The first college basketball rankings of 2013 are here, and since most teams are now playing conference foes, there are a lot more losses happening among ranked teams. There are still 4 undefeated teams, but Arizona had to fight for their lives this week against Colorado, and Wyoming's close win over SMU made a loss for the Cowboys seem inevitable. Duke and Michigan, meanwhile, have been looking as strong as ever, and both are now ranked in my top 4. Here are my current top 25 teams, with teams grouped by similar level of performance and AP rankings in parentheses.
TW. (LW) Team (Week) Overall (AP)
1. (1) Indiana (1-0) 13-1 (5)
2. (2) Duke (2-0) 14-0 (1)
3. (12) Syracuse (3-0) 14-1 (7)
4. (9) Michigan (2-0) 15-0 (2)
5. (4) Louisville (1-0) 13-1 (3)
6. (5) Florida (1-0) 10-2 (11)
7. (3) Kansas (1-0) 12-1 (6)
8. (6) VCU (2-0) 12-3 (26)
9. (17) Gonzaga (3-0) 15-1 (9)
10. (14) Kentucky (1-0) 9-4 (32)
11. (13) Creighton (2-0) 14-1 (13)
12. (16) Minnesota (2-0) 14-1 (8)
13. (10) Ohio State (1-1) 11-3 (15)
14. (11) Arizona (2-0) 14-0 (4)
15. (8) Oklahoma State (0-2) 10-3 (28)
16. (19) Wichita State (2-0) 14-1 (23)
17. (20) Belmont (2-0) 11-4 (NR)
18. (7) Pittsburgh (0-2) 12-3 (36)
19. (22) Ole Miss (1-0) 11-2 (NR)
20. (23) Cincinnati (1-1) 13-2 (21)
21. (NR) Bucknell (1-1) 13-3 (NR)
22. (NR) Miami (2-0) 10-3 (NR)
23. (NR) Michigan State (1-1) 12-3 (22)
24. (NR) Notre Dame (1-0) 13-1 (17)
25. (18) Colorado State (2-0) 13-2 (NR)
Dropped Out
(21) Missouri (1-0) 11-2 (10)
(15) Colorado (0-2) 10-4 (NR)
(24) Wyoming (1-0) 13-0 (27)
(25) Illinois State (0-2) 9-6 (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 10 - 5
Big East - 5
SEC - 3
ACC - 2
Big 12 - 2
MVC - 2
Atl 10 - 1
WCC - 1
Pac 12 - 1
OVC - 1
Pat - 1
MWC - 1
Syracuse moved up to their highest ranking in 3 weeks after going 3-0 this week, and winning their 3 games by a total of 70 points. The Orange have only beaten one ranked team all season, but they play 4 of them in the next month, if you include Pitt, who is still included in my rankings. Probably the most important of those 4 will be the first, when they travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals, because the winner of that game will most likely win the regular season conference title.
Miami played poorly in Hawaii over Christmas weekend, losing two games in a row, but they made up for it this week, beating LaSalle, a team which should have been a pretty even match, by 17 points, then winning at Georgia Tech by 13 when they were picked to lose. The Hurricanes ascension into the top 25 gives the ACC two ranked teams again, since NC State looks like they are heading in the wrong direction after dropping from the rankings last week.
Bucknell moved into the top 25 after losing a game this week, but that performance was enough to bump them up into the top tier of teams, since the loss came by only 2 points at Missouri, which is a top 10 team according to the AP. The Bison are a big favorite to win the Patriot League, and the automatic tournament bid that comes with it, but it's possible that they could earn an at-large bid, even without a win over a ranked team.
Michigan opened their conference schedule in style, winning consecutive games by 28 points, both against teams that were bubbling just beneath the top 25 prior to their losses to the Wolverines. This weekend they travel to face the Ohio State Buckeyes, who slipped up Saturday at Illinois and will be looking to rebound against another ranked opponent.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
Oklahoma City at Washington - Thunder by 14
Boston at New York - Knicks by 9
Cleveland at Chicago - Bulls by 8
San Antonio at New Orleans - Spurs by 12
Dallas at Utah - Jazz by 9
Memphis at Sacramento - Grizzlies by 4
Orlando at Portland - Trail Blazers by 7
College Basketball
(17) Notre Dame at (21) Cincinnati - Bearcats by 6
(5) Indiana at Penn State - Hoosiers by 18
Prediction Results
NBA: 3-2 (.600) 344-158 overall (.685)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 62-40 overall (.608)
College Basketball: 6-1 (.857) 401-77 overall (.839)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 26-27 overall (.491)
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