Power Rankings: Week 15: Feb. 21

The number in parenthesis is the previous ranking I gave. Includes games through the 20th.

1. Ohio State (2)

Their loss at Purdue, while not exactly expected, is no big deal for the Buckeyes: everyone loses in West Lafeyette. I have them still above Duke because of their all-around play. Sullinger still put up 25 in the loss to Purdue, and it took a very rare occurence of a TO:FG ratio of 1. Ohio State probably won't do that again. Oh, and it took a career-high 38 from E'Twaun Moore, which won't happen again.

Next week: Feb. 22 vs. Illinois, Feb. 27 vs. Indiana.

2. Duke (5)

Duke was the big winner of the week, even though they played two lackluster opponents in Virginia and Georgia Tech. I still believe this team isn't as complete as Ohio State, and once their shooting goes cold, they could be gone. This week will be a much better indicator of the status of their team at this time.

Next week: Feb. 23 vs. Temple, Feb. 26 @ Virginia Tech.

3. Texas (1)

A loss at Nebraska? Really not expecting that, but it did an important thing for us viewers: showed the extreme importance of Jordan Hamilton. Him aside, the team doesn't really have any prolific scorers (Tristan Thompson, the freshman big, is 2nd with 12.6 PPG). Stop Hamilton, and you have somewhat of a chance of stopping this team, which I before thought was not this easy.

Next week: Feb. 22 vs. Iowa State, Feb. 26 @ Colorado.

4. Pittsburgh (4)

Pitt may have lost to St. John's at MSG, but just add them to the long list. Ashton Gibbs was back, and in full force, scoring 26, but it makes one wonder whether the team is better off without Gibbs or not. With him, their offense seems to become predictable. Time will tell.

Next week: Feb. 24 vs. West Virginia, Feb. 27 @ Louisville.

5. Kansas (3)

The main reason I have Kansas below Pittsburgh is because of the breaking news regarding Tyshaun Taylor. The junior averages 8.8 PPG and 4.7 APG, and he has been indefinitely suspended from the team for violation of team rules. This is a big loss for the Jayhawks, and it puts a lot of pressure on Selby, which I don't know if he can handle.

Next week: Feb. 21 @ Oklahoma State (W, 92-65), Feb. 26 @ Oklahoma.

6. Brigham Young (7)

BYU moves up with the loss by Notre Dame over the weekend, and they have a final test in the MWC before their rematch against San Diego St. in upstart Colorado State. This is a big, big trap game: this Colorado State team, with the weak bubble, has a chance to place themselves firmly in the tournament with a win. It's gonna have to be Jimmer Time...yet again.

Next week: Feb. 23 vs. Colorado St., Feb. 26 @ San Diego St.

7. San Diego State (8)

Unlike the Cougars, San Diego State can look squarely at their rematch against BYU, as their final game before it was a win at Air Force. The five returning starters have a week to prepare for the battle that awaits...and for Jimmer.

Next week: Feb. 26 vs. Brigham Young.

8. Purdue (11)

Purdue was far and away the winner of the week in the Top 25, with extremely good wins against Wisconsin and Ohio State. E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson are making people all around the country say, "Robbie Hummel who?" But unlike last week, they have to leave West Lafeyette for both of their games.

Next week: Feb. 23 @ Indiana, Feb. 27 @ Michigan State.

9. Notre Dame (6)

Notre Dame's recent grasp on the Big East was released, and forcefully, with a thrashing by West Virginia. Perhaps Tim Abromaitis needs to stop being the cocky player he is. They have a light fare this week, and should secure both wins.

Next week: Feb. 23 @ Providence, Feb. 26 vs. Seton Hall.

10. Wisconsin (10)

Wisconsin had the week expected of them, falling at Purdue and taking down pesky Talor Battle and Penn State. Keaton Nankivil had a big game against Penn State, nailing all five of his treys. This week should be a sweep.

Next week: Feb. 23 @ Michigan, Feb. 27 vs. Northwestern.

11. Georgetown (9)

12. Florida (13)

13. Connecticut (12)

14. Arizona (17)

15. Louisville (14)

16. Villanova (16)

17. North Carolina (18)

18. Syracuse (15)

19. Vanderbilt (20)

20. Kentucky (19)

21. Xavier (21)

22. George Mason (23)

23. Temple (24)

24. Missouri (22)

T-25. Utah State (NR)

T-25. St. John's (NR)

BracketBusters Game: Feb. 20

There was only one on Sunday.

Cleveland St. 63 @ Old Dominion 74


The Colonial League looks very strong, with George Mason, VCU, and Old Dominion impressing all year.

Observations from the World of Sports: Feb. 20

Chaos continued, quite honestly. Let's get to it!

-E'Twaun Moore thrust himself into the national spotlight with a career-high 38 points in Purdue's win over Ohio State, 76-63. Ohio State had as many field goals as turnovers, with 18 apiece. Aaron Craft had an unsightly 6 of those turnovers. Jared Sullinger, in his own right, had a great game, putting up 25 points to go with 6 boards. JaJuan Johnson chipped in with 13 points of his own. Ohio State only shot 38.3% from the floor, as opposed to Purdue's 50.9%.

-Duke wins again in the weak ACC, this time against a pitiful Georgia Tech team, 79-57. Yawn. Nolan Smith destroyed them for an easy 28 in an easier win.

-Wisconsin held off a pesky Penn State team for a 76-66 win. Wisconsin allowed only 19 points in the first half to open a lead that couldn't be brought to size by the Nittany Lions. Talor Battle for the Lions had 23 and has had a remarkable season, but it wasn't enough. Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil both had 22 for the Badgers, and Nankivil was a perfect 5-5 from downtown.

-Florida almost let a 15 point halftime lead slip in an trap game against LSU, but held on for a 68-61 win in Baton Rouge. Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton both had 17 for the Gators, but Ralston Turner of LSU led all scorers with 18 in a losing effort.

-Temple continues to stalk behind Xavier in the A-10 with a win over extremely young Saint Joseph's, 66-52. Ramone Moore put up 18, and Lavoy Allen had a double-double, with 14 and 12. Allen became Temple's all-time rebounding leader during the game.

-UCLA took a big step back in their pursuit for an NCAA berth with a stunning loss to Cal, 76-72 in OT. Arizona gains utter control of the Pac-10.

BracketBusters Games: Feb. 19

Utah State 75 @ Saint Mary's 65
Hofstra 56 @ Wright State 82
Miami (OH) 59 @ James Madison 60
Austin Peay 69 @ Fairfield 76
Iona 77 @ Liberty 57
Morehead State 71 @ Indiana State 65
--Kenneth Faried broke Tim Duncan's all-time NCAA D1 rebounding record.
Canisius 62 @ Boston 70
Central Michigan 55 @ Niagara 61
Northeastern 83 @ UNC-Asheville 82
Manhattan 64 @ Stony Brook 63 (OT)
Illinois State 65 @ Western Michigan 68
Eastern Kentucky 74 @ Western Carolina 81
St. Peter's 71 @ Loyola (IL) 67
Bradley 81 @ Tennessee-Martin 75
Green Bay 60 @ Southern Illinois 61
Georgia State 45 @ Louisiana Tech 51
Virginia Military 62 @ Morgan St. 67
Delaware St. 63 @ Tennessee St. 78
Jacksonville St. 60 @ Eastern Michigan 63
Norfolk St. 72 @ North Carolina Central 82
Vermont 70 @ Charleston 85
Hawaii 83 @ UC Davis 69
Missouri St. 67 @ Valparaiso 80
UC Irvine 63 @ Nevada 74
Cal State Fullerton 79 @ Idaho St. 84
Loyola (MD) 75 @ Towson 57
Charleston Southern 63 @ UNC-Wilmington 58
Creighton 67 @ Akron 76
Milwaukee 65 @ Buffalo 80
Appalachian State 82 @ High Point 81
George Mason 77 @ Northern Iowa 71
Maine 60 @ Siena 71
Eastern Illinois 75 @ Toledo 58
Radford 52 @ William & Mary 84
Ohio 77 @ Winthrop 74 (OT)
Ball St. 61 @ Wofford 66
Loyola Marymount 75 @ Portland St. 84
Bowling Green 76 @ Youngstown St. 83
New Hampshire 49 @ Marist 58
Davidson 71 @ Presbyterian 65
Evansville 47 @ Murray St. 72
Pacific 63 @ Oral Roberts 79
Detroit 76 @ Drake 84
Northern Colorado 82 @ New Mexico St. 80
Sacramento St. 52 @ Southeast Missouri St. 67
Gardner-Webb 58 @ Tennessee Tech 60
Idaho 65 @ Montana St. 50
Northern Arizona 59 @ Cal Poly 56
UC Riverside 49 @ Fresno St. 68
Cal State Northridge 68 @ East Washington 59
Boise St. 78 @ UC Santa Barbara 76 (OT)
Montana 56 @ Long Beach St. 74

Observations from the World of Sports: Feb. 19

Let's face it: this weekend was absolutely nuts. Plenty of upsets occurred, including the top 10 suffering. So let's get to it.

-Kansas returned from their thrashing at K. State with a thrashing of their own, dispatching a pesky Colorado team, 89-63. Markieff Morris, who struggled mightily at the Octagon, reasserted himself with an absolutely monster night, posting 26 points and 15 rebounds (both career-highs). 9 of the 10 starters on both teams scored in double digits: a lone player on Colorado scored under 10. Colorado only had five bench points, and Kansas only had eight. Tyshaun Taylor also looked pitiful at the free throw line, going 1-6.

-Texas had their first poor outing of the year, succumbing at Nebraska, 70-67. A couple of shocking stats emerged from the game. Texas was manhandled in the paint, being outscored by Nebraska 38-14. They also shot a hot 56% in the second half to erase a seven point halftime deficit. Jordan Hamilton had 18 points, but was mainly shut down by a tough Nebraska defense that held him to 3-16 shooting, and preventing him from completing a shot inside the arc. J'Covan Brown had the best game for Texas, coming off the bench to notch 18 in 25 minutes of play, coming in for a slumping Dogus Balbay, who didn't score. Tristan Thompson only had one field goal and five points. Nebraska was led by 15 from Brandon Richardson, who hit a number of key free throws down the stretch.

-St. John's domination of top teams in Madison Square continues with a thrilling one point defeat of Pittsburgh, 60-59. The game marked Ashton Gibbs' return to the court, and he shined quite brightly, leading all scorers easily with 26. However, he was the only player for Pittsburgh in double figures. Dwight Hardy paced the Red Storm with 19, and scored the go-ahead layup with 1.2 seconds clinched it. St. John's tight zone defense confounded all the Panthers, save Gibbs, and it appears the Red Storm will return to the land of the ranked. 9-5 in the Big East deserves it.

-History was made in San Diego State's most recent win, a breezy 70-58 win at Air Force. SDSU moved to 27-1, setting the all-time win record for a single season. Malcolm Thomas paced the Aztecs with a double-double, posting 20 and 13.

-Notre Dame's Big East streak was snapped convincingly with a big defeat by the hands of the Mountaineers of West Virginia, 72-58. The recently flamboyant Tim Abromaitis got his mouth shut up with a poor shooting night, going 2-9 from the field and notching only 8 points. Darryl "Truck" Bryant broke his recent slump with 24 points, leading all players. Ben Hansborough led ND with 19 points, and not a single bench point was scored by the Irish.

-The rest of the the top 25 except one team won, but in the Big East and Big 12, wins weren't easy to come by. Villanova and Syracuse defeated DePaul and Rutgers in overtime, respectively. Arizona held off Washington's late surge, and Georgetown struggled against South Florida but pulled out the win. Missouri and Texas A&M were almost defeated by sub-par teams in the Big 12 on the road. NC didn't even score 50, but escaped with a win against Boston College, and Vanderbilt easily dispatched the doormat of the SEC, Auburn. Utah State got a marquee win defeating Saint Mary's in the biggest BracketBuster game of the weekend. Oh, and UK dismantled South Carolina by 31 at home.

Bracketbusters Games: Feb. 18

I'll be posting the results of all BracketBusters matchups. Most are today, so that'll be a long one. This'll be short.

Kent St. 66 @ Drexel 73
Weber St. 46 @ San Jose St. 62

Observations from the World of Sports: Feb. 18

Last night was a pretty slow night, except for one marquee game, with, my opinion, a predictable result.

-Louisville bounced back from a loss to arch-nemesis Cincinnati with a solid win over Connecticut, 71-58. The game never really was in question, with Connecticut's only lead early in the second half before Louisville stormed back to take a 8 point lead with 3 straight treys. Kemba was shut down yet again, going only 3-10 from the court for 16 points. His free throw touch did seem to be back, however, going 9-11 from the line. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel continues his surge with another 16 points, by far his best 3 game output in his career. Alex Oriakhi chipped in for 13, but the rest of the Huskies were shut down. Siva led the Cardinals with 15. Kyle Kuric only had 6 points on 2-7 shooting, but both were key treys during their 9-0 run. Preston Knowles struggled mightily, shooting only 2-13, but he was helped by freshman center Gorgui Dieng, who posted his first double-double of his career with 13 and 12, including 6 offensive boards.

-VCU held off Wichita State on the Shockers' home court, 68-67. The game took an absolutely frenetic pace late in the second half, with the players going back and forth down the court with steal after steal. VCU won with a pair of free throws by Joey Rodriguez on a questionable foul to snatch the win from Wichita State, whose fans made themselves heard by absolutely rocking the place late in the second half. Rodriguez had missed the front end of a 1 and 1 to give the Shockers a chance, and they capitalized with two free throws before Rodriguez sealed it.

Observations from the World of Sports: Feb. 17

Yesterday wasn't the biggest day for college basketball, but some very interesting things still happened, including one notable team finally getting off the conference schneid. Let's get to it!

-Arizona probably killed Washington State's chances for any hope of an at-large bid with the win, 79-70. The game was a great one, as it pitted the two top scorers of the Pac-10 against one another, and they did not disappoint in the slighest. Both led their teams in scoring: Klay Thompson of WSU, first in the Pac-10, led all with 30. Derrick Williams of AZ, second in the Pac-10, was close behind with 26. Klay also had 5 treys. Arizona keeps a one game lead over UCLA, who also won, defeating Stanford 69-65, despite a game-high 27 from Jeremy Green, who now has 5 straight 20-point games. He averages 16.1 PPG.

-Temple asserted themselves as the clear opponent to Xavier in the A-10 with a 20 point blowout of Richmond, 73-53. Both Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez eclipsed the 20 point mark; Moore had 24 and Fernandez had 20. Fernandez only missed one shot from the field, going 9-10 as well as 2-3 from behind the arc. Moore was also impressive with his shot selection, going 10-15 from the field with 4 of 5 treys falling for the leading scorer of Temple. Kevin Anderson, the leading scorer of Richmond, has been held in check this year, his PPG output of 15.8 below his sophomore and junior year averages. While he is averaging a full assist better, his free-throw percentage has dipped below 70% for the first time in his career. Richmond had an 8 game road streak snapped, impressive as Anderson has been weak the past month. Temple will still have a difficult time in the NCAA Tourney without starting forward Michael Eric, who oddly enough, fractured his patella during practice on Tuesday. He wasn't a big scorer, averaging only 7.9 PPG, but he was a big defensive presence down low that will be difficult to replace.

-Coastal Carolina walloped the shit out of North Carolina Central, an independent D1 school, 94-59. Trouble is brewing for the Chanticleers, though. Starting PG Kieran Greenwood, a sophomore from Cincinnati, tore his knee up and is done for season. The bigger blow, however, came in the indefinitite suspension of leading scorer Desmond Holloway. He also leads the team in rebounding despite his 6-5 size. In their loss to Gardner-Webb, Holloway had only gone 2-13 from the field. Without these two, trouble is ahead in the Big South tournament despite their record.

-Minnesota's collapse in the Big 10 is complete, and I believe they are now out of the tourney with a 66-63 loss to Penn State. Talor Battle, the hero in their multiple wins over ranked opponents such as Michigan State, Illinois, and Wisconsin, was the man for Penn State again with 28 points to pace the way. I believe both of these teams are on the outside looking in. Minnesota has been decimated by injuries, and that OOC loss to Virginia is just embarassing. Conversely, Penn State's OOC play was even worse, with an even more embarassing loss at home to Maine.

-Belmont got a huge win in the Atlantic Sun to keep their reign on the conference with a convincing 68-58 win over second place East Tennessee State. Ian Clark notched 18 points, and Scott Saunders came off the bench for 10. Milford graduate Brandon Baker, who saw himself removed from the starting lineup early in the year, came off the bench for a clutch trey. Three starters for ETSU all scored 14 points: Isiah Brown, Mike Smith, and Justin Tubbs. Belmont clinched at least a tie for the conference regular season championship.

-Hooray for DePaul! The Blue Demons, who had lost 24 straight regular season Big East games (last year they stunned UC in a moment that every X fan relished), snapped that streak with a big win at Providence, 79-76. DePaul hadn't won on the road in the Big East since March 6, 2008 -- also against Cincinnati. Hmmm. DePaul, in all honesty, was due. They had played close at Louisville and West Virginia, and home against Cincinnati. Marshon Brooks, the nation's third leading scorer, almost provided Providence with a win, dropping 28.

EMBARASSMENT UPDATE: Savannah State, an independent and new D1 team, played D2 Trinity Baptist and shitted all over them, winning 84-24. That is not a typo. Trinity Baptist scored 11 in the first half and 13 in the second half, and went 15% from the field. Just end the damn game at halftime. That's ridiculous.

FUTILITY UPDATE: Chicago State, a D1 team from the worst conference in the nation, the Great West (who doesn't even get an NCAA bid), lost to an NAIA school called Olivet Nazarene, 81-76. Seriously, what are all of these fucking awful teams doing in D1? (Although Chi State did beat one team in a different conference: Georgia Southern, who has yet to win in the Southern Conference.) I bet Centenary could beat these schools: even Centenary!  (Actually, I'm getting way ahead of myself.) Speaking of the Gents, their next game is by fair their best chance: at home on the 24th versus the 2nd worst team in the Summit League, Western Illinois. They only have two chances to get a final D1 win before reclassifying to D3.

Observations from the World of Sports: Feb. 16

There were a lot of marquee teams playing last night, but most of them were taking on weaker teams from their conference. So a lot of easy wins, but a couple of upsets as well. Let's get to it.

-Texas, Pittsburgh, and Duke all had easy wins over sub .500 teams in conference to extend their respective conference leads. Pittsburgh let South Florida stay in the game for the first half, before putting it away later on.

-San Diego State matched a record 26th win in school history with a close victory over New Mexico at home, 68-62. The game came down to free throws, yet again, but Kawhi Leonard and D.J. Gay sealed the game from the line. SDSU is going to definitely be a force this postseason, and they have one game before the showdown against BYU.

-Kemba Walker and Connecticut stormed back into the Big East conversation with a win against Georgetown, 78-70, that snapped Georgetown's 8 game Big East win streak. Kemba was back to his superhuman self, scoring 31 in pacing the Huskies. Kemba went 13-23 from the field, but was only 1-5 from downtown, and his free-throw shooting struggles continue, going 4-8 from the line to further lower his FT%. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel came off his career-high 25 against Providence with another career game, this time notching 23 in going 8-11, 2-4, and 5-6 in FG, 3-PT, and FT, respectively. Chris Wright led the Hoyas with 19.

-Wisconsin couldn't use their stunning upset of Ohio State to take down Purdue in West Lafeyette, falling by a score of 70-62. The unknown and blossoming third star of the Boilermakers, Lewis Jackson, scored 18 points and dished 5 assists. The two well-known players, JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, paced Purdue yet again with 20 and 10 boards, and 19 points, respectively. It was a big win, as Purdue vaunted themselves into sole possession of second place in the Big 10. Jon Leuer had 23, and Jordan Taylor, who was thrust into the spotlight in his breakout performance against OSU, only had 15.

-Cincinnati finally got the marquee win they needed with an upset over Louisville at home, 63-54. UC won with their trademark grinding, athletic defense that confounded the Musketeers during this year's Crosstown Shootout. Cashmere Wright more than doubled his PPG with a 20 point effort to pace scorers, and Sean Kilpatrick came off the bench to add 18 points in only 23 quality minutes. Louisville's ususally assist-happy squad was shut down, and only had 11 on the game. Terrence Jennings was the only Cardinal in double figured with 14, as Kyle Kuric, Preston Knowles, and Peyton Siva were all but stopped. Siva also eventually fouled out. Yancy Gates got his first big minutes since his suspension, adding 8 points and 6 boards in 30 minutes. This was a game Mick Cronin was undoubtedly revved for, as his previous job was assistant under Rick Pitino.

-Texas A&M unnecessarily had a close game against cellar-dwelling Iowa State, but held them off, 71-66. Both teams had four players in double figures, but Iowa State only had 7 scholarship players available. The win gets A&M into the vaunted 20 win club yet again.

-Vanderbilt almost found away to slide off my Power Rankings as soon as getting on them, but made up a 14 point deficit in defeating the Georgia Bulldogs on the road, 64-56. John Jenkins had 21 points, all of them in the last 14 minutes of the game. Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, Georgia's two main threats, struggled from the field, going a combined 4-19. Thompkins ended up with 8, and Leslie with 9. Vanderbilt also only was 32.3% from the field.

-Saint Mary's had their West Coast Conference run deflated with a stunning loss to the worst team in the conference, San Diego, 74-66. The Toreros notched an amazing 66.6% from the field in the second half to knock off the Gaels, who were 10-1 in conference. San Diego state stays in a tie for last with Loyola Mariemont at 2-10. Loyola also had an upset win against middling Pepperdine.

-Utah State's Tai Wesley literally brought the place down with a pair of shattered backboards in their blowout win of NAIA school Montana-Western, 100-66. Only one was actually shattered by Wesley, as the second was broken by a bunch of morons who tried to replace the backboard Wesley demolished. If anyone finds video of this, please send me a comment with the URL.

-A young Memphis team continues to grow, and now is the sole leader of Conference USA with a clutch win over UAB, 62-58. Will Barton had 17.

-Xavier easily dispatched Saint Joseph's with a 20 point blowout in Philadelphia, 74-54. Tu Holloway was weak from the field again, going only 2-10, but had 9-9 free throws in notching 14 points. Mark Lyons made up for all the time he missed against Duquesne, leading all scorers with 24, and Kenny Frease had yet another double-double with 17 and 10. Dante is back to his cold shooting form, scoring only 2 points and going 0-3 from beyond the arc. He was 1-1 inside it though. All of X's reserves got into the game, and freshmen Jordan Latham and Jay Canty both scored, Canty's pair of free throws being the first points he's scored since fracturing his foot against Albany Dec. 28. Four technicals were assessed: two to each team.

-And finally, in the Ohio Valley Conference, leader Murray State, who was ranked in the first edition of ESPN's Power Rankings by some experts, inexplicably fell to Southeast Missouri State, 64-57. Isaiah Canaan, Murray State's leading scorer at 12.3 PPG, only had 5.

Power Rankings: Week 14: Feb. 16

I apologize for the lateness of these rankings! Next week, they will be published on Monday as usual.


The number in parenthesis is the previous ranking I gave. Includes games through the 13th.


1. Texas (3)
Well, color me damned. With Ohio State's loss to Wisconsin, their flaws were exposed, and I find this Longhorns team to be even better than Kansas. Jordan Hamilton has really evolved from his disappearing act of last season, and Tristan Thompson really seems to, despite being a 48.4% free-throw shooter, able to make the clutch free-throws coming down the stretch, as we saw against Baylor.


Next week: Feb. 16 @ Oklahoma State, Feb. 19 @ Nebraska.






 2. Ohio State (1)

Ok, so the Buckeyes were the last team stung, suffering an excruciating loss to the Badgers at the Kohl Center. But this team is still very, very good, and in line for a #1 seed come tourney time. It will be interesting to see whether OSU can rebound from their loss this week.


Next week: Feb. 15 vs. Michigan State (W, 71-61), Feb. 20 @ Purdue.









3. Kansas (2)

Kansas keeps rolling on, but their 1st half against Missouri really concerns me. Mizzou is not the best team, and they held with them blow-by-blow for 25 solid minutes before falling apart. Selby needs to recover to 100% and losing emotional leader Thomas Robinson for a few weeks with a meniscus injury really hurts. Anything can happen in the Octagon, and a loss to K. State would really set them back. This team's defense really concerns me.


Next week: Feb. 14 @ Kansas State (L, 84-68), Feb. 19 vs. Colorado.




4. Pittsburgh (4)

Pittsburgh has really asserted itself as the leader of the Big East, taking down both Villanova and West Virginia on the road without leading scorer Ashton Gibbs. It's their conference to lose at this point, with only ranked matches left against Villanova at home and at Louisville. They have to definitely be careful against the red-hot Red Storm in MSG, though.


Next week: Feb. 16 vs. South Florida, Feb. 19 @ St. John's.






5. Duke (5)

I still worry about Duke because of their extreme lack of a post-presence, but they've got so many shooters, along with the slashing of POY candidate Nolan Smith that they should be ok. The comeback against North Carolina showed that Duke really has a great resiliency to them, and that will be useful come tourney time.


Next week: Feb. 16 @ Virginia, Feb. 20 vs. Georgia Tech








6. Notre Dame (6)

Notre Dame passed their single test last week, with a raw 89-79 OT win over Louisville at home. An easy thrashing @ USF followed, paced by reserve forward Jack Cooley's career game of 18 points, and the surprise team of the Big East keeps on winning, sitting on a 7 game hot streak. A testy game in West Virginia awaits the Fighting Irish this week.


Next week: Feb. 19 @ West Virginia.






7. Brigham Young (7)

Welcome to the Jimmer Show, ladies and gents. These Cougars are fueled by the sensational senior, but his point output has actually decreased in the last couple of games. After 3 straight 30 point games (including 2 40 point efforts), Fredette hasn't eclipsed that 30 point mark. But it's ok, because he's finally getting some support. In their last win against Utah, Charles Abuou, plugged in for this game, was on fire in scoring 22 for a crucial output when Jimmer was a little off.


Next week: Feb. 19 @ Texas Christian.




8. San Diego State (8)

The Aztecs had some of their offensive weaknesses exposed at Las Vegas against the Runnin' Rebels, but they pulled out the crucial win, so only two more games until the rematch against BYU. D.J. Gay, along with the other 4 starters of this team, all returners from last year, seem to really have the poise to go far this March.


Next week: Feb. 16 vs. New Mexico, Feb. 19 @ Air Force.


9. Georgetown (10)

The Hoyas are really asserting themselves as a power to be reckoned with in the Big East, rattling off 8 big wins, with defeats of Louisville, Syracuse, and Villanova. And to help the Hoyas, two dates with Cincinnati still remain for them to trounce the Bearcats and end their tournament hopes.


Next week: Feb. 16 @ Connecticut, Feb. 19 @ South Florida.






10. Wisconsin (12)

The Badgers got their marquee win, finally taking down the Buckeyes, and thrusting Jordan Taylor into the limelight, and it's well deserved. It's a pretty cool win, seeing as how the only other defeat of a number one was also Ohio State, way back in 1964. That was a 20-point thrashing; this was a tough game they had to claw their way back into, but they got the job done. A tough test against Purdue in West Lafayette is upcoming.


Next week: Feb. 16 @ Purdue (L, 70-62), Feb. 20 vs. Penn State.




11. Purdue

Purdue is the quiet team in the Big 10; they get little love from the press, but they appear to take control of second place in the conference for now. The Boilermakers are very tough to beat in West Lafeyette, and stopping the tough tandem of E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson is just so difficult to do. This is the biggest week of the whole year for Purdue, with great chances to defeat Wisconsin and the Buckeyes at home.


Next week: Feb. 16 vs. Wisconsin (W, 70-62), Feb. 20 vs. Ohio State.






12. Connecticut (11)

Connecticut has fallen off a bit, going 3-3 in their last 6 games. Kemba Walker, we can prove, is for sure human. Kemba needs to provide leadership in their upcoming games, and their next game is a perfect opportunity to assert themselves again, with a home matchup against surging Georgetown. They look very solid, but they definitely have weakness that UConn can exploit.


Next week:  Feb. 16 vs. Georgetown (W 78-70), Feb. 18  @ Louisville.






13. Florida (17)

Florida was originally a top-10 team, and it finally appears they're on the cusp of playing like it. Erving Walker had a clutch lay-up with 14 seconds left to top Tennessee by one after being down 7 at half. This starting five is continuing to grow together, and Walker is emerging as the strong leader of this team. This week is a boring one, with only a lone game against LSU in Baton Rouge. A loss would be devastating.


Next week: Feb. 20 @ LSU.






14. Louisville (14)

Louisville mainly stayed on par, falling in a heartbreaker at Notre Dame in OT, then following up with a win at home against Syracuse. Preston Knowles has been a trey shooter, but he's starting to establish himself as a dual threat, slashing at times. A big game at Cincinnati awaits, where former assistant will meet his boss, Rick Pitino. They really still need their injuries to be healed, however.


Next week: Feb. 16 @ Cincinnati (L, 63-54), Feb. 18 vs. Connecticut.


15. Syracuse (13)

Syracuse had seemed to rebound from their 4 game skid with a couple of wins. but then they dropped a pair of tough games against Georgetown and Louisville. They have a couple of more winnable games against West Virginia and Rutgers.


Next week: Feb. 14 vs. West Virginia (W, 63-52), Feb. 19 vs. Rutgers.







16. Villanova (9)

Villanova was the biggest loser of the week, losing to a pathetic Rutgers team with an extremely undisciplined foul at the buzzer to allow Jonathan Mitchell a four-point play to win by one, and following that up with a tough, tough loss at home against Pittsburgh to snap a long home win streak at the Pavilion. They have ample chance to rebound though, with winnable games at Seton Hall and at DePaul.


Next week: Feb. 15 @ Seton Hall (W, 60-57), Feb. 19 @ DePaul.




17. Arizona (19)

Sean Miller has led his team to the top of the Pac-10 this season, amassing a 10-2 record in conference. Derrick Williams is an amazing 69.4% from 3-point land, and Arizona gets a chance to redeem their loss to Washington. 


Next week: Feb. 17 @ Washington State, Feb. 19 vs. Washington.










18. North Carolina (20)

North Carolina almost had the week of the year, pulling off an improbable win at Duke before Duke made a hell of a run in the second half, locking up the win. They rebounded with a close win over Clemson, and I feel that the Tarheels are picking up a big amount of steam heading into late February. The Heels have an easy game ahead against Wake.


Next week: Feb. 15 vs. Wake Forest (W, 78-64), Feb. 19 vs. Boston College.


19. Kentucky (16)

If Kentucky played the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena, they'd be real title contenders. But unfortunately, the games are played at neutral sites. The Wildcats are 1-5 on the road against SEC opponents this year, and they are a middling 5-5 this year. Their next two games are against middling Mississippi State and South Carolina.


Next week: Feb. 15 vs. Mississippi State (W, 85-79), Feb. 19 vs. South Carolina.






20. Vanderbilt (NR)

Vanderbilt enters my Power Rankings with an extremely solid win against Kentucky in Knoxville. Before this, they also had an awesome win against WCC opponent Saint Mary's. It took a career-effort of 32 points from John Jenkins to defeat the Wildcats, but it established them as a power in the SEC. 


Next week: Feb. 16 @ Georgia (W, 64-56), Feb. 19 @ Auburn.








21. Xavier (24)

X asserted itself as the power of the A-10 with its win over Duquesne. Dante's finally getting on a roll, and this week, X faces the cupcakes of the A-10; both of them, in Saint Joseph's and Fordham.


Next week: Feb. 16 @ Saint Joseph's (W, 74-54), Feb. 19 vs. Fordham.





 
22. Missouri (18)

Honestly, I don't know what it is about this team that bothers me. But they just don't seem to have it for me. They really aren't very good in the Big 12, but they have two easy games this week.


Next week: Feb. 15 vs. Texas Tech (W, 92-84), Feb. 19 @ Iowa State.








23. George Mason (NR)

George Mason is a new addition to the Power Rankings this week, and a team from the Colonial Athletic Association who's really become the top team in the CAA. They proved this with a big win by 20 at CAA recent powerhouse VCU.  They have an upcoming BracketBuster game against Northern Iowa.


Next week: Feb. 15 @ VCU (W, 71-51), Feb. 19 @ Northern Iowa.








24. Temple (NR)

Admitttedly, I did not give enough credit and kudos to Temple for their OOC play this season. They had an extremely powerful win against then #10 Georgetown, along with close losses against Villanova, Texas A&M (before we knew they were good), and California. They are led by first year starting G Ramone Moore, who averages 15 PPG to go with 4.4 RPG and 3.2 APG. They have a big matchup against Richmond to take sole possession of the A-10 behind Xavier.


Next week: Feb. 17 vs. Richmond, Feb. 20 vs. Saint Joseph's.

25. Texas A&M (NR)

The Aggies are another team that I did not give enough credit to. Their lone OOC loss was against a Boston College squad early in the year, and after that loss, they defeated Temple and Washington. In conference they have held their own, currently 3rd with a solid 7-4 record. They had a very good win against Missouri during their school-record win streak, but I left them off last week due to the poor losses against Baylor and Nebraska. They rebounded well with wins at Colorado and Texas Tech.


Next week: Feb. 16 vs. Iowa State (W, 71-66), Feb. 19 @ Oklahoma State.





Fell out of the rankings:
Wichita State
West Virginia 
Saint Mary's
Coastal Carolina