College Basketball 2013-14 Field of 68 (Feb 4, 2014)

The weekend brought losses from a good portion of the Field entering the weekend, jumbling things up a little bit.  The next couple weeks should re-shape things, barring another weekend like we just had.

1. Syracuse – Meeting every challenge put in their path, but can they really run the table through March?
2.  Arizona – Loss to Cal not as concerning as loss of Brandon Ashley
3. Wichita State – Still undefeated with game at Indiana State looming this week
4. Florida – Arguably playing better than any team not named Syracuse and now they get Chris Walker eligible

5. Villanova – The Wildcats have to be the least talked about team toward the top of the rankings
6. Michigan State – Another loss without Payne and Dawson, but now have work to do to get a #1 seed
7. Kansas – As the losses pile up, even the schedule they have taken on might be too much for a #1 seed
8. San Diego State – The RPI is still unkind, but as teams fall around them, this becomes a greater possibility

9. Creighton – Coaches will be praying that Doug McDermott ends up in a different region come Selection Sunday
10. Cincinnati – Big road win at Louisville proves Bearcats are for real.  I believe SOS is deceptively low.
11. Iowa State – Great road win at Oklahoma State has their resume right back on track
12. Duke – Game at Syracuse was College Basketball at its best and is as good as a loss can be.

13. Michigan - Road wins @Minnesota, @Wisconsin and @Michigan State are unmatched, still can challenge for a higher seed
14. Texas – The victory over Kansas proves the Longhorns are for real
15. Virginia – A great road win at Pittsburgh has the Cavaliers ascending while teams around them continue to spiral
16. Iowa – The teams in Iowa have the best group of losses in the nation

17. Wisconsin – A terrible week with two home losses continues the fall of the Badgers, a more dramatic fall to come if they don’t get on track
18. Kentucky – Missouri was best road win…I don’t love their profile, but the high RPI would dictate the committee at this point
19. Oklahoma – The loss at Iowa State was not a bad loss, but they need to bounce back at West Virginia
20. Connecticut – Like Iowa, this seeding out-ranks their RPI considerably, but with a win over a #1 seed and only one bad loss, I believe it is warranted

21. UCLA – Just when the Bruins can make a move, they lose at Oregon State.  Still 2nd best in a deep PAC-12.
22. Louisville – The loss at home to Cincinnati is a step backwards for a team lacking opportunities
23. St. Louis – Still lacking a lot of great wins, but only lost to Wichita State and Wisconsin
24. Oklahoma State – Marcus Smart must turn this team around to justify his return

25. Pittsburgh – All 4 losses are to top 15 teams on this list, but they have to beat somebody too
26. Gonzaga – Resume fits well with St. Louis and Pitt, except the Zags lost to Portland
27. Ohio State – Win against Wisconsin will look better if the Badgers stop their free-fall, but it gives the Buckeyes something
28. Massachusetts – Losing 3 of 4 has the Minutemen moving in the wrong direction

29. VCU – Have righted the ship in conference play and look to be St. Louis’ top challenger in A-10
30. George Washington – Another A-10 team bunched in the middle…beat Creighton and VCU
31. North Carolina – Hitting a 7 game stretch that will determine their season
32. New Mexico – Continue to plod along against a softer Mountain West

33. Memphis – All Top 50 losses, but only 5 Top 150 wins make this an interesting profile
34. California – Big jump back into the Field, but who else has defeated Arizona (top seed wins carry weight)
35. Colorado – 2-3 since loss of Dinwiddie, but all losses to teams in Field
36. Kansas State – A group of good wins, but 3 losses in 4 games precedes Texas and Kansas in the next week

37. Minnesota – 3 losses in 4 games for the Gophers…The Big 10 is eating each other alive
38. Providence – Recovered to beat DePaul, huge game at Xavier on Saturday
39. Xavier – The Seton Hall loss was bad, Villanova was not, but Xavier now has the losses adding up
40. Tennessee – Recovered well from losses at Kentucky and Florida, probably 3rd best in SEC

41. Stanford – Sometimes showing well in a loss goes noticed as well, followed that up with a win over Arizona State
42. LSU – Consecutive wins over Kentucky and Arkansas have the Tigers moving up…hit break in their schedule where 4-1 mark is needed before trip to Kentucky and Florida
43. Florida State – Until last week, all losses were top 50, now the losses are adding up to too many
44. Missouri – The Tigers have played a bad schedule and have bad losses to boot.
45. SMU – Just when I thought the Mustangs were dropping out, they go and beat Memphis

46. Oregon – Two games this week are at Arizona and Arizona State…cannot afford a 3-8 conference start
47. Arizona State – Beat Cal, lost to Stanford…remain as 7th PAC-12 team in field
(other considered:  Baylor, Indiana, BYU, Georgetown, Richmond, St. Joseph’s, Clemson)
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. Delaware
58. Canisius

59. American
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