NCAA Top 25 (5)

Meant to post this yesterday… As we head into conference play, this is how the Top 25 shakes out:

NCAA Top 25 – 12/30/13

NOTE: Previous ranking in parenthesis.

1. (1) Arizona Wildcats (13-0)

Arizona will get pushed by teams in the Pac-12, but I fully expect them to take the league crown and earn a top 2 seed come March.

2. (2) Syracuse Orangemen (12-0)

After a slow start against Villanova, Syracuse then showed why it’s one of the best teams in the country. Their combination of defense and offense is top notch, and it will come down to them and Duke in the ACC.

3. (3) Wisconsin Badgers (13-0)

As we enter Big Ten play, Wisconsin is the slight favorite in my opinion. Of course, Ohio State and Michigan State are both right there. I love the consistency however that the Badgers play with, and they shoot it better than those teams.

4. (4) Ohio State Buckeyes (13-0)

They needed a miracle to get past Notre Dame, but they are still unbeaten. We know they can play defense, but it’s their offense that needs to pick up if they want to truly be elite.

5. (5) Oklahoma State Cowboys (12-1)

They added a nice win over Colorado to cap off a great non-conference season. And now the battle begins against the likes of Kansas, Iowa State, and Baylor. Marcus Smart remains the difference in my mind as to why they’ll emerge on top.

6. (8) Michigan State Spartans (11-1)

The Spartans have dealt with some lingering injuries, but they may be getting healthier just in time. I’ll watch them in person on Saturday at IU, so let’s see if they can impress me further.

7. (9) Iowa State Cyclones (11-0)

Played in a small Holiday tourney and took home the title. Their win over Boise State will prove to be a quality win. These Cyclones are fun to watch, and you better start believing in them.

8. (10) Wichita State Shockers (13-0)

The Shockers haven’t played a really hard schedule, but they’ve got some quality wins. Their recent road win at Alabama showed real guts. Can they run the table in their own conference? That will be fun to watch.

9. (11) Oregon Ducks (12-0)

The Ducks are back to full strength with suspensions over to two of their contributors. This makes them extremely dangerous in the Pac-12.

10. (13) Florida Gators (10-2)

Florida doesn’t have the full team I thought they would heading into the year, but their roster is essentially intact finally, and they are playing great basketball. Following their win over Kansas, they added a win over Memphis. I’d have to make them the favorites now over Kentucky in the SEC.

11. (16) Duke Blue Devils (10-2)

Duke is finally starting to gel, and they are finally starting to impress me. They blew out UCLA before Christmas, and Jabari Parker remains the most talented player in the country.

12. (12) Villanova Wildcats (11-1)

The Wildcats finally picked up their first loss, but it came at Syracuse so that’s not so bad. They led by 18 in the first half but played poorly after that. Consistency and shot selection is something they still need work on.

13. (17) Baylor Bears (10-1)

Baylor remains a solid team, but still haven’t looked elite (except in their one game against Kentucky). To me, they seem more like a placeholder in these rankings than a contender.

14. (6) Louisville Cardinals (11-2)

Louisville has had a rough week, and I honestly wanted to drop them lower due to it. They’ve had only two chances to pick up good wins in the non-conference, and they now lost both of them following their loss to Kentucky (the other was UNC). Then it was announced that Behanan is gone from the team and Ware may redshirt this season. Suddenly, the new AAC is wide open.

15. (7) Connecticut Huskies (11-1)

The Huskies finally came down off the clouds. They lost a close game against Stanford, and that really showed how average they can be at times.

16. (T25) Kansas Jayhawks (9-3)

Things are starting to click… wins over New Mexico and Georgetown prove that the freshmen are getting better, the role players are starting to get it, and Bill Self finally has a consistent rotation. Oh, and Andrew Wiggins is actually beginning to impress.

17. (T25) Kentucky Wildcats (10-3)

Finally a quality win when they beat Louisville. The most impressive part of that was that they played most of the second half without Julius Randle. Like Kansas, the team is showing improvement.

18. (15) Memphis Tigers (9-2)

Had another golden opportunity for a big win when they took on Florida, but again they came up short. When will Pastner’s teams start living up to their talent?

19. (19) Colorado Buffaloes (11-2)

Nothing wrong in a close loss to Oklahoma State. This team has serious potential, but they compete in a competitive conference.

20. (20) Iowa Hawkeyes (11-2)

Iowa could finish Top 3 in the Big Ten, or as low as 6. All depends on their defense.

21. (21) San Diego State Aztecs (10-1)

It will be interesting to see how they respond in their next 3 games… at Colorado State, at Kansas, and then Boise State. How good are they?

22. (14) North Carolina Tarheels (9-3)

More inconsistency shown in their loss to Texas. Then, they barely beat Davidson at home (OT win). Also, looks like Hairston won’t play for them this year, which is a huge loss.

23. (22) Missouri Tigers (11-1)

Lost a heartbreaker to Illinois, but bounced back with a great road win at NC State. I really love their guard play, especially Clarkson.

24. (23) UCLA Bruins (11-2)

Bad showing against Duke, but have otherwise played well this season. Moving Anderson to the point guard was a great move by Alford.

25. (NR) Florida State Seminoles (9-3)

Handed UMASS their first loss, and that was after they blew out Charlotte by 40. This team is great the paint and they are playing great right now.

Dropped from Previous Top 25: Massachusetts Minutemen, Gonzaga Bulldogs

Also Considered: Texas, George Washington, Creighton, Illinois, Harvard, Oklahoma, LSU, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Stanford, St. Louis, Arizona State, Utah, Minnesota

By: The Sports Guys