The college basketball season has been on for just over 2 weeks, and already only 33 teams are still undefeated, or less than 10% of the nation. Among them is my preseason #1, Ohio, and the AP preseason #1, Indiana. There are a few surprises among my initial top 25 of the regular season, and quite a few of the old standbys. Here are those 25 teams, grouped by similar level of performance and with each team's AP rank in parentheses.
TW. (LW) Team (Record) (AP)
1. (21) Gonzaga (6-0) (12)
2. (NR) Ole Miss (5-0) (NR)
3. (NR) Florida (5-0) (7)
4. (NR) Michigan (5-0) (3)
5. (NR) Syracuse (4-0) (6)
6. (NR) Pittsburgh (5-1) (NR)
7. (NR) Cincinnati (6-0) (17)
8. (4) Indiana (6-0) (1)
9. (16) Ohio State (4-0) (4)
10. (NR) Oklahoma State (5-0) (15)
11. (NR) Middle Tennessee (4-1) (NR)
12. (8) Creighton (6-0) (11)
13. (NR) UNLV (3-1) (24)
14. (NR) Stephen F Austin (4-0) (NR)
15. (NR) Kansas (4-1) (10)
16. (15) Duke (6-0) (2)
17. (NR) Akron (3-2) (NR)
18. (7) Wisconsin (4-2) (NR)
19. (NR) Illinois State (5-1) (NR)
20. (NR) Colorado State (4-0) (NR)
21. (2) Saint Joseph's (3-1) (NR)
22. (1) Ohio (5-0) (NR)
23. (NR) Iowa State (4-2) (NR)
24. (NR) West Virginia (1-3) (NR)
25. (NR) Northwestern (6-0) (NR)
Dropped Out
(13) Minnesota (6-1) (21)
(6) Kansas State (5-1) (NR)
(5) Notre Dame (6-1) (NR)
(12) VCU (3-3) (NR)
(23) Bucknell (5-1) (NR)
(3) Davidson (3-3) (NR)
(25) Louisville (5-1) (5)
(9) Saint Louis (3-2) (NR)
(24) Savannah State (4-3) (NR)
(17) Miami (3-1) (NR)
(19) Drexel (2-4) (NR)
(18) Memphis (3-2) (NR)
(20) USC-Upstate (2-4) (NR)
(10) Massachusetts (2-2) (NR)
(14) Northern Iowa (3-3) (NR)
(11) South Dakota State (4-2) (NR)
(22) Mercer (3-3) (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 10 - 5
Big East - 4
Big 12 - 3
SEC - 2
MVC - 2
MWC - 2
MAC - 2
WCC - 1
Sun Belt - 1
Southland - 1
ACC - 1
Atl 10 - 1
Gonzaga won the Old Spice Classic yesterday with 3 straight victories by an average of 16 points, two over teams from major conferences. Prior to that, they won their first three games by at least 34 points, and only Clemson has come within 10 points of them all season. Senior forward Elias Harris has been great, averaging 15.7 points per game this season and nearly 18 points per game in the Old Spice Classic. He is doing it by shooting nearly 56% from the field, and he is also grabbing 9 boards per game, and the Bulldogs are looking to be even better than usual this year.
The Ole Miss Rebels haven't yet been noticed by the national voters, getting only one vote in the coaches poll and none in the AP, but they are currently #5 in the nation in scoring, reaching 90 in all but one game so far. They are doing that without having a single player averaging over 17 points per game, and only 3 players scoring in double figures. This is a very balanced squad that could prove to be a surprise in the SEC.
Indiana has taken down all challengers so far, which has allowed them to maintain the top spot in both national polls, but they have yet to face a ranked team. Their first chance comes tomorrow night against North Carolina, but the Hoosiers should have no trouble with the Tar Heels. The rest of their non-conference opponents are unranked, so they will need to be undefeated until conference play begins if they want to reach the top of my rankings.
The Ohio Bobcats may have fallen from the top spot in my rankings, but they have not in any way been disappointing. They have won every game they have started, and 4 of those victories came by at least 23 points. They are shooting over 50% from the field as a team and over 40% from long range. The Bobcats may have some competition in the MAC, but there is a very good chance that they will still be playing games that matter in March if they keep up their current pace.
Predictions
San Jose State at (10) Kansas - Jayhawks by 37
Northern Colorado at Colorado State - Rams by 33
NBA
San Antonio at Washington - Spurs by 11
New York at Brooklyn - Nets by 1
Portland at Detroit - Pistons by 1
Milwaukee at Chicago - Bulls by 4
Cleveland at Memphis - Grizzlies by 15
Charlotte at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 13
Denver at Utah - Nuggets by 1
New Orleans at LA Clippers - Clippers by 14
Prediction Results
NBA: 5-1 (.833) 128-67 overall (.656)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 26-17 overall (.605)
College Basketball: 10-2 (.833) 160-37 overall (.812)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 12-16 overall (.429)
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