Conference play is in full swing, and the upsets are starting to pile up. Only five undefeated teams remain after Cincinnati and UCF, the two most overrated of the seven, fell to conference rivals in their first real tests. The remaining 5 are ranked at 1, 2, 3, 12, and 20, so there's obviously a gap between the top 3 and the others. Here are the updated rankings, with team name followed by weekly record, overall record, rating, and previous ranking.
1. Duke (2-0) (15-0) -24.13 (1)
2. Ohio State (1-0) (16-0) -22.52 (2)
3. Kansas (2-0) (15-0) -22.33 (4)
4. Washington (2-0) (12-3) -20.69 (3)
5. Purdue (2-0) (15-1) -19.93 (7)
6. BYU (3-0) (17-1) -19.09 (8)
7. Kentucky (1-1) (13-3) -18.58 (5)
8. Saint Mary's (2-0) (14-2) -18.48 (10)
9. Texas (1-1) (13-3) -17.88 (11)
10. Pittsburgh (1-0) (15-1) -17.83 (9)
11. Belmont (3-0) (14-3) -16.66 (15)
12. San Diego State (2-0) (17-0) -16.43 (21)
13. Louisville (2-0) (13-2) -15.87 (20)
14. UNLV (1-1) (13-3) -15.78 (17)
15. Maryland (0-1) (10-5) -15.56 (19)
16. Vanderbilt (0-1) (11-3) -15.52 (6)
17. Arizona (2-0) (14-3) -15.35 (12)
18. Wisconsin (1-1) (12-4) -15.32 (18)
19. Illinois (1-1) (13-4) -14.93 (16)
20. Syracuse (1-0) (16-0) -14.84 (22)
21. Georgetown (0-1) (12-4) -14.76 (14)
22. North Carolina (1-0) (11-4) -14.74 (13)
23. West Virginia (1-0) (10-4) -14.36 (NR)
24. Villanova (2-0) (14-1) -14.25 (25)
25. Marquette (2-1) (12-5) -13.30 (NR)
Dropped out:
Michigan State (1-1) (11-5) -12.89 (24)
Missouri (1-1) (14-2) -11.51 (23)
Ranked teams by conference:
Big East: 7
Big 10: 4
ACC: 3
MWC: 3
Big 12: 2
Pac 10: 2
SEC: 2
WCC: 1
Atl Sun: 1
The Big 12 and Big 10 each lost a ranked team this week, and the Big East took advantage by snagging both spots to pack the rankings. The total number of ranked teams in the Big East is somewhat deceiving, though, because they only have one representative in the top 10, Pittsburgh. 5 of the final 6 teams to make the rankings are from the Big East, as well as 3 of the first 7 out, so the Big East appears to have at least 10 teams (maybe 11 if you count Saint John's) that can win the conference championship. The mid-major picture hasn't changed much this week, except that Gonzaga is starting to make their move and could give the WCC two ranked teams before long.
BYU is the top-ranked mid-major team after they dismantled Utah on the road last night behind Jimmer Fredette's 47 points. That total made him the new national scoring leader, surpassing Kemba Walker of UConn, and it looks like he's just getting started. The loss to UCLA was certainly a surprise, but wins over Arizona, Saint Mary's, and UNLV, all of whom are very underrated, more than make up for their only loss.
Kentucky became the best team to lose this week when they were surprised by the Georgia Bulldogs on the road, but they made up for it by beating up on Auburn, by far the worst team in the SEC, 78-54. Kentucky can't afford to lose many more conference games, since the national polls have them as the only ranked member of the conference.
Belmont continues to fly under the radar, failing to receive even one vote in either of the polls, but it only requires a quick glance at their conference games so far, which they've won by an average of 27 points, to notice that they are the cream of the Atlantic Sun crop and the team to watch as a potential first-round upset pick.
San Diego State has beaten both Saint Mary's and Gonzaga this year, but no other notable teams have graced their resume yet. They should add another tonight when they beat UNLV, but the real test comes in two weeks when they travel to Utah to face BYU.
Louisville has separated themselves from the mass of Big East teams at the bottom of the rankings, but will likely return to the group after losing to Villanova tonight. The Big East is to basketball what the SEC is to football, and vice versa.
Maryland moved up 4 spots this week despite losing its only game, but when you consider that the loss was to #1 Duke on the road by only 7 points, the loss actually proved that the Terrapins belong among the ranked teams, and that Duke may have a real test on their hands when they visit Maryland on Groundhog Day.
Vanderbilt was dropped from the national rankings and out of the top 10 of my rankings after losing to South Carolina in overtime instead of winning by double digits, as they were expected to do. The loss is the only real blemish on their resume thus far, and they still own victories over Belmont, North Carolina, and Marquette, three teams that deserve to be ranked.
Arizona has underperformed so far in Pac 10 play, losing to Oregon State and allowing Cal and Stanford to stay close to them until the end. The Wildcats had only lost to ranked teams previous to the loss in Corvallis, but they still have yet to beat a ranked team this season, and the only ranked opponent they have remaining is the Washington Huskies.
Georgetown fell to West Virginia at home this week, their 3rd loss in 4 games, but this one was unexpected, while the other two went right along with my expectations. The Hoyas should get their revenge tonight against the Pitt Panthers, but a loss could drop them out of the rankings altogether.
The North Carolina Tar Heels were looking very strong until they nearly fell to the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday. Now I'm not sure that they have what it takes to upset their biggest rival, Duke, but a convincing victory over Virginia Tech could change my mind.
West Virginia rejoined the top 25 this week after a one-week hiatus by upsetting heavily-favored Georgetown on the road this past Saturday. The Mountaineers have beaten Vanderbilt and Georgetown from the top 25, along with other solid victories over Cleveland State, Duquesne, and Oakland.
I picked Marquette to upset Notre Dame on Monday, but I didn't expect to see them blow away the Irish by 22 points. That win, coupled with their earlier victory over West Virginia, pushed Marquette into the spotlight of the top 25 for the first time this season.
Michigan State and Missouri, both of which were in my overrated rankings just two weeks ago, fell this week, the Spartans to Penn State and the Tigers to Colorado. Their demise came a week later than I expected, but it did eventually happen, and both could be rejoining my overrated rankings if the national polls don't recognize their error.
NBA Player of the Day
Nick Young - WAS - 43 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 14-22 FG, 7-10 3P, 8-9 FT
The Washington Wizards set a season high in points last night, and Nick Young set a new career high in scoring, including 18 straight at one point, as the Wizards held on to defeat the Sacramento Kings in overtime. While Young's victory ended the MVP candidates' streak in winning this award, Young is in the running for Most Improved Player this year, and more performances like this could send the award his way.
Predictions - 12 Jan
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
Mavericks at Pacers - Mavs by 2
Hawks at Raptors - Hawks by 4
Bulls at Bobcats - Bulls by 6
Kings at Celtics - Celtics by 16
Grizzlies at Pistons - Grizzlies by 2
Magic at Hornets - Hornets by 1
Spurs at Bucks - Spurs by 4
Thunder at Rockets - Rockets by 2
Knicks at Jazz - Jazz by 3
Nets at Suns - Suns by 6
Lakers at Warriors - Lakers by 8
Heat at Clippers - Heat by 9
College Basketball
(1) Duke at Florida State - Duke by 9
(2) Ohio State at Michigan - Ohio State by 9
(3) Kansas at Iowa State - Kansas by 6
(4) Syracuse at Saint John's - Saint John's by 1
(5) Pittsburgh at (19) Georgetown - Georgetown by 3
UNLV at (6) San Diego State - San Diego State by 6
(17) Louisville at (7) Villanova - Villanova by 4
Nebraska at (12) Missouri - Missouri by 8
Oklahoma State at (13) Texas A&M - Texas A&M by 11
Colorado at (20) Kansas State - Kansas State by 8
Saint Bonaventure at (23) Temple - Temple by 15
Maryland at Wake Forest - Maryland at 16
Georgia at Vanderbilt - Vanderbilt by 14
Prediction Results - 11 Jan
NBA: 4/6 (.667) 270/376 overall (.718)
College Basketball: 5/6 (.833) 247/292 overall (.846)
Upsets: 1/3 (.333) 56/96 overall (.583)
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