NCAA Top 25

March Madness is now right around the corner. Although there is some shuffling up and down the standings, we now have a little stability at the top. Indiana has clearly established themselves as the top team in the country. It will take a collapse of some sort for them to fall out of that spot. As for the rest of the top 25, take a look:

Top 25 – February 25, 2013

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

1. (1) Indiana Hoosiers: 24-3

Their win at Michigan State was ultra impressive. It not only gives them the inside track to winning the Big Ten outright, but towards getting the overall one seed in the NCAA Tourney. Oladipo and Zeller are 1-2 in my POY poll.

2. (5) Gonzaga Bulldogs: 27-2

Is Gonzaga the second favorite to win it all in March, probably not. But they do deserve this ranking. Where others continue to fall, they prevail and continue winning. Remember, they have only lost to Illinois and Butler this year. Indiana has those same losses…

3. (4) Duke Blue Devils: 24-3

Duke is getting their swagger back and is starting to play very well once again. I fully expect them to win out to end the regular season, including beating Miami in their rematch. Ryan Kelly is set to return for their senior night on March 5. Look out!

4. (3) Michigan Wolverines: 23-4

They got embarrassed at Michigan State, but have looked elite in all other games. Their issue is that they rely too much on Trey Burke. When they are balanced though, they are very dangerous.

5. (11) Kansas Jayhawks: 23-4

Since their losing streak, Kansas has won four in a row including wins over Kansas State and Oklahoma State. They once again look like a team primed for a Final Four.

6. (6) Florida Gators: 22-4

Despite a tight loss at Missouri, Florida is playing consistently well. They have a couple injury concerns that need to heal up over the next couple of weeks though to get ready for a deep March run.

7. (2) Miami Hurricanes: 22-4

After blistering through the ACC for a couple months, Miami finally let the pressure get to them and got waxed by Wake Forest. That really exposed them in my opinion and I believe another waxing is coming soon against Duke.

8. (13) Georgetown Hoyas: 21-4

Otto Porter has turned this team into a darkhorse national title contender. Their recent winning streak continued this week, even on the road against Syracuse. They now are in first place alone (Big East) and I don’t see them slowing down.

9. (8) Michigan State Spartans: 22-6

They annihilated Michigan since our last rankings, but then they lost at home to Indiana and at Ohio State. They are a great team in some regards but are missing a consistent scoring threat.

10. (14) Louisville Cardinals: 22-5

Since losing in 5 OT’s to Notre Dame, Louisville has won three straight. They remain a great defensive squad and that keeps them in the hunt for a national title.

11. (10) Arizona Wildcats: 23-4

They haven’t impressed in conference play like they did in non-conference play, but they are tied for first place in the Pac-12 nonetheless. They had that Colorado loss coming after they mistakenly won against them last time.

12. (12) Kansas State Wildcats: 22-5

Tied atop the Big 12 lead with Kansas, but they did get swept by the Jayhawks. I don’t really know if this is a Final Four contender or a team primed to get upset in the second round.

13. (7) Syracuse Orangemen: 22-5

Just when I thought Syracuse would take off, they have taken a step backwards. A home loss is almost unheard of for them, which is what they got against Georgetown this past week.

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

In their big win at Colorado State, they all but clinched the tough Mountain West. They also proved a believer out of me. They are a dangerous team that can play great defense, and they can also really score it. Kendall Williams proved that when he dropped 46 against the Rams.

15. (17) Ohio State Buckeyes: 20-7

They had a solid last two weeks. Although they lost at Wisconsin (most teams do), they beat Northwestern, Minnesota, and Michigan State. They are out of the Big Ten race, but are still working on a decent seed in the NCAA Tournament.

16. (21) Wisconsin Badgers: 19-8

They are playing their best basketball of the season. How do I know this? They beat down the Buckeyes at home last week. That’s tough to do.

17. (15) Oklahoma State Cowboys: 20-6

A 2-OT loss to Kansas is not something to hang your head about, but they likely blew their Big 12 title chances. They need better inside play to become complete.

18. (NR) St. Louis Billikens: 21-5

Nine wins in a row including a sweep of Butler and a win against VCU. It’s about time they start getting some attention nationally.

19. (NR) Memphis Tigers: 24-3

Still don’t know how great this team is, but they win over and over again. A win against Southern Miss on Saturday did enough for me to include them in my Top 25 this week.

20. (19) Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 22-6

Over the last two weeks they had a puzzling big loss to Providence, but they smashed Cincinnati and won at Pitt. Is it too much to ask for some consistency?

21. (9) Butler Bulldogs: 22-6

They are sliding a little in the A-10, but two of their losses in the conference have come to St. Louis, who is currently beating everybody. They seemingly peeked though in the non-conference.

22. (NR) Virginia Commonwealth Rams: 22-6

When they play well, VCU can give any team in the country fits. They are prone to duds however, which has kept them out of the rankings for some time. They are playing second fiddle to St. Louis right now, but they have a showdown with Butler upcoming that can prove their legitimacy.

23. (NR) St. Mary’s Gaels: 24-5

Apparently they only lose to Gonzaga, and Creighton felt their wrath over the weekend. I think that win sealed their bid to the NCAA Tournament.

24. (NR) North Carolina Tarheels: 19-8

UNC is playing some of their best ball of the year. They have tons of talent that makes them scary over the next month or so of the season.

25. (NR) UNLV Rebels: 21-7

Wins over SD State and CSU recently force me to include this talented squad in my rankings again. They seem to be coming into form. At their best, I do believe this is the best team in the Mountain West.

Dropped from Rankings: Pittsburgh, Marquette, Kentucky, Minnesota, San Diego State, Colorado State

Other Notables: Oklahoma, Oregon, NC State, UCLA, Missouri, Illinois, UCONN, Iowa State, Wichita State, Louisiana Tech, Akron, California, Colorado

By: The Sports Guys