Jay Bilas releases latest 1-68 college basketball rankings

March Madness is right around the corner, and it seems like analysts everywhere are trying to predict the 68-team field. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas is among that group and released his second 1-68 rankings on Thursday.

It’s not much of a surprise that Gonzaga and Auburn sit atop the rankings, considering they’re No. 1 and No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25, respectively. In fact, five SEC teams sit inside Bilas’ top 25 while the Big 12 has four teams that high up. The Big Ten leads the way with six teams in the top 25. Bilas noted that unlike last year, no team separated itself from the rest of the field. So even though Gonzaga and Auburn are No. 1 and No. 2, some teams outside the top five — notably Illinois and Kansas, among others — could end up beating some of those higher-ranked teams.

Before he dove into his rankings and his reasoning, Bilas went on a lengthy rant about officiating, saying “we have a fire in college basketball, and it is spreading to the rest of our house. It is officiating.” He called out the system and how games are officiated compared to professional games — even noting that foul calls are at an all-time low.

After he spoke about officiating, he dove into his rankings. Here’s how Bilas’ 1-68 rankings: Vol. II shook out.

Jay Bilas’ 1-68 rankings: Vol. II

1. Gonzaga
2. Auburn
3. Kentucky
4. Arizona
5. Purdue
6. Baylor
7. Duke
8. UCLA
9. Kansas
10. Villanova
11. Houston
12. Illinois
13. Providence
14. Tennessee
15. Texas Tech
16. Ohio State
17. Texas
18. Michigan State
19. UConn
20. Iowa
21. USC
22. Wisconsin
23. Murray State
24. Wyoming
25. LSU
26. Marquette
27. Xavier
28. Alabama
29. Seton Hall
30. Arkansas
31. Loyola Chicago
32. Saint Mary’s
33. UAB
34. Wake Forest
35. Michigan
36. Oklahoma
37. Boise State
38. San Francisco
39. North Carolina
40. Colorado State
41. SMU
42. Belmont
43. Oregon
44. San Diego State
45. Memphis
46. TCU
47. Miami
48. Notre Dame
49. Indiana
50. Davidson
51. Iowa State
52. Florida
53. BYU
54. Chattanooga
55. Utah State
56. Virginia
57. Mississippi State
58. Kansas State
59. Virginia Tech
60. Rutgers
61. Northwestern
62. Saint Louis
63. Iona
64. North Texas
65. Dayton
66. Washington State
67. Toledo
68. Creighton