College basketball power rankings: Who is the team to beat in Champ Week?

G LJ Cryer, Baylor Bears. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

The regular season is finally over. Who came out on top in the college basketball power rankings with Champ Week lying ahead?

Few seasons in sports fly by quicker than the college basketball regular season. Sunday’s action wrapped up a wild campaign filled with upsets and intrigue as Champ Week is all that separates us from Selection Sunday and the unofficial start of the NCAA Tournament.

Whether it is the fact that the preseason No. 1 may miss the dance altogether or that we still don’t know who the definitive top team is, this edition of March Madness promises to be truly chaotic. Before we get ready to fill out those brackets, let’s take one final look at the college basketball power rankings to see how the top contenders are faring ahead of their conference tournaments.

Week 18 College Basketball Power Rankings – The Honorable Mentions

Note: All rankings referenced in this story are based on the Week 17 AP Top 25 poll.

Baylor, Arizona, Virginia, Saint Mary’s, Miami

The Bears were one of four Big 12 teams in the rankings last week but fell out after getting drilled by a slumping Iowa State in their final regular season game. There is no question, however, that Baylor remains a Final Four sleeper if they can get the right draw in the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona remains outside the Top 10 after losing to UCLA on Saturday, denying them a chance at a sweep of the Bruins as their ability to defend guards is problematic. Virginia and Miami remain in the hunt as the ACC’s top teams but the odds of either advancing past the Sweet 16 don’t look particularly great.

The other team of note in this section is Saint Mary’s, which was idle this week as they received a double bye in the WCC Tournament. The Gaels have to deal with BYU in the semifinals before a potential third matchup with Gonzaga in the title game on Tuesday.