Top 100 NBA Players: #18

Scottie Pippen

(Kalb: #29, Simmons: #24, BBR: #22)

Scottie Pippen is one of the more interesting cases on this list. He spent most of his career as the second-best player on his team, but he won a lot of championships and was actually a much better player than most people realize. 

When I profiled David Robinson a few spots ago, I mentioned that he was the committee's #4 choice to be on the Dream Team in 1992, behind only Magic, Michael, and Bird. Do you happen to know who their #5 choice was? Scottie Pippen. After picking the best four guys who were franchise players and well-respected superstars, they picked Scottie Pippen, who wasn't even the best player on his own team. That's because they saw that the Bulls were more than just Michael Jordan.

In 1992, just before that team was selected, Pippen put together a season that very few have ever come close to. His averages for that year were 21 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 51% shooting from the field. For reference, only 8 other players have ever averaged a 21-7-7, and only 5 others have done it while shooting over 50%. Those five? Bird, Wilt, Magic, Michael, and Oscar. Not bad company, especially considering each of those players has yet to make an appearance in these rankings.

Jordan and Pippen played together for 10 season, and in each of those ten seasons they made the playoffs and advanced beyond the first round together. Jordan played 5 seasons without Pippen, three before he arrived and two after they separated in 1998. In those 5 seasons his teams made 3 playoff appearances and never advanced past the first round. Pippen, meanwhile, played 7 seasons without Jordan, making the playoffs 6 times and advancing past the first round twice. I'm not suggesting that Pippen was better than Jordan, but it's significant that Jordan needed Pippen in order to be successful.

Scottie Pippen was also recognized as being one of the best defensive small forwards of all time, as evidenced by the 8 straight seasons during the 1990's that he was named to the All-Defensive First Team. He led the league in steals in 1995, and finished in the top 5 three other times. Pippen was the player that the Bulls used to guard the other team's best player at four positions, and it was a tipped pass and steal by Pippen that sealed the 1997 Finals victory over Utah after Steve Kerr hit his famous series-winning shot.

Another thing Pippen has going for him is that he is one of a select group of players who has too many championship rings to fit on one hand. He was the second-best player on 6 championship games in 8 seasons, and was also the second-best player on a Portland team in 2000 that came within one game of the NBA Finals. 

Pippen never quite reached the career heights that Garnett did, but that is because Pippen recognized that he had an important role to play to help his team win championships, and that didn't always involve him being the man. Pippen only missed the playoffs once in his career, in his final season when he was riding the bench in Chicago as a 38-year-old. Both Pippen and Garnett were great all-around players, filling up every part of the stat sheet, but Pippen gains the edge over Garnett because of the 12 season in which he advanced past the first round of the playoffs, with 6 championships as the result, while Garnett has only passed the first round 3 times with one title.

College Basketball Rankings - 27 Feb

Some conferences are starting their conference tournaments this week, while others are finishing up their regular season this weekend. That means a lot of games that matter to both teams, as everybody is either fighting to stay alive or trying to earn a good tournament seeding. The top 5 teams were shuffled this week, with the exception of the top spot, where Kentucky was able to hold on just as they did against Vanderbilt. Here are the latest rankings, with gaps between groups of teams representing different levels of performance.

TW. (LW) Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (ESPN)
1. (1) Kentucky (2-0) (28-1) -19.87 (1)

2. (4) Michigan State (2-0) (24-5) -18.36 (5)
3. (5) North Carolina (2-0) (25-4) -18.19 (6)
4. (2) Ohio State (1-1) (23-6) -17.74 (11)
5. (3) Kansas (2-0) (24-5) -17.72 (4)

6. (6) Syracuse (2-0) (29-1) -16.97 (2)

7. (8) Wichita State (2-0) (26-4) -15.66 (14)

8. (11) Wisconsin (1-1) (21-8) -14.74 (15)
9. (7) Missouri (0-2) (25-4) -14.72 (8)
10. (10) Duke (2-0) (25-4) -14.61 (3)

11. (13) Marquette (2-0) (24-5) -13.49 (7)
12. (15) Belmont (3-0) (24-7) -13.31 (NR)
13. (17) Indiana (2-0) (22-7) -13.14 (20)
14. (18) Memphis (2-0) (21-8) -12.88 (37)
15. (12) Florida (1-1) (22-7) -12.80 (13)
16. (14) Georgetown (1-1) (21-6) -12.78 (12)

17. (9) New Mexico (0-2) (22-6) -12.12 (29)
18. (16) Saint Louis (0-1) (22-6) -11.75 (NR)

19. (20) Baylor (2-0) (24-5) -11.18 (10)
20. (22) Vanderbilt (1-1) (20-9) -11.08 (30)
21. (19) Louisville (1-1) (22-7) -10.64 (18)
22. (21) California (1-1) (23-7) -10.54 (37)
23. (NR) Alabama (2-0) (19-9) -10.47 (NR)
24. (NR) Virginia (1-1) (21-7) -10.43 (27)
25. (24) UNLV (2-0) (24-6) -10.39 (17)

Dropped Out

(25) BYU (1-1) (24-7) -10.15 (NR)
(23) Florida State (0-2) (19-9) -9.30 (22)

Ranked Teams by Conference

SEC - 4
Big 10 - 4
Big East - 4
ACC - 3
Big 12 - 3
MWC - 2
Atl 10 - 1
Atl Sun - 1
CUSA - 1
MVC - 1
Pac 12 - 1

Michigan State used its strongest defensive performance of the season to jump up to the #2 spot this week, displacing fellow Big Ten rival Ohio State up there. When the Nebraska Cornhuskers came to visit, the Badgers allowed them only 34 points, 6 points fewer than the previous low for Wisconsin opponents on the season, but they still have two very tough games left, which means two wins could make them #1 heading into Championship Week.

I am officially back on the Belmont Bus. Last season, I had the Bruins ranked around the top 10 all season long, and their strong performances against ranked teams early in the season were the reason why. This season, they've lost a few more times, including a couple of conference games, but this team did lose by a single point at Duke to open the season, and they have not lost in over 5 weeks. The conference tournament is being held at the home of Mercer, the next best team in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but Belmont has already beaten them twice, so they shouldn't have a problem doing it again.

New Mexico followed up one of the most impressive weeks by any team this season with one of the worst, losing road games at Colorado State and TCU, allowing their 2-game lead in the conference to evaporate as quickly as it appeared. While they fell from the national rankings this week, they are still among my top 25, but they took a huge drop as a result of their hangover from last week's premature celebration.

One team that is in the top 10 nationally does not appear in my top 25, and that team is Murray State, which was the last undefeated team this season. The reason they aren't here is partially because of their extremely weak schedule, which includes only one team I have ranked (Memphis) and one team the nation has ranked (Saint Mary's). They have not dominated their conference in the way other teams, such as Belmont, have, so they will most likely get a higher seed than they deserve, and could be in line to be upset in March.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Tuesday

(3) Duke at Wake Forest - Blue Devils by 12
(5) Michigan State at (20) Indiana - Hoosiers by 1
(13) Florida at Vanderbilt - Commodores by 4
Minnesota at (15) Wisconsin - Badgers by 16
Xavier at Saint Louis - Billikens by 12
UCF at Memphis - Tigers by 15

Wednesday

Maryland at (6) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 24
(7) Marquette at Cincinnati - Bearcats by 1
Iowa State at (8) Missouri - Tigers by 12
(11) Ohio State at Northwestern - Buckeyes by 6
(17) UNLV at Colorado State - Rebels by 1
South Florida at (18) Louisville - Cardinals by 11
(23) San Diego State at Boise State - Broncos by 1
Massachusetts at (25) Temple - Owls by 12
Jacksonville vs. Belmont - Bruins by 19
Auburn at Alabama - Crimson Tide by 18
Air Force at New Mexico - Lobos by 20

Thursday

Georgia at (1) Kentucky - Wildcats by 23
(16) Michigan at Illinois - Illini by 1
(22) Florida State at Virginia - Cavaliers by 7

Friday

Providence at (19) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 14
Drake vs. (24) Creighton - Bluejays by 10
East Tennessee State vs. Belmont - Bruins by 12
Tennessee Tech vs. (9) Murray State - Racers by 11
Indiana State vs. (14) Wichita State - Shockers by 15

Saturday

(18) Louisville at (2) Syracuse - Orange by 12
(6) North Carolina at (3) Duke - Blue Devils by 2
Texas at (4) Kansas - Jayhawks by 14
(12) Georgetown at (7) Marquette - Golden Eagles by 6
(8) Missouri at Texas Tech - Tigers by 14
Tennessee State vs. (9) Murray State - Racers by 10
(10) Baylor at Iowa State - Cyclones by 2
Illinois State vs. (14) Wichita State - Shockers by 13
Wyoming at (17) UNLV - Rebels by 11
San Francisco vs. (21) Saint Mary's - Gaels by 7
(23) San Diego State at TCU - Horned Frogs by 1
Evansville vs. (24) Creighton - Bluejays by 7
(25) Temple at Fordham - Owls by 12
Saint Louis at Duquesne - Billikens by 5
Memphis at Tulsa - Tigers by 3
Vanderbilt at Tennessee - Volunteers by 1
Boise State at New Mexico - Lobos by 17
Alabama at Mississippi - Crimson Tide by 3
Florida Gulf Coast vs. Belmont - Bruins by 16

Sunday

(1) Kentucky at (13) Florida - Wildcats by 1
(11) Ohio State at (5) Michigan State - Spartans by 6
Illinois at (15) Wisconsin - Badgers by 16
(16) Michigan at Penn State - Wolverines by 3
Purdue at (20) Indiana - Hoosiers by 10
Clemson at (22) Florida State - Seminoles by 10
California at Stanford - Cardinal by 1
Virginia at Maryland - Cavaliers by 5

Prediction Results

College Basketball: 42-14 (.750) 476-124 overall (.793)
Upsets: 5-4 (.556) 46-33 overall (.582)

There could be some games scheduled later in the week due to conference tournament schedules, so check back later in the week to see if I've added a few more predictions to the list.

NBA Rankings - 26 Feb

There were fewer games this week because of the All-Star break, so there was a little less movement in the rankings than normal, but a couple of teams have set themselves apart from the rest of the pack with hot streaks that have extended for more than a week. Here are the latest rankings, with gaps between groups of teams representing differing levels of performance.

TW. Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (LW)
1. Miami (2-0) (27-7) -10.37 (1)

2. Oklahoma City (4-0) (27-7) -8.51 (3)
3. Chicago (2-0) (27-8) -8.01 (2)

4. Portland (1-1) (18-16) -6.25 (8)
5. San Antonio (2-1) (24-10) -6.24 (4)
6. Dallas (1-1) (21-13) -5.52 (6)
7. Philadelphia (0-3) (20-14) -4.81 (5)
8. LA Clippers (1-1) (20-11) -4.74 (7)

9. LA Lakers (2-2) (20-14) -3.53 (9)
10. Orlando (2-1) (22-13) -3.29 (10)
11. Denver (1-3) (18-17) -3.18 (11)
12. Memphis (1-1) (19-15) -3.12 (13)
13. Houston (3-0) (20-14) -2.80 (12)
14. Indiana (3-0) (21-12) -2.11 (18)
15. Atlanta (1-2) (20-14) -1.79 (14)
16. Minnesota (2-1) (17-17) -1.64 (15)

17. Golden State (2-0) (13-17) -0.34 (19)
18. New York (1-2) (17-18) -0.27 (16)
19. Utah (0-3) (15-17) 0.42 (20)
20. Phoenix (2-1) (14-20) 0.96 (23)
21. Boston (0-3) (15-17) 0.99 (17)
22. Milwaukee (1-2) (13-20) 1.28 (21)
23. New Orleans (1-2) (8-25) 2.26 (24)
24. Cleveland (2-1) (13-18) 3.15 (22)

25. Sacramento (1-2) (11-22) 4.42 (27)
26. Detroit (1-2) (11-24) 4.93 (26)
27. Toronto (1-0) (10-23) 5.11 (25)
28. New Jersey (1-2) (10-25) 5.26 (28)

29. Washington (0-2) (7-26) 7.57 (29)

30. Charlotte (0-2) (4-28) 12.89 (30)

Hot

Portland won only once this week, but it was a big one, the game that ended San Antonio's 11-game winning streak, and while the Spurs were playing without their three stars, any 40-point victory in an NBA game is worth taking notice. They are currently sitting just inside the playoff line, but this week they are going to Denver and hosting Miami, so they will have to play just as well if they want to be taken seriously.

Indiana did not lose a game this week, but they also didn't play a team that wasn't in last place. The two wins over Charlotte were by healthy margins, but they had to go to overtime to beat the Hornets in between, which is somewhat embarrassing. They get to face the Hornets again this week, along with the Golden State Warriors, who have been heating up as well.

Not

Two weeks ago Boston had won nine of ten and had thrust themselves right back into the playoff picture, but they immediately turned around and went back to where they had been before. They have now lost 7 of their past 8, with 5 of those losses coming by double digits. Strangely, the Celtics are 6-4 in games without All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, and 9-13 with him in the lineup.

The Charlotte Bobcats are on pace to have one of the worst records in NBA history. Since this season has been shortened, they do not need to get to 10 wins to avoid the worst winning percentage ever, but they still need to get to 8 wins, which is the exact pace they are on right now. Unfortunately, 2 of their wins came in their first 6 games, with only 2 wins in the 26 games since, and with how few competitive games they've played, 4 more wins may be a stretch.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Tuesday

Boston at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 1
Golden State at Indiana - Pacers by 5
Philadelphia at Detroit - 76ers by 7
New Orleans at Chicago - Bulls by 13
Toronto at Houston - Rockets by 11
Washington at Milwaukee - Bucks by 9
New Jersey at Dallas - Mavericks by 14
Utah at Sacramento - Jazz by 1
Minnesota at LA Clippers - Clippers by 6

Wednesday

Oklahoma City at Philadelphia - Thunder by 1
Orlando at Washington - Magic by 8
Golden State at Atlanta - Hawks by 5
Milwaukee at Boston - Celtics by 3
Charlotte at Detroit - Pistons by 11
Cleveland at New York - Knicks by 7
Toronto at New Orleans - Hornets by 6
Dallas at Memphis - Grizzlies by 1
Portland at Denver - Nuggets by 1
Chicago at San Antonio - Spurs by 1
Houston at Utah - Rockets by 1
Minnesota at LA Lakers - Lakers by 5

Thursday

Oklahoma City at Orlando - Thunder by 2
Minnesota at Phoenix - Suns by 1
LA Clippers at Sacramento - Clippers by 6
Miami at Portland - Heat by 1

Friday

Memphis at Toronto - Grizzlies by 5
Milwaukee at Atlanta - Hawks by 6
New Jersey at Boston - Celtics by 7
Chicago at Cleveland - Bulls by 8
Dallas at New Orleans - Mavericks by 5
Denver at Houston - Rockets by 3
Golden State at Philadelphia - 76ers by 8
Charlotte at San Antonio - Spurs by 22
Miami at Utah - Heat by 8
Sacramento at LA Lakers - Lakers by 11
LA Clippers at Phoenix - Clippers by 3

Saturday

Oklahoma City at Atlanta - Thunder by 4
Milwaukee at Orlando - Magic by 8
Cleveland at Washington - Cavaliers by 1
Indiana at New Orleans - Pacers by 1
Detroit at Memphis - Grizzlies by 11
Utah at Dallas - Mavericks by 9
Minnesota at Portland - Trail Blazers by 8

Sunday

New York at Boston - Celtics by 2
Miami at LA Lakers - Heat by 4

Prediction Results

NBA: 29-12 (.707) 201-109 overall (.648)
Upsets: 5-2 (.714) 37-27 overall (.578)

NBA MVP Rankings - 25 Feb

It was a short week for the NBA due to All-Star Weekend, so there wasn't quite as much movement as you would see in a normal week, but there were still a couple of interesting changes among the top 10 players. Kevin Durant has been doing everything he can to overtake LeBron James, but the gap isn't closing very fast, with the streak the Heat is on. Here are the latest MVP and Rookie Rankings, with rising players in green and falling players in red.

Most Valuable Player


1. LeBron James - MIA - 27.4 pts, 8.1 reb, 6.8 ast, 1.8 stl, .547 FG%, .413 3P%, .773 FT%

LeBron was solid in all three games for Miami this week, racking up 8 assists in each, and even though nothing he did was incredibly spectacular, he has the Heat on a league-leading 8-game winning streak heading into the All-Star Break, and he is the best player in the NBA, playing for the best team in the NBA, which has the best record in the NBA. I can't see any way not to give him the MVP at this point.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.9 pts, 8.1 reb, 3.4 ast, 1.2 blk, 1.4 stl, .513 FG%, .365 3P%, .836 FT%

Durant was incredible this week, scoring a career-high 51 points against Denver last Sunday, and averaging over 30 points in each of his team's other 3 games, but the Thunder are still not as hot as Miami, and Durant isn't quite the all-around player that LeBron is, although he has definitely improved his rebounding and shot-blocking this season, which will make him an MVP candidate for years to come, but not this year, unless LeBron gets hurt or Miami collapses.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 23.5 pts, 4.8 reb, 5.5 ast, 1.9 stl, .471 FG%, .814 FT%

In the same game that Durant put up 51 points, Westbrook had 40 of his own, making his placement up here in the rankings not seem quite so crazy. Three straight 30-point outings this week were a big reason that the Thunder extended their winning streak to 5 games and tied Miami for the league's best record entering the All-Star Break. We could be in for a very star-studded Finals if everything goes the way it looks like it will.

4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 28.4 pts, 5.8 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.3 stl, .435 FG%, .828 FT%

Kobe's best game of the week came in a loss to the Phoenix Suns, and his worst game came in their come-from-behind win over the Dallas Mavericks, so the disturbing trend of the Lakers performing better without Bryant continues. It just doesn't seem like a trait befitting an MVP.

5. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.4 pts, 11.4 reb, 3.0 ast, .539 FG%, .539 FT%

Griffin has now scored over 20 points in 7 straight games, and the Clippers are leading the Pacific Division and looking like they will have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, both situations foreign to this franchise. Against San Antonio he put up a 20-20, but then fouled out and the Clippers lost to the Spurs, but he may be the most valuable player in Los Angeles before long.

6. Chris Bosh - MIA - 18.4 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.0 ast, .494 FG%, .817 FT%

Bosh recorded back-to-back 20-point games this week, a tough feat on a team featuring Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and although it doesn't appear that he has done much different than last year, he has been very instrumental in keeping the Heat from slipping while Wade was out, and has continued to play well even with him back in the lineup.

7. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.1 pts, 15.3 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.2 blk, 1.5 stl, .554 FG%, .492 FT%

Two losses this week dropped Orlando to fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race and prevented Howard from passing Kobe Bryant to move closer to Orlando's first MVP, but in both losses Howard scored only 12 points against teams that will likely be in the playoffs, while scoring over 20 points in wins against teams that won't make the playoffs.

8. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.0 pts, 14.0 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.0 stl, .446 FG%, .348 3P%, .833 FT%

The stat line is incredible, but Love is still playing for a team hovering below the playoff line. They have reached the .500 mark, and if they make the playoffs for the first time without Kevin Garnett in franchise history, Love should get serious consideration for this award, as he is the new face of the franchise.

9. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 22.4 pts, 4.4 reb, 4.8 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.7 stl, .502 FG%, .804 FT%

Wade's minutes increased a bit more this week, and so did his production in every major category. He scored 30 points in 30 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, and handed out 10 assists in the same game while missing only 5 times in 16 field goal attempts. With Wade at full strength, there's no telling how good the Heat will be in the second half of the season.

10. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 22.3 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.1 stl, .506 FG%, .798 FT%

Aldridge returned from an ankle injury and returned to the top 10 in the same week, and a large part of that was due to his 21 points in 27 minutes against San Antonio on Tuesday in the game that ended the Spurs' 11-game winning streak. He probably would have scored more, but the game was over midway through the third quarter, and Portland coasted to a 40-point blowout of the red-hot Spurs.

Dropping Out

Tony Parker - SAS

Honorable Mention

Tony Parker - SAS
Pau Gasol - LAL

Rookie of the Year

1. Kyrie Irving - CLE - 18.1 pts, 3.5 reb, 5.1 ast, .476 FG%, .415 3P%, .857 FT%

The game might have been meaningless, but Irving was named the MVP of the Rising Stars Game last night that opened All-Star Weekend, scoring 34 points and hitting all 8 of his 3-point attempts in the game. That performance was just more proof that he is the best rookie in the league this year.

2. Ricky Rubio - MIN - 11.3 pts, 4.3 reb, 8.4 ast, 2.4 stl, .375 FG%, .354 3P%, .812 FT%

Rubio has had a great rookie season for the Timberwolves, who waited for two season to get him from Spain, and he has been worth the wait, dominating all facets of the game that a point guard should, with the only noticeable flaw being his shooting percentage, which is among the worst in the league. His passing and defense, however, more than make up for that one weakness.

3. Kemba Walker - CHA - 13.3 pts, 3.8 reb, 3.8 ast, 1.1 stl, .370 FG%, .345 3P%, .800 FT%

Although his shooting percentage is still quite low, Kemba Walker has been steadily improving as his rookie season progresses, even though his team has not. He has had at least 5 assists and 2 steals in each of the last 3 games for Charlotte, and it's looking like he'll become a solid professional point guard.

4. Kawhi Leonard - SAS - 7.0 pts, 4.9 reb, 0.9 ast, 1.3 stl, .464 FG%, .348 3P%, .659 FT%

Leonard has not been getting as much playing time lately as he would like, but when Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sat out against Portland on Tuesday, Kawhi played 43 minutes, racking up 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in a losing effort. For a while back in December he was playing nearly 30 minutes per game, but his minutes have been a little more unpredictable lately.

5. Brandon Knight - DET - 12.8 pts, 3.5 reb, 3.5 ast, .413 FG%, .382 3P%, .817 FT%

Detroit has won 6 games in the last 3 weeks, which is pretty good for them, and Knight has been an important part of the equation for the Pistons. Last Friday he tied his career-high with 23 points while also passing out a career-high 10 assists, then bested his scoring feat 3 nights later with 24 points against Cleveland in a 1-point loss.

Dropping Out

MarShon Brooks - NJN

Top 100 NBA Players: #19

Kevin Garnett

(Kalb: #40, Simmons: #22, BBR: #27)

Kevin Garnett is the first of five active players to appear among the top 20 players of all time, and even though he is built like a praying mantis, he has been a force in professional basketball for 16 seasons, and he is still playing well in his 17th season, even though there are just a handful of players more experienced remaining in the league.

Garnett was a major trail blazer for the current generation of NBA stars, jumping straight to the league from high school, the first player in 20 years to do so, but his success caused many to follow in his footsteps, from future stars like Kobe, LeBron, and Amare to busts like Korleone Young, DeSagana Diop, and Kwame Brown. Four of the 5 active players among my top 20 did not attend college, and who knows if that wouldn't have happened without Garnett taking a risk in 1995.

Garnett was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and it is because of him that the franchise even has any history to celebrate. They made the playoffs for the first time in Garnett's second year, which started a string of 8 consecutive playoff appearances, since which they have not returned to the postseason. Garnett was the team's best player every time they made the playoffs, and during that run he missed a total of 11 games, an incredible feat for a player who looks so fragile.

The eighth year of that run was a magical one for Garnett and the Timberwolves. It was the only time in franchise history that the Wolves won a playoff series, and they actually won two of them, advancing clear to the Western Conference Finals, where the Lakers dispatched them on their way to a three-peat. Garnett was named the MVP that season, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he deserved it. In my opinion, the only more dominant season in the last 20 years was Shaq's 2000 campaign. Here is a comparison of Garnett and Kobe Bryant, his nearest competitor, from that season:

Garnett - 24.2 pts, 13.9 reb, 5.0 ast, 1.5 stl, 2.2 blk, .499 FG%, .791 FT%
Bryant - 24.0 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.1 ast, 1.7 stl, 0.4 blk, .438 FG%, .852 FT%

I don't think I even need to do any explanation as to why Garnett was the MVP, because the numbers do the talking. In NBA history, there have only been six times that a player has bested Garnett's scoring, rebounding, and assists numbers from that season in any single year. It was done by Wilt three times, Kareem twice, and Elgin Baylor once. The most recent of those seasons was Kareem in 1976, and it hasn't been done by anyone but Garnett since.

After that season the Timberwolves sank back into mediocrity, with Garnett toiling away as a superstar on a bad team, until the summer of 2007, when he was rescued by the Boston Celtics, who had decided they wanted to pursue a championship, since it had been over a decade since they had really tried, and with Garnett leading the way, Boston won their first title in over two decades. Paul Pierce was named the Finals MVP, but I think the award should have gone to Garnett, and here are the stats from the playoffs to back up my point:

Garnett - 20.4 pts, 10.5 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.3 stl, 1.1 blk, .495 FG%, .810 FT%
Pierce - 19.7 pts, 5.0 reb, 4.6 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.3 blk, .441 FG%, .802 FT%

Okay, now I'm no expert (well, maybe I am), but when one player is better in 6 of 7 statistical categories, and the other is reasonably close, that player is better, especially since being teammates eliminates the pace factor from the argument. Garnett was the MVP of the 2008 Finals, but Celtics fans helped select Pierce because he stuck with the team through the tough times.

Two years later, Boston returned to the NBA Finals, but this time Garnett was no longer the star, his body having finally worn down after playing over 1100 games in the NBA, but he was still one of the team's leaders, and he earned that second trip to the Finals, something very few superstars have gone without. In his career, Garnett won a championship, an MVP, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. He's a great all-around player, and he finally got to prove he was a winner while he was still a relevant superstar.

Barkley had a bit of a faster start to his career than Garnett, but the big man had caught up by his prime, and each peaked at the same level in his ninth season in the NBA. Overall, the chart of the two players is incredibly similar, and both had 16 years (not including the current one) in which to earn their spot on this list. There's one thing that separates Garnett from Barkley: the ring on his finger.

College Basketball Rankings - 20 Feb

The season is coming to a close, with just a couple weeks left in the regular season, so now is the time for teams to make their move, and two mid-major teams made huge statements this week and established themselves among the top 10 teams in my rankings. Kentucky began to pull away from the crowd and is looking like the current favorite to win the national title. Here are the updated rankings, with gaps between groups of teams representing different levels of performance.

TW. (LW) Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (ESPN)
1. (1) Kentucky (1-0) (26-1) -21.75 (1)

2. (2) Ohio State (1-1) (22-5) -19.16 (9)
3. (4) Kansas (2-0) (22-5) -18.85 (5)
4. (3) Michigan State (2-0) (22-5) -18.70 (6)

5. (5) North Carolina (2-0) (23-4) -18.11 (7)
6. (6) Syracuse (2-0) (27-1) -17.67 (2)

7. (8) Missouri (2-0) (25-2) -16.00 (3)
8. (11) Wichita State (2-0) (24-4) -15.81 (19)
9. (9) New Mexico (2-0) (22-4) -15.76 (21)
10. (10) Duke (2-0) (23-4) -15.37 (4)
11. (7) Wisconsin (1-1) (20-7) -14.96 (15)

12. (20) Florida (2-0) (21-6) -14.24 (11)

13. (16) Marquette (1-0) (22-5) -13.69 (10)
14. (15) Georgetown (1-0) (20-5) -13.55 (8)
15. (14) Belmont (1-0) (21-7) -13.51 (NR)
16. (13) Saint Louis (2-0) (22-5) -13.45 (30)

17. (12) Indiana (1-1) (20-7) -12.92 (24)

18. (18) Memphis (1-1) (19-8) -12.11 (NR)
19. (19) Louisville (1-1) (21-6) -11.87 (17)
20. (21) Baylor (1-1) (22-5) -11.55 (14)
21. (22) California (2-0) (22-6) -11.43 (28)
22. (NR) Vanderbilt (2-0) (19-8) -11.27 (33)
23. (23) Florida State (2-0) (19-7) -11.03 (16)
24. (17) UNLV (0-2) (22-6) -10.99 (20)
25. (24) BYU (2-0) (23-6) -10.96 (NR)

Dropped Out

(25) Texas (1-1) (17-10) -10.72 (NR)

Ranked Teams By Conference

Big 10 - 4
Big East - 4
Big 12 - 3 
ACC - 3
SEC - 3
MWC - 2
MVC - 1
Atl 10 - 1
Atl Sun - 1
CUSA - 1
Pac 12 - 1
WCC - 1


This week New Mexico got the chance to avenge both of its losses from the past 11 weeks, and it did so in style, beating both San Diego State and UNLV, the two ranked teams from the Mountain West, by double digits, and it just so happens that I predicted both of those upsets right here last week. They have cracked the national rankings for the first time this season, and they may get another chance against at least one of those teams in the conference tournament, which is only two weeks away.


Wisconsin lost for the second time this month, and while both were to teams ranked in my top 4, they still did not perform well enough in either game to make them seem like real contenders in the conference. The Badgers have only one bad loss all season, but they also only have 3 impressive wins, to go along with 6 losses to good teams. They just aren't quite the same caliber as the Buckeyes and Spartans.


Florida bounced back nicely from its first losing streak of the season by taking down both Alabama and Arkansas on the road this week, the latter by 30 points. That win gave the Razorbacks their first home loss of the season, so you can't say it was an easy win. They face a relatively easy week before closing the season with the two best teams remaining in their conference, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.


UNLV had a very tough week, starting off with an overtime loss at big underdog TCU, then escalating with a blowout loss at New Mexico, which gives them as many losses in the past 2 weeks as the rest of the season combined. The Rebels should be able to finish strong, because they don't face another truly tough team until the conference tournament.


Predictions


Upset picks are in italics.


Tuesday


(1) Kentucky at Mississippi State - Wildcats by 11
Kansas State at (3) Missouri - Tigers by 12
(7) North Carolina at North Carolina State - Tar Heels by 6
(8) Georgetown at Seton Hall - Pirates by 1
Illinois at (9) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 20
Auburn at (11) Florida - Gators by 21
(13) Michigan at Northwestern - Wildcats by 2
(21) New Mexico at Colorado State - Lobos by 6


Wednesday


South Florida at (2) Syracuse - Orange by 18
(5) Kansas at Texas A&M - Jayhawks by 12
(6) Michigan State at Minnesota - Spartans by 7
Rutgers at (10) Marquette - Golden Eagles by 17
West Virginia at (18) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 6
(19) Wichita State at Illinois State - Shockers by 7
Boise State at (20) UNLV - Rebels by 16
(22) Temple at LaSalle - Explorers by 4
North Carolina Central at (24) Indiana - Hoosiers by 23
Wyoming at (25) San Diego State - Aztecs by 5
East Carolina at Memphis - Tigers by 17
South Carolina at Vanderbilt - Commodores by 19


Thursday


(4) Duke at (16) Florida State - Seminoles by 1
(12) Murray State at Tennessee State - Racers by 1
(15) Wisconsin at Iowa - Badgers by 7
(17) Louisville at Cincinnati - Bearcats by 2
(23) Saint Mary's at Portland - Gaels by 9
Belmont at Kennesaw State - Bruins by 21
California at Utah - Golden Bears by 18
BYU at Gonzaga - Bulldogs by 4


Friday


(10) Marquette at West Virginia - Mountaineers by 2


Saturday


Vanderbilt at (1) Kentucky - Wildcats by 16
(2) Syracuse at Connecticut - Orange by 4
(3) Missouri at (5) Kansas - Jayhawks by 9
Virginia Tech at (4) Duke - Blue Devils by 17
Nebraska at (6) Michigan State - Spartans by 24
(7) North Carolina at Virginia - Tar Heels by 2
Villanova at (8) Georgetown - Hoyas by 15
(11) Florida at Georgia - Gators by 6
(12) Murray State at Tennessee Tech - Racers by 4
Purdue at (13) Michigan - Wolverines by 9
Oklahoma at (14) Baylor - Bears by 15
(18) Notre Dame at Saint Johns - Fighting Irish by 6
Drake at (19) Wichita State - Shockers by 23
Air Force at (20) UNLV - Rebels by 20
(21) New Mexico at TCU - Lobos by 11
(22) Temple at Saint Joseph - Hawks by 3
(23) Saint Mary's at San Francisco - Gaels by 1
Colorado State at (25) San Diego State - Aztecs by 6
Saint Louis at Rhode Island - Billikens by 14
Belmont at Mercer - Bruins by 3
Memphis at Marshall - Tigers by 1
Portland at BYU - Cougars by 25


Sunday


(15) Wisconsin at (9) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 10
(16) Florida State at Miami - Hurricanes by 3
Pittsburgh at (17) Louisville - Cardinals by 13
(24) Indiana at Minnesota - Hoosiers by 1
California at Colorado - Golden Bears by 1


Prediction Results


College Basketball: 37-15 (.712) 434-110 overall (.798)
Upsets: 3-4 (.429) 41-29 overall (.586)

NBA Rankings - 19 Feb

This week a different state became the NBA hot spot, displacing the Texas triangle's dominance from last week, and one of those teams is now the top team in the league, both in my rankings and by overall record. Meanwhile, Charlotte actually won a game, although it was nowhere near enough to pull them from the cellar, where they will likely remain for the remainder of the season. With just 4.5 days left till All-Star Weekend, here are the current rankings of all 30 NBA teams, with gaps between groups of teams representing differing levels of performance.

TW. Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (LW)
1. Miami (5-0) (25-7) -10.64 (4)

2. Chicago (2-1) (25-8) -8.64 (1)
3. Oklahoma City (2-1) (23-7) -7.89 (6)
4. San Antonio (3-0) (22-9) -7.56 (2)

5. Philadelphia (1-2) (20-11) -5.85 (3)
6. Dallas (3-1) (20-12) -5.81 (7)
7. LA Clippers (2-2) (19-10) -5.04 (9)
8. Portland (2-2) (17-15) -4.49 (5)

9. LA Lakers (2-0) (18-12) -3.44 (12)
10. Orlando (3-1) (20-12) -3.31 (16)
11. Denver (1-2) (17-14) -3.02 (10)
12. Houston (1-3) (17-14) -2.57 (8)
13. Memphis (4-1) (18-14) -2.50 (11)
14. Atlanta (1-3) (19-12) -2.27 (13)
15. Minnesota (2-1) (15-16) -1.64 (17)
16. New York (3-1) (16-16) -1.29 (18)
17. Boston (0-2) (15-14) -1.18 (15)
18. Indiana (1-2) (18-12) -1.16 (14)

19. Golden State (2-3) (11-17) 0.07 (19)
20. Utah (2-2) (15-14) 0.28 (20)
21. Milwaukee (0-3) (12-18) 0.95 (22)
22. Cleveland (1-1) (11-17) 1.82 (23)
23. Phoenix (0-4) (12-19) 1.86 (21)

24. New Orleans (3-0) (7-23) 3.34 (26)

25. Toronto (0-3) (9-23) 4.53 (25)
26. Detroit (2-2) (10-22) 4.71 (27)
27. Sacramento (0-3) (10-20) 5.03 (24)
28. New Jersey (1-2) (9-23) 5.36 (28)
29. Washington (2-2) (7-24) 6.30 (29)

30. Charlotte (1-2) (4-26) 11.23 (30)

Hot

Miami has been living up to their team nickname this week, with 5 wins in 5 games, each of which was by double digits, with the first four coming on the road, and the final one coming today against Orlando after they returned from a 6-game road trip. Each of the Heat's Big Three made appearances on my MVP rankings this morning, and they should easily win their 7th straight on Tuesday before the streaking Knicks come to town Thursday in a game that should be a lot of fun to watch.

Orlando lost only once this week, and the loss came to Miami, so each game played by these two teams this week was won by a team from Florida, making the Sunshine State the hottest one this week. All of their victories came over playoff contenders, and Dwight Howard has to be excited to see Milwaukee tomorrow for the third time in 10 days, since he blocked four shots in each of the last two matchups.

Not

Indiana let its losing streak stretch to five games before finally beating the New Jersey Nets on Thursday, in what happened to be the Pacers' third game in three nights. Thankfully for them, their three games this week are against Charlotte and New Orleans, two teams which have combined for only 11 wins all season, so they may be able to at least feel like they're playing well before the break.

Houston had an odd week. After being smoking hot last week, they lost three times this week, to Golden State, Memphis, and Minnesota, but they did pull out one last-second victory this week, over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. They close out the first half of their season with a 3-game homestand against some decent competition, but they'll have to perform better than this past week if they want to compete for a playoff spot.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Sunday

Sacramento at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 6
Boston at Detroit - Celtics by 3
Charlotte at Indiana - Pacers by 15
Utah at Houston - Rockets by 6
Philadelphia at Minnesota - 76ers by 1
Milwaukee at New Jersey - Bucks by 2
Denver at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 8
LA Lakers at Phoenix - Lakers by 2

Monday

Atlanta at Chicago - Bulls by 9
New Jersey at New York - Knicks by 10
Boston at Dallas - Mavericks by 8
Memphis at Houston - Rockets by 3
Orlando at Milwaukee - Magic by 1
New Orleans at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 14
Washington at Phoenix - Suns by 7
Minnesota at Denver - Nuggets by 4
San Antonio at Utah - Spurs by 5
LA Clippers at Golden State - Clippers by 2
Portland at LA Lakers - Lakers by 2

Tuesday

Detroit at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 6
New Orleans at Indiana - Pacers by 7
Sacramento at Miami - Heat by 19
Philadelphia at Memphis - 76ers by 1
San Antonio at Portland - Spurs by 1

Wednesday

New Orleans at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 4
Boston at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 10
Sacramento at Washington - Wizards by 2
Detroit at Toronto - Raptors by 3
Indiana at Charlotte - Pacers by 10
Orlando at New Jersey - Magic by 6
Atlanta at New York - Knicks by 2
Milwaukee at Chicago - Bulls by 13
Philadelphia at Houston - 76ers by 1
Utah at Minnesota - Timberwolves by 5
Golden State at Phoenix - Suns by 1
LA Lakers at Dallas - Mavericks by 5
Denver at LA Clippers - Clippers by 5

Thursday

New York at Miami - Heat by 12
Orlando at Atlanta - Hawks by 2
San Antonio at Denver - Spurs by 2
LA Lakers at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 7

Prediction Results

NBA: 36-16 (.692) 172-97 overall (.639)
Upsets: 9-2 (.818) 32-25 overall (.561)

NBA MVP Rankings - 19 Feb

There are two new players joining the MVP rankings this week, one that has been here a lot in years past, and one that has not because of a more famous teammate with multiple MVP trophies, but who has established himself as the team leader and is leading his team on the longest winning streak of any team this season. Here are my updated MVP and Most Improved Player Rankings, with rising players in green and falling players in red.

Most Valuable Player

1. LeBron James - MIA - 28.0 pts, 8.1 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.7 stl, .546 FG%, .390 3P%, .764 FT%

Miami has won 5 straight road games by at least 15 points, and LeBron has been leading them in his typical outstanding fashion. At Milwaukee on Monday he scored 35 points on 16-21 shooting as Miami won in the second of three games in three nights. They were the first team in over 30 years to win three road games in three nights, and the first team in over 40 years to win all three by at least 10 points.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 26.8 pts, 8.2 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.3 blk, 1.2 stl, .508 FG%, .343 3P%, .828 FT%

Durant has been great this year, and he has the Thunder sitting at the top of the West, as they have all year, but he is probably going to have to settle for another second place finish if LeBron and Miami continue to dominate the East. Durant's best game of the week came in their lone loss at Houston, but he did have a perfect week from the free throw line, where he hasn't missed since February 9th.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 22.6 pts, 4.9 reb, 5.4 ast, 2.0 stl, .469 FG%, .803 FT%

Thunder fans received a scare on Friday when Westbrook went down with a sprained ankle in a blowout victory over Golden State, but Westbrook says he is fine and will play today against Denver, so Oklahoma City can breathe a sigh of relief. Westbrook hit exactly half of his shots this week, but he has not been passing the ball as well lately, handing out fewer than 5 assists in each of his last 5 appearances.

4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 28.9 pts, 5.9 reb, 5.0 ast, 1.2 stl, .440 FG%, .842 FT%

Kobe went off against Phoenix on Friday night, scoring 36 points in 35 minutes of action while grabbing 9 rebounds and handing out 6 assists and generally looking like the MVP he once was. However, in his previous game against Atlanta, he scored only 10 points on 5-18 shooting while turning the ball over 5 times.  One MVP performance and one crappy performance cancel each other out, leaving Kobe at #4.

5. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.3 pts, 15.3 reb, 1.9 ast, 2.2 blk, 1.4 stl, .553 FG%, .501 FT%

Howard did not put up his usual gaudy numbers during the first 3 games of Orlando's current winning streak, but he more than made up for it against Milwaukee on Friday, recording his 7th 20-20 game of the season and shooting a better percentage from the free throw line than from the field (it's true, you can look it up). He also blocked 4 shots against the Bucks in each of their 2 games this week, making a strong case for his 4th straight Defensive Player of the Year award.

6. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.2 pts, 11.4 reb, 2.9 ast, .532 FG%, .533 FT%

Griffin scored at least 20 points in all 5 of LA's games this week, hitting over half of his shots in each of those games as well, while hitting nearly 60% of his free throws, which is a major accomplishment for him this year. Last night against the red-hot Spurs, he put up a 20-20 game of his own, although it wasn't quite enough to prevent San Antonio from winning their 10th straight game.

7. Chris Bosh - MIA - 18.5 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.1 ast, .490 FG%, .816 FT%

I thought that Bosh would be gone by now, with Wade back in the lineup, but he has been reinventing himself as a big man lately, grabbing more than 10 rebounds per game over the past week and shooting only one shot from beyond the three-point line, where he used to shoot much more often. He did struggle to hit shots this week, but with two of the best scorers in the NBA on his team, he doesn't really have to.

8. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.8 pts, 14.2 reb, 1.8 ast, .464 FG%, .366 3P%, .835 FT%

Since returning from suspension, Love has scored at least 30 points in 4 of Minnesota's 5 games, and he has grabbed an average of 16.6 rebounds in those games as well while lighting it up from all over the court. It almost seems that he is trying to prove that he deserves the spot he was given on the All-Star team, and you won't hear any arguments from me.

9. Tony Parker - SAS - 19.4 pts, 2.8 reb, 7.8 ast, 1.0 stl, .456 FG%, .800 FT%

Parker has been incredible all month, scoring over 30 points 4 times, including 42 points in San Antonio's huge upset of the Thunder on the eve of their long road trip, and he's not slowing down. You would think that scoring all those points would prevent him from sharing the ball, but he's also recorded at least 10 assists in each of the last two games to go along with those 30+ points, and San Antonio has won 10 games in a row.

10. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 21.9 pts, 4.3 reb, 4.7 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.6 stl, .493 FG%, .805 FT%

Wade is rounding into shape for Miami, scoring over 20 points per game over their current 5-game winning streak while playing only 26 minutes per game. Once his minutes get bumped back up to the 36 he's used to, look for his stats to take a nice jump as well. For now, he has to be mentioned here, even if he's not anywhere near the player he has been in the past.

Dropping Out

LaMarcus Aldridge - POR
Derrick Rose - CHI

Honorable Mention

James Harden - OKC
Pau Gasol - LAL

Most Improved Player

1. Jeremy Lin - NYK - +10.9 pts, +1.2 reb, +3.7 ast, +.102 FG%, +.080 3P%

Entering this month, Jeremy Lin's career high in scoring was 13 points, a figure he has now eclipsed 7 times in 8 games. There has never been a player who has suddenly emerged like this from the end of the bench to become a star in such a short period, and it just seems like the script of a Hollywood sports movie, but this is happening. Unless it turns out that these two weeks have been a fluke, which I highly doubt, there is no competition for this award.

2. Ryan Anderson - ORL - +6.2 pts, +1.7 reb, +0.1 ast, +.022 FG%, +.047 3P%, +.036 FT%

In a normal season, Anderson would be a very strong contender for this award, as he has improved across the board in a big way and become a great outside complement to Dwight Howard, but this is not a normal season in any way, but he is still the leader in the Second Most Improved Player Rankings.

3. Greg Monroe - DET - +6.8 pts, +2.1 reb, +1.1 ast, +.193 FT%

Monroe played his way into a starting role toward the end of his rookie year, and this year he has been even better. He has proven to be a real starting power forward, crashing the boards and scoring points in the paint, but he has been very inconsistent this week, with his scoring looking like a roller coaster, going from 27 to 4 to 22 to 3 over four games.

4. Jeff Teague - ATL - +7.0 pts, +0.5 reb, +2.7 ast, +1.1 stl, +.027 FG%, +.063 3P%

Teague seems to be slipping back into reality a bit, showing inconsistency everywhere but beyond the three-point line. Atlanta has been doing the same lately, losing 3 of their four games this week and falling behind Orlando in the race for home court in the first round. Atlanta's fortunes seem to follow Teague.

5. Marcin Gortat - PHX - +5.2 pts, +2.4 reb, +0.1 ast, +0.5 blk

Though many have yet to realize it, Marcin Gortat is the best player on the Phoenix Suns, despite the fact that a certain former MVP was named to the All-Star team instead of him. Gortat is leading Phoenix in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and shooting percentage even though just one year ago he was not even a starter and was getting only 15 minutes a game for Orlando.

Dropping Out

Marc Gasol - MEM

Honorable Mention

Paul George - IND
James Harden - OKC
Marc Gasol - MEM

College Basketball Rankings - 13 Feb

An unexpected loss by the Buckeyes, who have held the top spot in my rankings for weeks, finally opened up the top spot for somebody else, and that somebody happens to be the team that most of the country sees as the best. All three teams that jumped into my top 25 this week are returning after spending a good chunk of the season up here, and they've all finally done enough to bring them back to the rankings. Here are the current top 25 teams, with gaps between groups of teams representing differing levels of performance.

TW. (LW) Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (ESPN)
1. (2) Kentucky (2-0) (25-1) -22.15 (1)

2. (1) Ohio State (1-1) (21-4) -19.89 (6)

3. (6) Michigan State (2-0) (20-5) -17.92 (8)
4. (5) Kansas (2-0) (20-5) -17.46 (5)
5. (3) North Carolina (1-1) (21-4) -17.38 (7)
6. (4) Syracuse (2-0) (25-1) -17.26 (2)

7. (7) Wisconsin (1-0) (19-6) -16.18 (17)

8. (8) Missouri (2-0) (23-2) -15.21 (3)
9. (9) New Mexico (1-0) (20-4) -15.15 (31)
10. (11) Duke (2-0) (21-4) -14.95 (4)

11. (17) Wichita State (2-0) (22-4) -14.21 (26)
12. (10) Indiana (1-0) (19-6) -14.19 (20)
13. (15) Saint Louis (2-0) (20-5) -13.89 (38)

14. (21) Belmont (2-0) (20-7) -13.29 (NR)
15. (19) Georgetown (1-1) (19-5) -13.27 (9)
16. (20) Marquette (2-0) (21-5) -13.19 (13)
17. (12) UNLV (1-0) (22-4) -12.72 (11)
18. (NR) Memphis (2-0) (18-7) -12.47 (NR)
19. (23) Louisville (2-0) (20-5) -12.25 (18)
20. (13) Florida (0-2) (19-6) -11.88 (12)
21. (14) Baylor (0-2) (21-4) -11.55 (10)
22. (NR) California (2-0) (20-6) -11.49 (33)
23. (18) Florida State (1-1) (17-7) -11.19 (21)
24. (NR) BYU (1-0) (21-6) -10.99 (NR)
25. (25) Texas (3-0) (16-9) -10.86 (NR)

Dropped Out

(16) Creighton (0-2) (21-5) -10.17 (28)
(24) Iona (1-1) (20-6) -9.69 (NR)
(22) Saint Mary's (1-1) (23-3) -9.10 (16)

Ranked Teams by Conference

Big 10 - 4
Big 12 - 4
Big East - 4
ACC - 3
SEC - 2
MWC - 2
MVC - 1
Atl 10 - 1
Atl Sun - 1
CUSA - 1
Pac 12 - 1
WCC - 1

Wichita State upset the Creighton Bluejays on the road Saturday, avenging one of their two conference losses and marking themselves as one of the best mid-major teams in the country. Even more impressive than just winning was how they did it, leading for the last 34 minutes of the game and extending their lead consistently throughout the game. They still only have one loss in 2012, and that came at Drake in triple overtime in a game that they lost because their two best players fouled out in that final period.

My favorite small-conference school from last year is back. The Belmont Bruins, while not as dominant as they were a year ago, are once again on top of their conference's standings, and losses to Duke, Memphis, and Middle Tennessee are all starting to look pretty good. They face conference co-leader Mercer on the road to close the season, but I feel pretty good about them winning and returning to March Madness.

Memphis brought themselves back into the top 25 with a blowout of UAB, but they don't really have a chance to prove themselves to the doubters anymore, with no ranked teams left on their schedule. A move to the Big East in a couple years will help them, but not this year. At least all 5 of their non-conference losses came to teams that are currently ranked, and that win over Belmont to open the season is pretty nice, too.

Florida was looking pretty strong until this week, when they were blown out by #1 Kentucky, then failed to recover from that loss and took a defeat at home to the Tennessee Volunteers. They are facing a dangerous week with visits to Alabama and Arkansas, and they may not be able to afford a loss in either game.

Baylor established themselves as being a second-tier member of the Big 12 by allowing both the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers to complete season sweeps against them, and even though those are their only 4 losses, only one of the four was even close, which makes this team very tough to read. For now, they have still done enough to keep them in the top 25, but they need to win the rest of their games and make a strong showing in the conference tournament if they really want to make me believe.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Tuesday

(6) Ohio State at Minnesota - Buckeyes by 7
(11) UNLV at TCU - Rebels by 8
(12) Florida at Alabama - Crimson Tide by 3
(22) Virginia at Clemson - Cavaliers by 1
(23) Mississippi State at LSU - Tigers by 5
Texas at Oklahoma - Longhorns by 2

Wednesday

Oklahoma State at (3) Missouri - Tigers by 19
(7) North Carolina at Miami - Tar Heels by 3
(14) Murray State at Southeast Missouri State - Racers by 3
New Mexico at (15) San Diego State - Lobos by 3
Loyola Marymount at (16) Saint Mary's - Gaels by 16
Northwestern at (20) Indiana - Hoosiers by 15
Rutgers at (25) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 13
Missouri State at Wichita State - Shockers by 14
Richmond at Saint Louis - Billikens by 18
Memphis at Tulane - Tigers by 6

Thursday

North Carolina State at (4) Duke - Blue Devils by 14
(17) Wisconsin at (8) Michigan State - Spartans by 8
Virginia Tech at (21) Florida State - Seminoles by 13
(24) Gonzaga at Santa Clara - Bulldogs by 13
Oregon at California - Golden Bears by 13
BYU at San Francisco - Cougars by 5

Saturday

Mississippi at (1) Kentucky - Wildcats by 25
(3) Missouri at Texas A&M - Tigers by 9
Texas Tech at (5) Kansas - Wildcats by 28
(6) Ohio State at (19) Michigan - Buckeyes by 3
Clemson at (7) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 19
(9) Georgetown at Providence - Hoyas by 6
Kansas State at (10) Baylor - Bears by 8
(11) UNLV at New Mexico - Lobos by 8
(12) Florida at Arkansas - Gators by 3
(13) Marquette at Connecticut - Huskies by 1
(16) Saint Mary's at (14) Murray State - Racers by 3
(15) San Diego State at Air Force - Aztecs by 5
(18) Louisville at DePaul - Cardinals by 8
(21) Florida State at North Carolina State - Wolfpack by 2
Maryland at (22) Virginia - Cavaliers by 15
(23) Mississippi State at Auburn - Bulldogs by 1
(24) Gonzaga at San Francisco - Bulldogs by 4
(25) Notre Dame at Villanova - Wildcats by 2
Wichita State at Davidson - Shockers by 1
Fordham at Saint Louis - Billikens by 29
East Tennessee State at Belmont - Bruins by 18
Texas at Oklahoma State - Longhorns by 2
Oregon State at California - Golden Bears by 13
UTEP at Memphis - Tigers by 18
BYU at Santa Clara - Cougars by 14

Sunday

(2) Syracuse at Rutgers - Orange by 9
(4) Duke at Boston College - Blue Devils by 15
(8) Michigan State at Purdue - Spartans by 5
Penn State at (17) Wisconsin - Badgers by 21
(20) Indiana at Iowa - Hoosiers by 7

Prediction Results

College Basketball: 30-13 (.698) 397-95 overall (.807)
Upsets: 3-2 (.600) 38-25 overall (.603)

NBA Rankings - 12 Feb

This week was the hardest one of the entire season to predict, with the unexpected emergence of Jeremy Lin and the Knicks along with the collapse of the Denver Nuggets, with a lot of other surprising results in between. The best team and worst team remain the same, but nearly every team in between moved one way or the other. Here are the updated rankings, including the first two games from today, with gaps between groups of teams representing different levels of performance.

TW. Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (LW)
1. Chicago (3-1) (23-7) -7.90 (1)

2. San Antonio (3-0) (19-9) -6.19 (6)

3. Philadelphia (2-2) (19-9) -5.28 (4)
4. Miami (2-1) (20-7) -5.04 (3)

5. Portland (1-3) (15-13) -4.49 (2)
6. Oklahoma City (3-1) (21-6) -4.44 (7)

7. Dallas (3-0) (17-11) -2.75 (13)
8. Houston (3-0) (16-11) -2.50 (16)
9. LA Clippers (3-1) (17-8) -2.29 (11)
10. Denver (1-3) (16-12) -1.91 (5)
11. Memphis (2-1) (14-13) -1.87 (12)
12. LA Lakers (2-2) (16-12) -1.73 (9)
13. Atlanta (2-1) (18-9) -1.67 (10)

14. Indiana (1-3) (17-10) -0.83 (8)

15. Boston (2-2) (15-12) 0.42 (15)
16. Orlando (2-2) (17-11) 0.49 (19)
17. Minnesota (1-3) (13-15) 0.80 (14)

18. New York (4-0) (13-15) 1.46 (20)

19. Golden State (1-1) (9-14) 2.27 (21)
20. Utah (0-3) (13-12) 2.38 (17)
21. Phoenix (3-1) (12-15) 2.75 (23)
22. Milwaukee (2-2) (12-15) 2.80 (18)

23. Cleveland (1-3) (10-16) 4.64 (22)

24. Sacramento (2-2) (10-17) 6.17 (27)
25. Toronto (1-3) (9-20) 6.59 (25)
26. New Orleans (0-3) (4-23) 6.75 (24)

27. Detroit (2-0) (8-20) 8.01 (28)

28. New Jersey (0-4) (8-21) 9.34 (26)

29. Washington (1-2) (5-22) 12.04 (29)

30. Charlotte (0-3) (3-24) 16.13 (30)

Hot

The hottest state in the league right now is definitely Texas, where the three teams that call the Lone Star State home went a combined 9-0 this week and all moved into the top 10 of my weekly rankings. The Spurs, with 7 straight wins, own the league's longest active winning streak, and are now ranked as the best team in the West, and Tony Parker is now getting some serious consideration as a potential MVP candidate.

Sacramento also deserves at least a mention for the recent run they've had, winning 4 of 5 to start the month of February, including a huge upset of the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in their only nationally televised game of the season. They are spending the next two weeks in the East, and they are facing some of the hottest teams around, so they probably won't be seen here again next week.

Cold

The Nuggets, who just two weeks ago were sitting in second place in the Western Conference, chose a horrible time to go cold, losing 7 of their past 9 games, including a couple to teams that don't have much of a chance at making the playoffs. If they don't get the ship righted soon, they may find themselves on the outside looking in when the playoffs start, even though they were the talk of the Western Conference at the end of January.

You know you're in a slump when you lose to the other team that is considered cold, which is exactly what the Pacers did last night when they brought the ice-cold Nuggets to town, looking to break out of a slump of their own, but they were unable to continue Denver's slide, and now Indiana has lost three in a row and has Miami up next. Maybe Indiana didn't deserve an All-Star after all.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Sunday

Washington at Detroit - Pistons by 7
Miami at Atlanta - Heat by 1
Houston at Golden State - Rockets by 2
Utah at Memphis - Grizzlies by 7

Monday

Minnesota at Orlando - Magic by 3
Philadelphia at Charlotte - 76ers by 18
Utah at New Orleans - Jazz by 1
Miami at Milwaukee - Heat by 5
LA Clippers at Dallas - Mavericks by 3
Phoenix at Golden State - Warriors by 3

Tuesday

Miami at Indiana - Heat by 1
New York at Toronto - Knicks by 2
San Antonio at Detroit - Spurs by 11
Sacramento at Chicago - Bulls by 17
Utah at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 10
Houston at Memphis - Grizzlies by 2
Phoenix at Denver - Nuggets by 8
Washington at Portland - Trail Blazers by 20
Atlanta at LA Lakers - Lakers by 3

Wednesday

Philadelphia at Orlando - 76ers by 3
San Antonio at Toronto - Spurs by 10
Detroit at Boston - Celtics by 11
Indiana at Cleveland - Pacers by 2
Memphis at New Jersey - Grizzlies by 8
Sacramento at New York - Knicks by 8
Oklahoma City at Houston - Rockets by 1
New Orleans at Milwaukee - Bucks by 7
Charlotte at Minnesota - Timberwolves by 18
Denver at Dallas - Mavericks by 4
Atlanta at Phoenix - Hawks by 1
Portland at Golden State - Trail Blazers by 4
Washington at LA Clippers - Clippers by 17

Thursday

New Jersey at Indiana - Pacers by 13
Boston at Chicago - Bulls by 11
LA Clippers at Portland - Trail Blazers by 5

Friday

Milwaukee at Orlando - Magic by 5
Charlotte at Toronto - Raptors by 13
Miami at Cleveland - Heat by 7
Sacramento at Detroit - Pistons by 1
Minnesota at Houston - Rockets by 6
New Orleans at New York - Knicks by 8
Dallas at Philadelphia - 76ers by 6
Golden State at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 10
Denver at Memphis - Grizzlies by 3
Washington at Utah - Jazz by 13
Phoenix at LA Lakers - Lakers by 7

Saturday

San Antonio at LA Clippers - Spurs by 1
New Jersey at Chicago - Bulls by 20
Golden State at Memphis - Grizzlies by 7
Atlanta at Portland - Trail Blazers by 6

Sunday

Dallas at New York - Mavericks by 1
Orlando at Miami - Heat by 9

Prediction Results 

NBA: 26-27 (.491) 136-81 overall (.627)
Upsets: 4-8 (.333) 23-23 overall (.500)

NBA MVP Rankings - 11 Feb

Jeremy Lin may be the talk of the NBA right now, and rightfully so, but one week of outstanding play is not enough to earn you a spot on this list, although if he plays this well for the rest of the season it would be no surprise to find him fighting for a spot in the top 5. At this point, however, there are plenty of other guys who have been doing it every night all season long, and this post is dedicated to them. As usual, the players who are rising this week are marked in green, and those that are falling are marked in red. I have also ranked the top 5 sixth men below.

Most Valuable Player

1. LeBron James - MIA - 28.1 pts, 8.0 reb, 7.0 ast, 1.7 stl, .542 FG%, .370 3P%, .752 FT%

LeBron did not have the most dominant week, averaging only 22 points per game, and he has failed to score even 20 points in his past two games, and the Heat even lost in Orlando this week, but he is still the top MVP candidate today. How is that possible? He has been so much better than anybody else so far this season that he could afford to have an "off-week," although most players would be pretty happy to play as well as James does when he's not on top of his game. His lead has narrowed, so another bad week could cost him the top spot.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.0 pts, 8.2 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.2 stl, .505 FG%, .815 FT%

Durant is closing the gap on James this week, but two losses, along with his first game with fewer than 20 points since January 3rd, kept him from becoming the MVP front-runner and kept the Thunder from holding on to the league's best record, although they have managed to stay atop the West as the favorites to make the NBA Finals.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 22.9 pts, 4.9 reb, 5.7 ast, 2.1 stl, .466 FG%, .810 FT%

While Durant has not been scoring quite as much for the Thunder lately, Russell Westbrook has stepped up and put in the points they needed. Over the past 4 games he has averaged 30 points, and in the past 3 he has shot above 50% from the field as well, making him very efficient as well. To top it all off, he recorded 5 steals last night in Utah as the Thunder held off a late Jazz rally and proved that their loss to Sacramento was a fluke and that they are still the team to beat in the West, and you've just seen the two biggest reasons why.

4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 29.4 pts, 6.0 reb, 5.2 ast, 1.1 stl, .442 FG%, .848 FT%

Kobe scored a lot of points this week once again, but he did it while shooting only 40% from the field, and as a result of all those misses, the Lakers won only one game this week, an overtime victory over the Celtics on Thursday. In that game, it was not Bryant, but Pau Gasol who was the hero, tipping in Kobe's miss near the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, and blocking Ray Allen's potential game-winner in overtime to seal LA's victory.

5. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.2 pts, 11.0 reb, 3.1 ast, 1.0 stl, .533 FG%, .521 FT%

After a horrendous 1 for 7 night from the line against Washington last Saturday, Blake Griffin suddenly remembered how to make free throws, hitting 15 of his last 19, even though he missed the only two he attempted yesterday. LA's upset win in Philadelphia last night moved the Clippers up to second place in the Western Conference, a spot they have not reached at any point in my memory. It may not be long before we're seeing two members of the Clippers on the MVP watch, which normally would be unheard of.

6. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 23.0 pts, 8.4 reb, 2.8 ast, 1.1 stl, .511 FG%, .788 FT%

It's a little strange to see Aldridge moving up the MVP rankings after two consecutive games with fewer than 15 points, but this move has a little more to do with injuries to other players than to his own performance this week. He did score 39 points against Oklahoma City on Monday, but it was enough for Portland to take down the West leaders, as they fell to the Thunder 111-107.

7. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.9 pts, 15.5 reb, 2.0 ast, 2.1 blk, 1.5 stl, .565 FG%, .491 FT%

In Wednesday night's impressive 102-89 victory over the Miami Heat, Dwight Howard recorded 25 points and 24 rebounds, marking his 6th 20-20 game of the season, which gives him as many 20-20 games this year as every other player in the league combined. If the Magic hadn't lost to the Clippers and Hawks this week, there is a very good chance that Howard would be sitting ahead of Blake Griffin in the top 5, where a man of his talents definitely belongs.

8. Chris Bosh - MIA - 19.4 pts, 7.9 reb, 2.1 ast, .509 FG%, .820 FT%

Bosh came very close to falling from the MVP leaders this week before saving himself for another week with 24 points and 11 rebounds in Miami's victory over the Washington Wizards last night. Before that, he had scored between 9 and 15 in 6 straight games, and it's very likely that this will be his final week on this list, with Dwyane Wade back and making a strong push to be Miami's second potential MVP.

9. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.3 pts, 13.6 reb, 1.8 ast, 1.0 stl, .453 FG%, .368 3P%, .829 FT%

In the two games he played this week, Love was great, putting up 25 against Houston and 32 against Dallas, but he missed the two games in between due to a suspension for stomping on Luis Scola's head. Without him on the court, the Wolves lost at Memphis, and the outcome could have been different if the best player on either team had been allowed to take the court, and Minnesota would have been able to boast of a record above .500 as well.

10. Derrick Rose - CHI - 22.0 pts, 3.4 reb, 7.8 ast, .462 FG%, .841 FT%

Rose played sparingly this week, totaling only 10 points in 33 minutes since Sunday, but this time the time off is due to a back injury, rather than the toe injury that kept him out earlier this season. Chicago continues to win without its MVP on the court, which has allowed Carlos Boozer to start making a push for a spot among the top 10, but that will have to wait for another week.

Honorable Mention

Tony Parker - SAS
Carlos Boozer - CHI
Pau Gasol - LAL

Sixth Man of the Year

1. James Harden - OKC - 16.6 pts, 4.1 reb, 3.4 ast, .463 FG%, .364 3P%, .863 FT%

If he didn't have two of the best players in the league as teammates, you might very well be seeing James Harden on the list above rather than this one, but Harden has improved so much in just his third season that he is currently running away with this award. This week he did exactly what was expected of him, but he did amp up his defense a little, averaging over 1.5 steals per game, including 4 against Golden State on Tuesday.

2. Lou Williams - PHI - 15.6 pts, 2.2 reb, 3.6 ast, .412 FG%, .380 3P%, .813 FT%

Williams has put up at least 10 points in every game so far this month, including back-to-back 20-point outings against the Lakers and Spurs, all without starting a single game this season. He has been a very consistent member of the team all year, which has enabled the 76ers to keep themselves in position for a division title for the first time in years.

3. Thaddeus Young - PHI - 12.4 pts, 4.5 reb, 1.1 ast, 1.3 stl, .512 FG%, .722 FT%

Young is another important part of a deep bench in Philadelphia, and although he is not putting up the same numbers he did as a full-time starter 3 years ago, he seems to be adjusting to his new role, and he has become more of an inside player, shooting only 25 of them over the past two seasons after jacking up over 300 of them in the previous two seasons. The result has been a 5% increase in his overall shooting percentage, which is important for a player with limited minutes.

4. Andre Miller - DEN - 10.9 pts, 3.8 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.2 stl, .475 FG%, .775 FT%

Miller has been shooting well, but not often, for the Nuggets lately, hitting 53% of his shots, but only scoring 9.8 points per game. During that stretch, the Nuggets have lost 5 straight games, which caused them to slip from #2 in the West all the way down to #8, hanging on for their playoff lives. Perhaps time is finally catching up to the 35-year-old, who played in his 1000th game as a pro last week against the Clippers.

5. Jason Terry - DAL - 14.8 pts, 1.6 reb, 3.6 ast, 1.3 stl, .425 FG%, .376 3P%, .873 FT%

Terry has been making quite a push lately to earn another Sixth Man award, scoring 34 points in a win over San Antonio, then putting up 25 against the Thunder just 3 nights later. He has also started to find his range again, hitting multiple 3-pointers in 5 different games over the last 3 weeks, including 4 at Cleveland last Saturday.

Dropping Out/Honorable Mention

Al Harrington - DEN
Evan Turner - PHI

Top 100 NBA Players: #20

Charles Barkley

(Kalb: #21, Simmons: #19, BBR: #13)

No player in the top 20 did more with less than Charles Barkley, who earned the nickname "The Round Mound of Rebound" because of his short, pudgy stature that didn't seem to lend itself to being a great rebounder, but Barkley didn't let that stop his, and he ended his career as the greatest rebounder under 6-6 in league history.

In his third season in the NBA, Barkley, generously listed at 6-6, led the entire league in rebounding, the shortest player ever to do so, with an average of 14.6 per game. But that wasn't all he did. He was also scoring 23 points per game and handing out nearly 5 assists while shooting nearly 60% from the field on a team that already featured a superstar by the name of Julius Erving.

In 1990, there was a bit of controversy when Barkley came in second in the MVP voting to Magic Johnson despite getting more first-place votes than the Lakers star. Even though those two were the ones that finished at the top of the voting the true MVP that year should have been Michael Jordan, with Barkley placed correctly at #2. Here are those three players' stats for that season:

Jordan - 33.6 pts, 6.9 reb, 6.3 ast, 2.8 stl, .526 FG%, .848 FT%
Barkley - 25.2 pts, 11.5 reb, 3.9 ast, 1.9 stl, .600 FG%, .749 FT%
Johnson - 22.3 pts, 6.6 reb, 11.5 ast, 1.7 stl, .480 FG%, .890 FT%

Looking at these three great players, it's tough to say which is best. Magic was among the league leaders in free throw percentage and assists, and Barkley was among the leaders in field goal percentage and rebounds. The difference is that Jordan was the league leader in both scoring and steals, and finished second among these three in the other four categories.

Three years later Barkley moved to the Phoenix Suns and became the third player ever to win the MVP in his first season after being traded as he led the Suns to the league's best record and their second trip ever to the NBA Finals. Once again that season, Barkley was really the second-best player, because Michael Jordan was still on the court. Here are those two player's stats from 1993:

Jordan - 32.6 pts, 6.7 reb, 5.5 ast, 2.8 stl, .495 FG%, .352 3P%, .837 FT%
Barkley - 25.6 pts, 12.2 reb, 5.1 ast, 1.6 stl, 1.0 blk, .520 FG%, .765 FT%

Once again, Jordan led the league in both scoring and steals, and by this time he had developed a reliable 3-point shot as well. The kicker was when the Bulls defeated the top-seeded Suns in the Finals as Jordan took home his 3rd straight Finals MVP award, while Barkley would never return to the penultimate series.

Two events that happened while Barkley was with his final team, the Houston Rockets, helped cement his legacy of always giving a little more than most would have normally expect of him. In his first game in Houston, he grabbed a career-high 33 rebounds, acknowledging the fact that he was no longer his team's primary scoring option and settling into a role as the guy who had to do the dirty work.

The other memorable happening was the way he ended his career. Early in the 1999-00 season, he suffered a major injury that most assumed would end his career, but Barkley worked very hard on rehabbing his injured quadriceps and returned for one final game in April, in which he was put into the game long enough to grab an offensive rebound and put it back in, after which he walked off the court to a standing ovation and retired immediately, ending his career on a positive rather than a negative note.

The biggest thing that prevented Barkley from progressing farther into the top 20 was that he is one of only 4 players remaining that never won an NBA championship, and he is the only member of the top 20 that played in the Finals only once. Despite his best efforts, which included a triple-double in the Finals against Chicago and 56 points in a first-round game against Golden State, he was never able to become a champion.

Barkley and Pettit had very similar career trajectories, so it is not easy to separate the two. Pettit won a championship, something that eluded Barkley, and led his team to a few other Finals, but Barkley's peak season was superior to Pettit's, and he remained a star-level player for several years after Pettit had called it quits.

College Basketball Rankings - 6 Feb

There were some big movers in this week's edition of the college basketball top 25, but the teams at the top only solidified their places with very strong showings all week long, widening the gap between the two best teams and the rest of the would-be contenders. Here are this week's updated rankings, with gaps between groups of teams representing differing levels of performance.

TW. (LW) Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (ESPN)
1. (1) Ohio State (1-0) (20-3) -22.77 (3)

2. (2) Kentucky (2-0) (23-1) -21.27 (1)

3. (5) North Carolina (2-0) (20-3) -17.99 (5)
4. (7) Syracuse (1-0) (23-1) -17.70 (2)
5. (4) Kansas (1-1) (18-5) -17.41 (10)

6. (3) Michigan State (1-1) (18-5) -16.69 (12)

7. (6) Wisconsin (1-1) (18-6) -15.62 (22)
8. (10) Missouri (2-0) (21-2) -15.17 (4)
9. (24) New Mexico (2-0) (19-4) -15.11 (28)
10. (12) Indiana (1-1) (18-6) -14.86 (23)

11. (14) Duke (1-1) (19-4) -14.20 (10)
12. (15) UNLV (1-1) (21-4) -14.04 (16)
13. (9) Florida (2-0) (19-4) -13.64 (7)
14. (11) Baylor (2-0) (21-2) -13.31 (6)
15. (22) Saint Louis (2-0) (18-5) -12.84 (39)
16. (17) Creighton (1-1) (21-3) -12.79 (15)
17. (16) Wichita State (2-0) (20-4) -12.66 (36)
18. (8) Florida State (2-0) (16-6) -12.63 (17)
19. (21) Georgetown (2-0) (18-4) -12.47 (11)
20. (13) Marquette (1-1) (19-5) -12.46 (19)

21. (25) Belmont (3-0) (18-7) -11.47 (NR)
22. (19) Saint Mary's (1-0) (22-2) -11.13 (13)
23. (NR) Louisville (1-0) (18-5) -10.91 (23)
24. (NR) Iona (2-0) (19-5) -10.71 (NR)
25. (NR) Texas (1-1) (13-9) -10.58 (NR)

Dropped Out

(18) Memphis (1-1) (16-7) -10.57 (NR)
(20) Harvard (2-0) (20-2) -9.61 (21)
(23) Virginia (1-1) (18-4) -9.50 (20)

Ranked Teams by Conference

Big 10 - 4
Big East - 4
Big 12 - 4
ACC - 3
SEC - 2
MWC - 2
MVC - 2
Atl 10 - 1
Atl Sun - 1
WCC - 1
MAAC - 1

Since losing back-to-back games against UNLV and San Diego State last month, the New Mexico Lobos have rebounded nicely, winning four straight games by a margin of at least 16 points, and though all 4 came against the bottom four teams in the conference, the fact that they have only lost twice since Thanksgiving and both came against ranked teams means that they shouldn't be ignored. They face the top two back-to-back again next week, and a win against at least one of them will probably be necessary for the selection committee to seriously consider them.

Florida State pulled off their third upset over a ranked team in a month, beating Virginia by 3 points on Saturday, but neither of their two victories this week was as impressive as it should have been. It seems inconceivable that just one month ago they were coming off a stretch where they had lost 6 of 10, now that they've won 7 straight and moved into a tie with North Carolina for the conference lead.

Marquette was starting to look like the team I had ranked in the top 10 for several weeks early in the season until this week, when they went to South Bend and lost by 17 to the Irish. They still have a good win against Wisconsin from early December, but the Badgers aren't getting the respect they deserve because of a few conference losses in the toughest conference in the nation.

Texas made their way into the top 25 this week despite having a record that is barely above .500 and losing more conference games than they have won. The thing that has bumped them up here is that they have lost four games by 5 or fewer points against ranked opponents, 3 of them in the top 10. The Longhorns may not have much of a chance to play in March, but we'll be missing out on some great potential upsets if they don't.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Tuesday

(7) Florida at (1) Kentucky - Wildcats by 14
Purdue at (3) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 23
(15) Creighton at Evansville - Bluejays by 5

Wednesday

(11) Georgetown at (2) Syracuse - Orange by 11
(9) Duke at (5) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 10
(10) Kansas at (6) Baylor - Bears by 2
Penn State at (12) Michigan State - Spartans by 23
(17) Florida State at Boston College - Seminoles by 15
Wake Forest at (20) Virginia - Cavaliers by 19
(25) Michigan at Nebraska - Wolverines by 3
Northern Iowa at Wichita State - Shockers by 14
Saint Louis at Saint Joseph - Billikens by 1

Thursday

Tennessee State at (7) Murray State - Racers by 14
(13) Saint Mary's at Gonzaga - Bulldogs by 4
Mississippi at (18) Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 9
(22) Wisconsin at Minnesota - Badgers by 2
Illinois at (23) Indiana - Hoosiers by 15

Friday

(21) Harvard at Pennsylvania - Crimson by 1
Iona at Loyola-Maryland - Gaels by 1

Saturday

(1) Kentucky at Vanderbilt - Wildcats by 6
Connecticut at (2) Syracuse - Orange by 15
(12) Michigan State at (3) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 12
(6) Baylor at (4) Missouri - Tigers by 8
(20) Virginia at (5) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 15
Tennessee at (7) Florida - Gators by 15
Austin Peay at (7) Murray State - Racers by 16
Maryland at (9) Duke - Blue Devils by 20
Oklahoma State at (10) Kansas - Jayhawks by 22
Santa Clara at (13) Saint Mary's - Gaels by 27
(14) San Diego State at (16) UNLV - Rebels by 15
Wichita State at (15) Creighton - Bluejays by 6
Miami at (17) Florida State - Seminoles by 11
Georgia at (18) Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 13
Cincinnati at (19) Marquette - Golden Eagles by 11
(21) Harvard at Princeton - Crimson by 1
(23) Louisville at West Virginia - Mountaineers by 5
Saint Louis at LaSalle - Explorers by 3
Belmont at Florida-Gulf Coast - Bruins by 5
Wyoming at New Mexico - Lobos by 15
Kansas State at Texas - Longhorns by 6

Sunday

Saint Johns at (14) Georgetown - Hoyas by 18
Illinois at (22) Michigan - Wolverines by 10
Marist at Iona - Gaels by 28

Prediction Results

College Basketball: 42-6 (.875) 367-82 overall (.817)
Upsets: 3-2 (.600) 35-23 overall (.603)