The regular season has ended (unless you're in the Ivy League), and most conferences are holding their tournaments this week to determine which team will earn an automatic bid to March Madness. Due to the nature of teams advancing in conference tournaments, most of my predictions will be added to this post later in the week, so check back often to see my picks for all of the important games. These updated rankings include all games through last night, and gaps between groups of teams represent different levels of performance.
TW. (LW) Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (ESPN)
1. (1) Kentucky (2-0) (30-1) -20.35 (1)
2. (3) North Carolina (2-0) (27-4) -19.56 (4)
3. (4) Ohio State (2-0) (25-6) -17.92 (7)
4. (5) Kansas (2-0) (26-5) -17.55 (3)
5. (2) Michigan State (0-2) (24-7) -17.35 (8)
6. (6) Syracuse (1-0) (30-1) -16.32 (2)
7. (7) Wichita State (1-1) (27-5) -15.81 (16)
8. (9) Missouri (2-0) (27-4) -15.05 (5)
9. (14) Memphis (2-0) (23-8) -14.38 (28)
10. (8) Wisconsin (2-0) (23-8) -14.32 (12)
11. (10) Duke (1-1) (26-5) -13.68 (6)
12. (11) Marquette (1-1) (25-6) -13.08 (9)
13. (18) Saint Louis (2-0) (24-6) -12.53 (34)
14. (17) New Mexico (2-0) (24-6) -12.51 (27)
15. (13) Indiana (2-0) (24-7) -12.49 (15)
16. (16) Georgetown (1-1) (22-7) -12.30 (14)
17. (12) Belmont (3-0) (27-7) -12.19 (NR)
18. (15) Florida (0-2) (22-9) -11.98 (19)
19. (19) Baylor (1-1) (25-6) -11.89 (11)
20. (20) Vanderbilt (1-1) (21-10) -11.32 (NR)
21. (NR) Kansas State (2-0) (21-9) -11.00 (32)
22. (22) California (0-1) (23-8) -10.59 (NR)
23. (NR) Michigan (2-0) (23-8) -10.42 (13)
24. (25) UNLV (1-1) (25-7) -10.19 (20)
25. (NR) Creighton (3-0) (28-5) -10.13 (22)
Dropped Out
(24) Virginia (1-1) (22-8) -9.90 (31)
(21) Louisville (0-2) (22-9) -9.71 (26)
(23) Alabama (1-1) (20-10) -9.42 (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 10 - 5
Big 12 - 4
SEC - 3
Big East - 3
ACC - 2
MVC - 2
MWC - 2
CUSA - 1
Atl 10 - 1
Atl Sun - 1
Pac 12 - 1
Michigan State entered the week with a chance to take the top seed in the Big Ten, but after being blown out in Bloomington, they lost at home to Ohio State on a last-second shot, which created a three-way tie atop the standings and may have cost them a shot at a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Luckily, the Spartans only have two questionable losses on their resume and 9 strong wins, so they will have a very good seed in March.
Memphis finished off the season strong against Tulsa, clinching the top seed in Conference USA and moving them into the top 10 in my rankings, even though they have yet to crack the national top 25. The Tigers also have only two bad losses, but their are only 5 wins they can claim against potential tournament teams.
Saint Louis may not have taken the regular season Atlantic 10 title, but they should be a major player in the conference tournament, and even though their best wins of the season were against Xavier, their lack of bad losses (other than that surprise by Rhode Island last week) should keep them on the right side of the bubble.
Belmont secured their spot in the NCAA's by winning their conference tournament yet again, but they didn't do it in their usual dominant fashion. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bruins make some noise in March, but it all depends on who they are matched up against in the first round.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Monday
(25) Gonzaga vs. (18) Saint Mary's - Bulldogs by 3
Wednesday
Pittsburgh vs. (14) Georgetown - Hoyas by 8
Thursday
Air Force vs. New Mexico - Lobos by 15
Stanford vs. California - Golden Bears by 4
UTEP vs. Memphis - Tigers by 14
Connecticut vs. (2) Syracuse - Orange by 8
Texas A&M vs. (3) Kansas - Jayhawks by 17
Oklahoma State vs. (5) Missouri - Tigers by 13
Louisville vs. (9) Marquette - Golden Eagles by 3
Kansas State vs. (11) Baylor - Bears by 1
(14) Georgetown vs. Cincinnati - Hoyas by 4
Penn State vs. (15) Indiana - Hoosiers by 12
Wyoming at (20) UNLV - Rebels by 11
Boise State vs. (21) San Diego State - Aztecs by 6
South Florida vs. (23) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 2
Friday
LSU vs. (1) Kentucky - Wildcats by 12
Cincinnati vs. (2) Syracuse - Orange by 8
(11) Baylor vs. (3) Kansas - Jayhawks by 6
Maryland vs. (4) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 20
Texas vs. (5) Missouri - Tigers by 6
Virginia Tech vs. (6) Duke - Blue Devils by 9
Purdue vs. (7) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 2
Iowa vs. (8) Michigan State - Spartans by 15
(15) Indiana vs. (12) Wisconsin - Hoosiers by 4
Minnesota vs. (13) Michigan - Wolverines by 6
Miami vs. (17) Florida State - Seminoles by 2
Alabama vs. (19) Florida - Gators by 3
New Mexico at (20) UNLV - Rebels by 3
Colorado State vs. (21) San Diego State - Aztecs by 2
Louisville vs. (23) Notre Dame - Cardinals by 2
Massachusetts vs. (24) Temple - Owls by 6
LaSalle vs. Saint Louis - Billikens by 6
UCF at Memphis - Tigers by 17
Georgia vs. Vanderbilt - Commodores by 9
Colorado vs. California - Golden Bears by 8
Saturday
(19) Florida vs. (1) Kentucky - Wildcats by 8
North Carolina State vs. (4) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 12
(11) Baylor vs. (5) Missouri - Tigers by 3
(17) Florida State vs. (6) Duke - Blue Devils by 4
(7) Ohio State vs. (13) Michigan - Buckeyes by 8
(12) Wisconsin vs. (8) Michigan State - Spartans by 3
New Mexico vs. (21) San Diego State - Lobos by 6
Marshall at Memphis - Tigers by 15
Xavier vs. Saint Louis - Billikens by 7
Mississippi vs. Vanderbilt - Commodores by 9
Sunday
Vanderbilt vs. (1) Kentucky - Wildcats by 8
(17) Florida State vs. (4) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 9
(7) Ohio State vs. (8) Michigan State - Buckeyes by 2
Prediction Results
College Basketball: 43-10 (.811) 519-134 overall (.795)
Upsets: 6-4 (.600) 52-37 overall (.584)
No comments:
Post a Comment