Power Rankings: Week 13: Feb. 3

I have taken it upon myself to become the 17th voter in the ESPN.com's Power Rankings. Here is the link to see the original page:  http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/powerrankings.

This includes games through Sunday, February 6th.

The number in parenthesis is the previous ranking I gave. For this first ranking, the number is the Week 13 tally on ESPN. Their ranking is through the 2nd.


1. Ohio State (1)

What else is there to say? As long as these Buckeyes keep winning, they'll remain here. It's becoming evident that Jared Sullinger is the X Factor to this team, and quickly becoming the de facto team leader.

Next week: Feb. 12 @ #14 Wisconsin.






2. Kansas (3)

Yes, they lost to Texas. In Allen Fieldhouse. But I still feel this team is better than the aforementioned Longhorns. The Morris twins are so tough to stop down low. They have the experience that will be needed come March. They've bounced back from the loss at Allen quite well, most recently with a 20-point shillacking against a surprisingly decent Cornhusker team at Nebraska. Oh, and Brady Morningstar seems to finally be getting his act together.

Next week: Feb. 7 vs. Missouri, Feb. 12 vs. Iowa State.



3. Texas (2)

Don't get me wrong; this Texas team is VERY talented. Jordan Hamilton has really come into his own during his sophomore season, leading the team with 18.9 PPG, and the win at #2 Kansas was undeniably impressive. However, I believe wins against #13 Mizzou and #16 Texas A&M are overrated, mainly because I believe they're overrated. But at this point, Texas has but all locked up a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Next week: Feb. 9 @ Oklahoma, Feb. 12 vs. Baylor.



4. Pittsburgh (4)

This ranking is assuming that points leader Ashton Gibbs (16.3 PPG) is only out the 10-14 days with his MCL injury. Because unfortunately, this team is quite simply not the same without Gibbs. Their offense has already been exposed lately in the Big East, with point totals of 51, 65, and 71, and Pittsburgh will have trouble filling the 3-point hole that Gibbs leaves. Brad Wanamaker is going to have to step up, and in a big way -- especially looking at the next two games: at a surging West Virginia, and at the strong Villanova.

Next week: Feb. 7 @ West Virginia, Feb. 12 @ Villanova.


5. Duke (5)

Everyone's bashing on the Dukies after their loss to the Johnnies at MSG, and how poor their 3-point shooting was. But their point output in that game (78) beat every other opposing team's score in the rest of their ACC games. If they had played any sort of defense in that game, they would still have pulled out the win. And credit St. John's: former UCLA coach Steve Lavin has implemented a gameplan very similar to that of Missouri: scoring heavily on the fastbreak off high-pressure defense. They've followed up the loss with a good win at Maryland and against NC State. All in all, I still believe that St. John's game was an anomaly. Dukies, no need to sweat.

Next week: Feb. 9 vs. North Carolina, Feb. 13 @ Miami.

6. Notre Dame (8)

No doubt in my mind, Notre Dame is the surprise of this season. Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis have brought an excitement to this team that was lacking last year, and Abromaitis was a spark in their marquee win over Pittsburgh. The game against Louisville will be a great gauge of the two biggest surprise teams in the Big East.

Next week: Feb. 9 vs. #15 Louisville, Feb. 12 @ South Florida.



7. Brigham Young (7)

Let's be honest. Jimmer Fredette is the heart and soul of this team. But don't count out the rest of this team. Fredette still averages 4.3 APG, so obviously there is other production on the team. Jackson Emery, the 2nd leading scorer with 12.4 PPG, is a pretty strong 3-point threat at 37%. There's no doubt they miss their leading rebounder, Chris Collinsworth, though (5.6 RPG).

Next week: Feb. 9 @ Air Force, Feb. 12 vs. Utah.




8. San Diego State (6)

That loss at the Marriott Center against BYU seemed to hurt, but in reality, the advantage in the MWC seems to be with the Aztecs. Unlike the Cougars, the Aztecs took down the New Mexico Lobos in the Pit earlier this season, while holding off a very underrated Colorado State team in Colorado. This team is very good, and their out of conference play was perfect, with wins @ Gonzaga, vs. Saint Mary's, vs. Wichita State, and @ Cal. As long as the Aztecs hold off UNLV in Las Vegas, the rest of the MWC season seems to point straight at the Feb. 26 matchup against BYU.

Next week: Feb. 8 vs. Utah, Feb. 12 @ UNLV.

9. Villanova (9)

This a very talented, senior-heavy team that was really rolling until they hit the huge bump labeled "BIG EAST PLAY." In their loss to Providence, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, the top two scorers at 15.7 PPG and 14.8 PPG respectively, were held to 7 points each. The other two losses in Big East play were close losses to great teams: 2 points to then #8 UConn, and 3 points to then #20 Georgetown. And to think the Wildcats still have to face #4 Pitt twice! Jay Wright will have a difficult time navigating his way through the rest of conference play.

Next week: Feb. 9 @ Rutgers, Feb. 12 vs. #4 Pittsburgh.


10. Georgetown (10)

Like Villanova, Georgetown is another Big East team, senior-driven, and having some trouble wading through the Big East sea. Unlike the Wildcats, the Hoyas are playing their best ball right now. After starting conference play 1-4, G'Town has rattled off six straight wins, including dandies at then #7 Villanova and at home against then #13 Louisville. They still have a lot of work to do, with two games against Syracuse and a game @ #9 UConn remaining. Chris Wright continues to anchor this team, and he's doing a great job doing it.

Next week: Feb. 9 @ #13 Syracuse, Feb. 13 vs. Marquette.

11. Connecticut (11)

It looks like Kemba Walker has (possibly?) cooled down, and UConn has as well. Back-to-back losses against then #19 Louisville and then #17 Syracuse are by no mean bad losses, but it does hurt to be the team that let Syracuse off the hook in Big East play. They also escaped with a all-too-close win against Seton Hall. It needs to be noted, however, that UConn's four losses are all to ranked teams.UConn needs to be careful in their next game at St. John's...smells like a trap game to me.

Next week: Feb. 10 @ St. John's, Feb. 13 vs. Providence.



12. Wisconsin (12)

These Badgers don't get a lot of love. Why, I really don't know. A solid 7-3 in the tough Big Ten, the Badgers are led by F Jon Leuer, a 6-10 Senior who averages 19.4 PPG, 7 RPG, and boasts impressive shooting percentages of 48.7%, 85.4%, and 45%, in FG, FT, and 3PT, respectively. After a somewhat disappointing loss at Michigan State in early January in overtime, Wisconsin absolutely annihilated the Spartans in Kohl Arena, 82-56. An all-important matchup against Ohio State in Kohl awaits.

Next week: Feb. 9 @ Iowa, Feb. 12 vs. #1 OSU.


13. Syracuse (14)

Hold the brakes, hold the brakes! Syracuse stopped their 4-game slide with a very, very solid win at Connecticut. The key to this team is consistent defense: their zone, when working on all cylinders, keeps the score down. They're offensively challenged a bit, so their defense is all-important. Scoop Jardine needs to keep being a good distributor of the ball as well; he leads the team with 6 APG. Two games against streaking Georgetown await, and this week will be very tough to keep it rolling.

This week: Feb. 9 vs. Georgetown, Feb. 12 @ Louisville.

14. Louisville (16)

It's getting rather scary for Louisville right now. Injuries are plaguing this team, and it showed in a skin-of-our-teeth win against DePaul, 61-57. Their leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker were all on the bench, but their continuing tenacious defense is helping them hold on. The ranking assumed that the injury to Preston Knowles (a tweaked hamstring) will be a short-term injury, as their first two Power Forwards have been out for some time. A string of tough games await: @ND, vs. SYR, vs. UCONN, and vs. Pitt.

Next week: Feb. 9 @ #7 Notre Dame, Feb. 12 vs. #13 Syracuse.

15. Purdue (13)

Purdue is starting to fall off, it appears. After a hot start, the Boilermakers have lost 4 of the last seven. This team is not the same without Robbie Hummel, but JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore have filled in admirably, becoming the top two weapons for Purdue. The key for Purdue so far is the avoidance of the trap game. All their losses in Big Ten play have been on the road at ranked teams, and the loss @ Minnesota was before they started losing pieces of the puzzle.

Next week: Feb. 8 vs. Indiana, Feb. 13 @ Illinois.


16. Kentucky (15)

Whoa, baby, whoah. The Wildcats have lost 3 out of the last 5, and they've all been heartbreakers. The lack of leadership on this team is evident; experienced teams would probably have pulled off at least the games against Ole Miss and Alabama. It doesn't help that their best player (and yes, I'm going there), is sitting on the bench in Enes Kanter. Without Kanter, their post play is severely lacking -- Harrelson's overachieved in many of his games this year. Two more losses can easily be foreseeable.

Next week: Feb. 8 vs. Tennessee, Feb. 12 @ #23 Vanderbilt.


17. Florida (22)

Florida's five guys seem to finally be coalescing together with a pair of wins against top 25 teams in #24 Vanderbilt and #11 Kentucky. This team features five returning starters, and I believe their abysmally weak OOC made them a bit complacent heading into SEC play. Their next game will be an important one, as they lost to the Gamecocks on Jan. 15.

Next week: Feb. 9 @ South Carolina, Feb. 12 vs. Tennessee.





18. Missouri (19)

Missouri is quite the intriguing team. They play a very unorthodox style, racking up as many points as they can in the fastbreak. Their halfcourt offense has been questionable at times this season, and this will be a very important point against the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Great play will have to come from vets Marcus Denmon (leading with 16.7 PPG) and Kim English, the emotional leader of this team.

Next week: Feb. 7 @ #2 Kansas, Feb. 12 vs. Oklahoma.


19. Arizona

Part of me hates Sean Miller. As fellow X fans know, he left town after a secret meeting in Arizona. But Arizona has quietly pieced together a very good season thus far in the Pac-10, leading the conference with a 9-2 record. The Wildcats are powered by sophomore Derrick Williams, the only player on this team averaging over 10 points a game (19.5 PPG.) But the next players average the following points: 9.8, 8, 7.9, 7.5, 6.7, and 6.3. They get such balanced scoring that it's tough to shut everyone down.

Next week: Feb. 13 @ Arizona State.



20. North Carolina

Well, what do you know? North Carolina's back? The ACC is definitely down this year, but the Tarheels are taking advantage and starting to reel some wins off. In the ACC, they've been solid except for one blemish, and it was an ugly one: a 20-point drubbing at RPI 164 Georgia Tech. Yeesh. But since then, they've won 5 straight, including blowouts of possible tournament teams @ BC and against Florida State. Overall, things are looking up for Zeller, Barnes, and Co. A win against their arch-rival Duke would be monumental.

Next week: Feb. 9 @ #5 Duke, Feb. 12 @ Clemson.


21. Wichita State

The Missouri Valley Conference has become an essential staple in the land of mid-majors in the NCAA. And here is your most consistent team from that (all of a sudden) pretty powerful conference. Their only OOC losses were a 4 point stunner to UConn in the Paradise Jam, and a 14 point defeat to the Aztecs of SDSU, in San Diego, which is nothing to hang your head on. They lack a quality OOC win, though, and have lost at home twice in the MVC -- to Missouri State, another great team from the MVC, and against the Kansas Killers, Northern Iowa. However, NIU just lost Lucas O'Rear, their best player for the year with a broken ankle.

Next week: Feb. 8 vs. Southern Illinois, Feb. 12 @ Northern Iowa.

22. West Virginia (24)

These West Virginia Mountaineers sure are scrappy. After last year's dream Final Four run, everyone counted them out. And for good reason, to be honest. Right now, the Mountaineers have 7 scholarship players. SEVEN. Casey Mitchell, their leading scorer at 15.7 PPG, has just returned from a suspension mandated by Bob Huggins. This team plays one great scrappy type of defense, but they have a great deal of trouble scoring, and that will be tested in the upcoming games.

Next week: Feb. 7 vs. #4 Pittsburgh, Feb. 12 vs. DePaul.



23. Saint Mary's

Saint Mary's is clawing back after a devastating loss at Portland on Jan. 29. Mickey McConnell has led this team that was not expected to be quite as good after losing their superstar Omar Samhan, who had led the Gaels to their memorable Sweet 16 run. Time will tell about this team.

Next week: Feb. 10 @ Santa Clara, Feb. 12 @ San Francisco.



24. Xavier

I guess I'm biased, being a X student. But watching this team all year, I can say, do not count these Muskies out. Besides their embarassing loss at Charlotte, this team knows how to win. Tu Holloway, a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award presented to the nation's best PG, had his off game. He won't have another one for awhile. Their most two important games are their next two.

Next week: Feb. 8 @ Georgia, Feb. 13 @ Duquesne.

25. Coastal Carolina

These Chanticleers get no love. Coastal Carolina is 22-2 on the season, and have won 20 straight. Their last loss was against Georgetown on NOVEMBER 18. That is a long, long time ago.
They're led by Desmond Holloway, a 6-3 G who, in addition to dropping 19.1 PPG, still somehow amasses 6.3 RPG, impressive for a player of his size. He has not scored in the single digits in one game, and is very consistent game-to-game. They've already defeated Liberty twice, the only team close to them at 11-2 in conference. All other teams are 7-6 or lower. These Chanticleers could end the regular season 28-2: a remarkable record, even in the Big South.

Next week: Feb. 10 @ Presbyterian, Feb. 12 @ Winthrop.