A college basketball catch-up for those who don't dive into hoops until football is done

Well, well, it seems there’s only one football game left — the Super Bowl.

Impulsive gamblers are already clicking through videos of Jon Batiste performances, looking for an edge on whether to bet the over or the under on the length of the singer’s national-anthem rendition.

Guys who take up two parking spaces are already pretending to be outraged by all the camera shots of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s sweetheart.

Everybody’s all about the Big Game.

But football will soon be over, and what then?

Do you rub the nacho cheese out of your eyes and spend more time with precious loved ones? Commune with nature? Endeavor to make the world a better place?

Heavens, no. The answer begins with a “college” and ends with a “basketball.”

To those who keep the divine realm of college hoops at arm’s length until all the footballs are back in the equipment closet, this start-of-February catch-up on the season and primer for what’s left of it is for you.

1. Remember, we’re idiots

We AP Top 25 voters blew it like usual with our preseason poll. No. 1 Kansas has underwhelmed for the second year in a row. Only four of the preseason top 10 — Alabama, Houston, Iowa State and Duke — are still up there now. Four others from the preseason top 10 — Gonzaga, Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona — aren’t even ranked. And two-time defending national champ UConn, which was No. 3 going in, is barely hanging on at No. 25 now. It’s really just a courtesy ranking, too; the Huskies are shadows of their former selves, especially with the terrific Liam McNeeley hobbled.

2. So, this year’s UConn is?

I’ll give you three possibilities. One is Duke, loaded with NBA first-round dudes — potential No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, 7-2 rim protector Khaman Maluach, lethal three-point man Kon Knueppel. But all those guys are freshmen, so I like Alabama and Houston even better. The Crimson Tide check every box — scoring, size, depth, experience — and the Cougars entered the weekend 9-0 in the unsparing Big 12. I don’t know if I’d take those three teams against the field to win the whole thing, but it would be tempting.

3. S-E-C! S-E-C!

After a collective face-plant of a football season, the conference that loves itself like no other is telling the world, “Hey, we’ve always been a basketball league first, anyway.” Seriously, having five teams in the top 10 of the all-important NET rankings — Auburn (1), Tennessee (4), Florida (5), Alabama (6) and Kentucky (10) — is wildly impressive. Even the Big 12 takes a backseat so far.

4. Big Ten misses the big fella

With 7-4 Zach Edey in the NBA, Purdue — even with point guard Braden Smith playing at an All-American level — doesn’t score nearly as well on the eyeball test as its conference-best NET ranking of 9 indicates. Michigan State is aiming for a No. 1 NCAA seed, but the back half of its league schedule is about 100 times tougher than the first half was. There doesn’t seem to be much Final Four potential in this league, whose two most gifted players, Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, won’t sniff the Big Dance unless they win the Big Ten tournament.

5. I-L-L … U-H-O-H

Coach Brad Underwood still says his team has a Final Four ceiling, but 14-7 Illinois has looked awful over three games without 7-1 center Tomislav Ivisic, who’s out indefinitely with mononucleosis. Without Ivisic opening the floor with his three-point shooting, driving lanes are clogged, turnovers are mounting and hero ball is rearing its ugly head. At their best, the Illini were on the verge of crashing the top 10 nationally. Come Monday, they’ll almost certainly be unranked.

6. Purple powerless

You can’t spell “Northwestern” without the N-O — as in, there’s N-O shot the Wildcats are going to a third straight Big Dance. Harsh? But true. Nic Martinelli has been a revelation, and a tip of the headband to Brooks Barnhizer for his grittiness, but this team just doesn’t have the talent or the mojo to win enough games.

7. The Big least

You’ll never guess who’s at the bottom of the Big East standings with a record of 1-10. Wait, you guess DePaul? Wow, you’re good. The Blue Demons take on 1-9 Seton Hall on Sunday, a game somebody has to not lose, at least we think. See you next season, Chris Holtmann.

8. Rambling off

Loyola has one win on the road since mid-November. That’s no way to hang in the Atlantic 10 race, which the Ramblers definitely aren’t.

9. The envelope, please

It’s a two-man race for national player of the year between Duke’s Flagg and Auburn’s Johni Broome. Flagg is the heavy favorite, but the 6-10, 240-pound Broome — a spectacular player who dunks, rebounds or blocks everything that isn’t nailed down — could take it from him, especially with the Tigers having one of the top seasons in school history.

10. Super ball week

Desperate Illinois hosts suddenly surging Ohio State on Sunday. Iowa State-Kansas has Big 12 game-of-the-year vibes on Monday. Marquette and St. John’s, which entered the weekend tied atop the Big East standings, meet Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. It’s the perfect time to dive in.