Jay Bilas says 2 teams have separated themselves in college basketball
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With football finally in the rearview mirror, the sports world can turn its full attention from the gridiron to the hardwood. We’re one month and one day away from having a March Madness bracket and beginning the journey of crowning this year’s champion. However, in Jay Bilas’ estimation, this year’s championship game participants are clear as day.
Saturday morning, on ESPN’s College GameDay, Bilas suggested Arizona and Michigan are “on a collision course” to play for the national championship.
“I think both Michigan and Arizona have separated to be the best two teams. Now, who’s the best team among those two? They both make a compelling case,” Bilas said. “They’re very similar defensively… Michigan shoots the [3-pointer] more often and a little bit better… [Arizona relies] more on the inside… I think they’re on a collision course to play in Indianapolis.”
Both the NCAA’s NET Rankings and KenPom support Bilas’ assertion. Both analytical tools consider Michigan to be the best team in the country, with Arizona closely behind. They both also have Duke and Houston in third and fourth place, respectively, in their rankings. Regardless, the Wolverines and Wildcats are — at this moment — considered to be in a tier of their own.
If you’ve yet to watch Arizona and Michigan play this season, you can catch them both today. The Wolverines host UCLA this afternoon (12:45 p.m. E.T., CBS), while the Wildcats welcome Texas Tech to town in the early evening (6:30 p.m. E.T., ESPN).
