NCAA Top 25

Quote from the last rankings: “It’s been a brutal week or two stretch for the top teams in America. Conference play brings out the best in teams, which means that all opponents are dangerous, especially if they are playing at home.” The same thing rings true for this two-week stretch. It makes ranking teams very difficult and also useless. All that matters is how teams are improving their tourney resumes. Nonetheless, here are the newest rankings:

Top 25 – February 11, 2013

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

1. (3) Indiana Hoosiers: 21-3

I know they lost at Illinois, but they bounced back at won at Ohio State, which is the best win recently among the elite teams. They are tied atop the Big Ten, which is by far the nation’s best conference, and they are beginning to play their best basketball of the season.

2. (11) Miami Hurricanes: 19-3

I nearly ranked Miami number one. They are 10-0 in the ACC and continue to take out the best the conference has to offer. But if I’m thinking about the entire season, I have to take into account their iffy non-conference play. So they will have to settle for number two for now.

3. (1) Michigan Wolverines: 21-3

Michigan is yet another team I considered ranking number one. They surely pass the eye test, and they have had a great season. They have plenty of good wins, and all three losses were respectable. They missed a game tying shot at Ohio State in a loss, were taken out by Indiana at Assembly Hall (duh), and on Saturday they only lost at Wisconsin due to a half-court shot. So yeah, they are that close to being a clear number one.

4. (6) Duke Blue Devils: 21-2

The last team I thought about ranking number one was Duke. After their embarrassing loss to Miami, they have won five straight. They have seemingly figured out how to play without Ryan Kelly, which is what I have been worried about with them. But I couldn’t rank them above Miami, and after getting lucky in winning at Boston College yesterday, they are below IU and UM as well.

5. (9) Gonzaga Bulldogs: 23-2

They are as consistent as they come. After their heartbreak against Butler, they have cruised through conference play. They could easily win out until the tourney.

6. (4) Florida Gators: 19-3

Kenpom’s top team didn’t look like it this week when they lost to Arkansas. But they have been dominant for most of SEC play. The issue I have with that is that the SEC sucks so I’m not all that impressed.

7. (5) Syracuse Orangemen: 20-3

The Orangemen are tied atop the Big East standings but there is a long way to go. The good news is that James Southerland is back so they should be hitting their stride now.

8. (12) Michigan State Spartans: 20-4

The Spartans are tied atop the Big Ten Standings and have Indiana (who they are tied with) at home in a couple weeks. The bad news is that they have Michigan twice, Wisconsin once (home), and Ohio State once (on road).

9. (10) Butler Bulldogs: 20-4

Butler keeps humming along and is still atop the A-10 standings. With all these top teams losing recently, they are positioning themselves to get a pretty high seed next month.

10. (8) Arizona Wildcats: 20-3

Losing to Oregon and UCLA have been understandable losses, but I’m confused with their home loss to California yesterday. Is this an elite team or are they just masquerading as one?

11. (2) Kansas Jayhawks: 19-4

It’s tough to rank Kansas. They were nearly on top of the nation two weeks ago, but now they have lost 3 straight. One of those games was a home game (weird), and another was at TCU (bizarre).

12. (21) Kansas State Wildcats: 19-4

Winners of four straight games and are now on top of the Big 12 by themselves. They play at Kansas tonight, which is huge to say the least.

13. (NR) Georgetown Hoyas: 17-4

While other teams across the country are struggling, the Hoyas are striving, even with the loss of Greg Whittington (suspension). Five wins in a row include a road win at Notre Dame and a win against Louisville.

14. (13) Louisville Cardinals: 19-5

Lost a five-OT thriller on Saturday, but they have won three of four since their three-game losing streak. Kenpom says they have the best defense in the country, so that makes up for their up and down offense style.

15. (NR) Oklahoma State Cowboys: 17-5

The Cowboys are back to playing great basketball and proved it by beating Kansas on the road. They are now firmly in the Big 12 mix and have their toughest remaining games at home.

16. (25) Pittsburgh Panthers: 20-5

This is another team Kenpom loves, ranking them fifth. The big wins they’ve gotten recently only help their cause. They do remain two losses back of the Big East leader however.

17. (15) Ohio State Buckeyes: 17-6

A tough schedule has given them problems recently. They lost an overtime game at Michigan and then a home game against Indiana this week. I do like how they are getting more contributions now besides Thomas.

18. (19) Marquette Golden Eagles: 17-5

It is Marquette who is on top of the Big East with an 8-2 record (tied with Syracuse). The schedule gets tougher though this week, as they play Georgetown and Pittsburgh.

19. (NR) Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 19-5

Winning against Louisville in five overtimes was the longest game in their history, and the longest regular season game in Big East history. It was also sorely needed after losing at Syracuse earlier in the week.

20. (NR) Kentucky Wildcats: 17-6

Guess who’s back? A couple of weeks ago people began writing them off and talking about them missing the tourney. Now they are reeling off wins, getting healthier, and are eyeing a SEC Championship. A game at Florida this week will go a long way.

21. (NR) Wisconsin Badgers: 17-7

After defeating Michigan on Saturday, Wisconsin is once again in the Big Ten mix. They have a way of grinding out wins and seem to always improve throughout the year. Bo Ryan is one of a kind.

22. (20) Minnesota Golden Gophers: 17-7

Minnesota dropped below .500 in the Big Ten by losing at home to Illinois yesterday. They have been so up and down in conference play, but who wouldn’t in the Big Ten. They host Wisconsin and travel to Iowa this week, and those would be huge for their confidence.

23. (22) San Diego State Aztecs: 18-5

Many people still believe they are the team to beat in their conference. They play at Colorado State and UNLV in their next two games so that will tell us the truth.

24. (23) New Mexico Lobos: 20-4

They dropped a game to UNLV on Saturday, but they continue to pace the dangerous Mountain West race. They have a fairly favorable schedule the rest of the way too, so I like their chances to hold on.

25. (NR) Colorado State Rams: 19-4

Right behind New Mexico in these rankings and the conference standings is Colorado State. They haven’t been ranked yet on this site, but they have some decent wins this year and have avoided bad losses.

Dropped from Rankings: Oregon, North Carolina State, Creighton, Wichita State, Ole Miss, Cincinnati

Other Notables: UCLA, Missouri, Illinois, VCU, St. Louis, UNLV, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Virginia, Memphis, St. Mary’s, North Carolina, Arizona State, Bucknell, Belmont, Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech, Akron

By: The Sports Guys