illinois and remain undefeated. 
2. Auburn (Prev. 2, 9-1): The Tigers blitzed Ohio State behind Player of the Year favorite Johni Broome. 
3. Iowa State (Prev. 3, 9-1): The Cyclones came back and beat Iowa in a rivalry game that showed Iowa State’s true grit yet again. 
4. Kentucky (Prev. 5, 10-1):  Lamont Butler’s career-high of 33 points against Louisville proved once again how good this Wildcats team is.
5. Duke (Prev. 6, 8-2): Duke has done a tremendous job of beating the teams soundly that it should. The ACC is Duke’s to lose. 
6. Alabama (Prev. 7, 8-2): Preseason all-American Mark Sears dumped 27 on Creighton as the Tide continue a crazy schedule. 
7. Florida (Prev. 9, 10-0): Walter Clayton Jr., made five 3s as the Gators beat Arizona State to get to 10-0 for the first time in 10 years. 
8. UConn (Prev. 13, 8-3): The Maui mindset is gone. The Huskies are back with a tremendous win at MSG over Gonzaga after last week’s wins over Baylor and at Texas. 
9. Marquette (Prev. 4, 9-2): The Golden Eagles are still one of the nation’s best. No shame in losing at Dayton. Rather, kudos to Shaka Smart for playing the game. 
10. UCLA (Prev. 14, 9-1): The Bruins beat Arizona in the final seconds to win their eighth in a row after a slow start to the season. They are the top defensive team in the country. 
11. Kansas (Prev. 12, 8-2): The Jayhawks got healthy again by beating back NC State. The mini-slump should be over. 
12. Oregon (Prev. 17, 9-1): The Ducks have one blemish — a buzzer-beating loss to UCLA. Oregon has a legitimate shot to contend for the Big Ten title. 
13. Memphis (Prev. NR, 8-2): The Tigers bounced back with a roar after the Arkansas State home loss with the road win at Clemson. 
14. Texas A&M (Prev. 22, 9-2): The Aggies had an impressive W over Purdue in Indianapolis. 
15. Clemson (Prev. 8, 9-2): The Tigers had a chance but couldn’t close out Memphis before losing in OT. Still, Clemson should be second-best in the ACC. 
16. Michigan State (Prev. 15, 8-2): The Spartans are playing some of their best basketball of the season, especially offensively. 
17. Oklahoma (Prev. 18, 10-0): Porter Moser’s squad is cruising, blasting rival Oklahoma State. 
18. Arkansas (Prev. NR, 9-2): The Hogs got the W they needed by taking out Michigan at MSG. 
19. Michigan (Prev. 10, 8-2): The Wolverines had a chance to beat Arkansas at MSG but they still showed extremely well. 
20. Ole Miss (Prev. 19, 9-1): Sean Pedulla has been on fire of late for the Rebels. 
21. Illinois (Prev. 20, 7-3): The Illini were within a whisker of pulling off an upset of No. 1 Tennessee. 
22. Gonzaga (Prev. 16, 7-3): The Zags were right there to beat Kentucky and UConn in consecutive Saturdays. They are close to being elite and should get there. 
23. Purdue (Prev. 11, 8-3): The Boilermakers will have to bounce back after losing two of their last three games, most recently a four-point loss to Texas A&M.
24. Maryland (Prev. 23, 8-2): Maryland isn’t just one of the Big Ten’s sleepers but one of the nation’s. 
25. Missouri (Prev. 24, 9-1): The Tigers are playing well heading into the rivalry game against Illinois, setting up a monster showdown in St. Louis. 
26. Dayton (Prev. 30, 9-2): The Flyers have two of the best wins against the Big East with a win over UConn in Maui and at home against Marquette. 
27. Baylor (Prev. 27, 7-3): A healthy VJ Edgecombe is trouble for every Baylor opponent. 
28. Wisconsin (Prev. 28, 9-3): The Badgers got a much-needed win over Butler in Indianapolis to snap a three-game slide. 
29. San Diego State (Prev. 26, 7-2): The Aztecs are back to playing their type of basketball, a team that knows how to close out games. 
30. Mississippi State (Prev. 31, 9-1): The Bulldogs will get a major test later in the week at Memphis.
31. Georgia (Prev. 36, 9-1): Mike White has the Bulldogs in position to be an NCAA Tournament team if they can stay the current course. 
32. Rutgers (Prev. NR, 7-4): The Scarlet Knights survived a must-win at home against Seton Hall after a strong showing against Penn State. 
33. Penn State (Prev. 21, 9-2): The Nittany Lions had a valiant comeback that fell short at Rutgers. This team is NCAA Tournament good. 
34. Drake (Prev. 32, 9-0): The Bulldogs have been one of the best stories not getting the national love they deserve. 
35. West Virginia (Prev. 33, 8-2): The Mountaineers are quietly a sleeper pick to finish in the upper half of the Big 12. 
36. Cincinnati (Prev. NR, 8-1): The Bearcats got the W in the rivalry game against Xavier in the final possession. 
37. Utah State (Prev. 35, 10-0): Crazy how it doesn’t matter who is coaching in Logan — they always win. 

Dropped out: Arizona State (25), Creighton (29), Saint Mary’s (34), Rhode Island (37).
Under consideration: Nebraska, Colorado, BYU, Pitt, SMU, Houston, Texas Tech, St. John’s, Washington State, San Francisco, St. Bonaventure, Boise State, Brown, Columbia. 

March Madness National Team of the Week

Dayton: The Flyers picked up one of the best wins in the non-conference by knocking off Marquette, 71-63. Dayton already had a home win over Northwestern and a massive win over UConn in Maui after near misses against North Carolina and Iowa State. But the test was whether could they come up with a win over Marquette at home. And they did. Dayton at 9-2 has more opportunities in the next week against UNLV and Cincinnati to pick up some brand-name wins that may provide positive results for their resume. But the Marquette win was the one it had to have to prove it was worthy of an at-large bid if it were to come to that in March. 

March Madness National Player of the Week

Dylan Harper, Rutgers: Harper beat Seton Hall with a game-winning 3-pointer to conclude a 24-point outing. Dylan Harper’s 3-pointer came three years after his older brother Ron Harper Jr., beat Purdue with a 3-pointer. Dylan Harper put up 24 points in a win over Penn State earlier in the week. Harper has been, not just one of the best freshmen in the country, but could make a case for first-team all-American status. He’s averaging 23.5 points a game, 4.8 boards, 4.4 assists and 2.3 turnovers a game. His floor game has been exceptional. The Scarlet Knights desperately needed the two wins this week after losing three of the previous four games, including at Kennesaw State — a de facto home game for freshman Ace Bailey. 

March Madness Top 10 Games of the Week

Illinois vs. Missouri, St. Louis, Sunday (Dec. 22): The Braggin’ Rights game is back to where it belongs — between two teams that have NCAA Tournament-bound potential at the same time. 

Oklahoma at Michigan, Wednesday (Dec. 18): Porter Moser has the Sooners off to an undefeated start. Michigan is one of the surprise teams in the Big Ten. This is a game that wouldn’t have been circled in the preseason. 

Purdue vs. Auburn, Birmingham, Saturday (Dec. 21): The Boilermakers get another shot at an SEC school and are looking for the Alabama sweep. That will be a tall task. The Boilers don’t have a matchup for Johni Broome. 

UCLA vs. North Carolina, NYC, Saturday (Dec. 21): The Bruins have been rolling and are the top defenses in the country. The Tar Heels could push UCLA on the perimeter, making this a tough defensive assignment for the Bruins. This is another opportunity for UCLA to show how it’s a national contender. 

Florida vs. North Carolina, Charlotte, Tuesday (Dec. 17): The Gators are one of the surprise teams of the season. This is now a much bigger game for North Carolina. The Tar Heels have to get a split this week with UCLA, as well. 

Xavier at UConn, Wednesday (Dec. 18): The Huskies are rolling into the Big East. But the opener is against a Musketeer team that will be fired up after nearly taking down their rival Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati vs. Dayton, Friday (Dec. 20): The Bearcats beat Xavier in the final possession while Dayton held off Marquette. This is another opportunity for the Flyers to pad their at-large resume. They play UNLV at home earlier in the week. Getting a Big 12 win would be significant. This would turn out to be a quality win for Cincinnati if the Bearcats could get it. 

Mississippi State at Memphis, Saturday (Dec. 21): This should be a highly competitive game on the perimeter. And this is one of those hidden gem games that won’t get the national attention. This should be a late-possession game and an important one for both teams. 

Ohio State vs. Kentucky in NYC, Saturday (Dec. 21): Lamont Butler vs. Bruce Thornton should be an outstanding matchup at the point. But the Buckeyes must prove they belong in an NCAA Tournament conversation. Playing well against the Wildcats on a neutral court would help the narrative. 

Clemson at South Carolina, Tuesday (Dec. 17): The Tigers are still smarting after an OT loss to Memphis and could use a solid course correction with a win over their rival.