College Basketball Rankings 2014-15: Bleacher Report's Final Top 25
The 2014-15 season ended on a high note with one of the better Final Fours in recent memory.
Unfortunately, the regular season wasn't quite as captivating.
College basketball only featured a handful of elite teams. Outside of Duke, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Arizona, Gonzaga and (maybe) Villanova, there wasn't much separation between the rest of the squads in the Top 25. That's not to say those teams were bad. Far from it. But few were truly special.
Of course, none of this is a big deal. Programs go through transition years all the time. This season the entire sport endured one. Things will be better next season.
But before we get there, C.J. Moore, Kerry Miller and I gathered one last time to close the book on 2014-15 and rank the top 25 teams based on overall body of work.
Here's our final ranking of the best teams from the 2014-15 season.
Throughout the season, our experts vote for B/R's Top 25. Once a vote is cast for a specific team, it's assigned a value—25 points for the No. 1 team in the rankings, 24 points for the second spot and so on. The point totals are then added up to create the Top 25.
25-21: SMU-NC State
1 of 13
25. SMU
Final Record: 27-7 overall, 15-3 (first) in the AAC, 4 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to UCLA 60-59 in the round of 64
The Mustangs made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993 but lost to UCLA on a controversial goaltending call in the waning seconds. It was still a nice season for Larry Brown’s squad, which won the American Athletic Conference title outright.
24. Arkansas
Final Record: 27-9 overall, 13-5 (second) in the SEC, 8 points
Tournament Finish: Lost 87-78 to North Carolina in the round of 32
Bobby Portis averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds for a team that made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008.
23. Butler
Final Record: 23-11 overall, 12-6 (tied for second) in the Big East, 10 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Notre Dame 67-64 (OT) in the round of 32
The Bulldogs were one of college basketball’s biggest surprises. Assistant coach Chris Holtmann took over the team shortly before the season when head coach Brandon Miller was forced to leave for medical reasons. Holtmann, who was later given the job on a permanent basis, guided his squad to a victory over Texas in the round of 64.
22. Xavier
Final Record: 23-14 overall, 9-9 (6th) in the Big East, 12 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to 68-60 to Arizona in the Sweet 16
Many pundits thought a No. 6 seed was too high for the Musketeers, who proved naysayers wrong by defeating Ole Miss and upstart Georgia State en route to the Sweet 16, where Chris Mack’s squad gave No. 2 seed Arizona all it could handle before succumbing in the final minutes.
21. NC State
Final Record: 22-14, 10-8 (tied for sixth) in the ACC, 14 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Louisville 75-65 in the Sweet 16
For the second straight year, the Wolfpack picked the prime time of the season to play their best basketball by upsetting No. 1 seed Villanova to reach the Sweet 16. The backcourt of Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner and Cat Barber was one of the country’s best.
No. 20-16: Maryland-Baylor
2 of 13
20. Maryland
Final Record: 28-7 overall, 14-4 (second) in the Big Ten, 15 points
Tournament Finish: Lost 69-59 to West Virginia in the round of 32
Head coach Mark Turgeon entered the season on the proverbial hot seat. Now it may be time to give him a raise after he led his squad to such a gaudy record with wins over Final Four teams Wisconsin and Michigan State (twice).
19. West Virginia
Final Record: 25-10 overall, 11-7 (tied for fourth) in the Big 12, 22 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Kentucky 78-39 in the Sweet 16
The Mountaineers overachieved a bit, although they finished just 1-7 in the regular season against the four teams seeded ahead of them in the Big 12 tournament. Bob Huggins won the 2015 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award.
18. Northern Iowa
Final Record: 31-4 overall, 16-2 (second) in the Missouri Valley Conference, 27 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Louisville 66-53 in the round of 32
An opening-weekend loss to an average Louisville team was a disappointing way to end an otherwise banner season for the Panthers, who manhandled Wichita State 70-54 at home. Seth Tuttle averaged 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.
17. Iowa State
Final Record: 25-9 overall, 12-6 (tied for second) in the Big 12, 28 points
Tournament finish: Lost to Alabama-Birmingham 60-59 in the round of 64
Georges Niang and Monte Morris combined to average 27.3 points for a squad that came within a game of tying Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season title. Iowa State has advanced to the Sweet 16 just once since 2000.
16. Baylor
Final Record: 24-10 overall, 11-7 (tied for fourth) in the Big 12, 29 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Georgia State 57-56 in the round of 64
What was arguably Scott Drew’s best coaching job was spoiled by a shocking loss to No. 14 seed Georgia State in the NCAA tournament. Baylor led by 10 points with less than two minutes remaining but had some crucial missed free throws and turnovers down the stretch. Rico Gathers averaged 11.7 points and 11.6 rebounds.
No. 15-11: North Carolina-Kansas
3 of 13
15. North Carolina
Overall Record: 26-12, 11-7 (fifth) in the ACC, 32 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Wisconsin 79-72 in the Sweet 16
The Tar Heels were inconsistent for much of the year, in part because of a nagging foot injury to star guard Marcus Paige. UNC made the ACC tournament title game—losing to Notre Dame—and put a scare in Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. The biggest reason to be optimistic is the return of sophomore-to-be wing Justin Jackson, who had a strong finish to the year.
14. Louisville
Final Record:
27-9 overall, 12-6 (fourth) in the ACC, 36 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Michigan State 76-70 in the Elite Eight
Rick Pitino did a masterful job with the Cardinals, who overachieved considering their lack of depth and the dismissal of point guard Chris Jones. Having two star players certainly helped. Guard Terry Rozier (17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds) and forward Montrezl Harrell (15.7 points, 9.5 rebounds) are both headed to the NBA.
13. Oklahoma
Final Record: 24-11 overall, 12-6 (tied for second) in the Big 12, 39 points
Tournament finish: Lost to Michigan State 62-58 in the Sweet 16
Buddy Hield (17.5 points) was named Big 12 Player of the Year for a squad that would’ve won the league title if not for two losses to a Kansas State team that didn’t even make the NCAA tournament. Ryan Spangler and TaShawn Thomas formed one of the nation’s top frontcourts.
12. Michigan State
Final Record: 27-12 overall, 12-6 (third) in the Big Ten, 42 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Duke 81-61 in the NCAA Final Four
Tom Izzo turned in one of the greatest coaching jobs of his illustrious career by taking a squad that lost Adreian Payne and Gary Harris to the NBA draft and molding it into a Final Four team. Former role players Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine combined to average 29.8 points.
11. Kansas
Final Record: 27-9 overall, 13-5 (first) in the Big 12, 45 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Wichita State 78-65 in the round of 32
What was arguably Bill Self’s worst team in 12 seasons in Lawrence still managed to win the conference, which probably doesn’t say much for the league. Perry Ellis averaged 13.8 points and 7.0 rebounds, both team highs.
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
10. Utah
4 of 13
Final Record: 26-9 overall, 13-5 (tied for second) in the Pac-12, 46 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Duke 63-57 in the Sweet 16
The Utes made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009 thanks, in large part, to the play of standout point guard Delon Wright, a projected first-round pick in this summer’s NBA draft who averaged 14.9 points. Seven-foot freshman Jakob Poeltl is also a potential lottery pick after averaging 9.1 points and 6.9 boards.
Utah beat Wichita State but lost most of its other high-profile games, including Kansas, Arizona (twice) and Oregon (twice).
9. Wichita State
5 of 13
Final Record: 30-5 overall, 17-1 (first) in the Missouri Valley Conference, 50 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Notre Dame 81-70 in the Sweet 16
One year after going 35-1 and two years after reaching the Final Four, the Shockers had another banner season despite losing Cleanthony Early to the NBA draft. Led by guards Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet and Tekele Cotton, Wichita State staved off Northern Iowa in the regular-season finale to win the Missouri Valley Conference crown. Then the Shockers posted back-to-back wins over Indiana and in-state nemesis Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16.
The cherry on top of another memorable season came when coach Gregg Marshall turned down a lucrative offer from Alabama to remain with the Shockers, who reportedly increased his pay to $3.3 million per year.
8. Villanova
6 of 13
Final Record: 33-3 overall, 16-2 (first) in the Big East, 55 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to North Carolina State 71-68 in the round of 32
The 2014-15 season was bittersweet for the Wildcats, who won their second straight Big East crown before making yet another early exit in the NCAA tournament. Villanova, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, lost its second game to North Carolina State and has now gone six straight years without advancing to the second weekend of the Big Dance.
Darrun Hilliard II averaged a team-high 14.0 points for the Wildcats, who at one point won 16 straight games. Their only regular-season losses were against Georgetown and Seton Hall.
7. Virginia
7 of 13
Final Record: 30-4 overall, 16-2 (first) in the ACC, 58 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Michigan State 60-54 in the round of 32
This season was proof that Virginia at the elite level of college basketball was not just a one-hit wonder. The Cavaliers have now won the ACC twice, and to put that accomplishment in perspective, look at what the league did in the postseason.
The ACC produced the national champ and had five teams in the Sweet 16. The Cavaliers were not as sharp late in the year, but they have an excuse—a fractured finger to star guard Justin Anderson led to some struggles on the offensive end.
6. Notre Dame
8 of 13
Final Record: 32-6 overall, 14-4 in the ACC, 60 points
Tournament Finish: Lost to Kentucky 68-66 in the Elite Eight
What a great season for the Fighting Irish, who finally got over their first-weekend hump in the NCAA tournament and made it all the way to the Elite Eight, where they nearly upset then-No. 1 and unbeaten Kentucky before falling by just two points.
Notre Dame was led by Jerian Grant, who earned first-team All-American honors after sitting out the second half of last season because of academic issues. Grant was the key offensive player for a squad that ranked among the top five nationally all season in field-goal percentage.
5. Gonzaga
9 of 13
Final Record: 35-3 overall, 17-1 (first) in the West Coast Conference, 61 points
Tournament Finish: Lost 66-52 to Duke in the Elite Eight
This may or may not have been Mark Few’s best-ever team at Gonzaga, but the Zags certainly went the furthest in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer proved to be a huge addition to the Zags along with USC transfer Byron Wesley. It was also good to see senior guards Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell advance to the tournament’s second weekend for their first time in their careers.
4. Arizona
10 of 13
Final Record: 34-4 overall, 16-2 (first) in the Pac-12, 65 points
Tournament Finish: Lost 85-78 to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight
The Wildcats won the Pac-12—again. They reached the Elite Eight—again. And they lost to Wisconsin—again. One of these days the stars will align and Sean Miller will get this team over the hump and into the Final Four.
In any case, this was still an excellent season that shouldn’t be diminished simply because the team didn’t make it to the final weekend. Stanley Johnson more than lived up to the hype as one of the nation’s top freshmen, T.J. McConnell blossomed into one of college basketball’s top point guards, and big men such as Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski formed one of the top frontcourts in the country.
3. Kentucky
11 of 13
Final Record: 38-1 overall, 18-0 (first) in the SEC, 70 points
Tournament Finish: Lost 71-64 to Wisconsin the NCAA Final Four
The Wildcats became the first team ever to start 38-0. After losing Game No. 39, multiple players said that feat was meaningless, but one day they'll be able to look back and appreciate what they accomplished.
This team joins the list of one of the greatest teams not to win a title. Kentucky's defense was one of the greatest ever, and the Wildcats could end up with seven players getting drafted this June.
2. Wisconsin
12 of 13
Final Record: 36-4 overall, 16-2 (first) in the Big Ten, 71 points
Tournament Finish: Lost 68-63 to Duke in the NCAA title game
It was hard not to fall in love with this Wisconsin squad, which made it to the Final Four for the second straight season thanks to a group of junior and senior leaders who helped set the tone. The Badgers’ loose atmosphere off the court and chemistry and cohesion on the court helped them earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they played the highest possible seed in each round. Wisconsin was the only team all season to beat Kentucky.
Center Frank Kaminsky was named Associated Press National Player of the Year, while junior Sam Dekker blossomed into one of college basketball’s top players in the NCAA tournament. Forward Nigel Hayes was as improved as any player in the country, and the insertion of sophomore point guard Bronson Koenig into the starting lineup at midseason actually made Wisconsin better.
1. Duke
13 of 13
Final Record: 35-4 overall, 15-3 (second) in the ACC, 75 points
Tournament Finish: Defeated Wisconsin 68-63 to win the NCAA title
The Blue Devils breezed through the NCAA tournament to the national title game and then put together one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of the championship game.
Duke's offense was elite all year, but what turned this team into a championship one was a much-improved defense in the NCAA tournament. It was one of the best coaching jobs in the career of Mike Krzyzewski, who won his fifth title with four freshmen and just eight scholarship players.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
