NCAA Top 25 (4)

This week I tried to be much harsher on teams. That means I dropped teams heavily in the rankings if I saw the need, and even eliminated many teams in the “Also Considered” section. On the flip side, good play and good wins got rewarded in many cases. As I’ve watched more basketball, the eye test played a role as well. This season has been very entertaining, and I’m eager for March already. There is so much talent this year, but we’ve also seen how veteran play still rules the day. Come March, every team will have a chance.

NCAA Top 25 – 12/16/13

NOTE: Previous ranking in parenthesis.

1. (2) Arizona Wildcats (11-0)

With my poll being done every other week, this is Arizona’s first week on top. They earned it though with a gutsy road win at Michigan. I love their mix of outside/inside play. Nick Johnson has been stellar for them.

2. (8) Syracuse Orangemen (10-0)

I’m totally sold on Syracuse. The more I watch them play, the more I realize how devastating their defense is (2-3 zone). They are so long, which makes them so difficult to play against. Although I questioned their guard play before the season, Ennis and Cooney are absolutely terrific on both ends of the court. They are my clear choice to win the ACC now.

3. (7) Wisconsin Badgers (12-0)

They finally moved their way past Ohio State and Michigan State and are now the top ranked team in the Big Ten. This year they’ve been able to play both fast and slow, which makes them a tough matchup regardless of the opponent. Last week, I broke down their resume, which is the best in the country.

4. (4) Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0)

Ohio State has been a “quiet Top-10 team” all season long. That’s due to a weaker schedule, as their toughest opponents have been Marquette and Maryland. They play excellent defense however, as no team has reached 70 points against them. I question their offense though, which is why I put Wisconsin at #3.

5. (5) Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-1)

The Cowboys have continued to impress me, especially when at full strength. Now that Clark has begun playing again, they are healthy and can be downright scary. They have great athleticism, and they have Marcus Smart.

6. (6) Louisville Cardinals (9-1)

Similar to Ohio State, Louisville hasn’t made a lot of noise this year due to a lighter schedule (UNC was their sole loss). But with a date vs. Kentucky over the Holidays, the spotlight will be turning on.

7. (10) Connecticut Huskies (9-0)

UCONN has been great in close games, which has helped them stay unbeaten. We all remember their win over Florida, as it came off a Napier jumper at the buzzer. As long as they make it through a couple of Pac-12 matchups, they should enter conference play undefeated, and Napier will remain a Wooden Award candidate.

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

The Spartans need to get healthy. Following their loss to North Carolina, Gary Harris sat out a game and Payne is playing with foot issues. Getting those guys back to normal is crucial if they want to win the Big Ten.

9. (11) Iowa State Cyclones (8-0)

A sign of a good team is when they don’t play their best against a good team and still manage to pull through at the end. That’s what they did Friday against Iowa. This is a dangerous squad.

10. (12) Wichita State Shockers (10-0)

Ron Baker has been the team’s MVP and another Final Four isn’t out of the question. In fact, they could be better than they were a year ago, although they won’t sneak up on anyone now.

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

Great win against Illinois, and now the team is at full strength again (suspensions over for two key players). They will give Arizona plenty of fight in the Pac-12, especially due to their ability to score.

12. (15) Villanova Wildcats (10-0)

This is a terrific team that is very good on the perimeter. They surprised people in the Bahamas, but I feel like people are still overlooking them. I’m not. They are legit and have a game against Syracuse on the 28^th to prove it. It’s on the road however.

13. (14) Florida Gators (7-2)

Florida established themselves as an elite team when they took out Kansas this week. They are finally finalizing their roster, as it’s been in flux for months due to suspensions and injuries. This clarity will only help them entering conference play.

14. (NR) North Carolina Tarheels (7-2)

Although this team has confused us in their two losses, no team has a better trio of wins. They’ve now beaten my preseason 1, 2, 3 in Louisville, Michigan State, and Kentucky. Two of those were away from home, which makes it even more impressive. They are finding themselves, and should be welcoming back two of their best scorers from suspension soon.

15. (19) Memphis Tigers (7-1)

This is the third team from the newly formed AAC in the top 15. Won’t it be fun to watch them all duke it out over the next few months?

16. (18) Duke Blue Devils (7-2)

We haven’t seen them play much over the last couple of weeks, but they return tonight. If they can find something on the interior, this is a team that can be elite once again.

17. (20) Baylor Bears (8-1)

Baylor showed how good they could be when they took out Kentucky on a neutral court. They seemed to have found their point guard answers (Chery), and that was my only concern with this squad entering the year.

18. (21) Massachusetts Minutemen (9-0)

UMASS continues to back up this ranking, recently adding another decent win to their already great resume in BYU. Chaz Williams is one of the best “unknown” guards in the country.

19. (25) Colorado Buffaloes (10-1)

The Buffs are now riding a ten game winning streak, which included a recent win over Kansas. Looks like I wasn’t wrong in ranking them favorably in the preseason.

20. (17) Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2)

Iowa surely scores a lot of points, and that helps them win a lot of games. They had a nice win last week against Notre Dame, but fell in a heartbreaker to Iowa State in their last contest. Only one more non-conference game to go.

21. (22) San Diego State Aztecs (7-1)

So how are the Aztecs winning? I’d point to their defense, as only one team has scored more than 69 points against them this year. That team was Creighton, and San Diego State still won that game.

22. (NR) Missouri Tigers (10-0)

Missouri breaks into the Top 25 following a nice win over UCLA. Was unsure about them until I saw them play. Their backcourt of Clarkson, Brown, and Ross really is special. Clarkson in particular has been a surprise.

23. (16) UCLA Bruins (9-1)

The Bruins have been great offensively, particularly due to Kyle Anderson playing more point guard. Jordan Adams has remained a great scoring option too. The kid to watch out for though is Zach LaVine, who is rapidly rising up draft boards. This squad is talented enough to compete at the top of the Pac-12, but they need to defend better.

24. (NR) Gonzaga Bulldogs (10-1)

I know, I know… I have them ranked too low. But I couldn’t talk my way into putting them ahead of any of the teams above. They do have great guard play and some improving big guys, but their win at West Virginia was the first time I was remotely impressed watching them play. They showed guts at the end of that game.

T25. (3) Kentucky Wildcats (8-3) and (9) Kansas Jayhawks (7-3)

Obviously, both of these teams have dropped considerably, but they both deserve to be ranked. Both are teams with very talented players, but their youth has held them back early. Both squads continue to fail in their big games (except Kansas beating Duke), which explains why each has three losses. Julius Randle and Andrew Wiggins need help, and it better come soon. Kentucky has dropped 2 of 3, and Kansas has lost 3 of their last 5.

Dropped from Previous Top 25: Indiana Hoosiers, Virginia Cavaliers

Also Considered: Pittsburgh, St. Mary’s, George Washington, Harvard, Creighton, Oklahoma, Texas

By: The Sports Guys