Monday, December 18, 2006

Best defensive teams in the country

Here’s a list of the ten teams that I feel have been the most impressive all around defensive teams in the country this year.  These ten teams strike fear into the eyes of their opponents with their defenses.  I would have liked to have put them in order from one to ten, however, it’s still a little too early in the season to make such claims as that.  So here they are in no particular order.

Maryland
-The Terps have one of the most athletic teams in the country.  Both of their starting post players in James Gist and Ekene Ibekwe are long and lean players that can jump out of the gym and are very good shot blockers on the interior.  On the perimeter Maryland is led by one of the best on ball defenders in the ACC in D.J. Strawberry.  The Terps love to get up in your face on defense and force you to drive into the lane and try and score over Gist and Ibekwe.  Ask St.Johns, Michigan State, Winthrop and Illinois about Marylands high energy pressure defense.

Kansas
-Before the year started this team was my pick as the best defensive team in the country and while they haven’t dissapinted defensively, they haven’t been as dominant as they should be.  Part of that problem is that they’ve been without a true and healthy center all year.  With Sahsa Kaun getting back into game form it will give KU one of the most balanced defensive attacks in the country.  It’s well known that KU likes to get out and pressure the basketball and they have a couple of the finest perimter defenders in the country in Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers.  Not to mention both Brandon Rush and Julien Wright are excellent athletes that can create problems defensively as well.

UCLA
-The Bruins are considered by most people as the best defensive team in the country.  The Bruins have good depth on the interior and very intelligent basketball players at every position.  Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison form probably the best defensive back court in the country.  Both of them love to get after it defensively.  UCLA will end up missing Ryan Hollins size, athleticism and shot blocking on the interior though but Luc Richard Mbah A Moute will  look to pick up right where Hollins left off.

Southern Illinois
-There are a lot of people out there that don’t realize just how great defensively Southern Illinois has been over the years.  However, this team is arguably the best defensive in the country.  The Salukis start three quick, smart and pesky guards all under 6′2 and they love to pressure the basketball defenisvely in the half court setting.  They’re very effective at taking teams out of their comfort zone and force them to put the ball on the floor and score instead.  Half court sets rarely work against this team.  They also have two very intelligent and good interior defenders in Randall Faulker and Matt Shaw.

Texas A&M
-The Aggies made the NCAA Tournament last year because of their aggressive team defense.  A&M is a very physical defensive team that rebounds the ball well, stays in front of their man and forces teams into one and done possessions.  They don’t have true shot blocker on their team but they do have one of the best perimeter defenders as well as all around guards in the country in A.C. Law.  A lot of A&M’s defensive credit needs to be given to their defensive minded head coach Billy G who is quicky becoming one of the best young coaches in the country.

Southern California
-Here’s one of the teams that may surprise people.  The Trojans are playing fearless defense this year.  They are truly one of the most athletic teams in the country at all five positions.  Freshman Taj Gibson has given them a 6′10 athletic center who runs the court like a gazelle and has amazing shot blocking ability.  Their perimeter defenders are all above 6′5 and are athletic players that love to get in your face and make life miserable.  Watch out for the Trojans this year.

Duke
-There may not be a team out there that is playing better team defense than the Dukies.  They’ve absolutely shutdowns teams such as Georgetown, Indiana, Air Force and George Mason.  While none of these teams should be considered offensive powerhouses, the final results for the Dukies are still impressive.  Duke is a much more athletic team this year with the additions of players such Gerald Henderson, Lance Thomas and David Mcclure.  Not to mention having a healthy DeMarcus Nelson on the perimeter has helped out defensively as well.  One area of concern is still at the point guard position as Greg Paulus has looked very suspect defensively all year and teams with good point guards such as Marquette may give Duke problems all year.

LSU
-Last year this was the best defensive team in the country from start to finish.  This year they could make a case as the best defensive team in the country for the second year in a row.  However, the loss of Tyrus Thomas is a big loss and while it’s become more and more evident that highly athletic 6′11 Magnum Rolle is ready to play big minutes for the Tigers this team still doesnt appear to be quite as dominant as they were last year defensively.  That’s no inslut though.  They have good size on the interior and good depth and athleticism on the perimeter.  Garrett Temple “the J.J. Redick stopper” is an absolute shutdown perimeter defender and Tasmin Mithcell is one of the most versatile defenders in the country at 6′7 225.

Wichita State
-Ask LSU and Syrcause how good defensively Wichita State is this year.  The Shockers play five players that are all under 6′8 but this is a team that will really get after you on the defensive end.  P.J. Cousinard is one of the finest all around defensive players in the country and 6′4 he has the size and strength to cause problems all over the court.  What the Shockers successfully do to teams is what any well coached team does defensively.  They talk and they communicate and they do it as well as any team in the country defensively.  If the Shockers are going to continue their success this year it will be because of their team defense.

Florida
-The Gators have the best defensive front court in college basketball.  They have two very experienced and good interior defenders as well as shot blockers in Al Horford and Joakim Noan.  However, their best defender is arguably the best defender in the entire country in 6′8 swing man Corey Brewer.  Brewer does so many things defensively as well as so many things that people fail to recognize that it makes him truly one of the most underrated all around players in the country.  Their back court is also very intelligent defensively but not nearly as athletic.

Posted by hater at 20:50:10 | Permalink | Comments (3)

12-18 Top 25 Poll

We had a relatively quiet week in the world of college basketball.  Most teams only had one game all week so there will not be a great amount of changes in the top 25 poll this week.  However, there were some changes worth noting.  Wisconsin had the biggest week of any team as they knocked off #2 Pitt.  The only other ranked teams in my poll to fall this week were mid major powerhouses Southern Illinois and Gonzaga.  Here’s how my poll for this week looks.

#1 UCLA (9-0)
-It’s still hard to argue against UCLA being #1.  They are the most impressive undefeated team in the country and are very deserving of this ranking right now.

#2 North Carolina (8-1)
-The Tar Heels benefit from Pitt losing and move up a spot to #2 in my rankings.

#3 Wisconsin (11-1)
-Wisky jumps up four spots in the rankings with their impressive and dominant victory over the Pitt Panthers.  Alando Tucker is as good of a player as there is in the country.

#4 Wichita State (8-0)
-The Shockers are for real and I would have liked to have moved them up in the rankings from last week but couldn’t because of Wisky’s impressive victory in what was a rather meaningless and uneventful week of college hoops.

#5 Arizona (8-1)
-The Wildcats easily knocked off a fairly solid but banged up Conference USA squad in Houston.

#6 Oklahoma State (11-0)
-Another undefeated team that stays put in my rankings for now because of a rather inactive week.

#7 Florida (9-2)
-Defending National Champs have had a couple hiccups to start the year but this is still as complete a basketball team as there is out there.

#8 Duke (9-1)
-They have a busy week ahead of them with Kent State and Gonzaga coming up.  We’ll find out whether or not this Duke team has what it takes to stay in the top 10 or not.

#9 Pittsburgh (10-1)
-The Panthers were exposed a little bit over the weekend but this is still truly one of the most balanced offensive and defensive teams in the country.  They may be a little too balanced for their own good though.

#10 Alabama (9-1)
-Their point guard and best player Ronald Steele only played four minutes in their game this weekend.  He’s as valuable of a player as there is in the country and hopefully for Bama’s sake it’s nothing too serious.

#11 Notre Dame (8-1)
-The Irish did not have a busy week and therefore neither does their poll position

#12 Ohio State (9-1)
-The Buckeyes move up three spots in my rankings because of their absolute domination over Cincy this weekend.  The halftime score of the game was 42-14 and Cincy is not that bad of a team.

#13 Missouri State (9-1)
-Their win against Wisconsin looks more and more impressive.

#14 Butler (10-1)
-Add another solid victory to Butlers resume as they knocked off one of the most improved teams in the country in Purdue this weekend.

#15 LSU (6-2)
-Outside of Florida and possibly Kansas this is the best two loss team in the country and Glen Davis is possibly the best player in the country.

#16 Texas (7-2)
-Kevin Durant is the early favorite to win Freshmen of the Year and his Longhorns continue to impress.

#17 Air Force (11-1)
-They just continue to win. 

#18 UConn (9-0)
-They just continue to play absolutely no one.

#19 Nevada (9-1)
-Another team that had a slow week.  They move up one spot.

#20 Kansas (8-2)
-Hopefully the Jayhawks used this bye week to figure out some sort of consistency.

#21 Maryland (10-2)
-Terps move up two spots but it wasn’t because of anything they did.

#22 Texas A&M (9-2)
-One of the few teams that had two games this week and winning both of them moves them up in my weekly poll

#23 Gonzaga (9-3)
-The Zags had a tough loss this weekend to an upstart Georgia Bulldog team making them the only three loss team in my top 25.

#24 Marquette (10-2)
-Big win over MD Baltimore County moves Marquette up one whole spot. 

#25 Georgia (7-1)
-The only new team added to my top 25 poll.  Their impressive victory over Gonzaga just goes to show how much this team and their athletic guards have improved.

Honorable Mention
Memphis, Oregon, Syracuse, Washington, Clemson, Washington State, Southern Cal, Illinois, Boston College, Marist

Posted by hater at 09:20:09 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Teams on the rise

Clemson (10-0)
-While they don’t have any truly outstanding victories to show off they are a perfect 10-0 to start the year and did win on the road in a rivaly game over South Carolina 74 to 53 as well as knocking off Mississippi State 69 to 66 and Old Dominion 74 to 70.
The Tigers have gotten improved player from James Mays on the interior as the younster is playing great defense on the interior and producing around 12 points and 8 boards a game.  They also have a trio of guards in their back court that give them experience, depth, athleticism and quickness in Vernon Hamilton, Cliff Hammonds and K.C. Rivers.  All three average in doubles figures in points.
It’s an athletic and deep team that goes a solid nine deep in their rotation.  They play hard noised defense and really get after you with the basketball.  Offensively, they thrive off of dribble penetration from their guards and second chance points off the glass. 
This isn’t the most skilled team in the country and some of their games tend to get sloppy but one thing is for sure…they’ve improved from last year and are a bonafide NCAA Tournament caliber team.

Purdue (8-1)
-The Boilermakers sure have been awful the last couple of years, however, that’s not the case this year and a lot of that can be credited to their head coach Matt Painter.  Purdue’s only loss of the year came at the hands of Georgia Tech but they’ve also been able to reel off four quailty victories over the likes of Oklahoma, Virginia, Loyola(Chi) and Missouri.  None of those wins are of the shocking nature but they’re still wins that may help this team punch it’s tournament ticket come March.
What this team has is one of the best interior players in the country in Carl Landry.  He’s literally a one man wrecking ball who’s averaging over 20 points and 8 rebounds a game this year.  He’s the most reliable post scorer in the Big Ten and has really opened up the perimeter for players such as Chris Kramer, David Teague, Chris Lutz, Tarrance Crump, Keaton Grant and Marcus Green.  And that’s key because none of those players outside of may be Teague are good enough with the ball to consistently create their own shot. 
Lastly, what Matt Painter has brought to Purdue is the same tough defense that he taught at Southern Illinois.  Not only is Purdue stout in the half court setting holding opponents to low field goal percentages but they’re also pressuring the basketball and forcing turnovers in route to easy buckets at the other end of the court.

Missouri (9-1)
-Missouri rolled off it’s first nine wins of the season before falling to a new and improved Purdue Boilermakers team mentioned above.  For the most part Mizzou has stock piled it’s win column by beating up on lesser opponents but that’s still an improvement from last year when Mizzou was the lesser opponent that other teams were beating up on.  They do have one impressive victory though and that was a 22 point drubbing over the Great Alaskian Shootout Champion, Arkansas.
New Head Coach Mike Anderson has installed toughness, pressure defense and a high energy, up tempo style of play to Missouri this season.  The Tigers are getting out and running and scoring through pressure defense.  This style of play will certainly bring attention to recruits that want to play at this type of pace in a conference like the Big 12.
Missouri might also have the newcomer of the year in the Big 12 in junior college transfer Stepfon Hannah.  The combo guard is a gifted passer and ball handler with solid scoring abilities as well.  Not to mention they’ve recieved improved play from Matt Lawrence on the wing.  The sophomore wing played seven minutes a game last year but is shooting nearly 50% from behind the arc this year and is putting up 12.4 points per game.
This is not the most talented team by any means and they’ll certainly struggle against teams that can handle their pressure defense as well as beat them to death on the boards but it’s been an exciting and certainly entertaining start to the season for Missouri fans.  This team is probably not a tournament caliber team or at least not, yet, but at the same time they’re certaintly not a team that anyone is going to be excited about having to play this year.

Notre Dame (7-1)
-If you were a ND fan last year you deserve a hug and a couple hours of free counseling.   ND lost more close games than any team I can think of in recent memory.  It truly was one of the more unfortunate and unlucky teams in college basketball history.  Thankfully, the 2007 season has started off much much better with victories over at the time #5 Alabama and on the road against #19 Maryland.
This ND team is winning with crisp and well executed offense.  There hasn’t been a more enjoyable team to watch play this year from an offensive stand point than that of Notre Dame.  They have four players that can step outside and shoot from long range in Colin Falls, Russell Carter, Rob Kurz and Kyle McAlarney.  They also have smooth operating and intelligent lead guards with McAlareny and freshman Tory Jackson, a solid interior operator in freshman Luke Harangody and skilled post players such as Rob Kurz and Luke Zeller.  Outside of Carter it’s not the most athletic team in the world and at times they do look vulnerable on defense.

Providence (7-2)
-The Friars got off to a slow start with the injury to returning leading scorer, Randall Hanke as well as a loss Brown.  Things were not looking good but then Providence starting clicking offensively and players such as Herbert Hill, Geoff McDermott, Weyinmi Efejuka and Sharaud Curry started playing together.  The wins started coming and before you knew it Providence had beaten Boston College and George Washington.
Offensively, this team is playing very good basketball right now and have seen significant improvement from players such as center Herbert Hill and point gaurd Sharaud Curry, both of whom are averaging around 16 points a game this season.  They also have one of the best kept secrets in the country in Geoff Mcdermott  at smallf forward who is averaging 11 points, 5 boards and 3 assists a game.
Providence could emerge as a power in what appears to be a down year for the Big East.  They’ll need to tighten up their ball handling though and limit their turnovers which are beyond excessive right now.  Keep an eye out though for the Friars this year because they have a team that is capable of making some noise.

Oregon (8-0)
-Will the Oregon Ducks finally play up to their potential this season?  Who knows but it’s looking good right now.  Their win away from home against Georgetown is their most impressive win to date, however, their win against Nebraska could prove to be helpful as well come March.  Needless to say though they’re 8-0 and they’re winning games that they’re suppose to win and that’s not something that you used to be able to say about this team.
Why the improvement this year?  They’re playing at a faster tempo and using their athleticism and depth in the back court to generate offense.  The last couple of years Oregon has tried to slow games down and win in the half court setting.  That wasn’t working.  This year Oregon is getting out and running a little more and they’ve done it for most of the season without their best all around player in Malik Hairston.
They’re getting excellent play from 5′7 freshman guard Tajuan Porter who is currently averaging 20.1 points per game.  Jet quick senior point gaurd Aaron Brooks is also flourising in the uptempo style and is finally living up to his hype coming out of high school.

Washington State (9-1)
-Don’t look now but Wazzu is 9-1 and has already knocked off in state rival Gonzaga 77 to 67.  They’ve also beaten decent teams in UAB and Boise State.  This isn’t a team that will knock your socks off in the talent department but they are an experienced team that is dominated by upperclassmen.
Junior guard Derrick Low has stepped up as the teams go to scorer at 16 points per game.  They’ve also received steady and consistent play all year out of Kyle Weaver, Ivory Clark, Robbie Cowgill, Marc Hobson and Daven Harmeling.  They do a good job of taking care of the basketball and are loaded with deadly perimeter shooters on the perimeter.

Georgia (6-1)
-It may be too early to tell whether or not the Bulldogs are for feel since they really only have one notable victory over Wake Forest but it’s all about the way this team is playing that is getting my attention.  Head Coach Dennis Felton realizes that his team is a guard dominated team and he’s playing to that strength this year.  Sophomore guard Mike Mercer has stepped as a possible breakout star this year averaging 17 points, 4 boards and 4 assists a game while Junior College All-American Takais Brown has given them a reliable post presence on the interior at nearly 17 points a game as well.
If Georgia can continue to rebound the basketball as well as they have this year they’ll have a very good shot at finishing in the upper half of the SEC which would surprise a lot of people out there.  Their guards are good enough to compete against any team in the SEC but if they’re interior players start to struggle once conference play rolls around this team will likely have to settle for an NIT birth.

Posted by hater at 15:37:24 | Permalink | Comments (2)

The most improved players of 2007

Lewis Clinch- Georgia Tech, SG-Sophomore
-The 6′3 shooting guard has really blossomed as Georgia Tech’s new starting shooting guard this year.  As a freshman he sveraged around 9 points a game but was hampered by injuries and was used mostly as a spark plug off the bench to relieve Georgia Tech’s leading scorer Anthony Morrow.  When Morrow went down with an injury in the offseason it paved the way for Clinch to step into a starting role and show off his scoring abilities.  He’s done just that so far and hasn’t looked back ever since.  He’s leading Georgia Tech in scoring at 17.4 points per game while shooting a blistering 57% from the field and 51% from behind the 3pt line.

Kyle Visser- Wake Forest, C-Senior
-Visser spent his first three years riding a lot of pine for Wake Forest while being considered an underachieving 6′11 center with fading potential.  His senior year has been a completely different story though.  Head coach Skip Prosser has made Visser the focal point of the offense and Visser has delivered averaging 19.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting a league best 71% from the floor.  It will be interesting to see if Visser can continue to post these types of numbers once ACC play roles around though. 

Drew Neitzel- Michigan State, PG-Junior
-Michigan State lost their three leading scorers from last year that combined to net 71% of the Spartans offense last year.  Heading into the 2007 season, it was clear that Neitzel had to pick up his play and become more than a setup point guard in order for Michigan State to succeed this year and he’s done just that.  Neitzel is currently leading Michigan State in scoring at 17.4 points per game while still dishing out 4.7 assists per game.  In order for Michigan State to reach the NCAA Tournament they will need Neitzel to continue to be a consistent scoring threat and playmaker. 

Derek Raivio(SG-Senior)/Josh Heytvelt(C-Sophomore)- Gonzaga
-The losses of leading scorers Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista meant that Gonzaga needed someone to step up this year.  What they got were two players to step and in big ways.  Raivio has been a starter the last two years for Gonzaga but slipped and underachieved as a junior last year.  This year though he’s become the teams go to and leading scorer at 20.4 points per game.  The move from point gaurd to shooting guard has made him one of the most feared and deadly outside shooters in the country.
Heytvelt on the other hand was a rather sparingly used post player last year but the loss of graduating senior, J.P. Batista in the post gave Heytvelt a chance to start on the interior and show the Spokane faithful how much he had improved.  He’s currently averaging 17 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55% from the floor.  It was his game against North Carolina that was most impressive though.  He thoroughly out played his All-American counterpart, Tyler Hansbrough for much of the game

A.J. Abrams- Texas, SG-Sophomore
-Texas lost all five starters from last year and were left with only one returning player that saw significant minutes last year.  That player was the 5′10 155lb A.J. Abrams and while Texas was set to bring in their most highly regarded recruiting class of all time it was obvious that they needed a big year out of Abrams.  Thus far he’s quickly asserted himself as the teams top outside shooting threat as he’s averaged over four made three pointers a game while putting up 17.9 points per contest.  Abrams ability to stretch the defense with his shooting as well as handle the basketball are going to be very key towards the success of Texas basketball this year.

Gavin Grant(SG-Junior)/Brandon Costner(PF-Sophomore)/Ben McCauley(PF-Sophomore)- North Carolina State
-Welcome to the most improved trio in the country.  North Carolina State lost four starters from last years squad as well as their head coach and entered the 2007 season with only seven scholarship players.  Fortunetly, three of those players have improved drastically from last year and are all playing All-ACC basketball right now.
We’ll start with Gavin Grant who last year came off the bench and gave NCST inconsistent but good all around play.  This year though he’s had to step up as the teams do it all player.  Grant can score(16.8ppg), rebound(5.3) and pass(4.9).  He’s developing himself into one of the best all around players in the ACC and has reminded a lot of folks of Julius Hodge while he was at NCST.
Coster came into NCST last year as a raw but very hyped freshman forward.  He wasn’t able to crack into the rotation though and played only 13 minutes a game.  This year though he was more or less throw to the wolves as the teams starting power forward and has been able to show off his much hyped and improved abilities this year.  He’s currently averaging 15.8 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game as well as the versatility to score inside and outside offensively.
McCauley did not have quite the hype that the highly athletic Costner had heading into his freshman season last year and as expected played very little as a freshman.  However, this year, he too was thrown into the starting lineup from day one and has surprised many doubters.  McCauley has good size at 6′10 but he has more of a skilled game than that of a power game.  He’s a very crisp passer and he’s shown so by averaging over three assists a game.  He’s also averaging over five boards and 14 points a game.

Rob Kurz- Notre Dame, PF-Junior
-If you’ve never heard of Rub Kurz before then you’re probably like most people.  The 6′9 combo forward has come out of relative obscurity to help revamp Notre Dame this season with wins over Maryland and Alabama.  Kurz is not the most athletic player in the country but he is a very skilled player with range on his jumpshot, a solid handle and a very good feel the game.  Kurz is currently averaging 15.3 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game.  Very solid all around numbers for a player who was nothing more than a role player coming off the bench last season.

Herbert Hill- Providence, C-Senior
-Last season Herbert Hill was considered sort of a surprise player while playing alongside Randall Hanke in the post last year.  He averaged a modest nine points per game last year but with the injury of Randall Hanke, Herbert Hill has stepped up as one of the most improved players in the country this year for the Friars.  He’s second on the team in scoring at 16.1 per game, averages 7.3 rebounds per game and three blocks per game.  Hill has always shown the ability to score, rebound and defend at a high level but was just never consistent enough to warrant the attention or minutes at Providence.  This year though he’s being relied on to anchor Providence offensively and defensively.

Darren Collison- UCLA, PG-Sophomore
-UCLA’s epic run to the National Title game last year was led by the clutch play of point guard Jordan Farmar and when Farmar elected to turn pro after his sophomore season that meant that back-up point guard Darren Collison was going to have some major shoes to replace in 2007.  How’s he done thus far?  He’s done so well that he’s led some UCLA fans to ask, “Who’s Jordan Farmar?”  Collison may just be the quickest player in the country but he’s also a very pure point guard who knows how to control his quickness while not playing out of control.  The sophomore has raised his game this year and is averaging 12.8 points per game, 6.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game.  UCLA might be ranked #1 in the country right now but they’ll only go as far in March as Darren Collison takes them.

Mike Mercer-Georgia, SG-Sophomore
-Not that Mike Mercer wasn’t a key player for the Bulldogs last year but he’s stepped up this year as the teams best defender, scorer, passer and has become by far their best all around player.  Georgia has a very deep back court and that hurt Mercer last year because he was fighting for minutes as a newcomer and was used as a back up for most of the season.  However, it was evident heading into the 2007 season that he was Georgia’s best all aroung player and deserved a starting role.  He hasn’t let Bulldog fans down one bit either as he’s leading the team in scoring(17.6), is second in assists(4.1) and 2nd in steals(2.9) while shooting nearly 50% from the floor.

Other Players worhty of notice
-James Mays(Clemson), Warren Carter(Illinois), Matt Lawrence(Missouri), Chris Douglas-Roberts(Memphis), Joe Alexander(West Virginia), Lawrence Hill(Stanford), Chris Low(Washington State), Randolph Morris(Kentucky) and Alonzo Gee(Alabama)

Posted by hater at 06:12:32 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Monday, December 11, 2006

12/10-Top 25 Poll

I’ll be doing a weekly top 25 Poll on my site every sunday night.  For the week of 12/11 to 12/17 here is my top 25.

#1 UCLA (8-0)
The bruins have knocked off three quality opponents in BYU, Kentucky and Texas A&M and they’ve been doing it with fundamentally sound offense.

#2 Pittsburgh (10-0)
They don’t have quite the quality wins the Bruins have but they do have decent wins against Florida State, Umass and Auburn and their schedule gets much more interesting with road tests against Wisconsin and Oklahoma State coming up.

#3 North Carolina (7-1)
Their most impressive wins are against Kentucky, Ohio State and Tennessee.  Not to shabby but their loss to Gonzaga keeps them out of the top two spots for now.

#4 Wichita State (7-0)
Gotta give some love to the Shockers.  They went on the road and beat LSU and Syracuse.  That’s tough.  Plus they’re undefeated.

#5 Arizona (7-1)
The Wildcats have one of the highest octane offenses in the country but they’re also starting to play tough defense.  Just ask Louisville and San Diego State.  Not to mention they also knocked off Illinois and a solid New Mexico State team earlier in the year.

#6 Oklahoma State (11-0)
The Cowboys are off to a hot start and are undefeated at 11-0 with marquee wins over Syracuse and Missouri State. 

#7 Wisconsin (9-1)
Wisky got a big win over their in-state rivals in Marquette but also have quality wins over Florida State and Winthrop as well. 

#8 Duke (9-1)
Duke doesn’t have a marquee victory but this is a team that has beaten five teams inside the top 50 of the RPI and are playing as good of defense as any team in the country.

#9 Florida (8-2)
The Gators still deserve to be ranked this high because they are still the defending national champs and have beaten two quality teams in Providence and Western Kentucky, played a heckuva game against Kansas and lost on the road to an improving Florida State without arguably their best all around player in Brewer.

#10 Alabama (7-1)
They’d be in the top five if they hadn’t lost to Notre Dame.  However, they’re still looking good at 7-1 with wins over Iowa and Xavier. 

#11 Notre Dame (7-1)
Their 14 point win over Bama is impressive as is their victory on the road against Maryland.  Whether or not this team can stay close to the top 10 will be interesting.

#12 Missouri State (8-1)
Another MVC team cracks the top 25.  These guys proved their worth by beating Wisconsin earlier in the year.  This is the deepest and most athletic team in the MVC.

#13 Gonzaga (9-2)
Not many teams have as many quality victories as the Zags do right now.  They’ve beaten North Carolina, Washington and Texas.  That’s big time.

#14 Butler (10-1)
Even though they’ve knocked off two teams ranked ahead of them(ND and Gonzaga) their loss to Indiana State hurts enough to push them to 14th.

#15 Ohio State (8-1)
The talent and potential is there and they played a good game against UNC but they simply do not have the quality victories to be ranked any higher than this right now.

#16 LSU (5-2)
They beat a very solid Texas A&M team and went into Texas and lost by a single point.  Both of their losses were very close games came against quality competition in Texas and Wichita State.

#17 Texas (6-2)
Even though they beat LSU, both of their losses are less impressive than LSU’s losses.

#18 Air Force (10-1)
Their lone loss came against Duke and they’ve not only won at Stanford and Colorado but they blew both of them out.  Not to mention they blew out Texas Tech and Wake Forest. 

#19 Southern Illinois (7-1)
Arguably the best defensive team in the country is off to a good 7-1 start this year with victories over Minnesota, Virginia Tech and most notably, Saint Louis and Western Kentucky, two very sound teams.

#20 UConn (8-0)
It’s always nice being undefeated but the Huskies would be ranked a lot higher if they’d actually beaten anyone note worhty.

#21 Nevada (8-1)
The Wolfpack came into this season with high expectations and they hadn’t dissapointed until two nights ago as they lost to UNLV.

#22 Kansas (8-2)
This season’s most confusing team.  They beat Florida but lost to Oral Roberts and Depaul?  What?  Don’t sleep on their win against Southern Cal though because that’s a tourney bound team.

#23 Maryland (9-2)
The Terps had a tough loss tonight in their ACC opening against an experienced BC team but they still have enough quality victories to get ranked in my poll.  Michigan State, Illinois and Winthrop are all tourney caliber teams. 

#24 Texas A&M (7-2)
They had a tough week losing to UCLA and LSU but they played both teams tough and still have a very impressive blowout victory over Saint Louis.

#25 Marquette (9-2)
Their win against Duke is keeping them in here.  However, their loss to NDSU is embarrasing.  As were their performances against Hillside and Idaho State. 

Honorable Mention
Arkansas, Memphis, Oregon, Syracuse,  Washington State, Clemson, Washington, Southern Cal, Purdue, Michigan State, Boston College,  Illinois,  Akron, Marist, Georgia

Posted by hater at 06:22:12 | Permalink | Comments (1) »