Real recognize real

The GIST: As mentioned on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the constant upsets and unprecedented parity on the men’s court make it feel like anyone can win the natty. But with March Madness just around the corner, a few teams have (mostly) risen above the chaos — here’s who to watch out for on the road to Selection Sunday.

The mainstays: No. 1 UConn, No. 2 Purdue, and No. 4 Houston have all dropped games they should’ve won, but with only two losses apiece, they’ve maintained Top-10 rankings all season.

• Houston’s looking particularly tough: The Cougars are defensive triple threats, leading DI in scoring defense, scoring margin, and turnover margin. With last night’s 75–68 win over No. 21 BYU (plus No. 11 Oklahoma’s loss to Texas), they’re primed to take over the chaotic Big 12.

The bounce-back blue blood: Historic dynasty UNC has been less dominant recently — they started the season ranked No. 19 and didn’t even make March Madness last year. However, the No. 3 Tar Heels are now undefeated in ACC play. If they continue their steady rise, they could snag a coveted No. 1 seed in the national tournament.

• Fellow blue blood Kentucky was on an upswing, rising from preseason No. 16 to No. 6 on Monday, taking a serious stab at the SEC title. But last night’s brutal 79–62 loss to unranked South Carolina sapped their momentum real quick.

The breakout stars: No. 5 Tennessee’s high hopes looked bleak as they limped into Thanksgiving, but the Vols have roared back under the leadership of fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, whose current hot streak landed him in the Player of the Year conversation.

• Likewise, thanks to one of the NCAA’s most well-rounded rosters, No. 8 Auburn came out of nowhere to dominate SEC play this month. Is it a midseason surge or a fluke? Only time — and tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET game against Alabama — will tell.

The GIST: One of the regular season’s most compelling (and expensive!) matchups is set to take place tomorrow between the sport’s biggest powerhouse, No. 1 South Carolina, and reigning national champ No. 9 LSU.

• Here’s what you need to know before these 2023 Final Four contenders tip off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks: The only undefeated team in DI basketball is crushing every opponent in their path by a mind-boggling average of 38.6 (!!!) points. But they also have a notably easy schedule: They haven’t faced a ranked opponent since December 10th, and they play in the less-than-stellar SEC, where the only other Top-25 squad is…you guessed it, LSU.

The No. 9 LSU Tigers: The nation’s best offense, powered by junior forward Angel Reese and junior guard Aneesah Morrow, wins at home by a whopping average of 42.5 points. After dropping a road game against Auburn last week, however, the Tigers are giving vulnerable vibes.

The matchup: LSU has the leg-up in the programs’ all-time series, but they haven’t beaten the Gamecocks in 12 long years. South Carolina absolutely dominated their last meeting, but LSU has significantly padded its roster with transfer superstars Morrow and grad student guard Hailey Van Lith.

• TL;DR? If anyone can stop the ’Cocks before Selection Sunday, it’s the Tigers.