Florida not only kept their #1 ranking for the second week in a row, they widened the gap between them and the second-best team, Indiana, by extending their winning streak to 8 games, each of which came by at least 17 points. The Gators currently have the largest lead for a #1 team this season, and this week they get a chance to boost their profile when they play their toughest remaining opponent, Ole Miss. Here are my current rankings, with AP ranking in parentheses and teams grouped by similar level of performance.
TW. (LW) Team (Week) Overall (AP)
1. (1) Florida (2-0) 16-2 (4)
2. (2) Indiana (2-0) 18-2 (3)
3. (4) Michigan (2-0) 19-1 (1)
4. (3) Louisville (0-2) 16-4 (12)
5. (5) Syracuse (1-1) 18-2 (6)
6. (11) Kansas (2-0) 18-1 (2)
7. (6) Duke (1-1) 17-2 (5)
8. (7) Creighton (1-1) 18-3 (21)
9. (12) Arizona (1-1) 17-2 (8)
10. (10) Gonzaga (2-0) 19-2 (7)
11. (8) Minnesota (0-2) 15-5 (23)
12. (13) Pittsburgh (2-0) 17-4 (32)
13. (15) Ohio State (2-0) 15-4 (11)
14. (21) Miami (2-0) 15-3 (14)
15. (14) Wisconsin (1-1) 14-6 (28)
16. (NR) Southern Miss (2-0) 17-4 (NR)
17. (17) Colorado State (1-1) 16-4 (41)
18. (9) VCU (0-2) 16-5 (36)
19. (25) Michigan State (1-1) 17-4 (13)
20. (NR) Wichita State (2-0) 19-2 (15)
21. (18) Cincinnati (0-1) 16-4 (24)
22. (19) Kentucky (1-1) 13-6 (NR)
23. (16) Ole Miss (2-0) 17-2 (16)
24. (24) UNLV (1-0) 16-4 (27)
25. (20) Belmont (2-0) 17-4 (NR)
Dropped Out
(22) Oklahoma State (1-1) 13-5 (NR)
(23) Iowa State (1-1) 14-5 (36)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 10 - 6
Big East - 4
SEC - 3
ACC - 2
MWC - 2
MVC - 2
Big 12 - 1
WCC - 1
Atl 10 - 1
Pac 12 - 1
OVC - 1
CUSA - 1
Southern Miss made a huge jump into the top 25 this week after obliterating the Marshall Thundering Herd by 56 points early in the week. The Golden Eagles have only 4 losses this season, and two came against currently ranked teams, Arizona and Wichita State, and the other two came against the top 2 teams in the WAC, both of which have high hopes of making it to March Madness. They don't have any wins over big-name teams, but the way they're beating everyone that they face, they could make some noise in the tournament.
The Miami Hurricanes are on fire, especially after they destroyed the #1 team in the AP poll, Duke, by building a big lead early and coasting for the entire second half. They didn't let up in the next game, even though they were playing an inferior opponent, and they beat Florida State by almost the same margin. Miami also hasn't lost in over a month, but they should be tested this week at NC State.
Wichita State made it back into the top 25 this week, two weeks after dropping from the rankings due to a loss at Evansville. They have now won 4 straight, including an upset of conference-leading Creighton, and they've also beaten two of my mid-major favorites, VCU and Southern Miss, giving them several strong wins to balance out their two losses.
Michigan State moved up 6 spots this week, even after losing their last game, and it was the strength of their opponents that boosted them up. They won at Wisconsin, a team that I picked to beat the Spartans by 10, then they nearly took down Indiana on the road as well, losing a close game to the Hoosiers 75-70. Michigan State may have lost the conference lead, but they earned a lot of respect with the way they played this week.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
(2) Kansas at West Virginia - Jayhawks by 9
Pittsburgh at (12) Louisville - Cardinals by 7
South Florida at (25) Marquette - Golden Eagles by 15
NBA
Golden State at Toronto - Warriors by 1
Memphis at Philadelphia - Grizzlies by 4
Sacramento at Washington - Wizards by 8
Orlando at Brooklyn - Nets by 10
Charlotte at Chicago - Bulls by 14
Indiana at Denver - Nuggets by 6
Houston at Utah - Jazz by 2
Prediction Results
NBA: 4-3 (.571) 436-221 overall (.664)
College Basketball: 7-1 (.875) 540-120 overall (.818)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 47-40 overall (.540)
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