Duke Freshmen leads the way
By: Jacob Freehart
Staff Writer
With the NCAA’s March Madness almost here, basketball fans across America prepare for one of the most beloved and entertaining sporting events in history.
The regular season has been filled to the brim with highlight dunks, clutch moments, fast-paced action and matchups between rivals, with still plenty more to come.
As the final stretch of the season fast approaches, teams are trying to solidify their positions within the national rankings, doing whatever they can to improve and polish their game before heading into the playoffs.
College Basketball Rankings are conducted on a weekly basis in which the top 25 teams in the nation are selected and this is done by the Associated Press Conference. This organization has its voting group composed of 65 sportswriters and broadcasters that vote for these teams through a point system.
Each voter gets to vote for which team they believe should be in each place with a first-place vote being worth 25 points, a second place vote being worth 24 points, and then it goes on until a final place vote is worth one point. After each member has voted, the points are tallied and then the results get released.
Teams like Duke, UNC, Gonzaga, Kentucky and many others common names are performing at an elite level, being extremely competitive like they are most years, but other teams have also entered onto the scene to make some noise.
Being ranked 13th last year, Tennessee has worked their way to the number one ranking in the nation, overtaking Duke for the spot. Led by forwards Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield, the Tennessee Volunteers have achieved beyond what was expected of them and have been impressive in their outings against other ranked teams.
As with every year of college basketball, a huge draw to it is their NBA bound freshman stars. This year is no exception to that statement and it might even be more legitimate compared to other years.
Two Duke Freshmen stand out above all others: Zion Williamson, Forward, and R.J. Barrett, guard. There are plenty of other talented stars in college hoops, but these two freshmen have exceeded expectations.
They lead the talented Blue Devils and currently hold the number two national ranking, with both of them averaging over 20 points per game and having multiple games where they lead their team to incredible victories. Both are also projected to go top five in this years NBA draft.
The NCAA has more games to play this season and has no shortage of top tier teams playing against each other to end the season. Any team can shake up the standings and make an impact on the college basketball landscape and this grit and drama only continue to heighten as the playoffs move closer.