College Basketball: Best and worst 2021-22 season so far

With the advent of the new year, it is time for group play! And while teams still have plenty of time to build their resume before March, the end of traditional no-conference play is a good time to look at what we’ve seen so far in men’s college basketball. Who came up with the best win? Worst loss? Who deserves to be honored as Player of the Year? Sports Illustrated Answer those questions and more in ints nonconference superlatives.

Best game: Duke vs.

The phrase “felt like March” is overused in college hoops speech, but this game actually she did Feel like you’re facing the Elite Eight or the Final Four. Played in front of the largest audience for a basketball game in Nevada history, this game lived up to the hype and more. Entering, Gonzaga felt nearly unbeatable after the UCLA bombing earlier that week. But Paulo Banchero’s scoring blast in the first half dealt Zag an early blow, and Duke olds Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams made huge second-half plays to carry the Blue Devils across the finish line. Each team had several future NBA players on the ground and Hall of Fame coaches on their sidelines. It was everything you could ever want in a game without conferences.