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h1

Silver City NCAA Pool Standings

March 20, 2011

Standings through first three rounds:

1. Jason L – 64
2. Jeff Thompson – 62
3. Brett – 60
4. Carly – 58
5. Shaye – 57
6. Stan – 55
6. Snack Pack – 55
6. Tony Apilado – 55
9. Domenick – 54
10. Jim Wainwright – 53
10. John Tolletson – 53
10. Dave – 53
13. Celeste – 52
13. Heather – 52
15. Jenna – 51
15. Mo – 51
17. Stevie D. – 50
17. Jim D. – 50
19. Les Marts – 49
20. Mac – 48
20. Steve W. – 48
22. Brad Jarvis – 47
23. Orseth – 46
24. Don Courset – 45

Kudos to:

-Shaye, for taking Richmond to the Sweet 16…
-Jenna, for being the only person to call the Morehead State upset…
-Jason L and Snack Pack, for taking Florida State to the Sweet 16…
-No one, for having the balls to take Butler, Marquette, or VCU to the Sweet 16.

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h1

MacRankings – Bracket Edition

March 13, 2011

TOP 25:

#1 Seeds

1. Kansas (32-2)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Michigan, @Baylor, KSU, Mizzou, A&M, @Mizzou, Texas
Key Losses: Texas, @KSU

2. Ohio State (31-2)
Key Wins: @Florida, @FSU, @Michigan, @Illinois, Purdue, @Minnesota, MSU, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan
Key Losses: @Wisconsin, @Purdue

3. Duke (30-4)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, BCU, UNC, Temple, Clemson, V-Tech, UNC
Key Losses: @FSU, @SJU, @VTU, @UNC

4. Notre Dame (26-6)
Key Wins: Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, SJU, Cincy, Marquette, @Pitt, L’ville, Villanova, @UCONN, Cincy
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse, @Marquette, @SJU, @WVU, L’ville

#2 Seeds

5. San Diego State (32-2)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Wichita St., @Cal, UNLV, @New Mexico, @UNLV, New Mexico, UNLV, BYU
Key Losses: @BYU, BYU

6. Pittsburgh (27-5)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette, @Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincy, @WVU, @Villanova, WVU, Villanova
Key Losses: Tennessee, NDU, @SJU, @Louisville, UCONN

7. North Carolina (26-7)
Key Wins: Kentucky, V-Tech, Clemson, @BCU, FSU, @Clemson, BCU, @FSU, Duke, Clemson
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, @Georgia Tech, @Duke, Duke

8. Connecticut (26-9)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, @Marquette, G’town, @Cincy, G’town, Pitt, Syracuse, L’ville
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU, L’ville, Syracuse, @SJU, @L’ville, Marquette, @WV, NDU

#3 Seeds

9. BYU (30-4)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV, SDSU, UNLV, @SDSU
Key Losses: @UCLA, @New Mexico, New Mexico, SDSU
Last Week: #2

10. Florida (26-7)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, @Tennessee, @Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, @Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville, SCU, @Miss St, @Kentucky, Kentucky
Last Week: #10

11. Texas (27-7)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, A&M, @Kansas, Mizzou, @A&M, A&M
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN, @Nebraska, @Colorado, KSU, Kansas
Last Week: #9

12. Purdue (25-7)
Key Wins: @V-Tech, @Michigan, MSU, @Illinois, Wisconsin, OSU, @MSU, Illinois
Key Losses: @Richmond, @Minnesota, @WVU, @OSU, @Wisconsin, @Iowa, MSU
Last Week: #7

#4 Seeds

13. Kentucky (25-8)
Key Wins: Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt, @Tennessee, Florida
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia, @Alabama, @Ole Miss, @Florida, @Vanderbilt, @Arkansas
Last Week: #20

14. Syracuse (26-7)
Key Wins: MSU, Notre Dame, @St. John’s, Cincinnati, @UCONN, WVU, @Nova, @G’town, SJU
Key Losses: @Pitt, Villanova, Seton Hall, @Marquette, G’town, @L’ville, UCONN
Last Week: #11

15. Louisville (25-9)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette, SJU, WVU, @UCONN, Syracuse, UCONN, Pitt, Marquette, NDU
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova, @Providence, @G’town, @NDU, @Cincy, @WVU, UCONN
Last Week: #16

16. Wisconsin (23-8)
Key Wins: @BCU, @Marquette, Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, MSU, OSU, @Michigan
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois, @MSU, @Penn St, @Purdue, @OSU, Penn St
Last Week: #13

#5 Seeds

17. Arizona (27-7)
Key Wins: UCLA, UW, USC
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St, UW, @USC, @UCLA, UW
Last Week: #19

18. St. John’s (21-11)
Key Wins: @WVU, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UCONN, @Cincy, @Marquette, Pitt, @Villanova, Duke
Key Losses: @St. Mary’s, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame, Syracuse, @Louisville, Cincy, @Georgetown, @UCLA, @Seton Hall, Syracuse
Last Week: #17

19. Xavier (24-7)
Key Wins: Butler, Temple, @Richmond, @Georgia, @Dayton
Key Losses: ODU, Miami (OH), Gonzaga, Florida, @Cincy, @Charlotte, Dayton
Last Week: #22

20. Vanderbilt (23-10)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette, Georgia, St. Mary’s, Kentucky, @Georgia
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Florida, Tennessee, @Kentucky, Florida, Florida
Last Week: #18

#6 Seeds

21. Texas A&M (24-8)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Missouri, KSU, Mizzou
Key Losses: BCU, @Texas, @Nebraska, Texas, Baylor, @Baylor, @Kansas, Texas

22. UNLV (24-8)
Key Wins: Wisconsin, @Virginia Tech, @KSU, @New Mexico
Key Losses: @Louisville, UCSB, BYU, @SDSU, Colorado St, @BYU, SDSU. SDSU
Last Week: Unranked

23. Kansas State (22-10)
Key Wins: Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Mizzou, @Texas
Key Losses: @Duke, @Florida, UNLV, @OK St, Colorado, @Mizzou, @A&M, @Kansas, @Colorado, Colorado
Last Week: #25

24. West Virginia (20-11)
Key Wins: Vanderbilt, @Georgetown, Purdue, @Cincy, NDU, UCONN, L’ville
Key Losses: Minnesota, @Miami, St. John’s, @Marquette, Marshall, @Louisville, @Villanova, Pitt, @Syracuse, @Pitt, Marquette
Last Week: Unranked

#7 Seeds

25. Washington (23-10)
Key Wins: Portland, @USC, @UCLA, @Cal, Arizona, Cal, UCLA, WSU, Arizona
Key Losses: @MSU, @Kentucky, @Texas A&M, @Stanford, @WSU, @Oregon St, @Oregon, @Arizona, WSU, USC

Note: San Diego State has a strong argument for a #1 seed, but I like Notre Dame more heading into this tournament.

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h1

MacRankings – College Basketball Top 25

March 7, 2011

Okay, this is my first time posting later than the AP rankings this year, so my apologies:

TOP 25:

1. Kansas (29-2)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Michigan, @Baylor, KSU, Mizzou, A&M, @Mizzou
Key Losses: Texas, @KSU
Last Week: #1

2. Ohio State (29-2)
Key Wins: @Florida, @FSU, @Michigan, @Illinois, Purdue, @Minnesota, MSU, Illinois, Wisconsin
Key Losses: @Wisconsin, @Purdue
Last Week: #3

3. Pittsburgh (27-4)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette, @Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincy, @WVU, @Villanova, WVU, Villanova
Key Losses: Tennessee, NDU, @SJU, @Louisville
Last Week: #5

4. Duke (27-4)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, BCU, UNC, Temple, Clemson
Key Losses: @FSU, @SJU, @VTU, @UNC
Last Week: #4

5. San Diego State (29-2)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Wichita St., @Cal, UNLV, @New Mexico, @UNLV, New Mexico
Key Losses: @BYU, BYU
Last Week: #6

6. BYU (28-3)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV, SDSU, UNLV, @SDSU
Key Losses: @UCLA, @New Mexico, New Mexico
Last Week: #2

7. Notre Dame (25-5)
Key Wins: Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, SJU, Cincy, Marquette, @Pitt, L’ville, Villanova, @UCONN
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse, @Marquette, @SJU, @WVU
Last Week: #8

8. Purdue (25-6)
Key Wins: @V-Tech, @Michigan, MSU, @Illinois, Wisconsin, OSU, @MSU, Illinois
Key Losses: @Richmond, @Minnesota, @WVU, @OSU, @Wisconsin, @Iowa
Last Week: #7

9. Florida (24-6)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, @Tennessee, @Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, @Vanderbilt
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville, SCU, @Miss St, @Kentucky
Last Week: #10

10. North Carolina (24-6)
Key Wins: Kentucky, V-Tech, Clemson, @BCU, FSU, @Clemson, BCU, @FSU, Duke
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, @Georgia Tech, @Duke
Last Week: #15

11. Syracuse (25-6)
Key Wins: MSU, Notre Dame, @St. John’s, Cincinnati, @UCONN, WVU, @Nova, @G’town
Key Losses: @Pitt, Villanova, Seton Hall, @Marquette, G’town, @L’ville
Last Week: #11

12. Texas (25-6)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, A&M, @Kansas, Mizzou, @A&M
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN, @Nebraska, @Colorado, KSU
Last Week: #9

13. Wisconsin (23-7)
Key Wins: @BCU, @Marquette, Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, MSU, OSU, @Michigan
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois, @MSU, @Penn St, @Purdue, @OSU
Last Week: #13

14. Louisville (23-8)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette, SJU, WVU, @UCONN, Syracuse, UCONN, Pitt
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova, @Providence, @G’town, @NDU, @Cincy, @WVU
Last Week: #16

15. Kentucky (22-8)
Key Wins: Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt, @Tennessee
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia, @Alabama, @Ole Miss, @Florida, @Vanderbilt, @Arkansas
Last Week: #20

16. Georgetown (21-9)
Key Wins: @Missouri, Utah State, @Memphis, SJU, @Villanova, L’ville, @Syracuse, Marquette
Key Losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John’s, WVU, Pitt, @UCONN, Cincy, Syracuse, @Cincy
Last Week: #12

17. Arizona (25-6)
Key Wins: UCLA, UW
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St, UW, @USC, @UCLA
Last Week: #19

18. St. John’s (20-10)
Key Wins: @WVU, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UCONN, @Cincy, @Marquette, Pitt, @Villanova, Duke
Key Losses: @St. Mary’s, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame, Syracuse, @Louisville, Cincy, @Georgetown, @UCLA, @Seton Hall
Last Week: #17

19. Xavier (24-6)
Key Wins: Butler, Temple, @Richmond, @Georgia, @Dayton
Key Losses: ODU, Miami (OH), Gonzaga, Florida, @Cincy, @Charlotte
Last Week: #22

20. Connecticut (21-9)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, @Marquette, G’town, @Cincy
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU, L’ville, Syracuse, @SJU, @L’ville, Marquette, @WV, NDU
Last Week: #14

21. Kansas State (22-9)
Key Wins: Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Mizzou, @Texas
Key Losses: @Duke, @Florida, UNLV, @OK St, Colorado, @Mizzou, @A&M, @Kansas, @Colorado
Last Week: #25

22. Vanderbilt (21-9)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette, Georgia, St. Mary’s, Kentucky, @Georgia
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Florida, Tennessee, @Kentucky, Florida
Last Week: #18

23. Utah State (28-3)
Key Wins: @SMC
Key Losses: @BYU, @Georgetown, @Idaho
Last Week: #23

24. West Virginia (20-10)
Key Wins: Vanderbilt, @Georgetown, Purdue, @Cincy, NDU, UCONN, L’ville
Key Losses: Minnesota, @Miami, St. John’s, @Marquette, Marshall, @Louisville, @Villanova, Pitt, @Syracuse, @Pitt
Last Week: Unranked

25. UNLV (23-7)
Key Wins: Wisconsin, @Virginia Tech, @KSU, @New Mexico
Key Losses: @Louisville, UCSB, BYU, @SDSU, Colorado St, @BYU, SDSU
Last Week: Unranked

DROPPED OUT:

Villanova (19-10)
Key Wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, @Syracuse, Marquette, WVU
Key Losses: Tennessee, @UCONN, @Providence, Georgetown, @Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse, SJU, @NDU, @Pitt
Last Week: #21

Texas A&M (23-7)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Missouri, KSU
Key Losses: BCU, @Texas, @Nebraska, Texas, Baylor, @Baylor, @Kansas
Last Week: #24

Notes:

-BYU pretty much knocked themselves out of contention for a #1 seed, not only with another loss to New Mexico, but also because Brandon Davies, their only reasonable inside presence is suspended for the rest of the year. This is Jimmer’s team, for sure, but Davies was their third-leading scorer and the best rebounder on a bad rebounding team.

-UNC had a pretty sneaky year. After getting off to a rough start and falling out of everyone’s top 25, UNC not only snuck back onto the national radar, but swiped the ACC title away from Duke (a likely #1 seed). The Tar Heels look like a team that’s still maturing, so I don’t think an Elite 8 run is out of the question this year.

-I think Ohio State, Kansas, Pittsburgh, and Duke are your #1 seeds now. Purdue, Notre Dame, and North Carolina all have a shot at #1 seeds if they win their conference tournaments. BYU seems like a long shot now and San Diego State would probably have to win the MWC tournament and hope some of the teams ahead of them take early exits.

-I bumped Louisville slightly this week even though they took a loss because they’ve proven to be a notch better than some of the other falling Big East teams (UCONN, Georgetown, Villanova) and teams like Arizona and Utah State haven’t shown enough to move up too far.

-Feeling good about my Kansas State ranking last week. They beat Texas on the road like I predicted they would and are feeling it heading into the conference playoffs. Kansas, Texas, and KSU should make the Big 12 tourney interesting.

-Some of the smaller conference tournaments have wrapped up already, so here are those automatic bids:
*Atlantic Sun – Belmont (30-4)
*Big South – UNC-Asheville (19-13)
*Missouri Valley – Indiana State (20-13)
*Ohio Valley – Morehead State (24-9)

-Lots of the better teams from the weaker conferences have already been aced from their respective tournaments and probably have very little shots at an at large bid… teams like: Wichita State and Missouri State, Vermont, and Coastal Carolina.

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h1

Macrankings: College Basketball Top 25 – February 28th, 2010

February 28, 2011

TOP 25:

1. Kansas (27-2)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Cal, UNT, @Michigan, @Iowa St, @Baylor, @Colorado, KSU, Mizzou, Colorado, OkSU
Key Losses: Texas, @KSU
Last Week: #1
Comments: I’m one of the few people making rankings that don’t have to adjust their #1 slot this week. I thought Kansas had the nation’s best resume last week and nothing happened this week to change that. 16 wins over the top 100 RPI remains tops in the nation. Ohio State was ranked above Kansas in the AP Poll, so it’s likely they’ll be #1 tomorrow after winning out this past week, but that’s the wrong call.

2. BYU (27-2)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, @Vermont, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV, @Colorado St, SDSU, UNLV, Colorado St, @SDSU
Key Losses: @UCLA, @New Mexico
Last Week: #2
Comments: Perhaps I was bold by putting BYU at #2 last week, but the rest of the nation is going to be catching up to me now. At worst, BYU will be #4 tomorrow, but there’s really no excuse for ranking Duke ahead of them. As I’ve pointed out repeatedly, BYU is #1 in the RPI now, had several quality wins in their non-conference schedule, and has now beat San Diego State, a top 5-7 team most of the year, twice. Also, BYU has played a tougher schedule than Duke, plays in (arguably) the tougher conference this year, and has more top 50 wins than anyone in the country. Stop the East Coast madness!

3. Ohio State (27-2)
Key Wins: @Florida, @FSU, South Carolina, Oakland, Minnesota, @Michigan, Penn St, @Illinois, Purdue, N’western, @Minnesota, MSU, Illinois
Key Losses: @Wisconsin, @Purdue
Last Week: #5
Comments: Probably your #1 team tomorrow and they’re definitely good, but I don’t think their resume stacks up to Kansas or BYU right now. As far as losses go, Ohio State has taken the most forgivable ones, on the road vs. Purdue and Wisconsin, both top 15 teams. However, the Big 10 has turned out to be a lot softer than we all thought it was going to be. With the exception of OSU, Purdue and Wisconsin, everyone else has been rather unremarkable, so they’ve only posted six top 50 wins, while BYU has 9.

4. Duke (26-3)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, Miami, UAB, Maryland, @NC St, BCU, @Maryland, NC St, UNC, @Miami, Temple
Key Losses: @FSU, @SJU, @VTU
Last Week: #3
Comments: Overrated last week for obvious reasons and losing to Virginia Tech yesterday puts them where they belong. I’ll probably take Duke further in my bracket than BYU, especially if Kyrie Irving comes back, but at this point the Blue Devils are clawing for that last #1 seed.

5. Pittsburgh (25-4)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette, @Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincy, @WVU, @Villanova, WVU
Key Losses: Tennessee, NDU, @SJU, @Louisville
Last Week: #7
Comments: Oddly enough, Pitt moves up in my rankings after taking a loss today. Of course that loss was on the road vs a top 25 team in overtime, so that’s not a terrible thing. Pitt may have four losses, but they also have four wins over top 15 teams while San Diego State has none. I could even buy an argument for Pitt at #4 over Duke, but I’ll keep it like this for now.

6. San Diego State (27-2)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Wichita St., @Cal, UNLV, @New Mexico, Colorado St, @UNLV, New Mexico
Key Losses: @BYU, BYU
Last Week: #4
Comments: I took a fair amount of heat last week for my San Diego State ranking. “How can you have BYU ranked ahead of them?” Hopefully that debate has been put to rest now.

7. Purdue (24-5)
Key Wins: Oakland, @V-Tech, @Michigan, N’western, @Penn St, Penn St, MSU, Minnesota, @Illinois, Wisconsin, OSU, @MSU
Key Losses: @Richmond, @Minnesota, @WVU, @OSU, @Wisconsin
Last Week: #8
Comments: Purdue looks like they’re going to end up where I had them projected in my preseason rankings (post-Hummel injury). They’ve proven most of their doubters wrong, showing they can win consistently without one of their star players. And why wouldn’t they? How many teams can say they have two seniors as talented and experienced as JuJuan Johnson and E’twaun Moore? Hummel probably makes this team a #1 seed, but those guys are plenty good on their own merit. Purdue has momentum on their side right now, rolling on a six game win streak that includes victories over OSU, Wisconsin and a 20-point blowout at Michigan State.

8. Notre Dame (23-5)
Key Wins: Cal, Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, SJU, Cincy, Marquette, @Pitt, L’ville
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse, @Marquette, @SJU, @WVU
Last Week: #11
Comments: Solid if unremarkable, Notre Dame stands alone at second place in the brutal Big East.

9. Texas (24-5)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, Arkansas, A&M, @Kansas, @Ok St, Mizzou, @A&M, Baylor, OkSU
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN, @Nebraska, @Colorado
Last Week: #6
Comments: My #1 team two weeks ago and NCAA favorite at the time, Texas has losses in back-to-back weeks to middle-of-the-pack Big 12 teams and has seen their stock drop tremendously.

10. Florida (22-6)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, RIU, Ole Miss, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, @SCU, Tennessee, Georgia
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville, SCU, @Miss St, @Kentucky
Last Week: #10
Comments: Beating Georgia and losing at Kentucky keeps Florida on even ground this week.

11. Syracuse (24-6)
Key Wins: MSU, NC State, Notre Dame, @St. John’s, Cincinnati, @UCONN, WVU, @Nova, @G’town
Key Losses: @Pitt, Villanova, Seton Hall, @Marquette, G’town, @L’ville
Last Week: #17
Comments: Another momentum shift: Syracuse appears back on track after losing 6 of 8, reeling off four straight victories, including three against ranked teams…

12. Georgetown (21-8)
Key Wins: NC State, @ODU, @Missouri, Utah State, @Memphis, SJU, @Villanova, L’ville, @Syracuse, Marquette
Key Losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John’s, WVU, Pitt, @UCONN, Cincy, Syracuse
Last Week: #9
Comments: …meanwhile, the Hoyas have dropped 3 of 4, including back-to-back home games. They hold strong in the top 15 with a #1 strength of schedule ranking and 8 top 50 wins.

13. Wisconsin (22-6)
Key Wins: @BCU, NC State, @Marquette, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, @Northwestern, Purdue, MSU, OSU, Penn St, @Michigan, N’western
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois, @MSU, @Penn St, @Purdue
Last Week: #13
Comments: Still threatening to make the Big 10 tournament a 3-team race.

14. Connecticut (21-7)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, @Marquette, G’town, @Cincy
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU, L’ville, Syracuse, @SJU, @L’ville, Marquette
Last Week: #12
Comments: How good is the Big East? UCONN ranks #14 in the nation, but a mere tie for 7th in their own conference… and they’re tied with four other teams.

15. North Carolina (22-6)
Key Wins: Kentucky, @Virginia, V-Tech, Clemson, @Miami, NC St, @BCU, FSU, @Clemson, BCU, @NC St, Maryland
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, @Georgia Tech, @Duke
Last Week: #15
Comments: Don’t rule UNC out as your ACC champion. UNC struggled during their non-conference schedule, but seem to have matured and grown as a team in conference play. I wouldn’t rule out a run to the Sweet 16 or beyond.

16. Louisville (22-7)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette, SJU, WVU, @UCONN, Syracuse, UCONN, Pitt
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova, @Providence, @G’town, @NDU, @Cincy
Last Week: #20
Comments: I don’t think I’ve been as wrong about a team this year as I have been about Louisville. From the jump, I’ve been saying Louisville is not a top 25 team… just wait for Big East play to start, right? Well, they’ve gone 11-5 in the Big East and have remained a constant in the top 25 all year, actually improving their stock as the season has progressed. Rick Pitino deserves some love in the Coach Of The Year race.

17. St. John’s (19-9)
Key Wins: Northwestern, @WVU, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UCONN, @Cincy, @Marquette, Pitt, @Villanova
Key Losses: @St. Mary’s, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame, Syracuse, @Louisville, Cincy, @Georgetown, @UCLA
Last Week: #19
Comments: Dubbed the Giant Killers and rightfully so… but anyone that can go 11-5 in the Big East has to be considered more than that. Often referred to as inconsistent, SJU is currently riding a 6-game win streak against tough competition and should finish Big East play with two more wins. Yes, the two losses to St. Bonaventure and Fordham are the absolute worst that any top 25 team has taken, but it’s March now and St. John’s has been beating very good teams for two months straight. Steve Lavin might as well start clearing some space for all the Coach Of The Year awards that are about to come pouring in.

18. Vanderbilt (21-7)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette, Georgia, Ole Miss, St. Mary’s, @Miss St, SCU, Alabama, Kentucky, @Georgia
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Florida, Tennessee
Last Week: #18

19. Arizona (23-6)
Key Wins: @NC State, @Oregon, ASU, @WSU, UCLA, USC, @Cal, WSU, UW
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St, UW, @USC, @UCLA
Last Week: #15
Comments: I expressed my doubts about Arizona two weeks ago and they went 0-2 this week. Derrick Williams is an absolute beast, but I still don’t think this is the best the PAC-10 has to offer. UCLA and Washington both have more talent on their rosters. I’m calling it now, Arizona doesn’t win the PAC-10 tournament. Arizona is now 2-4 against top 50 teams, the only squad in my top 20 that has a losing record there.

20. Kentucky (20-8)
Key Wins: @Portland, Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville, @SCU, Georgia, Tennessee, Miss St, S.Carolina, Florida
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia, @Alabama, @Ole Miss, @Florida, @Vanderbilt, @Arkansas
Last Week: #21
Comments: For a few days, I dropped Kentucky out of my top 25, but then they come back and beat top ten Florida. Call St. John’s inconsistent if you want, but I doubt Steve Lavin is pulling out his hair as much as John Calipari is.

21. Villanova (19-8)
Key Wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, @Syracuse, Marquette, WVU
Key Losses: Tennessee, @UCONN, @Providence, Georgetown, @Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse, SJU
Last Week: #14
Comments: Is any good team falling faster than Villanova? On January 15th, the Wildcats were 16-1. They’ve gone 3-7 since and close out their regular season with two extremely tough games on the road at Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. Yikes.

22. Xavier (22-6)
Key Wins: Butler, @RIU, Dayton, Temple, @Richmond, @Georgia, @Duquesne, @Dayton
Key Losses: ODU, Miami (OH), Gonzaga, Florida, @Cincy, @Charlotte
Last Week: #22
Comments: Temple remains ahead of Xavier in the national polls, which is perplexing so I’m just going to reiterate the reasons for all my new readers: Xavier beat Temple, rank 1st in the A-10, higher in the RPI, and have played a significantly tougher schedule and posted a even record against top 50 teams while Temple is 2-4. Ridiculous I say!

23. Utah State (26-3)
Key Wins: @Nevada, @SMC
Key Losses: @BYU, @Georgetown, @Idaho
Last Week: #25
Comments: Yawn. Who knows how good this team really is? We really only have three games to measure their actual ability level, so let’s take a look at those. They recently won on the road against a St. Mary’s team that was recently ranked by the national polls (not me). That’s great. All the way back in November they played a close game against #23 BYU on the road, a team that now stands as my #2 team in the nation. A loss, but that’s still really impressive. And finally, they got beat easily on the road by Georgetown. That’s bad, but understandable. While it pains me to put a team with such little evidence of being amongst the best in the nation in my top 25, my guess is this is a team that can win a game in the NCAA tournament and possibly make a surprise run to the Sweet 16.

24. Texas A&M (22-6)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Arkansas, OK St, Missouri, KSU, @Colorado, @OkSU
Key Losses: BCU, @Texas, @Nebraska, Texas, Baylor, @Baylor
Last Week: #23
Comments: Did anyone really believe in Texas A&M as a top ten team? I know I expressed my doubts at the time and they now look like a good, but not great team… they got swept by a Baylor team that has struggled this year. I dunno, something about the Aggies doesn’t do it for me, but they haven’t fallen off enough yet to drop them out of the rankings.

25. Kansas State (20-9)
Key Wins: Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, @WSU, Baylor, @Iowa St, Kansas, @Nebraska, Mizzou
Key Losses: @Duke, @Florida, UNLV, @OK St, Colorado, @Mizzou, @A&M, @Kansas, @Colorado
Last Week: Unranked
Comments: Okay, so I’m sort of betting on the come here. Kansas State probably doesn’t deserve this ranking right now, but I feel the momentum building. They’ve looked laughable at times this year, but KSU has won 6 of 7, including victories over Kansas and Missouri. They face off against Texas on the road tomorrow/today, a game that should help define if this team is back for real or not. Put me on record for the upset.

DROPPED OUT:

24. Missouri (22-7)
Key Wins: @Oregon, Vanderbilt, Illinois, ODU, KSU, Iowa St, Colorado, Baylor
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Colorado, @Texas A&M, @Texas, @OkSU, @Kansas, @KSU
Last Week: #24

NEXT FIVE:

George Mason (25-5)
Key Wins: @Charlotte, Drexel, @JMU, Hofstra, ODU, JMU, @VCU, @UNI
Key Losses: @NC St, @Wofford, @Dayton, @Hofstra, @ODU

Old Dominion (24-6)
Key Wins: Xavier, Clemson, Richmond, Dayton, George Mason, @VCU, Cleveland St, @JMU
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Delaware, @Missouri, @Drexel, VCU, @George Mason

Missouri (22-7)
Key Wins: @Oregon, Vanderbilt, Illinois, ODU, KSU, Iowa St, Colorado, Baylor
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Colorado, @Texas A&M, @Texas, @OkSU, @Kansas, @KSU

Temple (22-6)
Key Wins: Georgetown, @Georgia, @Maryland, @RIU, @Dayton, Richmond
Key Losses: @Cal, @Texas A&M, @Villanova, @Duquesne, @Xavier, @Duke

UNLV (22-7)
Key Wins: @Murray St., Wisconsin, @Virginia Tech, @KSU, New Mexico, @Colorado St, @New Mexico
Key Losses: @Louisville, UCSB, BYU, @SDSU, Colorado St, @BYU, SDSU

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h1

College Basketball MacRankings – February 21st, 2010

February 21, 2011

I was sick this whole weekend, so while I followed all the scores across college basketball, I didn’t put much thought into my rankings until tonight. On top of being sick, this has been the toughest week to update with all the top teams losing and all the parity in college basketball in general. Not much commentary this week but I felt like I owed some explanation to the top spots.

TOP 25:

1. Kansas (25-2)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Cal, UNT, @Michigan, @Iowa St, @Baylor, @Colorado, KSU, Mizzou, Colorado
Key Losses: Texas, @KSU
Last Week: #2
Comments: Wait… Kansas lost and moved up to #1? Seems weird, but who else do you put here? Ohio State, Texas, and Pitt all lost. Duke’s a candidate and will probably get votes, but I personally can’t put them #1 with a SoS of 39th and playing against a weak ACC. BYU or San Diego State? It’s getting close, but the world isn’t ready for a Mountain West team at the top of the rankings yet. Kansas is #1 in RPI, top ten in strength of schedule, and have 15 wins over top 100 teams–more than anyone in the country. Enough said.

2. BYU (25-2)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, @Vermont, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV, @Colorado St, SDSU, UNLV
Key Losses: @UCLA, @New Mexico
Last Week: #6
Comments: Call me crazy, but BYU deserves to be here. They may play in the Mountain West, but they rank higher in strength of schedule than Pitt, Duke, and Ohio State. And they have more than twice as many wins against top 50 teams than San Diego State. And they have the best player in the country.

3. Duke (25-2)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, Miami, UAB, Maryland, @NC St, BCU, @Maryland, NC St, UNC, @Miami
Key Losses: @FSU, @SJU
Last Week: #5
Comments: I wouldn’t be surprised if Duke was #1 tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s justified. The ACC doesn’t compare to the Big 10 or the Big East or the Big 12 this year… or even the Mountain West. If Kyrie Irving had been healthy all year, Duke would probably be #1. But he’s been out and they’ve lost a couple games and their resume doesn’t quite stack up to BYU’s or Kansas’. Look at those quality wins… pretty good, but only one win over a currently ranked team.

4. San Diego State (27-1)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Wichita St., @Cal, UNLV, @New Mexico, Colorado St, @UNLV, New Mexico
Key Losses: @BYU
Last Week: #7
Comments: The only team in the country with one loss… so how could they possibly be #4? Well, for one, they lost to BYU, and two, their strength of schedule doesn’t
compare to the other teams. I think the biggest difference between BYU and SDSU has been how well their out of conference opponents have performed. BYU beat St. Mary’s, Utah State, Arizona, UTEP, and Vermont. St. Mary’s, Utah State, and Arizona have all been top 25 teams for the past couple weeks, Vermont has 22 wins, and UTEP is first in Conference USA. SDSU had some great wins out of conference, but Gonzaga isn’t the team we expected and Wichita State is good, but struggling to win its own conference, and California is a middling PAC-10 team. Doesn’t quite match up. I’ll take BYU for now, but we’ll see what happens when the two teams square off again on the Aztecs’ turf.

5. Ohio State (25-2)
Key Wins: @Florida, @FSU, South Carolina, Oakland, Minnesota, @Michigan, Penn St, @Illinois, Purdue, N’western, @Minnesota, MSU
Key Losses: @Wisconsin, @Purdue
Last Week: #3

6. Texas (23-4)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, Arkansas, A&M, @Kansas, @Ok St, Mizzou, @A&M, Baylor, OkSU
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN, @Nebraska
Last Week: #1
Comment: I gave Texas a pass on the USC loss and put them @ #1 last week even though they had three losses. Well, losing to Nebraska in February isn’t the same as losing to USC in November. It was a startling loss, but the Cornhuskers aren’t nearly as bad as they were supposed to be. Regardless, with four losses, including a recent one to a relatively weak team, Texas has to drop. I’d still take them in my top 2 picks if I was drafting for the NCAA tournament though. Don’t sleep.

7. Pittsburgh (24-3)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette, @Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincy, @WVU, @Villanova
Key Losses: Tennessee, NDU, @SJU
Last Week: #4

8. Purdue (22-5)
Key Wins: Oakland, @V-Tech, @Michigan, N’western, @Penn St, Penn St, MSU, Minnesota, @Illinois, Wisconsin, OSU
Key Losses: @Richmond, @Minnesota, @WVU, @OSU, @Wisconsin
Comments: Purdue had a monster week. First they beat an extremely hot Wisconsin team and then followed that by toppling Ohio State. Granted, both wins were at home after losing to both those teams on the road, but impressive nonetheless.
Last Week: #13

9. Georgetown (21-6)
Key Wins: NC State, @ODU, @Missouri, Utah State, @Memphis, SJU, @Villanova, L’ville, @Syracuse, Marquette
Key Losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John’s, WVU, Pitt, @UCONN
Last Week: #9

10. Florida (21-5)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, RIU, Ole Miss, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, @SCU, Tennessee
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville, SCU, @Miss St
Last Week: #12

11. Notre Dame (21-5)
Key Wins: Cal, Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, SJU, Cincy, Marquette, @Pitt, L’ville
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse, @Marquette, @SJU, @WVU
Last Week: #8

12. Connecticut (20-6)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, @Marquette, G’town
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU, L’ville, Syracuse, @SJU, @L’ville
Last Week: #11

13. Wisconsin (20-6)
Key Wins: @BCU, NC State, @Marquette, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, @Northwestern, Purdue, MSU, OSU, Penn St
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois, @MSU, @Penn St, @Purdue
Last Week: #10

14. Villanova (19-6)
Key Wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, @Syracuse, Marquette, WVU
Key Losses: Tennessee, @UCONN, @Providence, Georgetown, @Rutgers, Pitt
Last Week: #14

15. Arizona (23-4)
Key Wins: @NC State, @Oregon, ASU, @WSU, UCLA, USC, @Cal, WSU, UW
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St, UW
Last Week: #15

16. North Carolina (20-6)
Key Wins: Kentucky, @Virginia, V-Tech, Clemson, @Miami, NC St, @BCU, FSU, @Clemson, BCU
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, @Georgia Tech, @Duke
Last Week: #16

17. Syracuse (22-6)
Key Wins: MSU, NC State, Notre Dame, @St. John’s, Cincinnati, @UCONN, WVU
Key Losses: @Pitt, Villanova, Seton Hall, @Marquette, G’town, @L’ville
Last Week: #17

18. Vanderbilt (20-6)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette, Georgia, Ole Miss, St. Mary’s, @Miss St, SCU, Alabama, Kentucky, @Georgia
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Florida
Last Week: #18

19. St. John’s (17-9)
Key Wins: ASU, Northwestern, @WVU, @Providence, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UCONN, @Cincy, @Marquette, Pitt
Key Losses: @St. Mary’s, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame, Syracuse, @Louisville, Cincy, @Georgetown, @UCLA
Last Week: #21
Comments: Giant killers. Maddeningly inconsistent, but they can beat anyone on any given day, especially at home.

21. Louisville (20-7)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette, SJU, WVU, @UCONN, Syracuse, UCONN
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova, @Providence, @G’town, @NDU, @Cincy
Last Week: #20
Comments: I never thought Louisville would last in the top 25, but with roughly four games left in the regular season, I think it’s time to admit they belong here. Peyton Siva has definitely blossomed as a sophomore (Seattle stand up!) and has become a true leader and go-to player for this team.

22. Kentucky (19-7)
Key Wins: @Portland, Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville, @SCU, Georgia, Tennessee, Miss St, S.Carolina
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia, @Alabama, @Ole Miss, @Florida, @Vanderbilt
Last Week: #19

22. Xavier (20-6)
Key Wins: Butler, @RIU, Dayton, Temple, @Richmond, @Georgia, @Duquesne
Key Losses: ODU, Miami (OH), Gonzaga, Florida, @Cincy, @Charlotte
Last Week: #22

23. Texas A&M (21-5)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Arkansas, OK St, Missouri, KSU, @Colorado, @OkSU
Key Losses: BCU, @Texas, @Nebraska, Texas, Baylor
Last Week: #23

24. Missouri (21-6)
Key Wins: @Oregon, Vanderbilt, Illinois, ODU, KSU, Iowa St, Colorado
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Colorado, @Texas A&M, @Texas, @OkSU, @Kansas
Last Week: #24

25. Utah State (25-3)
Key Wins: @Nevada, @SMC
Key Losses: @BYU, @Georgetown, @Idaho
Last Week: Unranked
Comment: It kills me to do it, but Utah State has been manhandling everyone they’ve played and they embarrassed St. Mary’s on the Gaels’ home turf… and St. Mary’s has been in the national top 25 for a couple weeks now. So while the Aggies are still mostly untested, that win proves they at least have some reason to be sniffing the top 25 and hints they might be able to win a game or two in the tournament.

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h1

Mac’s College Basketball Rankings – Valentine’s Day Edition

February 14, 2011

TOP 25:

1. Texas (22-3)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, Arkansas, A&M, @Kansas, @Ok St, Mizzou, @A&M, Baylor
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN
Last Week: #3
Comments: I’ve been on the Texas bandwagon for a few weeks now, so it should come as no surprise that I bumped them to #1 now that Ohio State has finally taken an L. I’m kind of expecting Kansas to be #1 tomorrow and I can see the reasoning there: they were #2 last week and are currently #1 in the RPI rankings, so if we ignore all other factors, it seems like an obvious choice to move them into the top spot. Texas will get some first place votes though because I can’t imagine I’m the only person in the nation that can’t ignore the glaring fact that Texas beat Kansas by 9 in Kansas. Sure, Texas has three losses and there’s no excuse for getting blown out by USC, but if you look at Texas’ other two losses they happened by a whopping combined total of 3 points at the hands of two top ten teams (Pitt & UCONN). I can see the argument for Kansas, but Texas has that huge road victory over the Jayhawks and all the momentum right now.

2. Kansas (24-1)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Cal, UNT, @Michigan, @Iowa St, @Baylor, @Colorado, KSU, Mizzou
Key Losses: Texas
Last Week: #2
Comments: Just to add to my comments above, I don’t really understand how Kansas is #11 in Strength of Schedule and Texas is #17. They play in the same conference and Kansas’ non-conference schedule included Memphis and… well, the Pac-10, while Texas played Pitt, UCONN, Michigan State, Illinois, and North Carolina (all five of which have been ranked this season, two of which are still in the top ten) … uhhh… okay.

3. Ohio State (24-1)
Key Wins: @Florida, @FSU, South Carolina, Oakland, Minnesota, @Michigan, Penn St, @Illinois, Purdue, N’western, @Minnesota
Key Losses: @Wisconsin
Last Week: #1
Comments: I think a lot of people saw that first loss coming this weekend. Wisconsin is a good team that plays even better at home. It was bound to happen. OSU should still snag some first place votes and certainly won’t fall any lower than this.

4. Pittsburgh (23-2)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette, @Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincy, @WVU, @Villanova
Key Losses: Tennessee, NDU
Last Week: #4
Comments: The Panthers have long made it clear that they’re the team to beat in the Big East, but added an exclamation point to the statement with road wins over West Virginia and Villanova this week.

5. Duke (23-2)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, Miami, UAB, Maryland, @NC St, BCU, @Maryland, NC St, UNC, @Miami
Key Losses: @FSU, @SJU
Last Week: #5
Comments: Okay… Duke takes the first round at home against North Carolina, but the Tarheels showed it could be a different story when Duke comes to their house. Isn’t it funny how Duke went from the consensus best team in America to having almost no buzz at all now? Blame it on the rest of the ACC… and Kyrie Irving’s injury. I still don’t know the timetable for Irving to come back, but if he’s healthy when the tournament starts, don’t forget about Duke.

6. BYU (24-2)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, @Vermont, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV, @Colorado St, SDSU, UNLV
Key Losses: @UCLA, @New Mexico
Last Week: #6

7. San Diego State (25-1)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Wichita St., @Cal, UNLV, @New Mexico, Colorado St, @UNLV
Key Losses: @BYU
Last Week: #7

8. Notre Dame (21-4)
Key Wins: Cal, Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, SJU, Cincy, Marquette, @Pitt, L’ville
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse, @Marquette, @SJU
Last Week: #8
Comments: I remember when UCONN shocked the world by knocking off Wichita State, Michigan State and Kentucky way back in November… they made a historic jump up the rankings, going all the way from unranked to the top 5. Well, Notre Dame has taken a much longer road, but the end result is no less stunning. This was a team that might make the tournament this year after losing star Luke Harongody and now finds itself firmly in the top ten… a place I can’t remember them ever reaching with their previously mentioned superstar. Crazy.

9. Georgetown (20-5)
Key Wins: NC State, @ODU, @Missouri, Utah State, @Memphis, SJU, @Villanova, L’ville, @Syracuse, Marquette
Key Losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John’s, WVU, Pitt
Last Week: #10
Comments: The hottest team in the nation outside of Texas continues its assault on the Big East knocking off Syracuse on the road and then beating Marquette at home.

10. Wisconsin (19-5)
Key Wins: @BCU, NC State, @Marquette, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, @Northwestern, Purdue, MSU, OSU
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois, @MSU, @Penn St
Last Week: #14
Comments: Another team that has really been gaining momentum in the past couple weeks made the biggest statement of the week by handing Ohio State its first loss; and it was a gutsy performance to boot: Wisconsin was down 15 at one point in the second half. Oh, the Badgers also beat some team called Michigan State this week… by 30.

11. Connecticut (19-5)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, @Marquette
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU, L’ville, Syracuse, @SJU
Last Week: #9

12. Florida (20-5)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, RIU, Ole Miss, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, @SCU, Tennessee
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville, SCU, @Miss St
Last Week: #16
Comments: Florida started the year looking pretty inconsistent, posting a mixture of great wins and some bad losses. Things have since evened out for the Gators and they’ve started to take on the look of one of the best teams in the country. It’s taken a while for their actual ranking to catch up to their RPI standing, but at 11-2 against top 100 teams and a #6 ranking in SoS, you can’t ignore this team anymore.

13. Purdue (20-5)
Key Wins: Oakland, @V-Tech, @Michigan, N’western, @Penn St, Penn St, MSU, Minnesota, @Illinois
Key Losses: @Richmond, @Minnesota, @WVU, @OSU, @Wisconsin
Last Week: #13

14. Villanova (17-6)
Key Wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, @Syracuse, Marquette, WVU
Key Losses: Tennessee, @UCONN, @Providence, Georgetown, @Rutgers, Pitt
Last Week: #11
Comments: The Wildcats had a tough week with two losses and a particularly bad one against Rutgers, but Villanova manages to avoid a freefall down the rankings due an overall impressive resume.

15. Arizona (21-4)
Key Wins: @NC State, @Oregon, ASU, @WSU, UCLA, USC, @Cal
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St, UW
Last Week: #18
Comments: Arizona has earned their way into the top 15, but I’m not entirely sold on this team. They’re 1-3 against the top 50 and can’t really claim any great wins on their resume. They played Kansas relatively close, but BYU destroyed them. Mark me down as skeptical.

16. North Carolina (18-6)
Key Wins: Kentucky, @Virginia, V-Tech, Clemson, @Miami, NC St, @BCU, FSU, @Clemson
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, @Georgia Tech, @Duke
Last Week: #15
Comments: Pretty much a break even week for UNC. No one really expects them to win @Duke and a road win @Clemson takes a lot of heat off that loss. Their momentum hit a road block, but I still consider this a team on the rise.

17. Syracuse (20-6)
Key Wins: MSU, NC State, Notre Dame, @St. John’s, Cincinnati, @UCONN
Key Losses: @Pitt, Villanova, Seton Hall, @Marquette, G’town, @L’ville
Last Week: #12
Comments: Syracuse lost two games in the same week for the third time this year and now hold a 4-4 record against top 50 teams. I was pretty skeptical about the Orange earlier in the year and then they started to make me look stupid… well, now they’re sitting about where I always expected they would.

18. Vanderbilt (18-6)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette, Georgia, Ole Miss, St. Mary’s, @Miss St, SCU, Alabama, Kentucky
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Florida
Last Week: #25
Comments: The Commodores beat Kentucky and a pretty decent Alabama team and finally had the breakthrough week they’ve been looking for after hanging around the top 25 bubble for most of the season.

19. Kentucky (17-7)
Key Wins: @Portland, Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville, @SCU, Georgia, Tennessee
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia, @Alabama, @Ole Miss, @Florida, @Vanderbilt
Last Week: #17
Comments: Kentucky is still one of the strongest teams in the RPI rankings, but the rest of the SEC doesn’t seem to care too much about all that: Kentucky is now 5-5 in conference play and tied for 4th in the SEC East. There’s a ton of talent on this team, maybe the most in the nation, but it seems like they’re still figuring out how to win as a team and having a bit more growing pains than last year’s similarly young roster.

20. Louisville (19-6)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette, SJU, WVU, @UCONN, Syaracuse
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova, @Providence, @G’town, @NDU
Last Week: #19

21. St. John’s (15-9)
Key Wins: ASU, Northwestern, @WVU, @Providence, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UCONN, @Cincy
Key Losses: @St. Mary’s, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame, Syracuse, @Louisville, Cincy, @Georgetown, @UCLA
Last Week: Unranked
Comments: I almost didn’t rank St. John’s because of the nine losses, but they also have a pretty stellar resume. They’ve posted wins over Notre Dame, Georgetown, and UCONN: all ranked in my top 11… and they beat West Virginia on the road, a team I’ve had ranked for weeks now. SJU is inconsistent and unpredictable, but they’re tied with Villanova, Connecticut, and West Virginia in the Big East standings and are half a game ahead of Syracuse, so they’ve certainly proved they can hang with the best teams in the nation.

22. Xavier (18-6)
Key Wins: Butler, @RIU, Dayton, Temple, @Richmond, @Georgia, @Duquesne
Key Losses: ODU, Miami (OH), Gonzaga, Florida, @Cincy, @Charlotte
Last Week: #22
Comments: For some reason, the Atlantic 10 is represented in the AP top 25 by Temple, while Xavier finished 34th in votes last week. Xavier is 19th in the RPI, Temple is 33rd. Xavier is 29th in SoS, Temple is 99th. Xavier is 9-4 against the top 100, Temple is 7-5. And this probably isn’t important, but Xavier BEAT Temple. Really???

23. Texas A&M (19-5)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Arkansas, OK St, Missouri, KSU, @Colorado
Key Losses: BCU, @Texas, @Nebraska, Texas, Baylor
Last Week: #21
Comments: I’ve been harsh on A&M in recent weeks. It’s not like they’re losing a lot of games they shouldn’t be. Hell, 40% of their losses are to the team I now have as #1 in the nation and they have a handful of quality wins under their belt. The only crime A&M has committed is that their momentum has kind of gone stagnant in a Big 12 Conference that isn’t as good as everyone thought it would be, while everyone else is gaining steam while playing tougher schedules.

24. Missouri (19-6)
Key Wins: @Oregon, Vanderbilt, Illinois, ODU, KSU, Iowa St, Colorado
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Colorado, @Texas A&M, @Texas, @OkSU, @Kansas
Last Week: #20

25. West Virginia (16-8)
Key Wins: Oakland, Vanderbilt, Cleveland St., @Georgetown, Purdue, @Cincy
Key Losses: Minnesota, @Miami, St. John’s, @Marquette, Marshall, @Louisville, @Villanova, Pitt
Last Week: #23

DROPPED OUT:

24. Minnesota (17-8)
Key Wins: @UNC, @West Virginia, Purdue, @Michigan, N’western
Key Losses: Virginia, @Wisconsin, @MSU, @OSU, @Purdue, @Indiana, OSU, Illinois
Last Week: #24

Other Notes:

-To continue my bashing of Utah State (currently #21 in the nation and rising), here’s another statistic: 19 of their 23 wins have come against teams ranked #151 or worse. I don’t want to give the impression that I think this team sucks–they’ve been the best team in their conference for years now–I just think it’s silly to rank them with the top teams in the nation when there’s absolutely no basis for it. They do face St. Mary’s next Saturday, which is by far their toughest game of the year, but it’s feasible they could finish the year 27-4 and ranked inside the top 20… and what kind of seed will that get them in the NCAA tournament? A 4 or a 5 seed? No… at best they’ll get a 7 seed, but more than likely they’ll be a #10 and enter the first round as an underdog to a team they finished ahead of in the national rankings.

-For a moment today, before doing my final edits, I had George Mason in my top 25. They are currently in the top 25 of the RPI and sitting atop of a Colonial Conference that boasts six teams that are at least sniffing at large berths. Obviously that’s not going to happen, but I think George Mason, Old Dominion, and VCU are all in right now. Yes, the Colonial Conference has more tournament prospects than the PAC-10. Gross.

-Kansas State is still firmly in the at large picture, but I just can’t help but toss this stat out there: 0 wins, 7 losses against teams in the top 50.

-UCLA can be considered amongst my teams that are currently on the rise. The Bruins have been okay against the nation’s best teams (4-5 against the top 100), but they’ve reeled off 9 wins in their last 10 games (including a win over St. John’s) and have gone from the NCAA tourney bubble to nationally relevant.

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h1

College Basketball Rankings – February 6th, 2011

February 6, 2011

TOP 25:

1. Ohio State (24-0)
Key Wins: @Florida, @FSU, South Carolina, Oakland, Minnesota, @Michigan, Penn St, @Illinois, Purdue, N’western, @Minnesota
Key Losses:
Last Week: #1

2. Kansas (22-1)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Cal, UNT, @Michigan, @Iowa St, @Baylor, @Colorado, KSU
Key Losses: Texas
Last Week: #2

3. Texas (20-3)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, Arkansas, A&M, @Kansas, @Ok St, Mizzou, @A&M
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN
Last Week: #4

4. Pittsburgh (21-2)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette, @Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincy
Key Losses: Tennessee, NDU
Last Week: #3

5. Duke (21-2)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, Miami, UAB, Maryland, @NC St, BCU, @Maryland, NC St
Key Losses: @FSU, @SJU
Last Week: #5

6. BYU (22-2)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, @Vermont, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV, @Colorado St, SDSU, UNLV
Key Losses: @UCLA, @New Mexico
Last Week: #8

7. San Diego State (23-1)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Wichita St., @Cal, UNLV, @New Mexico, Colorado St
Key Losses: @BYU
Last Week: #6

8. Notre Dame (19-4)
Key Wins: Cal, Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, SJU, Cincy, Marquette, @Pitt
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse, @Marquette, @SJU
Last Week: #9

9. Connecticut (18-4)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas, Villanova, Tennessee, @Marquette
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU, L’ville, Syracuse
Last Week: #7

10. Georgetown (18-5)
Key Wins: NC State, @ODU, @Missouri, Utah State, @Memphis, SJU, @Villanova, L’ville
Key Losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John’s, WVU, Pitt
Last Week: #16

11. Villanova (17-4)
Key Wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, @Syracuse, Marquette, WVU
Key Losses: Tennessee, @UCONN, @Providence, Georgetown
Last Week: #10

12. Syracuse (20-4)
Key Wins: MSU, NC State, Notre Dame, @St. John’s, Cincinnati, @UCONN
Key Losses: @Pitt, Villanova, Seton Hall, @Marquette
Last Week: #15

13. Purdue (18-5)
Key Wins: Oakland, @V-Tech, @Michigan, N’western, @Penn St, Penn St, MSU, Minnesota
Key Losses: @Richmond, @Minnesota, @WVU, @OSU, @Wisconsin
Last Week: #13

14. Wisconsin (17-5)
Key Wins: @BCU, NC State, @Marquette, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, @Northwestern, Purdue, MSU
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois, @MSU, @Penn St
Last Week: #19

15. North Carolina (17-5)
Key Wins: Kentucky, @Virginia, V-Tech, Clemson, @Miami, NC St, @BCU, FSU
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, @Georgia Tech
Last Week: #20

16. Florida (18-5)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, RIU, Ole Miss, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville, SCU, @Miss St
Last Week: #23

17. Kentucky (16-6)
Key Wins: @Portland, Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville, @SCU, Georgia
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia, @Alabama, @Ole Miss, @Florida
Last Week: #11

18. Arizona (20-4)
Key Wins: @NC State, @Oregon, ASU, @WSU, UCLA, USC, @Cal
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St, UW
Last Week: #24

19. Louisville (18-5)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, Marquette, SJU, WVU, @UCONN
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky, @Villanova, @Providence, @G’town
Last Week: #18

20. Missouri (18-5)
Key Wins: @Oregon, Vanderbilt, Illinois, ODU, KSU, Iowa St, Colorado
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Colorado, @Texas A&M, @Texas, @OkSU
Last Week: #14

21. Texas A&M (17-5)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Arkansas, OK St, Missouri, KSU
Key Losses: BCU, @Texas, @Nebraska, Texas, Baylor
Last Week: #12

22. Xavier (16-6)
Key Wins: Butler, @RIU, Dayton, Temple, @Richmond
Key Losses: ODU, Miami (OH), Gonzaga, Florida, @Cincy, @Charlotte
Last Week: #22

23. West Virginia (15-7)
Key Wins: Oakland, Vanderbilt, Cleveland St., @Georgetown, Purdue, @Cincy
Key Losses: Minnesota, @Miami, St. John’s, @Marquette, Marshall, @Louisville, @Villanova
Last Week: #25

24. Minnesota (16-7)
Key Wins: @UNC, @West Virginia, Purdue, @Michigan, N’western
Key Losses: Virginia, @Wisconsin, @MSU, @OSU, @Purdue, @Indiana, OSU
Last Week: #21

25. Vanderbilt (16-6)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette, Georgia, Ole Miss, St. Mary’s, @Miss St, SCU
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina, @Tennessee, Arkansas, @Florida
Last Week: Unranked

DROPPED OUT:

Washington (15-7)
Key Wins: Portland, @USC, @UCLA, Oregon, @Cal, Arizona, ASU
Key Losses: @MSU, @Kentucky, @Texas A&M, @Stanford, @WSU, @Oregon St, @Oregon
Last Week: #17

NEXT FIVE:

Old Dominion (18-6)
Key Wins: Xavier, Clemson, Richmond, Dayton, George Mason
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Delaware, @Missouri, @Drexel, VCU, @George Mason

Temple (17-5)
Key Wins: Georgetown, @Georgia, @Maryland, @RIU
Key Losses: @Cal, @Texas A&M, @Villanova, @Duquesne, @Xavier

Tennessee (15-8)
Key Wins: VCU, Villanova, @Pittsburgh, Memphis, Vanderbilt, @Georgia, @Ole Miss
Key Losses: Oakland, @Charlotte, USC, Charleston, @Arkansas, Florida, @UCONN, Alabama

UNLV (17-6)
Key Wins: @Murray St., Wisconsin, @Virginia Tech, @KSU, New Mexico
Key Losses: @Louisville, UCSB, BYU, @SDSU, Colorado St, @BYU

Utah State (22-2)
Key Wins: @Nevada
Key Losses: @BYU, @Georgetown

Notes:

-I bumped Texas ahead of Pitt this week even though both teams won out for the week. Here’s why: a) Texas is extremely hot right now and has momentum on their side; b) Texas has 8 wins over top 50 teams and no one else in the country can say that; and c) Texas beat Pitt in their head-to-head match up earlier this year when Pitt was clearly the better team.

-I bumped BYU ahead of SDSU in a similar scenario. BYU is #1 in RPI, has played a tougher schedule, has twice as many wins over top 50 teams and beat SDSU H2H.

-Texas may be the hottest team in the nation, but Georgetown is right up there. After starting the Big East schedule 1-4, the Hoyas have reeled of six straight wins, including victories over ranked teams in Villanova and Louisville.

-Wisconsin had a monster week taking out Purdue and MSU and climbing five spots in the rankings.

-North Carolina has become nationally relevant again. Larry Drew transferred out of the program now that freshman Kendall Marshall has taken the reigns as the starting point guard and all the Tarheels have done under his watch is go undefeated. The Duke-UNC game this Wednesday is actually going to be worth all the attention it’s going to get.

-Florida has been extremely inconsistent this year, constantly falling out of the rankings and taking bad losses…but here it is, six weeks from tournament time and they sit alone atop the loaded SEC East. Whatever flaws the Gators may have, here are some numbers that are hard to argue against: #14 in RPI, #6 in strength of schedule, and an 11-2 record vs the top 100 teams.

-How reliable are the RPI rankings? Let’s use Florida and Kentucky as an example. Kentucky is #8 in SoS, Florida is #6. Kentucky is 4-4 vs top 50 teams, Florida is 6-1. Kentucky is 1-2 against RPIs 51-100, Florida is 5-1. Florida beat Kentucky. Kentucky is #14 in RPI, Florida is #16. Okay, so Florida has 3 losses against teams ranked 101-150 and the Wildcats are 3-0…but how important is that? Against top competition, it’s pretty obvious which team has had the better season. Are bad losses more important than good wins?

-Texas A&M has been spiraling. When they were sitting around #10 in the nation, I asked the question “is this for real?” and gave my own answer: “no.” We all knew they weren’t going to be a top ten team, but now they are starting to make a case that they aren’t even top 25 good, losing 4 of 5 games in a Big 12 that isn’t nearly as good as everyone expected it to be.

-The last four spots of my top 25 have become a nightmare. Xavier, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Vanderbilt all lost this week… but it’s hard to replace those teams when everyone on the bubble is either losing themselves (Tennessee, St. John’s) or virtually untested (Utah State, St. Mary’s). I bumped Utah State to my top 30 this week, but even if they win out, I still can’t envision myself ranking them in the top 25 when they haven’t played a team in the top 25.

-Finally, I dropped Washington out of the rankings and you know how much it has to kill me to do so. But if you’ve been watching Huskies basketball the past two weeks, you know damn well they are not playing like a top 25 team right now. After flashing NBA-ability for a couple weeks, Isaiah Thomas has looked lost the past four games… starting to go back to his underclassman ways of driving hopelessly into the lane and expecting the refs to bail him out any time he can’t get off a shot. What happened to the guy that had double digit assists in back-to-back games? When Scott Suggs has turned into your most reliable scorer, you know your team is in trouble.

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h1

College Basketball Rankings: January 31st 2011

January 31, 2011

TOP 25:

1. Ohio State (22-0)
Last Week: #1

2. Kansas (20-1)
Last Week: #5

3. Pittsburgh (20-2)
Last Week: #2

4. Texas (18-3)
Last Week: #9

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

6. San Diego State (21-1)
Last Week: #4

7. Connecticut (17-3)
Last Week: #6

8. BYU (20-2)
Last Week: #7

9. Notre Dame (17-4)
Last Week: #12

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

11. Kentucky (16-4)
Last Week: #15

12. Texas A&M (17-3)
Last Week: #11

13. Purdue (18-4)
Last Week: #14

14. Missouri (17-4)
Last Week: #13

15. Syracuse (18-4)
Last Week: #10

16. Georgetown (16-5)
Last Week: #20

17. Washington (15-5)
Last Week: #16

18. Louisville (17-4)
Last Week: #22

19. Wisconsin (15-5)
Last Week: #17

20. North Carolina (15-5)
Last Week: Unranked

21. Minnesota (16-5)
Last Week: #19

22. Xavier (15-5)
Last Week: Unranked

23. Florida (16-5)
Last Week: #18

24. Arizona (18-4)
Last Week: Unranked

25. West Virginia (14-6)
Last Week: #23

DROPPED OUT:

Illinois (14-7)
Last Week: #21

Vanderbilt (15-5)
Last Week: #24

Florida State (15-6)
Last Week: #25

Comments:

-Outside of OSU, Texas is the hottest team in the nation. They really look like a championship caliber team and you can definitely make an argument for them at #3.

-How awesome was that BYU-San Diego State showdown? I was more excited for that game than any non-UW game all year. The first half was spectacular with both teams trading leads each possession and neither team jumping ahead by more than three points at any time. And how great was Jimmer Fredette? In the twenty minutes that spanned the last ten minutes of the first half and the first ten of the second half, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better college basketball performance from a single player. BYU had top 5 potential, but the loss to New Mexico keeps them pretty much stagnant in my rankings.

-Washington vs Washington State was a let down. It seems like most of the Huskies didn’t even show up to play. Isaiah Thomas was 0-9 from the field late in the second half and I can’t remember Bryan-Amaning doing anything of significance the entire game. We had their two best players in foul trouble the whole second half and we didn’t even pretend like we were going to compete. Wack.

-Syracuse is really plummeting. I remember saying they seemed overrated through most of the non-conference schedule and now it looks like that’s starting to show. They got off to a great start in the Big East, but man, they are TANKING now… and when you look at their quality wins, the list doesn’t really stack up to the top teams: MSU (solid, but now unranked), NC State (pretty weak), Notre Dame (big win), and two wins over two of the weaker good Big East teams (SJU, Cincy). Exposed or in a funk?

-Louisville won’t go away. You expect them to lose to the better teams in the Big East and then they pull off two big wins this week and it looks like Peyton Siva (Seattle represent!) is really starting to blossom. Maybe this team really is top 25 good?

-UNC has been on the verge of being ranked for a while now but they always seem to take a loss at the end of the week. That didn’t happen this week. This is a team that beat Kentucky and four of their five losses were to top 25 teams… it’s not that bad for Roy Williams and co. this year.

-Xavier has asserted themselves as the best team in the Atlantic Conference and that’s saying something.

-I have Florida in the rankings still but I don’t feel good about it. I mean… does anyone think this team is really better than Tennessee? I doubt it.

-Two PAC-10 teams in the top 25? Did hell freeze over? Arizona is definitely taking advantage of the conference… but still, wins @WSU and over USC and UCLA are nothing to scoff at. However, quality wins outside the PAC-10? NC State. Yawn.

-I still can’t rank teams like Utah State, Coastal Carolina, or even Missouri State and Wichita State. I think they are all good teams, but come on, they aren’t playing in the same league as everyone else. Teams like Butler and Gonzaga are on the map Missouri State’s best win is against… Wichita State; and that’s the best win any of these teams has. Wichita State’s and Coastal Carolina’s best wins are both against LSU… but who hasn’t beat them? All solid teams, but come tournament time, these teams aren’t going to be your 4 or 5 seeds. Let’s be real. Lastly, Northern Iowa–last year’s Cinderella–has now beat both Missouri State and Wichita State on their home courts. Is the Missouri Valley Conference really going to be a multiple bid league? It’s looking likely right now.

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h1

College Basketball Rankings – 1/23/2011

January 24, 2011

TOP 25:

Winner Of The Week: Texas – It was a close call between UCONN and the Longhorns, but you can’t really top snapping a 69-game home winning-streak at Kansas. Plus, Texas beat a really tough Texas A&M team too and they did so easily.

Loser Of The Week: Syracuse – First, they let Pittsburgh jump off to a 19-0 run to start the game earlier this week, a game they wound up losing. Losing to Pitt on the road isn’t so bad, especially when your best player is injured. However, the Orange followed that up by losing to Villanova at home in front of 30,000+ fans and with Kris Joseph healthy again.

1. Ohio State (20-0)
Last Week: #1
Comments: The Buckeyes keep rolling and they’re doing it in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. Are they a run away for the national title? Not even close. They’ve managed to win them all, but OSU plays a lot of close games and it’s only a matter of time before someone finally knocks them off.

2. Pittsburgh (19-1)
Last Week: #4
Comments: Pitt remains undefeated in the nation’s toughest conference and they’ve looked good doing it.

3. Duke (18-1)
Last Week: #4
Comments: The Blue Devils may no longer be a national title favorite with Kyrie Irving out of action, but Duke is still easily one of the five best teams in the nation.

4. San Diego State (20-0)
Last Week: #6
Comments: The Mountain West showdown we’ve all been waiting for (SDSU vs. BYU) finally happens this week and… it’s not on national TV. Amazing. SDSU is really good, but let’s be real, they’re not going to get a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament… are they?

5. Kansas (18-1)
Last Week: #2
Comments: The Jayhawks had their 69-game home winning streak snapped by Texas yesterday and even though they remain atop the RPI rankings, it’s hard to argue that Kansas has a better slate of quality wins than the teams ranked ahead of them. In fact, Arizona’s the only team they’ve beat that’s even sniffing a top 25 ranking right now.

6. Connecticut (16-2)
Last Week: #10
Comments: UCONN continues to get the job done against tough teams despite the fact that they often seem one-dimensional. Kemba Walker is having an outstanding season and I’ve already seen him hit two game-winners and several other clutch shots late in the game. His supporting cast comes and goes though, so it’s hard to imagine the Huskies making a deep run in March.

7. BYU (19-1)
Last Week: #8
Comments: Jimmer Fredette has announced himself as a Player Of The Year favorite with two 40 point games in the past two weeks. A win over SDSU this week would be huge for the Cougars.

8. Villanova (17-2)
Last Week: #7
Comments: Villanova holds steady in the top ten with a loss to UCONN and a big road win over Syracuse.

9. Texas (16-3)
Last Week: #12
Comments: I could understand an argument for Texas being ranked higher. They had a huge week and they’ve been playing pretty good basketball for the past couple months now and have elevated the program into a legitimate national title threat.

10. Syracuse (18-2)
Last Week: #3
Comments: Tough week for The Orange. They lost games to Pitt and Villanova. Maybe an unfair drop, but looking at their quality wins, they don’t stack up to the teams above them anymore.

11. Texas A&M (16-2)
Last Week: #9
Comments: The Aggies got spanked by Texas, but bounced back with a quality win over Kansas State.

12. Notre Dame (16-4)
Last Week: #13
Comments: Holding strong in the Big East, but two of their conference losses have come against two middle-of-the-pack teams. Don’t be surprised to see NDU dropping the next couple weeks.

13. Missouri (17-3)
Last Week: #14
Comments: Another team that beat up on Kansas State this week. Seriously, what happened to KSU?

14. Purdue (17-3)
Last Week: #15
Comments: Purdue bounced back from a terrible week last week to post wins over Penn St. and MSU. Seriously, what happened to MSU?

15. Kentucky (15-4)
Last Week: #11
Comments: Kentucky took a bad loss @Alabama, but managed a road win over South Carolina this week to save themselves from a terrible week.

16. Washington (15-4)
Last Week: #20
Comments: A huge win over Arizona for the Dawgs, but they played Arizona State way too close before blowing it open in the last couple minutes. Isaiah Thomas has elevated his game so much the past couple weeks that he’s starting to get some Player Of The Year talk. Matthew Bryan-Amaning has become a serious threat too after dropping 30 on ASU. Take away the loss @Stanford and Washington has looked like a top ten team all season long.

17. Wisconsin (15-4)
Last Week: #18
Comments: Looking strong in the Big Ten so far, but the haven’t played Purdue or Ohio State yet.

18. Florida (15-4)
Last Week: #19
Comments: Hard to call it with the Gators. They get an impressive win and follow it up with a bad loss. They might be top 25 good, but they won’t get past the second round in the NCAA tournament.

19. Minnesota (15-4)
Last Week: Unranked
Comments: Beat up on the weak Big Ten teams this week, but Minnesota has been tough this year, posting quality wins over North Carolina, West Virginia, and Purdue. Plus they barely lost to #1 Ohio State on the road. A tough, but not great team.

20. Georgetown (14-5)
Last Week: Unranked
Comments: The Big East has been brutal on the Hoyas; they’re yet to post a quality win in conference play. They’ve been solid against everyone else though.

21. Illinois (14-6)
Last Week: #21
Comments: Illinois might drop out of the national rankings, but they’re holding their own in the Big Ten and have a nice list of quality wins. Even with the six losses, I can’t justify putting them lower than this.

22. Louisville (15-4)
Last Week: #17
Comments: I still don’t think Louisville is going to last in these rankings, but they’ve shown me something by getting that gutsy win against Marquette last week and again by beating St. John’s. I just can’t see them hanging with the Big East powers when the conference schedule starts to get really tough.

23. West Virginia (13-5)
Last Week: #22
Comments: West Virginia nearly got embarrassed by Marshall (they did lose, but managed to avoid a blow out), but recent wins over Georgetown and Purdue suggest the Mountaineers aren’t to be trifled with.

24. Vanderbilt (14-4)
Last Week: Unranked
Comments: Vanderbilt and St. Mary’s were pretty much battling for a top 25 spot yesterday and Vanderbilt killed them.

25. Florida State (15-5)
Last Week: Unranked
Comments: Tied with Duke atop the ACC and responsible for Duke’s only loss? Yeah, they’re solid. The Seminoles play 5 of their next 6 ACC games against Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia, and Clemson. Anything less than 4-2 in that stretch would be a shocker.

DROPPED OUT:

Gonzaga (13-7)
Last Week: #23
Comments: Just when it looks like Gonzaga is turning their season around they take two losses against teams they should beat easily (San Francisco, Santa Clara)… This was really a horrible week for the Zags because they’re looking more and more like a team that’s going to need to win the conference to make the NCAA tournament.

Michigan State (12-7)
Last Week: #16
Comments: It’s not as bad as it looks for Michigan State. You could argue they’ve played the toughest schedule in the nation and they’ve posted a good amount of quality wins so far… but still, this was a consensus top two team heading into the season. What’s going on in Lansing?

Temple (13-5)
Last Week: #24
Comments: No longer the best team in the Atlantic Ten. That spot now belongs to Xavier.

UCF (14-4)
Last Week: #25
Comments: I have a feeling that UCF’s season is going to be remembered for being nationally ranked for a couple weeks… cause they are starting to bomb now. Four straight losses against some of the weaker teams in C-USA? Even with a national ranking as recently as last week and wins over Miami and Florida, it’s a steep uphill climb from here on.

Notes:

-I can’t bring myself to rank teams like Utah State or Coastal Carolina. Both teams have fantastic records, but neither of them have a quality win.

-Cincinnati @ 17-3 is starting to pick up steam. It’d be funny if they dropped out of the top 25 after picking up their best win of the year (over St. John’s)… I still think this team doesn’t make the NCAA tournament.

-Tennessee is the best team that won’t be ranked. They have a long list of quality wins that have already punched their ticket to The Dance… but they also have a lot of horrible losses. My guess is it will be a mistake to underestimate the Vols come tournament time. They’ve shown they can compete with anyone on any given night. They’ll probably get in as a 6 or 7 seed, but will play like a 3 or 4… assuming they can beat the less talented team they play in the first round.

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h1

Mac’s College Basketball Rankings – January 17th, 2011

January 17, 2011

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

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