1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
4. Florida – Florida beat Kansas, plus both losses came at less than full strength
5. Michigan State – The injury to Payne will be considered once he is back – great win at Iowa
6. Kansas – With losses to teams #4, #7 and #9 on this list, hard to put them in front of them all when best team they beat is #12
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched
9. San Diego State – A 3 seed seems more appropriate based on RPI and other ratings
10. Creighton – Doug McDermott - POY
11. Duke – Filled in the last resume hole with a great road win at Pittsburgh. Next up - at Syracuse
12. Cincinnati – Big road win at Louisville proves Bearcats are for real. I believe SOS is deceptively low.
13. Wisconsin – Woeful shooting night in surprise home loss to Northwestern, profile still strong enough, for now
14. Oklahoma State – Something is keeping this team from being elite
15. Iowa State – Swept by Kansas, but almost every Big 12 team will say that
16. Oklahoma – There is not much discernible difference between OK State, Iowa State, the Sooners and even Texas
17. Iowa – The Hawkeyes are now 0-5 vs the Top 13 on this list
18. Texas – After comparing resumes, it was hard to keep Texas below Kentucky
19. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
20. UCLA – Another riser in the Field, the Bruins are staking claim as 2nd best in a deep PAC-12
21. Louisville – The loss at home to Cincinnati is a step backwards for a team lacking opportunities
22. Connecticut – Revenge is nice, but it was still only Houston
23. Kentucky – How do they have a top 5 SOS playing only 3 games against the top 50? 4 losses outside the top 50 seem to be ignored?
24. Massachusetts – While St. Bonaventure is not a bad loss, it continue to muddle a deceptive resume
25. Pittsburgh – At some point, the ratings mean nothing if you don’t really beat anyone of consequence
26. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #3 and #10 above.
27. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
28. Minnesota - Fell victim to Nebraska, but still have some really nice wins
29. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
30. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
31. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 2 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 30.
32. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
33. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
34. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
35. Ohio State – The best thing this resume had going for it was the lack of losses, now those are adding up
36. North Carolina – Have the Tar Heels turned the corner?
37. Providence – Not a terrible loss at Marquette, hardly negates a couple really good weeks of work for the Friars
38. Florida State – 7 losses makes this resume start to border on bubblicious
39. Colorado – The early-season success will fade if they can't finish well
40. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
41. Tennessee – The Volunteers hang on for dear life based on their wins and SOS.
42. Arizona State – Beat Cal at their place, take their spot in the Field
43. Stanford – Sometimes showing well in a loss goes noticed as well
44. LSU – Reward the Tigers for a good win against Kentucky, must beat Arkansas this weekend to stay
45. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 2-6 conference start.
46. Richmond – I will leave the Spiders in for now, but a loss at VCU will open this spot
47. SMU – South Florida is a bad loss, but the Mustangs hang on to the last spot
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Toledo
51. Green Bay
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Belmont
56. UC-Santa Barbara
57. Boston U.
58. Delaware
59. Canisius
60. Stephen F. Austin
61. Georgia State
62. North Carolina Central
63. Weber State
64. Stony Brook
65. Robert Morris
66. Davidson
67. Southern U.
68. Coastal Carolina
Sports Blog specializing in Bracketology
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 Field of 68 (January 30, 2014)
1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
4. Florida – Florida beat Kansas, plus both losses came at less than full strength
5. Michigan State – The injury to Payne will be considered once he is back – great win at Iowa
6. Kansas – With losses to teams #4, #7 and #9 on this list, hard to put them in front of them all when best team they beat is #12
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched
9. San Diego State – A 3 seed seems more appropriate based on RPI and other ratings
10. Creighton – Doug McDermott - POY
11. Duke – Filled in the last resume hole with a great road win at Pittsburgh. Next up - at Syracuse
12. Wisconsin – Woeful shooting night in surprise home loss to Northwestern, profile still strong enough to stay a 3
13. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 12 in a row, but last 6 against inferior teams. Louisville next.
14. Oklahoma State – Something is keeping this team from being elite
15. Iowa State – Swept by Kansas, but almost every Big 12 team will say that
16. Oklahoma – There is not much discernible difference between OK State, Iowa State, the Sooners and even Texas
17. Louisville – An adjustment was made back a line, but a victory over Cincinnati might make it moot
18. Iowa – The Hawkeyes are now 0-5 vs the Top 13 on this list
19. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
20. Texas – After comparing resumes, it was hard to keep Texas below Kentucky
21. Kentucky – How do they have a top 5 SOS playing only 3 games against the top 50? 4 losses outside the top 50 seem to be ignored?
22. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins.
23. Massachusetts – While St. Bonaventure is not a bad loss, it continue to muddle a deceptive resume
24. Pittsburgh – At some point, the ratings mean nothing if you don’t really beat anyone of consequence
25. UCLA - Warming up a little more to the Bruins and the PAC-12 has to have a 2nd best
26. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #3 and #10 above.
27. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
28. Minnesota - Fell victim to Nebraska, but still have some really nice wins
29. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
30. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
31. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 2 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 30.
32. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
33. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
34. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
35. Ohio State – The best thing this resume had going for it was the lack of losses, now those are adding up
36. Providence – Another nice win vs Xavier makes them more comfortable.
37. North Carolina – Have the Tar Heels turned the corner?
38. Florida State – 7 losses makes this resume start to border on bubblicious
39. Colorado – The early-season success will fade if they can't finish well
40. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
41. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
42. Tennessee – The Volunteers hang on for dear life based on their wins and SOS.
43. Stanford – Sometimes showing well in a loss goes noticed as well
44. LSU – Reward the Tigers for a good win against Kentucky, must beat Arkansas this weekend to stay
45. Arizona State – Beat Cal at their place, take their spot in the Field
46. Richmond – I will leave the Spiders in for now, but a loss at VCU will open this spot
47. SMU – South Florida is a bad loss, but the Mustangs hang on to the last spot
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Toledo
51. Green Bay
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Belmont
56. Boston U.
57. Delaware
58. Canisius
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. North Carolina Central
64. Stony Brook
65. Robert Morris
66. Southern U.
67. Coastal Carolina
68. Chattanooga
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
4. Florida – Florida beat Kansas, plus both losses came at less than full strength
5. Michigan State – The injury to Payne will be considered once he is back – great win at Iowa
6. Kansas – With losses to teams #4, #7 and #9 on this list, hard to put them in front of them all when best team they beat is #12
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched
9. San Diego State – A 3 seed seems more appropriate based on RPI and other ratings
10. Creighton – Doug McDermott - POY
11. Duke – Filled in the last resume hole with a great road win at Pittsburgh. Next up - at Syracuse
12. Wisconsin – Woeful shooting night in surprise home loss to Northwestern, profile still strong enough to stay a 3
13. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 12 in a row, but last 6 against inferior teams. Louisville next.
14. Oklahoma State – Something is keeping this team from being elite
15. Iowa State – Swept by Kansas, but almost every Big 12 team will say that
16. Oklahoma – There is not much discernible difference between OK State, Iowa State, the Sooners and even Texas
17. Louisville – An adjustment was made back a line, but a victory over Cincinnati might make it moot
18. Iowa – The Hawkeyes are now 0-5 vs the Top 13 on this list
19. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
20. Texas – After comparing resumes, it was hard to keep Texas below Kentucky
21. Kentucky – How do they have a top 5 SOS playing only 3 games against the top 50? 4 losses outside the top 50 seem to be ignored?
22. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins.
23. Massachusetts – While St. Bonaventure is not a bad loss, it continue to muddle a deceptive resume
24. Pittsburgh – At some point, the ratings mean nothing if you don’t really beat anyone of consequence
25. UCLA - Warming up a little more to the Bruins and the PAC-12 has to have a 2nd best
26. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #3 and #10 above.
27. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
28. Minnesota - Fell victim to Nebraska, but still have some really nice wins
29. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
30. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
31. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 2 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 30.
32. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
33. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
34. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
35. Ohio State – The best thing this resume had going for it was the lack of losses, now those are adding up
36. Providence – Another nice win vs Xavier makes them more comfortable.
37. North Carolina – Have the Tar Heels turned the corner?
38. Florida State – 7 losses makes this resume start to border on bubblicious
39. Colorado – The early-season success will fade if they can't finish well
40. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
41. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
42. Tennessee – The Volunteers hang on for dear life based on their wins and SOS.
43. Stanford – Sometimes showing well in a loss goes noticed as well
44. LSU – Reward the Tigers for a good win against Kentucky, must beat Arkansas this weekend to stay
45. Arizona State – Beat Cal at their place, take their spot in the Field
46. Richmond – I will leave the Spiders in for now, but a loss at VCU will open this spot
47. SMU – South Florida is a bad loss, but the Mustangs hang on to the last spot
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Toledo
51. Green Bay
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Belmont
56. Boston U.
57. Delaware
58. Canisius
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. North Carolina Central
64. Stony Brook
65. Robert Morris
66. Southern U.
67. Coastal Carolina
68. Chattanooga
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 Field of 68 (January 29, 2014 edition)
Updated Seed List after Tuesday's games....
1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
4. Florida – Florida beat Kansas, plus both losses came at less than full strength
5. Michigan State – The injury to Payne will be considered once he is back – great win at Iowa
6. Kansas – With losses to teams #4, #7 and #9 on this list, hard to put them in front of them all when best team they beat is #12
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched
9. San Diego State – A 3 seed seems more appropriate based on RPI and other ratings
10. Wisconsin – Despite the 3 straight losses and horrid defense, the Badgers still have a top profile.
11. Creighton – Doug McDermott - POY
12. Duke – Filled in the last resume hole with a great road win at Pittsburgh. Next up - at Syracuse
13. Iowa State – Need to stop the bleeding vs Kansas State Saturday or the losing streak might not end.
14. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 12 in a row, but last 6 against inferior teams.
15. Oklahoma State – Something is keeping this team from being elite
16. Louisville – I jumped UMass with the Cardinals, but my gut says the committee would lean this way
17. Massachusetts – Best win is New Mexico, likely headed further down the seed list as gaudy RPI drops
18. Oklahoma – A team nobody is talking about, the Sooners continue to rise.
19. Iowa – The Hawkeyes are now 0-5 vs the Top 13 on this list
20. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
21. Texas – After comparing resumes, it was hard to keep Texas below Kentucky
22. Kentucky – How do they have a top 5 SOS playing only 3 games against the top 50? 4 losses outside the top 50 seem to be ignored?
23. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins
24. Pittsburgh – At some point, the ratings mean nothing if you don’t really beat anyone of consequence
25. Ohio State – The Buckeyes finally got a win, hoping to start a new trend (although it wasn’t easy).
26. UCLA - Warming up a little more to the Bruins and the PAC-12 has to have a 2nd best
27. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #3 and #10 above.
28. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
29. Minnesota - Fell victim to Nebraska, but still have some really nice wins
30. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
31. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
32. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 2 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 30.
33. Florida State – All 5 losses are to teams in the top 25 of the RPI.
34. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
35. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
36. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
37. Providence – Another nice win vs Xavier makes them more comfortable
38. Colorado – The early-season success will fade if they can't finish well
39. North Carolina – The Tar Heels keep adding up the losses to go with their quality wins.
40. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
41. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
42. California – Two nice road wins and 2nd Place in PAC-12 headline the Golden Bears resume.
43. Stanford – The Cardinals have the good road wins, but they need more.
44. Tennessee – The Volunteers hang on for dear life based on their wins and SOS.
45. Richmond - The Spiders are in, but have a tough week this week at St. Louis and at VCU
46. LSU – Reward the Tigers for a good win against Kentucky, must beat Arkansas this weekend to stay
47. SMU – South Florida is a bad loss, but the Mustangs hang on to the last spot
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Green Bay
51. Toledo
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Belmont
56. Boston U.
57. Delaware
58. Canisius
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. North Carolina Central
64. Stony Brook
65. Robert Morris
66. Southern U.
67. Winthrop
68. Chattanooga
1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
4. Florida – Florida beat Kansas, plus both losses came at less than full strength
5. Michigan State – The injury to Payne will be considered once he is back – great win at Iowa
6. Kansas – With losses to teams #4, #7 and #9 on this list, hard to put them in front of them all when best team they beat is #12
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched
9. San Diego State – A 3 seed seems more appropriate based on RPI and other ratings
10. Wisconsin – Despite the 3 straight losses and horrid defense, the Badgers still have a top profile.
11. Creighton – Doug McDermott - POY
12. Duke – Filled in the last resume hole with a great road win at Pittsburgh. Next up - at Syracuse
13. Iowa State – Need to stop the bleeding vs Kansas State Saturday or the losing streak might not end.
14. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 12 in a row, but last 6 against inferior teams.
15. Oklahoma State – Something is keeping this team from being elite
16. Louisville – I jumped UMass with the Cardinals, but my gut says the committee would lean this way
17. Massachusetts – Best win is New Mexico, likely headed further down the seed list as gaudy RPI drops
18. Oklahoma – A team nobody is talking about, the Sooners continue to rise.
19. Iowa – The Hawkeyes are now 0-5 vs the Top 13 on this list
20. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
21. Texas – After comparing resumes, it was hard to keep Texas below Kentucky
22. Kentucky – How do they have a top 5 SOS playing only 3 games against the top 50? 4 losses outside the top 50 seem to be ignored?
23. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins
24. Pittsburgh – At some point, the ratings mean nothing if you don’t really beat anyone of consequence
25. Ohio State – The Buckeyes finally got a win, hoping to start a new trend (although it wasn’t easy).
26. UCLA - Warming up a little more to the Bruins and the PAC-12 has to have a 2nd best
27. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #3 and #10 above.
28. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
29. Minnesota - Fell victim to Nebraska, but still have some really nice wins
30. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
31. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
32. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 2 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 30.
33. Florida State – All 5 losses are to teams in the top 25 of the RPI.
34. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
35. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
36. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
37. Providence – Another nice win vs Xavier makes them more comfortable
38. Colorado – The early-season success will fade if they can't finish well
39. North Carolina – The Tar Heels keep adding up the losses to go with their quality wins.
40. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
41. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
42. California – Two nice road wins and 2nd Place in PAC-12 headline the Golden Bears resume.
43. Stanford – The Cardinals have the good road wins, but they need more.
44. Tennessee – The Volunteers hang on for dear life based on their wins and SOS.
45. Richmond - The Spiders are in, but have a tough week this week at St. Louis and at VCU
46. LSU – Reward the Tigers for a good win against Kentucky, must beat Arkansas this weekend to stay
47. SMU – South Florida is a bad loss, but the Mustangs hang on to the last spot
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Green Bay
51. Toledo
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Belmont
56. Boston U.
57. Delaware
58. Canisius
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. North Carolina Central
64. Stony Brook
65. Robert Morris
66. Southern U.
67. Winthrop
68. Chattanooga
Monday, January 27, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 - Field of 68 (January 27, 2014 Edition)
I will stick with the seed list, as it is helpful in seeing how teams move based on results. Also, follow me on twitter @jabesblog3000 as I intend to provide more tweets between official updates as to my opinion of what is going on.
Seed List (New Comments in Bold)
1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
4. Florida – Florida beat Kansas, plus both losses came at less than full strength
5. Michigan State – The injury to Payne will be considered once he is back
6. Kansas – With losses to teams #4, #7 and #9 on this list, hard to put them in front of them all when best team they beat is #12
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched
9. San Diego State – A 3 seed seems more appropriate based on RPI and other ratings
10. Wisconsin – Despite the 3 straight losses and horrid defense, the Badgers still have a top profile.
11. Creighton – This is why Dougy came back, to lead this team to heights they have never been.
12. Oklahoma State – Interior defense now a concern, but the Cowboys are still rock solid.
13. Iowa State – Need to stop the bleeding vs Kansas State Saturday or the losing streak might not end.
14. Iowa – A road blip at Michigan is not an awful loss, still a dangerous team.
15. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 12 in a row, but last 6 against inferior teams.
16. Duke - Still lacking of a great road win, the rest of the Blue Devils resume is coming together
17. Kentucky – I see them much higher most places, but what jumps out on this resume? Exactly!!
18. Massachusetts – Best win is New Mexico, likely headed further down the seed list as gaudy RPI drops
19. Pittsburgh – Sometimes, a loss can be just as telling as a win. Case in point the loss at Syracuse.
20. Louisville – Rounding out the who’s who of #5 seeds with the defending champs.
21. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins.
22. Oklahoma – A team nobody is talking about, the Sooners continue to rise.
23. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
24. Texas - The Longhorns are coming on and flying up the list
25. Ohio State – The Buckeyes finally got a win, hoping to start a new trend (although it wasn’t easy).
26. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #4 and #9 above.
27. Minnesota - Fell victim to Nebraska, but still have some really nice wins
28. UCLA - Warming up a little more to the Bruins and the PAC-12 has to have a 2nd best
29. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
30. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
31. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
32. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 3 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 27.
33. Florida State – All 5 losses are to teams in the top 25 of the RPI.
34. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
35. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
36. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
37. Providence – Another nice win vs Xavier makes them more comfortable
38. Colorado – The early-season success will fade if they can't finish well
39. North Carolina – The Tar Heels keep adding up the losses to go with their quality wins.
40. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
41. SMU – The Mustangs need more quality wins, but others continue to fall around them.
42. California – Two nice road wins and 2nd Place in PAC-12 headline the Golden Bears resume.
43. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
44. Stanford – The Cardinals have the good road wins, but they need more.
45. Baylor – The Bears have zero road wins this season, but did beat Kentucky and Colorado.
46. Tennessee – The Volunteers hang on for dear life based on their wins and SOS.
47. Richmond - The Spiders take over as the least team in, but have a tough week this week
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Green Bay
51. Toledo
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Belmont
56. Boston U.
57. Delaware
58. Canisius
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. North Carolina Central
64. Stony Brook
65. Robert Morris
66. Southern U.
67. UNC-Asheville
68. Chattanooga
Seed List (New Comments in Bold)
1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
4. Florida – Florida beat Kansas, plus both losses came at less than full strength
5. Michigan State – The injury to Payne will be considered once he is back
6. Kansas – With losses to teams #4, #7 and #9 on this list, hard to put them in front of them all when best team they beat is #12
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched
9. San Diego State – A 3 seed seems more appropriate based on RPI and other ratings
10. Wisconsin – Despite the 3 straight losses and horrid defense, the Badgers still have a top profile.
11. Creighton – This is why Dougy came back, to lead this team to heights they have never been.
12. Oklahoma State – Interior defense now a concern, but the Cowboys are still rock solid.
13. Iowa State – Need to stop the bleeding vs Kansas State Saturday or the losing streak might not end.
14. Iowa – A road blip at Michigan is not an awful loss, still a dangerous team.
15. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 12 in a row, but last 6 against inferior teams.
16. Duke - Still lacking of a great road win, the rest of the Blue Devils resume is coming together
17. Kentucky – I see them much higher most places, but what jumps out on this resume? Exactly!!
18. Massachusetts – Best win is New Mexico, likely headed further down the seed list as gaudy RPI drops
19. Pittsburgh – Sometimes, a loss can be just as telling as a win. Case in point the loss at Syracuse.
20. Louisville – Rounding out the who’s who of #5 seeds with the defending champs.
21. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins.
22. Oklahoma – A team nobody is talking about, the Sooners continue to rise.
23. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
24. Texas - The Longhorns are coming on and flying up the list
25. Ohio State – The Buckeyes finally got a win, hoping to start a new trend (although it wasn’t easy).
26. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #4 and #9 above.
27. Minnesota - Fell victim to Nebraska, but still have some really nice wins
28. UCLA - Warming up a little more to the Bruins and the PAC-12 has to have a 2nd best
29. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
30. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
31. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
32. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 3 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 27.
33. Florida State – All 5 losses are to teams in the top 25 of the RPI.
34. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
35. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
36. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
37. Providence – Another nice win vs Xavier makes them more comfortable
38. Colorado – The early-season success will fade if they can't finish well
39. North Carolina – The Tar Heels keep adding up the losses to go with their quality wins.
40. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
41. SMU – The Mustangs need more quality wins, but others continue to fall around them.
42. California – Two nice road wins and 2nd Place in PAC-12 headline the Golden Bears resume.
43. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
44. Stanford – The Cardinals have the good road wins, but they need more.
45. Baylor – The Bears have zero road wins this season, but did beat Kentucky and Colorado.
46. Tennessee – The Volunteers hang on for dear life based on their wins and SOS.
47. Richmond - The Spiders take over as the least team in, but have a tough week this week
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Green Bay
51. Toledo
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Belmont
56. Boston U.
57. Delaware
58. Canisius
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. North Carolina Central
64. Stony Brook
65. Robert Morris
66. Southern U.
67. UNC-Asheville
68. Chattanooga
Friday, January 24, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 - Field of 68 (January 24, 2014)
I’ll try something new and add a little S-Curve for my seed list. It is my first attempt at this, so I hope it helps. Also, you might notice some big jumps and falls that occur based on results and wonder why the big reactionary fluctuations. I see 3 main reasons for this. (1) It is still relatively early in the grand scheme of the season, so individual results have a bigger overall impact on a resume. (2) There is a glut of teams clumped up right now and each result potentially separates a team from the glut in either a positive or negative manner. (3) Some of the non-conference stars (Wisconsin, Iowa State, Ohio State, Oregon, Baylor, etc.) are falling on harder times in the conference season. While not unprecedented, I do not remember this many teams struggling in early conference play after such good non-conference showings.
On to the list…
1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Michigan State – Must overcome another injury (Brandon Dawson).
4. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
5. Florida – Didn’t the Gators beat Kansas? Then why does Kansas garner all the #1 seed talk?
6. Kansas – Yes, they are playing at the level of a #1 seed, but can’t ignore 4 losses.
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. San Diego State – The RPI and KenPom don’t support a 2 seed, but the win at Kansas does (for now).
9. Wisconsin – Despite the 3 straight losses and horrid defense, the Badgers still have a top profile.
10. Creighton – This is why Dougy came back, to lead this team to heights they have never been.
11. Oklahoma State – Interior defense now a concern, but the Cowboys are still rock solid.
12. Michigan – The brackets high riser, not many playing better than Nik Stauskas and the Wolverines right now.
13. Iowa State – Need to stop the bleeding vs Kansas State Saturday or the losing streak might not end.
14. Iowa – A road blip at Michigan is not an awful loss, still a dangerous team.
15. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 11 in a row, but last 5 against inferior teams.
16. Massachusetts – Best win is New Mexico, likely headed further down the seed list.
17. Duke – Finally got a road win and developing a decent tournament resume.
18. Kentucky – I see them much higher most places, but what jumps out on this resume? Exactly!!
19. Pittsburgh – Sometimes, a loss can be just as telling as a win. Case in point the loss at Syracuse.
20. Louisville – Rounding out the who’s who of #5 seeds with the defending champs.
21. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins.
22. Oklahoma – A team nobody is talking about, the Sooners continue to rise.
23. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
24. Minnesota – 3 top 25 wins will vault you up the seed list.
25. Ohio State – The Buckeyes finally got a win, hoping to start a new trend (although it wasn’t easy).
26. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #4 and #9 above.
27. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
28. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 3 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 27.
29. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
30. Texas – A buzzer-beater vs K-State keeps the Longhorns climbing the list.
31. Florida State – All 5 losses are to teams in the top 25 of the RPI.
32. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
33. UCLA – Finally another PAC-12 team. Best win is vs Dinwiddie-less Colorado.
34. Colorado – Speaking of Buffaloes, the jury is still out on how good they are without Dinwiddie
35. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
36. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
37. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
38. California – Two nice road wins and 2nd Place in PAC-12 headline the Golden Bears resume.
39. Baylor – The colorless Bears have zero road wins this season, but did beat Kentucky and Colorado.
40. Tennessee – The Volunteers have the best wins of the next grouping of teams.
41. SMU – The Mustangs need more quality wins, but others continue to fall around them.
42. Providence – The Creighton win will continue to look more impressive as March rolls around.
43. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
44. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
45. North Carolina – The Tar Heels keep adding up the losses to go with their quality wins.
46. Stanford – The Cardinals have the good road wins, but they need more.
47. Arkansas – The Razorbacks have the best wins of the remaining teams, so I’ll go with them.
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Green Bay
51. Toledo
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Manhattan
56. Belmont
57. Delaware
58. Boston University
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. Stony Brook
64. Robert Morris
65. Southern U.
66. UNC-Asheville
67. Chattanooga
68. Savannah State
On to the list…
1. Arizona – PAC-12 is deep, but Wildcats may not have been properly tested in 2014 going into March.
2. Syracuse – ACC teams, meet the Syracuse zone. Good luck.
3. Michigan State – Must overcome another injury (Brandon Dawson).
4. Wichita State – As long as they are undefeated and bolster a top 10 RPI, they deserve this spot.
5. Florida – Didn’t the Gators beat Kansas? Then why does Kansas garner all the #1 seed talk?
6. Kansas – Yes, they are playing at the level of a #1 seed, but can’t ignore 4 losses.
7. Villanova – Don’t read much into a loss to a team that had a historic shooting night.
8. San Diego State – The RPI and KenPom don’t support a 2 seed, but the win at Kansas does (for now).
9. Wisconsin – Despite the 3 straight losses and horrid defense, the Badgers still have a top profile.
10. Creighton – This is why Dougy came back, to lead this team to heights they have never been.
11. Oklahoma State – Interior defense now a concern, but the Cowboys are still rock solid.
12. Michigan – The brackets high riser, not many playing better than Nik Stauskas and the Wolverines right now.
13. Iowa State – Need to stop the bleeding vs Kansas State Saturday or the losing streak might not end.
14. Iowa – A road blip at Michigan is not an awful loss, still a dangerous team.
15. Cincinnati – Bearcats play elite defense and have won 11 in a row, but last 5 against inferior teams.
16. Massachusetts – Best win is New Mexico, likely headed further down the seed list.
17. Duke – Finally got a road win and developing a decent tournament resume.
18. Kentucky – I see them much higher most places, but what jumps out on this resume? Exactly!!
19. Pittsburgh – Sometimes, a loss can be just as telling as a win. Case in point the loss at Syracuse.
20. Louisville – Rounding out the who’s who of #5 seeds with the defending champs.
21. Connecticut – I like the Huskies more than others right now. They have a nice group of wins.
22. Oklahoma – A team nobody is talking about, the Sooners continue to rise.
23. Virginia – Still lack that elite win, but sweep of Florida State and no bad losses is still a good start.
24. Minnesota – 3 top 25 wins will vault you up the seed list.
25. Ohio State – The Buckeyes finally got a win, hoping to start a new trend (although it wasn’t easy).
26. St. Louis – A Pitt-like resume…lacking good wins, but losses are to teams #4 and #9 above.
27. Xavier – The Musketeers are Sooner-like in hype, but their 9 top-100 wins is only one behind the top total.
28. Kansas State – Like the Gophers, K-State has 3 top 25 wins, 4 in the top 27.
29. Gonzaga – The WCC is a bit down this year, which isn’t helping the Zags.
30. Texas – A buzzer-beater vs K-State keeps the Longhorns climbing the list.
31. Florida State – All 5 losses are to teams in the top 25 of the RPI.
32. Memphis – Wins over Oklahoma State and at Louisville prop up the Tigers resume. All 4 losses to top 38.
33. UCLA – Finally another PAC-12 team. Best win is vs Dinwiddie-less Colorado.
34. Colorado – Speaking of Buffaloes, the jury is still out on how good they are without Dinwiddie
35. George Washington – The Colonials have that top-10 win vs Creighton and beat VCU.
36. New Mexico – A “nice” resume, but I actually thought they would be better this season.
37. VCU – All three top 100 wins are on the road. Have 5 home games remaining against top 100.
38. California – Two nice road wins and 2nd Place in PAC-12 headline the Golden Bears resume.
39. Baylor – The colorless Bears have zero road wins this season, but did beat Kentucky and Colorado.
40. Tennessee – The Volunteers have the best wins of the next grouping of teams.
41. SMU – The Mustangs need more quality wins, but others continue to fall around them.
42. Providence – The Creighton win will continue to look more impressive as March rolls around.
43. Oregon – The victories are not that great to offset a 1-5 conference start.
44. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
45. North Carolina – The Tar Heels keep adding up the losses to go with their quality wins.
46. Stanford – The Cardinals have the good road wins, but they need more.
47. Arkansas – The Razorbacks have the best wins of the remaining teams, so I’ll go with them.
48. Southern Miss
49. Harvard
50. Green Bay
51. Toledo
52. North Dakota State
53. New Mexico State
54. Mercer
55. Manhattan
56. Belmont
57. Delaware
58. Boston University
59. Stephen F. Austin
60. Georgia State
61. UC-Irvine
62. Northern Colorado
63. Stony Brook
64. Robert Morris
65. Southern U.
66. UNC-Asheville
67. Chattanooga
68. Savannah State
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
College Basketball 2013-14 - Field of 68 Bracket (January 21, 2014)
Projected NCAA Tournament Bracket (January 21, 2014)
West Region
(1) Arizona vs (16) Southern
San Diego, CA
(8) Memphis vs (9) George Washington
(5) Duke vs (12) Southern Miss
Spokane, WA
(4) Iowa State vs (13) North Dakota State
(6) Gonzaga vs (11) Stanford
San Antonio, TX
(3) Creighton vs (14) Mercer
(7) Oklahoma vs (10) New Mexico
Milwaukee, WI
(2) Wisconsin vs (15) Boston U.
East Region
(1) Syracuse vs (16) Radford/Stony Brook
Buffalo, NY
(8) UCLA vs (9) Texas
(5) Louisville vs (12) Green Bay
San Diego, CA
(4) Michigan vs (13) New Mexico State
(6) Ohio State vs (11) Harvard
Raleigh, NC
(3) Massachusetts vs (14) Belmont
(7) Virginia vs (10) Missouri
Buffalo, NY
(2) Villanova vs (15) Georgia State
Midwest Region
(1) Michigan State vs (16) North Carolina Central
Milwaukee, WI
(8) Xavier vs (9) Florida State
(5) Kentucky vs (12) North Carolina/Dayton
Orlando, FL
(4) Cincinnati vs (13) Manhattan
(6) Connecticut vs (11) Baylor
Spokane, WA
(3) San Diego State vs (14) Northern Colorado
(7) California vs (10) VCU
St. Louis, MO
(2) Kansas vs (15) UC-Irvine
South Region
(1) Wichita State vs (16) Robert Morris/Chattanooga
St. Louis, MO
(8) Colorado vs (9) Minnesota
(5) Pittsburgh vs (12) Providence/Tennessee
San Antonio, TX
(4) Oklahoma State vs (13) Toledo
(6) Kansas State vs (11) SMU
Raleigh, NC
(3) Iowa vs (14) Delaware
(7) St. Louis vs (10) Oregon
Orlando, FL
(2) Florida vs (15) Stephen F. Austin
West Region
(1) Arizona vs (16) Southern
San Diego, CA
(8) Memphis vs (9) George Washington
(5) Duke vs (12) Southern Miss
Spokane, WA
(4) Iowa State vs (13) North Dakota State
(6) Gonzaga vs (11) Stanford
San Antonio, TX
(3) Creighton vs (14) Mercer
(7) Oklahoma vs (10) New Mexico
Milwaukee, WI
(2) Wisconsin vs (15) Boston U.
East Region
(1) Syracuse vs (16) Radford/Stony Brook
Buffalo, NY
(8) UCLA vs (9) Texas
(5) Louisville vs (12) Green Bay
San Diego, CA
(4) Michigan vs (13) New Mexico State
(6) Ohio State vs (11) Harvard
Raleigh, NC
(3) Massachusetts vs (14) Belmont
(7) Virginia vs (10) Missouri
Buffalo, NY
(2) Villanova vs (15) Georgia State
Midwest Region
(1) Michigan State vs (16) North Carolina Central
Milwaukee, WI
(8) Xavier vs (9) Florida State
(5) Kentucky vs (12) North Carolina/Dayton
Orlando, FL
(4) Cincinnati vs (13) Manhattan
(6) Connecticut vs (11) Baylor
Spokane, WA
(3) San Diego State vs (14) Northern Colorado
(7) California vs (10) VCU
St. Louis, MO
(2) Kansas vs (15) UC-Irvine
South Region
(1) Wichita State vs (16) Robert Morris/Chattanooga
St. Louis, MO
(8) Colorado vs (9) Minnesota
(5) Pittsburgh vs (12) Providence/Tennessee
San Antonio, TX
(4) Oklahoma State vs (13) Toledo
(6) Kansas State vs (11) SMU
Raleigh, NC
(3) Iowa vs (14) Delaware
(7) St. Louis vs (10) Oregon
Orlando, FL
(2) Florida vs (15) Stephen F. Austin
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Crucial Stretch for some Bubble Teams
There are some teams that are going to play themselves in or out of bubble discussion in the next few weeks, as all schedules are not created equal as far as quality win opportunities. Here is a look at some teams to watch over the next 3 to 4 weeks:
Illinois (13-5, 2-3, RPI 50) – The Illini finally fell out of the Field today in my projections, but the next stretch provides them a way back in – Michigan State (RPI 8), @Ohio State (13), @Indiana (58), Iowa (21) and Wisconsin (2) are the next 5 for Illinois. The turnaround has to come now.
Texas (13-4, 2-2, RPI 52) – The most bubblicious of the Big 12 teams, I have Texas in by a thread right now. 6 of their next 7 are against the current RPI top 34, including 4 at home – Iowa State (9), Kansas State (34), @Baylor (19), Kansas (1), @Kansas State (34), Oklahoma State (11). With a win at North Carolina in the books, The Longhorns are just looking to add Top 50 wins to their 4 current Top 100 wins. Even a 3-3 split in these 3 games should give them a resume boost.
Stanford (11-5, 2-2, RPI 57) – I have the Cardinal in as of today with two nice road wins to date. The bad loss to Oregon State needs to be covered by some more quality wins. The next 7 are all against current RPI top 100 teams, Washington (79), @UCLA (37), @USC (94), Arizona (4), Arizona State (64), @California (31) and @Washington (79). Unlike some teams, they are not desperate for a road win, they just need quality wins, so a nice 5-2 or 4-3 stretch would put them right in the discussion.
Arizona State (13-4, 2-2, RPI 64) – The Sun Devils best wins are Marquette, DePaul and USC, so nothing impressive yet. Starting tonight at Arizona (RPI 4), they also play Colorado (12), @ California (31) and @ Stanford (57) in their next stretch of 5 games. After hosting Oregon State, they host Oregon (24) and Arizona before playing at Colorado. That’s 7 of 9 against current RPI top 57 teams. We should know soon about Arizona State.
LaSalle (10-6, 3-0, RPI 73) – Much more was expected of the Explorers this season, but after a slow start they are off to a 3-0 conference start, including a win over George Washington (RPI 28). After facing Temple in a Big 5 game on Saturday, LaSalle plays @St. Bonaventure (RPI 75), VCU (42), @George Washington (28), @Massachusetts (5) and St. Louis (32) between then and February 8. If the Explorers can come out 4-1 from that stretch, plus take out Temple and Duquesne, we will have to start looking closer at a 16-7, 7-1 team from the A-10.
Clemson (12-4, 3-1, RPI 85) – Clemson owns a good record and a victory over Duke, but they have a bad loss at Auburn and South Carolina was their best non-conference win. They need to keep doing damage in the ACC and adding quality wins, plus a quality road win to their resume. 5 of their next 6 are against teams in the RPI top 60, with 4 of those on the road – Wake Forest (60), @Pittsburgh (17), @North Carolina (54), @Florida State (22) and @Syracuse (7). While this looks like a daunting stretch, it at least provides opportunity for the Tigers.
Marquette (10-7, 2-2, RPI 92) – Another team with high expectations, the Golden Eagles are at the crucial point of their season. 8 of their next 9 games are against RPI top 100 teams, including 3 top 25 teams at home - @Butler (91), @Georgetown (47), Villanova (3), Providence (69), @St. John’s (71) and Butler (91). After playing Seton Hall, Xavier (18) and Creighton (14) both visit Milwaukee. They need a 7-2 stretch here to really get back in the thick of the at-large discussion.
Others to Watch
Tennessee (10-5, 2-1, RPI 56) – The Volunteers are in for now, but the next 4 is @Kentucky, Arkansas, @Florida and Ole Miss. A 1-3 stretch will have them on the outside, while a 3-1 stretch will have them very safe.
Arkansas (12-4, 1-2, RPI 67) – 5 out of their next 8 are on the road for a team needing road wins to impress the committee, including at Tennessee, LSU and Missouri.
Providence (11-5, 1-2, RPI 69) – 14 of their last 15 are against teams in the current RPI top 100.
Richmond (11-6, 1-1, RPI 74) – The Spiders are on nobody’s radar, but with 6 straight against the RPI top 75, including 4 at home, let’s check back in 3 weeks.
Illinois (13-5, 2-3, RPI 50) – The Illini finally fell out of the Field today in my projections, but the next stretch provides them a way back in – Michigan State (RPI 8), @Ohio State (13), @Indiana (58), Iowa (21) and Wisconsin (2) are the next 5 for Illinois. The turnaround has to come now.
Texas (13-4, 2-2, RPI 52) – The most bubblicious of the Big 12 teams, I have Texas in by a thread right now. 6 of their next 7 are against the current RPI top 34, including 4 at home – Iowa State (9), Kansas State (34), @Baylor (19), Kansas (1), @Kansas State (34), Oklahoma State (11). With a win at North Carolina in the books, The Longhorns are just looking to add Top 50 wins to their 4 current Top 100 wins. Even a 3-3 split in these 3 games should give them a resume boost.
Stanford (11-5, 2-2, RPI 57) – I have the Cardinal in as of today with two nice road wins to date. The bad loss to Oregon State needs to be covered by some more quality wins. The next 7 are all against current RPI top 100 teams, Washington (79), @UCLA (37), @USC (94), Arizona (4), Arizona State (64), @California (31) and @Washington (79). Unlike some teams, they are not desperate for a road win, they just need quality wins, so a nice 5-2 or 4-3 stretch would put them right in the discussion.
Arizona State (13-4, 2-2, RPI 64) – The Sun Devils best wins are Marquette, DePaul and USC, so nothing impressive yet. Starting tonight at Arizona (RPI 4), they also play Colorado (12), @ California (31) and @ Stanford (57) in their next stretch of 5 games. After hosting Oregon State, they host Oregon (24) and Arizona before playing at Colorado. That’s 7 of 9 against current RPI top 57 teams. We should know soon about Arizona State.
LaSalle (10-6, 3-0, RPI 73) – Much more was expected of the Explorers this season, but after a slow start they are off to a 3-0 conference start, including a win over George Washington (RPI 28). After facing Temple in a Big 5 game on Saturday, LaSalle plays @St. Bonaventure (RPI 75), VCU (42), @George Washington (28), @Massachusetts (5) and St. Louis (32) between then and February 8. If the Explorers can come out 4-1 from that stretch, plus take out Temple and Duquesne, we will have to start looking closer at a 16-7, 7-1 team from the A-10.
Clemson (12-4, 3-1, RPI 85) – Clemson owns a good record and a victory over Duke, but they have a bad loss at Auburn and South Carolina was their best non-conference win. They need to keep doing damage in the ACC and adding quality wins, plus a quality road win to their resume. 5 of their next 6 are against teams in the RPI top 60, with 4 of those on the road – Wake Forest (60), @Pittsburgh (17), @North Carolina (54), @Florida State (22) and @Syracuse (7). While this looks like a daunting stretch, it at least provides opportunity for the Tigers.
Marquette (10-7, 2-2, RPI 92) – Another team with high expectations, the Golden Eagles are at the crucial point of their season. 8 of their next 9 games are against RPI top 100 teams, including 3 top 25 teams at home - @Butler (91), @Georgetown (47), Villanova (3), Providence (69), @St. John’s (71) and Butler (91). After playing Seton Hall, Xavier (18) and Creighton (14) both visit Milwaukee. They need a 7-2 stretch here to really get back in the thick of the at-large discussion.
Others to Watch
Tennessee (10-5, 2-1, RPI 56) – The Volunteers are in for now, but the next 4 is @Kentucky, Arkansas, @Florida and Ole Miss. A 1-3 stretch will have them on the outside, while a 3-1 stretch will have them very safe.
Arkansas (12-4, 1-2, RPI 67) – 5 out of their next 8 are on the road for a team needing road wins to impress the committee, including at Tennessee, LSU and Missouri.
Providence (11-5, 1-2, RPI 69) – 14 of their last 15 are against teams in the current RPI top 100.
Richmond (11-6, 1-1, RPI 74) – The Spiders are on nobody’s radar, but with 6 straight against the RPI top 75, including 4 at home, let’s check back in 3 weeks.
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