Before They Go Dancin’: College Basketball Teams Heating Up at the Right Time ...Middle East

In a prelude to March Madness, we’re looking at the men’s college basketball teams that have been making the biggest gains in TRACR in recent weeks.

There’s not a definitive answer on how hot a team wants to be at the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Before Florida won its six NCAA games to emerge as last year’s national champion, it entered March Madness with six straight wins, including against five nationally ranked opponents and while claiming the SEC title.

So the Gators heated up at the right time.

But think back to Villanova’s 1985 champions and the Wildcats lost their final regular season game by 23 points and after winning one Big East Tournament game was bounced out by 15.

But while the runs toward March can vary, teams prefer to end well before it becomes win-or-go-home.

While it’s happening before our very eyes, we also can answer it by using TRACR, our net efficiency metric that calculates how well a team performs based on who it plays and who is on the court.

The month of February feels like the right time to check which teams have had the biggest recent gains in TRACR, but we’re extending the time period back to Jan. 31 because that was a Saturday with a full schedule of important games.

Some of the risers include the very best teams in college basketball, such as No. 1 Michigan. Some are in first place in their conference standings. Some just may deserve a closer look for a possible upset or two as the men’s schedule advances to conference tournaments, then March Madness.

MORE ON OPTA ANALYST

NBA

A Buzz Across the NBA: Are the Charlotte Hornets an Actual Threat in the East?

5 days ago Mat Issa MLB

Where the Spotlight is Brighter: MLB Players Who’ve Played in the Most Major Markets

1 week ago Craig Haley NFL

2025 NFL Superlative All-Stars: The Masters of Particular Sets of Skills

3 weeks ago Taylor Bechtold, Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads

Biggest Increase in TRACR in High-Major Conferences

ACC, Big 12, Big East Big Ten and SEC (Jan. 31-Feb. 16)

1. Baylor (Big 12) +5.17 (to 15.38) – Although buried in the Big 12 standings, the Bears have some winnable games upcoming plus a golden opportunity in Waco, where they’re 9-5, against an Arizona squad that suddenly has dropped back-to-back games following a 23-0 start.

2. Michigan (Big Ten) +4.68 (to 42.08) – The Wolverines are riding a 10-game winning streak with consistency in both offensive TRACR and defensive TRACR, and that doesn’t reflect any better across their balanced lineup than with standout forward Yaxel Lendeborg, whose 10.46 VAPR (Value Added Performance Rating) is an equal 5.23 O-VAPR and 5.23 D-VAPR.

3. Florida State (ACC) +3.95 (to 12.53) – More than two-thirds of the recent gain have been in O-TRACR, and it includes a 23-point win over a 17-win Virginia Tech squad with its best shooting performance (61.8%) since an early season game against UNLV in 2023. Ironically, leading scorer Robert McCray V was the one starter below 50.0% in that win, but he’s on a 12-game run in double figures.

4. Wisconsin (Big Ten) +3.43 (to 22.48)

5. Purdue (Big Ten) +2.96 (to 29.74)

6. Providence (Big East) +2.37 (to 9.97)

7. Oklahoma (SEC) +2.15 (to 13.71)

8. Illinois (Big Ten) +1.99 (to 34.73)

9. Georgetown (Big East) +1.92 (to 9.11)

10. Kentucky (SEC) +1.83 (to 22.78)

11. Louisville (ACC) +1.80 (to 30.83)

12. Wake Forest (ACC) +1.52 (to 11.89)

13. Oregon (Big Ten) +1.43 (to 3.88)

14. Florida (SEC) +0.84 (to 34.59)

15. UConn (Big East) +0.76 (to 27.03)

Biggest Increase in TRACR in All Conferences

Jan. 31-Feb. 16

1. Howard (MEAC) +11.96 (to +8.56) – The Bison are the hottest team in TRACR, having grabbed first place in the MEAC with five straight wins since Jan. 31, losing in that span only out of conference to Ivy frontrunner Yale.

2. Alabama State (SWAC) +9.97 (to -7.71) – Coach Tony Madlock is working to push the right buttons, like late last season, when the Hornets went from a 9-6 start in SWAC play to winning its final three regular-season games, the SWAC Tournament and a matchup against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the NCAA First Four.  

3. Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) +9.72 (to 16.16) – A terrific January ended well with against Evansville and has continued into a 4-1 stretch (the wins by 20.3 points on average) with only a five-point road loss to first-place Belmont.

4. Samford (Southern) +9.35 (to 9.33)

5. Prairie View A&M (SWAC) +7.80 (to -10.10)

6. Boston U. (Patriot) +7.55 (to 3.03)

7. Merrimack (MAAC) +7.42 (to 9.31)

8. Coppin State (MEAC) +7.40 (to -22.85)

9. Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley) +7.00 (to -6.01)

10. Hofstra (CAA) +6.78 (to 10.93)

11. Chicago State (NEC) +6.78 (to -12.97)

12. Texas State (Sun Belt) +6.77 (to 1.66)

13. Arkansas State (Sun Belt) +6.75 (to 10.89)

14. Denver (Summit) +6.75 (to 3.37)

15. UNCG (Southern) +6.38 (to -2.65)

Conference Leaders in TRACR Increase

Jan. 31-Feb. 16

America East: UMass Lowell +4.23 (to -9.10)

American: East Carolina +2.70 (3.38)

Atlantic 10: Fordham +4.15 (to 6.59)

ACC: Florida State +3.95 (to 12.53)

Atlantic Sun: Bellarmine +5.85 (to -2.48)

Big 12: Baylor +5.17 (to 15.388)

Big East: Providence +2.37 (to 9.97)

Big Sky: Eastern Washington +5.43 (to 2.93)

Big South: Gardner-Webb +4.47 (to 0.91)

Big Ten: Michigan +4.68 (to 42.08)

Big West: Cal Poly +5.94 (to 0.17)

CAA: Hofstra +6.78 (to 10.93)

Conference USA: UTEP +4.92 (to 1.86)

Horizon: Robert Morris +6.16 (to 8.29)

Ivy: Penn +3.51 (to 5.52)

MAAC: Merrimack +7.42 (to 9.31)

Mid-American: Central Michigan +6.01 (to -1.12)

MEAC: Howard +11.96 (to +8.56)

Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa +9.72 (to 16.16)

Mountain West: Wyoming +3.94 (to 6.44)

NEC: Chicago State +6.78 (to -12.97)

Ohio Valley: Tennessee Tech +7.00 (to -6.01)

Patriot: Boston U. +7.55 (to 3.03)

SEC: Oklahoma +2.15 (to 13.71)

Southern: Samford +9.35 (to 9.33)

Southland: Stephen F. Austin +4.73 (to 18.36)

SWAC: Alabama State +9.97 (to -7.71)

Summit: Denver +6.75 (to 3.37)

Sun Belt: Texas State +6.77 (to 1.66)

West Coast: Oregon State +5.18 (to 1.79)

WAC: Abilene Christian +6.01 (to -0.20)

Top photo, from left, via AP News and Steven Worthy/Howard Athletics. For more coverage, follow on social media at Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.

Before They Go Dancin’: College Basketball Teams Heating Up at the Right Time Opta Analyst.

Hence then, the article about before they go dancin college basketball teams heating up at the right time was published today ( Tuesday 17/02/2026 - 11:53 PM ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Before They Go Dancin’: College Basketball Teams Heating Up at the Right Time )

Also on site :

• Homemade dumplings are a Lunar New Year staple. Last week, a cafe invited those who’d never made them to give it a try.
• Trump strips endangered species protections for lesser prairie chicken, the dancing, booming  grouse of the Southwest 
• Egypt and South Sudan map out Nile future amid regional rift