The Bat Cave

What a crazy week. I had an extremely hard time coming up with a Top 25 I was satisfied with. Just look at what I was dealing with: my top 25 teams from last week combined for 17 losses; 3 of my top 5 bubble teams took losses; and the rest of my bubble teams combined for 9 losses. There was plenty of opportunity for teams to move up or into the rankings, but no one was able to really assert themselves with everyone losing. Insane… college basketball defines parity.

TOP 25:

1. Ohio State (18-0)
Key Wins: @Florida, @FSU, South Carolina, Oakland, Minnesota, @Michigan, Penn St
Key Losses:
Last Week: #2

2. Kansas (17-0)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Cal, UNT, @Michigan, @Iowa St
Key Losses:
Last Week: #3

3. Syracuse (18-0)
Key Wins: MSU, NC State, Notre Dame, @St. John’s, Cincinnati
Key Losses:
Last Week: #4

4. Duke (16-1)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, Miami, UAB, Maryland
Key Losses: @FSU
Last Week: #1

4. Pittsburgh (17-1)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette, @Georgetown
Key Losses: Tennessee
Last Week: #5

6. San Diego State (19-0)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s,Wichita St., @Cal, UNLV, @New Mexico
Key Losses:
Last Week: #6

7. Villanova (16-1)
Key Wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland
Key Losses: Tennessee
Last Week: #7

8. BYU (17-1)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, @Vermont, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV
Key Losses: @UCLA
Last Week: #8

9. Texas A&M (15-1)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Arkansas, OK St, Missouri
Key Losses: BCU
Last Week: #12

10. Connecticut (14-2)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU
Last Week: #11

11. Kentucky (14-3)
Key Wins: @Portland, Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia
Last Week: #13

12. Texas (14-3)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, Arkansas
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN
Last Week: #17

13. Notre Dame (14-4)
Key Wins: Cal, Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, SJU
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse, @Marquette, @SJU
Last Week: #10

14. Missouri (15-3)
Key Wins: @Oregon, Vanderbilt, Illinois, ODU
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Colorado, @Texas A&M
Last Week: #15

15. Purdue (15-3)
Key Wins: Oakland, @V-Tech, @Michigan, N’western, @Penn St
Key Losses: @Richmond, @Minnesota, @WVU
Last Week: #9

16. Michigan State (12-5)
Key Wins: Washington, Oakland, Minnesota, @N’western, Wisconsin, N’western
Key Losses: @UCONN, @Duke, @Syracuse, Texas, @Penn St
Last Week: Unranked

17. Louisville (14-3)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova
Last Week: #23

18. Wisconsin (13-4)
Key Wins: @BCU, NC State, @Marquette, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois, @MSU
Last Week: Unranked

19. Washington (13-4)
Key Wins: Portland, @USC, @UCLA, Oregon, @Cal
Key Losses: @MSU, @Kentucky, @Texas A&M, @Stanford
Last Week: #14

20. Florida (13-4)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, RIU, Ole Miss, @Tennessee
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville, SCU
Last Week: #25

21. Illinois (13-5)
Key Wins: @Maryland, UNC, @Gonzaga, Northwestern, Wisconsin
Key Losses: @Texas, @Ill.Chicago, @Missouri, @Penn St, @Wisconsin
Last Week: #16

22. West Virginia (12-4)
Key Wins: Oakland, Vanderbilt, Cleveland St., @Georgetown, Purdue
Key Losses: Minnesota, @Miami, St. John’s, @Marquette
Last Week: Unranked

23. Gonzaga (13-5)
Key Wins: @Marquette, @Baylor, Xavier, OK St., Portland
Key Losses: @KSU, SDSU, Illinois, @WSU, @Notre Dame
Last Week: Unranked

24. Temple (12-4)
Key Wins: Georgetown, @Georgia, @Maryland
Key Losses: @Cal, @Texas A&M, @Villanova, @Duquesne
Last Week: #21

25. UCF (14-2)
Key Wins: Florida, @Miami
Key Losses: @Houston, @Southern Miss
Last Week: #20

DROPPED OUT:

Georgetown (13-5)
Key Wins: NC State, @ODU, @Missouri, Utah State, @Memphis
Key Losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John’s, WVU, Pitt
Last Week: #18

Kansas State (13-5)
Key Wins: Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, @WSU
Key Losses: @Duke, @Florida, UNLV, @OK St, Colorado
Last Week: #24

St. John’s (11-5)
Key Wins: ASU, Northwestern, @WVU, @Providence, Georgetown, Notre Dame
Key Losses: @St. Mary’s, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame, Syracuse
Last Week: #22

UNLV (14-4)
Key Wins: @Murray St., Wisconsin, @Virginia Tech, @KSU
Key Losses: @Louisville, UCSB, BYU, @SDSU
Last week: #19

NEXT FIVE:

Arizona (15-3)
Key Wins: @NC State, @Oregon, ASU
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St

Cincinnati (16-2)
Key Wins: Dayton, Xavier
Key Losses: @Villanova, @Syracuse

Colorado (14-4)
Key Wins: @Indiana, Missouri, @KSU, OK St
Key Losses: @Georgia, @USF, @Harvard, New Mexico

Minnesota (14-4)
Key Wins: @UNC, @West Virginia, Purdue
Key Losses: Virginia, @Wisconsin, @MSU, @OSU

St. Mary’s (16-2)
Key Wins: St. John’s, Texas Tech, Miss State
Key Losses: BYU, SDSU

REST OF THE BUBBLE:

Boston College (13-5)
Key Wins: @Texas A&M, Cal, @Maryland, NC State @South Carolina
Key Losses: Yale, Wisconsin, @RIU, Harvard, @Miami

Butler (13-6)
Key Wins: @Siena, Stanford, FSU, @WSU, Cleveland St
Key Losses: @Louisville, Evansville, @Duke, @Xavier, @Wisc-Mil, @Wright St

Georgia (13-3)
Key Wins: UAB, @Georgia Tech, Kentucky, @Ole Miss
Key Losses: @Notre Dame, Temple, @Vanderbilt

Memphis (13-4)
Key Wins: Miami, @LSU, Marshall
Key Losses: @Kansas, Georgetown, @Tennessee, @SMU

Missouri State (15-3)
Key Wins: @UNI, @Wichita St
Key Losses: @Tennessee, @Tulsa, @Oklahoma St

North Carolina (12-5)
Key Wins: Kentucky, @Virginia, V-Tech
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, @ Georgia Tech

Oklahoma State (13-4)
Key Wins: Murray St., Stanford, KSU
Key Losses: @VTU, @Gonzaga, @Texas A&M, @Colorado

Old Dominion (13-4)
Key Wins: Xavier, Clemson, Richmond, Dayton, George Mason
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Delaware, @Missouri, @Drexel

Tennessee (11-6)
Key Wins: VCU, Villanova, @Pittsburgh, Memphis, Vanderbilt
Key Losses: Oakland, @Charlotte, USC, Charleston, @Arkansas, Florida

Vanderbilt (12-4)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette, Georgia
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee

Wichita State (14-3)
Key Wins: Virginia, @LSU
Key Losses: @UCONN, @SDSU, Missouri St