Early results matter for resumes, but college basketball teams aim to play at their highest level as March Madness nears.
The last month-plus of action, as always, has shaped some perceptions for the men's 2024 NCAA tournament. Beyond the best programs in the country, a few once-struggling teams have begun a rapid ascent.
The hope, as in Colorado's case, is that a hot streak does not come too late. Nevertheless, a "better late than never" run like the Buffaloes have assembled can place a program back in the bubble conversation.
In other cases—Gonzaga, for instance—a team can play its way entirely off the bubble with a sizzling month.
The choices are subjective but consider recent results, along with a team's situation in February compared to the regular season's end.
In a truly shocking statement, several of the highest-ranked teams in the country are currently on a hot streak.
Houston and Purdue have dropped only three contests apiece this season, so they are easy inclusions. Houston is riding a nine-game win streak, while Purdue has picked up five victories in a row.
North Carolina has notched six consecutive triumphs, including wins against top ACC competition Duke and Virginia. Connecticut fell in a lopsided game at Creighton a couple weeks ago, but the reigning champs otherwise haven't lost since December.
Rounding out the list, Tennessee lost a tight contest to Kentucky in the regular-season finale. Still, the Vols had rattled off seven straight wins—with three opposite a Top 25 team—before the UK result.
Each member of that quintet, unsurprisingly, has a shot at claiming a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday