There are only 2 weeks left in the regular season, and several teams are getting hot at the right time, including 2 that are making their first appearance in the top 25 this week. Indiana avoided the upset bug that struck Miami and Michigan State this week, allowing them to keep their spot at the top, and to distance themselves from the nearest competition. Here are my current top 25 teams, with AP ranks in parentheses and teams grouped by similar level of performance.
TW. (LW) Team (Week) Overall (AP)
1. (1) Indiana (1-0) 24-3 (1)
2. (2) Florida (1-1) 22-4 (8)
3. (4) Gonzaga (2-0) 27-2 (2)
4. (3) Louisville (1-0) 22-5 (10)
5. (5) Duke (2-0) 24-3 (3)
6. (7) Syracuse (1-1) 22-5 (12)
7. (10) Wisconsin (1-0) 19-8 (17)
8. (8) Michigan (1-0) 23-4 (4)
9. (6) Pittsburgh (1-1) 21-7 (23)
10. (12) Kansas (2-0) 23-4 (6)
11. (11) Michigan State (0-2) 22-6 (9)
12. (15) Ohio State (2-0) 20-7 (16)
13. (9) Miami (1-1) 22-4 (5)
14. (13) VCU (1-1) 22-6 (27)
15. (21) Middle Tennessee (2-0) 25-4 (36)
16. (16) Oklahoma State (1-1) 20-6 (15)
17. (NR) Georgetown (2-0) 21-4 (7)
18. (18) Creighton (1-1) 22-7 (NR)
19. (22) Missouri (1-1) 19-8 (37)
20. (14) Colorado State (0-2) 21-6 (26)
21. (19) Arizona (2-0) 23-4 (11)
22. (NR) Virginia (1-1) 19-8 (NR)
23. (25) San Diego State (2-0) 20-7 (NR)
24. (NR) Wichita State (2-0) 24-5 (29)
25. (NR) Belmont (2-0) 22-6 (37)
Dropped Out
(20) Saint Mary's (2-0) 24-5 (30)
(17) Minnesota (0-1) 18-9 (NR)
(23) Kentucky (2-0) 19-8 (NR)
(24) Illinois (1-1) 20-9 (31)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Big 10 - 5
Big East - 4
ACC - 3
SEC - 2
MWC - 2
Big 12 - 2
MVC - 2
WCC - 1
Atl 10 - 1
Pac 12 - 1
Sun Belt - 1
OVC - 1
The Georgetown Hoyas finally made their debut in my top 25 this week, despite the fact that they are in the top 10 of the AP rankings. The biggest thing that held them back was a weak nonconference schedule, where their biggest win came against an overrated UCLA team, and they lost to Indiana in their only chance at a marquee win. Lately they have proven how good they are, winning 9 straight games in a very difficult Big East, including wins over 4 top 25 teams, the latest being Syracuse, which was especially important since it came on the road.
Belmont is back in the top 25 again this week, riding the strength of their dominant victory over Ohio in their Bracketbuster matchup on Saturday. They've also beaten a couple of other teams that are currently heading for the tournament, Middle Tennessee and South Dakota State, and one more win will lock up the top seed in the Ohio Valley tournament starting in 2 weeks.
Virginia is also making their first top 25 appearance of the season, but they are in the opposite position of Georgetown in relation to the national polls. They haven't even garnered a vote in the AP poll, despite the fact that they nearly upset Miami on the road this week and they blew out Georgia Tech yesterday. They also own a road win over Wisconsin, even if it happened before the Badgers were getting national attention.
Wichita State also came back this week, avenging their earlier loss to Indiana State with a win on the road, then beating a very good Detroit team during Bracketbusters to put themselves back in good position for an at-large bid if they are unable to win the Missouri Valley. This weekend they travel to play Creighton for the regular season conference title, and a win would definitely lock them in to March Madness.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
(6) Kansas at Iowa State - Cyclones by 2
(12) Syracuse at (22) Marquette - Orange by 1
Texas Tech at (13) Kansas State - Wildcats by 23
NBA
Washington at Toronto - Raptors by 5
Atlanta at Detroit - Hawks by 1
LA Lakers at Denver - Nuggets by 6
Boston at Utah - Jazz by 2
Prediction Results
NBA: 6-3 (.667) 559-279 overall (.667)
Upsets: 0-2 (.000) 99-79 overall (.556)
College Basketball: 9-0 (1.000) 843-205 overall (.804)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 84-67 overall (.556)
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