NCAA Top 25

No more undefeated teams… So that makes ranking the top teams very difficult. The case could be made for Duke, Michigan, Indiana, Louisville, Kansas, Syracuse, and even Arizona (that’s a stretch). See below for our take:

Top 25 – January 14, 2013

NOTE: Previous ranking in parenthesis (from two weeks ago). Current record noted next to each team.

1. (4) Louisville Cardinals: 15-1

Louisville has been playing great lately, and Russ Smith needs to be considered a serious threat for POY at this point. We all know that their defense is what makes them go, but Smith has catalyzed the offense better than I thought anyone could. Their only loss was to Duke on a neutral court, but that was early in the year and without Dieng.

2. (5) Indiana Hoosiers: 15-1

I think that when IU plays well, they can’t be beat. But they have shown some inconsistent play from time to time. Take their recent win against Minnesota as an example… In the first half they played the best half of basketball you could imagine in building a 23-point lead. But in the second half they allowed the Gophers to bring the lead to 3 before hanging on in the final minute.

3. (1) Duke Blue Devils: 15-1

Still have the best resume, but that doesn’t mean anything when it comes to rankings. With Kelly out for a while, their lack of depth could be exposed. But with leaders like Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry, they should overcome better than most.

4. (2) Michigan Wolverines: 16-1

Ran into a bad matchup (Ohio State) on the road but nearly came back to win. They looked bad early (down 20) but great late (within 1). I have doubts about their ability to get it done inside, but they are loaded on the perimeter. I guess that describes a Coach Beilein team perfectly.

5. (6) Kansas Jayhawks: 14-1

Have been on a tear recently and Ben McLemore has them looking like national contenders. Jeff Withey has done his thing this year also, particularly on the defensive end of the court. I could easily see them in the title game again this season.

6. (7) Syracuse Orangemen: 16-1

The knock against Syracuse is that they don’t have any quality wins. I believe the talent is there, but I just want to see it against a top-notch opponent. And I’ll get my chance on the 19^th when they travel to Louisville.

7. (8) Minnesota Golden Gophers: 15-2

Minnesota proved this week that they are for real. They won impressively at Illinois and was right there at Indiana. Had they played a better first half on Saturday, they would have won at both Assembly Halls.

8. (12) Gonzaga Bulldogs: 16-1

Winning at Oklahoma State on New Year’s Eve was impressive, and their 3-0 start in the WCC includes a nice win over St. Mary’s. A game at Butler this weekend would really show me something though.

9. (3) Arizona Wildcats: 15-1

Not even sure Arizona should be this high… Not only did they drop their first game vs. Oregon, but I also watched them lose to Colorado at home (before the refs overturned a buzzer beater that clearly should have counted). They need to stop playing at their opponents level and play their best at all times.

10. (13) Florida Gators: 12-2

Florida hasn’t had any big games recently, but they take on Missouri this Saturday. If they can get consistency from Boynton, they should be fine in that game and throughout the year.

11. (18) Butler Bulldogs: 14-2

Maybe more impressive than their victory over Indiana has been their 2-0 start in the A-10. They were both on the road over St. Joes and Dayton. Along with the other newcomer VCU, Butler seems to already be in charge of their new conference.

12. (19) North Carolina State Wolfpack: 14-2

NC State is finally showing the nation why so many believed them to be the ACC favorite. The freshmen and veterans are mixing nicely, and Richard Howell has quietly been their MVP. Yet it was CJ Leslie that took over against Duke Saturday.

13. (22) Creighton Bluejays: 16-1

We’ve had Creighton ranked lower than most nearly the entire year. That’s based on the fact that Doug McDermott has limited help. But the team has been playing great as a whole recently, and if they keep this up then I’ll reconsider.

14. (9) Ohio State Buckeyes: 13-3

Crazy that they just beat Michigan yet I dropped them five spots. But don’t forget how an iffy Illinois team pummeled them since the last rankings came out. Thomas is clearly a stud, but do they have consistent offense past him?

15. (NR) Kansas State Wildcats: 13-2

Bruce Weber’s new crew is suddenly playing better than his old crew, and most other teams in the nation in fact. Rodney McGruder is back to playing basketball his way, and they are getting production from all the role players.

16. (NR) San Diego State Aztecs: 14-2

The Aztecs keep rolling along and doing their thing quietly. If they had been able to hang on against Arizona on Christmas, we’d be talking about them as a top ten team.

17. (23) Michigan State Spartans: 14-3

I think the Spartans are finding themselves now. They are learning how to play without Draymon Green and are playing Izzo basketball for the first time all year.

18. (NR) Marquette Golden Eagles: 12-3

Not only are the 3-0 in conference play, but those wins are over good teams (UCONN, Georgetown, Pitt). Buzz Williams continues to get the job done despite a completely new team this year.

19. (NR) Connecticut Huskies: 12-3

Kevin Ollie finally got his deserved extension, and his team responded this week with a great win at Notre Dame. The guard play is truly terrific and college basketball is all about those positions.

20. (11) Illinois Fighting Illini: 14-4

Illinois has started out slow in Big Ten play, but the only loss that hurt them was at Purdue. This is still a good team but winning on the road will be tough all year. They did beat down Ohio State, but once again that was at home.

21. (16) New Mexico Lobos: 15-2

Alford’s crew beat UNLV and is right there with San Diego State as the class of the Mountain West. This is a loaded conference though so they can’t afford to take nights off.

22. (20) Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 14-2

Losing at home to UCONN was a shock, but they are good enough to make up for it on the road. The schedule is favorable over the next few weeks so look for them to make a nice run here.

23. (17) Cincinnati Bearcats: 14-3

After starting the season so well, Cincinnati is sliding in a hurry. With two winnable games though this week, they can easily right the ship. One of those (Marquette) will be huge in the standings.

24. (NR) Oregon Ducks: 14-2

Oregon handed Arizona their first loss of the season and earned a spot in the Top 25. They have been fairly consistent all year, but until now have flown under the radar. I expect them to continue this high level and compete all year at or around the top of the Pac-12 standings.

25. (NR) UCLA Bruins: 14-3

Look who is back in the rankings and who is finally starting to play well. UCLA has been on a roll over the last few weeks and have been doing it on the shoulders of Shabazz Muhammed. He is fully accustomed now to college basketball and he is showing the country why so many (including me) loved him coming in.

Dropped from Rankings: Georgetown, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Wyoming

Other Notables: VCU, Wisconsin, UNLV, Miami, Memphis, Ole Miss, Wichita State, Utah State, Bucknell, Baylor, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Iowa State

By: The Sports Guys