Weekly Top 10 Looks Ahead

10. Michigan - Weird week. Sloppy loss at Penn State, relatively easy win at home over Maryland. Five regular season games remain, including trips to Maryland and Michigan State and a home tilt with Sparty. Also have a trip to the Barn to take on Minnesota to take on a desperate and capable Gophers team. Projected Finish: KenPom 4-1, Eric 2-3

9. Marquette - Quiet week with an easy win at DePaul. Six games remain, split equally at home and road. Road trips include trips to Jersey and Philly. Projected Finish: KenPom 5-1, Eric 4-2

8. Nevada - Won easily at Wyoming yesterday. Six games remain with their toughest tilt at Utah State two Saturdays from now. Projected Finish: KenPom 6-0, Eric 5-1

7. Michigan State - Won a game at the Trohl Center and play Ohio State today. Six games remain with 4 at home and 2 on the road. Includes 2 games with Michigan and a trip to Indiana who beat Sparty in East Lansing a few weeks back. Indiana looks like a team that is mailed it in, though. Projected Finish: KenPom 5-1, Eric 5-1

6. North Carolina - Started the week with a loss at home to Virginia but followed it up with a throttling of Wake Forest. Schedule is daunting. Two games remain with Duke and have to go to Clemson. They also have home tilts with Florida State and Syracuse. Projected Finish: KenPom 4-2, Eric 3-3

5. Kentucky - Split home games with LSU and Tennessee this week, losing at the horn to the Tigers and walloping Tennessee last night. Six games remain including a return trip to Knoxville and Ole Miss. They also have Auburn at Rupp. Tough schedule remains. Projected Finish: KenPom 5-1, Eric 4-2

4. Tennessee - Last night was one of those nights as Kentucky outshot them. But that may prove to be their ondoing as the Vols defense is a concern moving forward. So is the schedule. Kentucky comes calling and road games remain at LSU, Auburn and Ole Miss. They also have Mississippi State at home. That’s daunting. Projected Finish: KenPom 5-1, Eric 3-3

3. Virginia - Great win at UNC Monday and a typical Cavalier grinder yesterday over Notre Dame. Six games remain including trips to Virginia Polytechnic and Louisville this week. They close the season with a trip to Syracuse and with a return home engagement against Louisville. Given the Cardinals inability to inbounds the ball, I have a hard time believing they will challenge Virginia. Projected Finish: KenPom 6-0, Eric 5-1

2. Gonzaga - I can’t find it but I saw a stat saying the Zags have the largest conference point differential ever, topping the mark they set in 2017. The WCC is much better this year, too. Four games remain including a trip to St. Mary’s. The Gaels will want that one badly. Not sure that matters. Projected Finish: KenPom 4-0, Eric 4-0

1. Duke - After the improbable win at Louisville, they followed it up with a win over NC State. Six games remain with trips to Blacksburg, the Carrier Dome and Dean Dome. They also have a home game against UNC. It’ll be a good 3-week test for the Blue Devils. Projected Finish: KenPom 6-0, Eric 5-1