The Bat Cave

TOP 25:

1. Kentucky (21-1)
Last Week: #1

2. Syracuse (22-1)
Last Week: #2

3. Baylor (19-2)
Last Week: #5

4. Ohio State (19-3)
Last Week: #3

5. Duke (18-3)
Last Week: #6

6. North Carolina (18-3)
Last Week: #9

7. Missouri (19-2)
Last Week: #4

8. Michigan State (17-4)
Last Week: #10

9. Kansas (17-4)
Last Week: #7

10. UNLV (20-3)
Last Week: #13

11. Georgetown (16-4)
Last Week: #8

12. Murray State (21-0)
Last Week: #14

13. Creighton (20-2)
Last Week: #17

14. Marquette (18-4)
Last Week: #21

15. San Diego State (18-3)
Last Week: #11

16. St. Mary’s (21-2)
Last Week: #16

17. Virginia (17-3)
Last Week: #19

18. Wisconsin (17-5)
Last Week: #22

19. Michigan (16-6)
Last Week: #18

20. Gonzaga (17-3)
Last Week: #20

21. Indiana (17-5)
Last Week: #12

22. Florida (17-4)
Last Week: Unranked

23. Florida State (14-6)
Last Week: Unranked

24. Mississippi State (17-5)
Last Week: #15

25. Harvard (18-2)
Last Week: Unranked

DROPPED OUT:

23. Illinois (15-6)
Last Week: #23

24. Connecticut (14-6)
Last Week: #24

25. West Virginia (15-7)
Last Week: #25

BUBBLE:

Alabama (14-7)
California (17-5)
Kansas State (15-5)
Louisville (17-5)
New Mexico (17-4)
Notre Dame (14-8)
Southern Miss (19-3)
Temple (15-5)
Vanderbilt (16-5)
Wichita State (18-4)

Notes:

-Upon further investigation, it seems silly that Ohio State was ranked ahead of Baylor. Not only did I make this mistake, but so did both national polls. I’m fixing my error this week, but the AP and ESPN Polls almost certainly won’t. Here are the facts: Baylor is 9-2 against top 100 teams, while OSU is only 6-3. Baylor’s two losses were to #5 and #7; OSU has lost three games, including one to an unranked Illinois squad. Baylor is 3rd in RPI and 11th in strength of schedule; OSU is 9th and 46th. In what world has Ohio State had the better year?

-Missouri at #2 in the national polls last week was inexcusable and it didn’t take long for the Tigers to prove themselves unworthy when they lost to an NIT bound Oklahoma State team. Missouri is a bit of an enigma. They have looked awfully strong at times and are 8-1 against the top 100, but only rank 106th in strength of schedule. Personally, I can’t imagine them as a final four team.

-Kansas losing at Iowa State was pretty surprising. That said, KU still looks like one of the strongest teams in the nation and Thomas Robinson should be the current front-runner for National Player Of The Year.

-This thing with Murray State is starting to get ridiculous. It’s cool that they are undefeated and all, but how high can they reasonably climb up the rankings? This is a team that is currently ranked #12 in my poll but would likely be an underdog in their first game of the NCAA tournament. They’ve only posted two quality wins and those came against Dayton and a Memphis team that hasn’t sniffed the top 25 since the first couple weeks of the season. With only three games against the top 100 and a #226 ranking in strength of schedule, we really have no idea how good this team is. I can’t imagine them cracking my top 10… even if they finish the year without a loss. That’s just… silly.

-Florida cracks my top 25 again, but their rankings in the national polls are a bit absurd (14 & 13). Until this weekend when they beat #18 Mississippi State, their marquee wins were against Arizona and Texas A&M teams that were overrated at the start of the season.

-Florida State also cracks the top 25 on the strength of wins over North Carolina and Duke… plus they share the ACC lead with a 5-1 record.