College basketball rankings: Iowa continues to tumble in Top 25 And 1 as defense remains a liability
The Hawkeyes are somehow worse on defense this year than a season ago and it's starting to show
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Iowa was a trendy Final Four pick in the preseason based mostly on the idea that three things would happen:
- Luka Garza would be great.
- Iowa's offense would stay fantastic.
- Iowa's defense would get respectable.
Through 19 games, and with less than five weeks until Selection Sunday, it's clear that No. 1 and No. 2 are working out just fine for the Hawkeyes. But No. 3 is a mess and the biggest reason Iowa is now 13-6 overall, and only 7-5 in the Big Ten, after Sunday's 67-65 loss at Indiana.
Garza is averaging 25.5 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 58.3% from the field and 45.0% from 3-point range. So he's done his part. He's terrific. And Iowa has the nation's best adjusted offensive-efficiency rating. So that's not an issue, either. The Hawkeyes can really, really score. But Iowa's adjusted defensive-efficiency rating is now ranked 121st nationally, which is 24 spots lower than it was last season. In other words, not only have the Hawkeyes not improved defensively, they've actually gotten worse. And history suggests it's very hard to get where Iowa wants to go putting up this little resistance defensively.
Consider: The average final adjusted defensive-efficiency ranking of Final Four teams over the past five NCAA Tournaments is 15.3, and nobody with a final adjusted defensive-efficiency ranking worse than 47th has advanced to the last weekend of the season in that stretch. Again, Iowa's adjusted defensive-efficiency rating currently ranks 121st, which suggests the Hawkeyes are going to have to get way better defensively, or completely buck history, to actually make the Final Four for the first time since 1980.
Iowa is down to No. 20 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. It's a big drop, I know. But it can't be ignored that the Hawkeyes are now 1-4 in their past five games and just 3-5 in Quadrant 1 opportunities on the season. Beyond that, they're now just 6-6 in the first two quadrants, which makes Iowa the only team in the top 20 of the Top 25 And 1 with both a losing record in Quadrant 1 and a .500-or-worse record in the first two quadrants. So, based on the way the Hawkeyes are playing, and the resume in general, 20th is about where Iowa currently belongs.
Monday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
1
Oklahoma State
10
Iowa
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Iowa, Virginia and Kansas. The Zags have won their eight West Coast Conference games by an average of 24.6 points. | -- | 8-1 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 15 of their 17 games by double-digits. | -- | 6-2 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 8-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 8-0 |
| 4 |  | Ohio State is 7-1 in its past eight games with wins over Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes lead the nation with eight Quadrant 1 ones. | -- | 7-1 |
| 5 |  | Illinois is 10-5 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's win over Wisconsin. The Illini's four-game winning streak consists of four Quadrant 1 victories. | -- | 7-2 |
| 6 |  | Villanova is 10-1 in its past 11 games with wins over Texas and Seton Hall. The Wildcats are 5-2 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 7-1 |
| 7 |  | Houston is 9-1 in its past 10 games with eight double-digit wins in that stretch. The Cougars are 6-1 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss at East Carolina. | -- | 8-1 |
| 8 |  | Missouri is 7-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses after Saturday's win over Alabama. The Tigers will take a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Ole Miss. | -- | 8-1 |
| 9 |  | Alabama is 1-2 in its past three games after Saturday's loss to Missouri. The Crimson Tide have dropped to 10-4 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss to Western Kentucky. | -- | 6-2 |
| 10 |  | West Virginia is 6-3 in the Big 12 and alone in second in the league standings. The Mountaineers are 7-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss coming outside of the first quadrant. | 1 | 7-3 |
| 11 |  | Texas Tech's three-game winning streak features wins over Oklahoma and LSU. The Red Raiders are 6-2 in their past eight games with the only losses in that stretch coming to Baylor and West Virginia. | 1 | 6-2 |
| 12 |  | Oklahoma is 6-1 in its past seven games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Texas Tech. All five of the Sooners' losses qualify as Quadrant 1 defeats. | 1 | 6-3 |
| 13 |  | Texas is 1-4 in its past five games and on a three-game losing streak after Saturday's loss at Oklahoma State. The Longhorns have dropped to 6-5 in the first two quadrants with all five losses qualifying as Quadrant 1 defeats. | 1 | 6-3 |
| 14 |  | Virginia is 9-1 since losing to Gonzaga with victories over Clemson, Syracuse and Georgia Tech. The Cavaliers are 6-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | 1 | 8-1 |
| 15 |  | Florida State's five-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Georgia Tech. The Seminoles are 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss to UCF. | 1 | 5-4 |
| 16 |  | Virginia Tech is 3-1 in its past four games after Saturday's win at Miami. The Hokies are 7-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 17 |  | USC's four-game winning streak features wins over UCLA and Stanford. The Trojans are 5-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | 1 | 8-1 |
| 18 |  | Tennessee improved to 7-4 in the first two quadrants with Saturday's win at Kentucky. All four of the Vols' losses qualify as Quadrant 1 defeats. | 1 | 7-3 |
| 19 |  | Wisconsin is 2-3 in its past five games after Saturday's loss at Illinois. The Badgers dropped to 8-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | 1 | 7-2 |
| 20 | | Iowa dropped to 3-5 in Quadrant 1 games after Sunday's loss at Indiana. The Hawkeyes are 1-4 in their past five outings heading into Wednesday's game with Rutgers. | 10 | 8-1 |
| 21 |  | Louisville's 8-3 record in the first two quadrants includes victories over Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Georgia Tech. Three of the Cardinals' four losses have come inside the first quadrant. | -- | 8-1 |
| 22 |  | Creighton is 4-1 in its past five games after Saturday's win at Marquette. The Bluejays are 9-2 in the first two quadrants with three additional defeats coming in the third quadrant. | 1 | 5-3 |
| 23 |  | Loyola Chicago's 10-game winning streak includes nine double-digit victories. The Ramblers have zero losses outside of the first two quadrants. | 1 | 3-7 |
| 24 |  | Rutgers' four-game winning streak includes victories over Indiana, Minnesota and Michigan State. The Scarlet Knights are 7-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | 1 | 5-5 |
| 25 |  | Purdue is 6-2 in its past eight games after Saturday's win over Northwestern. The Boilermakers are 9-6 in the first two quadrants with one additonal loss at Miami. | 1 | 8-1 |
| 26 |  | Oklahoma State is 3-1 in its past four games with wins over Texas and Arkansas. The Cowboys are 6-4 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss to TCU. | NR | 9-0 |
In: Oklahoma State
Out: Drake
