Low-Major Rankings - December 13th

Low-Major Top 10:

1 (1): Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (7-2, 1-0, #26)

Ending Mississippi’s perfect run to start the season leaves the Blue Raiders to continue as the clear #1 low-major team. That will face a serious test tonight, though, as they travel to play Belmont, in what is likely a battle between the two best teams in the state of Tennessee.

Last week: W v. #22 Mississippi 65-62

This week: R @ #60 Belmont, T v. #231 Tennessee St.

2 (2): Bucknell Bison (8-1, #54)

After taking a week off, Bucknell will get back into things with a tough one, hosting a strong La Salle team. I expect a closely fought game, but whatever happens, the Bison should get two wins on the week, with two easier opponents up after the weekend.

Last week: None

This week: S v. #67 La Salle, M @ #329 St. Francis PA, W v. #253 Marist

3 (3): Lehigh Mountain Hawks (8-2, #58)

Everything Bucknell does, Lehigh can do; this week it’s the Hawks’ turn to take a week off, fresh over an easy win over an overmatched St. Francis. Two interesting road trips await before conference play, with Lehigh in tough when they head to VCU, and also heading to a struggling, but talented, North Texas.

Last week: W @ #329 St. Francis PA 83-67

This week: None

4 (4). Belmont Bruins (6-2, #60)

Boy, Belmont know how to put a damper on a week off, as their players had to look forward to a brutal set of games, starting with tonight’s against Middle Tennessee, a weekend trip to Kansas, and then, as the easy part of the weekend, a game with Nate Wolters and South Dakota St.

Last week: None

This week: R v. #26 Middle Tennessee, S @ #10 Kansas, W v. #183 South Dakota St.

5 (9). Murray St. Racers (7-1, #77)

Murray St. got a nice win at Evansville, handily beating the Aces on the road to move back into the top 5, they’ve got an interesting series of top 100 opponents up in the next weeks, starting with WKU, but also including Dayton and Valpo.

Last week: W @ #118 Evansville 82-70

This week: U v. #93 Western Kentucky, W @ #191 Arkansas St.

6 (5): Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-3, #79)

7 (7): North Dakota St. Bison (8-3, 1-0, #84)

8 (-): Eastern Kentucky Colonels (9-0, #89)

9 (-): Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-2, 2-0, #93)
10 (6). Albany Great Danes (9-2, #95)

Dropped out: Florida Gulf Coast (6-4), Utah St. (5-1)

Mid-Major Rankings - December 13th

Mid-Major Top 10:

1 (2): Illinois Chicago Flames (8-1, #55)

Another top 100 win for the Flames, who move to 8-1. They won’t get another shot at a top team, other than their meetings with Valpo in the league, but it will be interesting to follow their progress and see whether they can build up a strong record in the Horizon. Will this be a team we’ll talk about on the bubble in March?

Last week: W v. #65 Colorado St. 64-55

This week: S v. #188 Eastern Michigan, T @ #176 Western Illinois

2 (3): Ohio Bobcats (7-2, #66)

Ohio recovered from their poor week the week before by easily beating Oakland, and this week face a potentially difficult road trip, when they head out to play UMass. The Sweet Sixteen darlings of a season ago may have stumbled, but they’re still a strong team that should be excellent in the MAC.

Last week: W v. #250 Oakland 78-61

This week: S v. #330 Winthrop, W @ #121 Massachusetts

3 (1): Akron Zips (4-3, #72)

The 4-3 record isn’t that impressive, but is a bit harsh, given they have two overtime losses, as well as a difficult trip to Creighton counted in those three. The hard parts of their schedule are done, if they are truly this good they should make that record look quite a bit more gaudy in the next weeks.

Last week: L @ #15 Creighton 61-77

This week: S @ #165 Detroit, T v. #328 Arkansas Pine Bluff

4 (4). George Mason Patriots (6-4, #90)

A tough loss going into a break for the Patriots, who fought hard against Northern Iowa, but ended up falling in overtime. They’ll get two full weeks off, but resume with two tough games, on the road against Richmond and South Florida.

Last week: L v. #87 Northern Iowa 77-82 (OT)

This week: None

5 (8): Canisius Golden Griffins (6-1, 2-0, #97)

Canisius has run off a nice three game road winning streak, including winning both of its opening conference games this weekend, leaving them already a game up on the rest of the MAAC. Things likely won’t stay as pretty on the road this week, with trips to Syracuse and Temple looking unlikely to produce much positive for the Griffins.

Last week: W @ #133 Fairfield 67-55, W @ #253 Marist 84-82

This week: S @ #6 Syracuse, M v. #340 Longwood, W @ #47 Temple

6 (5): Valparaiso Crusaders (6-3, #99)

7 (9): Pacific Tigers (5-4, #108)

8 (6): Loyola MD Greyhounds (8-3, 1-1, #113)

9 (10). Kent St. Golden Flashes (5-5, #130)

10 (7). Iona Gaels (3-4, 1-1, #131)

Dropped out: None

High Mid-Major Rankings - December 13th

High Mid-Major Top 10:

1 (2): Wichita St. Shockers (9-0, #9)

An easy win for the Shockers against Northern Colorado, they’ll get a tougher challenge this week against Tennessee tonight. Still, for a team that won at VCU, and has beaten DePaul and Iowa, they should still be favoured on the road tonight.

Last week: W v. #279 Northern Colorado 80-54

This week: R @ #85 Tennessee

2 (1): Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-0, #14)

Gonzaga lost its first of the year, getting beaten by an impressive, and still undefeated, Illinois side. They could potentially see this turn into a bit of a slide, as they face a tough Big 12 gauntlet over the next week, with Kansas St., Baylor and Oklahoma St. in their next three. They’ll want to get back to business as usual against the Wildcats this weekend.

Last week: L v. #16 Illinois 74-85

This week: S v. #48 Kansas St., W v. #321 Campbell

3 (4): Creighton Bluejays (9-1, #15)

An impressive week for the Jays, winning the big in-state rivalry game with Nebraska, and then beating a very solid Akron team. They will get a chance for another big win this weekend, when they travel to California. They are probably slight favourites, but I’d expect a closely fought game.

Last week: W @ #119 Nebraska 64-42, W v. #72 Akron 77-61

This week: S @ #37 California, W v. #142 Tulsa

4 (3): Nevada Las Vegas Rebels (7-1, #17)

UNLV just survived at Cal, edging out an important win in the final seconds. They have a busy week coming up, as they will likely see their ranking drop with a non-D1 game tonight, before travelling to UTEP and hosting a good Northern Iowa team.

Last week: W @ #37 California 76-75

This week: R v. ND1 La Verne, M @ #164 Texas El Paso, W v. #87 Northern Iowa

5 (5). New Mexico Lobos (10-0, #18)

The Lobos stay perfect with a good win over Valpo, and now face one of the oddities in the NCAA schedule, a home-and-home series with in-state rivals New Mexico St. The Lobos should prevail in both games, but the road trip could be a tricky game to handle.

Last week: W v. #99 Valparaiso 65-52

This week: S v. #127 New Mexico St., W @ #127 New Mexico St.

6 (6): Virginia Commonwealth Rams (6-3, #19)

7 (8). Memphis Tigers (6-2, #34)

8 (-): Illinois St. Redbirds (6-3, #35)

9 (7). Wyoming Cowboys (10-0, #38)

10 (9): Charlotte 49ers (9-0, #38)

Out: San Diego St. (7-1)

Top 25 Rankings - December 10th - Part 2

16 (13). Ohio St. Buckeyes (6-1) - #36 ELO, #21 SRS, #18 TN, #6 KP

A good bounce back game from a team that is clearly under-rated in the rankings, as the Buckeyes handily beat LBSU. Three more low level games are up before the big showdown with Kansas next weekend, which will be one of the games to watch next week.

Last week: W v. #185 Long Beach St. 89-55

This week: W v. #163 Savannah St., S v. #246 NC Asheville

Player of the week: SO F LaQuinton Ross, 16.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.0 APG

17 (14). Nevada Las Vegas Rebels (7-1) - #32 ELO, #13 SRS, #19 TN, #20 KP

UNLV just survived a tough trip to Berkeley, winning in the final moments on a Quintrell Thomas shot. They’ve still got Northern Iowa and North Carolina up before the end of the year, but will likely move backwards next week, with their only game coming against a Non D-1 school.

Last week: W @ #281 Portland 68-60, W @ #33 California 76-75

This week: R v. ND1 La Verne

Player of the week: FR F Anthony Bennett, 21.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 55.4 eFG%

18 (19). Virginia Commonwealth Rams (6-3) - #44 ELO, #7 SRS, #24 TN, #17 KP

Not too much problem for VCU in a return to an old CAA stomping ground, as they beat Old Dominion. This week, they face a former coach, as Anthony Grant’s Alabama come to town. This will be an important chance for the Rams to get a valuable win; they’ve got several good losses, but only Memphis as a strong victory.

Last week: W@ #285 Old Dominion 83-70

This week: S v. #52 Alabama

Player of the week: SO G Briante Weber, 8.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 10.0 APG, 5.0 SPG

19 (11). New Mexico Lobos (10-0) - #14 ELO, #43 SRS, #3 TN, #37 KP

A tough week for the Lobos, who drop despite a couple of wins, taking out USC and Valpo at home. They now go into a back-to-back with New Mexico St. These could be entertaining games, particularly the second one in Las Cruces.

Last week: W v. #145 Southern California 75-67, W v. #95 Valparaiso 65-52

This week: S v. #125 New Mexico St.

 Player of the week: SO C Alex Kirk, 12.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 59.4 eFG%

20 (-). Missouri Tigers (8-1) - #29 ELO, #31 SRS, #15 TN, #32 KP

Missouri enter the top 25, despite not playing anyone of note last week. They have solid wins over Stanford and VCU, but other than that the schedule is pretty weak. They won’t play at all next week, but will face some more interesting games towards the end of the year, with Illinois, UCLA and Bucknell up before SEC play.

Last week: W v. #202 Southeast Missouri St. 81-65, W v. #227 Tennessee St. 68-38

This week: None

Player of the week: SR F Laurence Bowers, 22.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 59.1 eFG%

21 (22). Oklahoma St. Cowboys (7-1) - #28 ELO, #27 SRS, #29 TN, #24 KP

A nice victory for the Cowboys at home to South Florida, and they can now calm down, with their next four games easy ones at home, before that big New Year’s Eve game with Gonzaga.

Last week: W v. #98 South Florida 61-49, W v. #304 Missouri St. 62-42

This week: U v. #229 Central Arkansas

Player of the week: SR C Philip Jurick, 6.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 55.6 eFG%

22 (15). Mississippi Rebels (6-1) - #31 ELO, #11 SRS, #53 TN, #22 KP

Mississippi lost its first big challenge of the year, a closely fought game at Middle Tennessee. Given that the Raiders are on the edge of the top 25, and that it was a road game for Old Miss, they don’t drop all the way out of the rankings. They should get back on track, with their last four games before SEC play against teams outside the top 150.

Last week: L @ #26 Middle Tennessee 62-65

This week: F v. #282 East Tennessee St.

Player of the week: SR G Nick Williams, 11.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 90.0 eFG%

23 (24). Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) - #23 ELO, #37 SRS, #48 TN, #21 KP

No problems for the Irish against Brown, and their game against Purdue on the weekend isn’t as strong as it seemed like it might be, given the Boilermakers’ struggles. Still, that’s the last tough opposition the Irish will face before the Big East season.

Last week: W v. #273 Brown 84-57

This week: S v. #108 Purdue (N)

Player of the week: SR F Jack Cooley, 15.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 63.6 eFG%

24 (-). Georgetown Hoyas (7-1) - #39 ELO, #29 SRS, #31 TN, #31 KP

It’s been an ugly couple of weeks for Georgetown basketball, as they survived that slugfest with Tennessee, shut down Texas and just survived a close brush against Towson. Their offense has not been firing, but they have one of the country’s best defensive records. They will have a series of easy home games to try and get things together; hopefully for their sake things will go better than last week against the Tigers.

Last week: W v. #124 Texas 64-41 (N), W v. #236 Towson 46-40

This week: M v. #337 Longwood, S v. #233 Western Carolina

Player of the week: JR F Nate Lubick, 11.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 75.0 eFG%

25 (-). Oregon Ducks (8-1) - #26 ELO, #48 SRS, #13 TN, #45 KP

Oregon have a good win against UNLV, but haven’t beat anyone else in the top 100, and won’t get the chance before league play. Their second best win could come this weekend, when they host Nebraska.

Last week: W v. #329 Idaho St. 87-35

This week: S v. #119 Nebraska

Player of the week: SR F Arsalan Kazemi, 11.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 60.0 eFG%

Dropped out: #30 Virginia Tech (7-1), #38 Colorado (7-2), #46 Baylor (5-3)

Top 25 Rankings - December 10th - Part 1

1 (1). Duke Blue Devils (8-0) - #1 ELO, #1 SRS, #1 TN, #5 KP

No problems for the #1 team against Temple, as they won handily against a team that had previously been undefeated. Exam season means no games this week for the Blue Devils, and they won’t play another top 100 opponent in 2012, with only Davidson looking to be any kind of challenge before ACC play.

Last week: W v. #48 Temple (N) 90-67

This week: None

Player of the week: SR G Seth Curry, 23.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, 86.4 eFG%

2 (2). Indiana Hoosiers (9-0) - #3 ELO, #2 SRS, #10 TN, #1 KP

Another team playing just once this week, Indiana crushed Central Connecticut to stay undefeated. They’ll play Butler next week, but that isn’t quite the match-up it’ll be hyped as, as the Bulldogs are still working to get back to their standard of recent years.

Last week: W v. #139 Central Connecticut 100-69

This week: S v. #115 Butler (N)

Player of the week: SO F Cody Zeller, 19.0 PPG, 19.0 RPG, 58.3 eFG%

3 (7). Louisville Cardinals (8-1) - #5 ELO, #4 SRS, #7 TN, #3 KP

Louisville make a big move up this week, thanks to a crushing victory at the College of Charleston. It may not be the biggest name result, but a 42-point road win against a team previously in the top 100 is extremely impressive, and gives all the ratings a solid boost. They’ll play a marquee game at Memphis this week; the Tigers are desperate for a big result, and this should be a fun game to watch.

Last week: W @ #118 College of Charleston 80-38, W v. #249 Missouri Kansas City 99-47

This week: S @ #32 Memphis

Player of the week: JR G Russ Smith, 22.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 4.5 SPG, 61.1 eFG%

4 (3). Florida Gators (7-0) - #6 ELO, #3 SRS, #9 TN, #2 KP

Frankly, it’s a little disappointing to see Florida this low, as their back to back wins over Marquette and Florida St., both absolute beat-downs, are some of the most impressive results we’ve seen this year. They’ll get another chance to add to that this weekend, when they head out to Arizona for what is probably the game of the week.

Last week: W @ #97 Florida St. 72-47

This week: S @ #11 Arizona

Player of the week: SR G Mike Rosario, 14.0 PPG, 70.0 eFG%

5 (4). Michigan Wolverines (9-0) - #7 ELO, #8 SRS, #4 TN, #8 KP

There were some nervous moments in the second half, but Michigan got it together and pulled away in the end for a fairly comfortable win over the Razorbacks, keeping themselves in the upper echelon of the national rankings. They will play an interesting ‘Beilein Bowl’ game this week with West Virginia, their last tough game before league play.

Last week: W v. #156 Western Michigan 73-41, W v. #85 Arkansas 80-67

This week: T v. #339 Binghamton, S v. #72 West Virginia (N)

Player of the week: SO G Trey Burke, 18.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 64.6 eFG%

6 (8). Syracuse Orange (8-0) - #10 ELO, #6 SRS, #11 TN, #4 KP

Three games on the week, but no drama for the Orange, with the closest result a 31-point victory. Just one game for the Orange this week, who will play at home to Canisius; only a game with Temple promises any real interest before Big East play.

Last week: W v. #187 Eastern Michigan 84-48, W v. #185 Long Beach St. 84-53, W v. #224 Monmouth 108-56

This week: S v. #96 Canisius

Player of the week: SO G Michael Carter-Williams, 13.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 12.3 APG, 3.7 SPG

7 (5). Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) - #8 ELO, #12 SRS, #5 TN, #16 KP

Two very easy wins for Cincinnati, a good response to their close game with Alabama last week. They’ll get a reasonable challenge this week, heading out for a rare road game at a non-power conference team when they head to Marshall.

Last week: W v. #142 Arkansas Little Rock 87-53, W v. #346 Maryland Eastern Shore 92-60

This week: S @ #196 Marshall

Player of the week: SR G Cashmere Wright, 14.0 PPG, 6.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 77.8 eFG%

8 (9). Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-1) - #7 ELO, #14 SRS, #12 TN, #10 KP

A very impressive showing against a weaker-than-expected USC team, as the Golden Gophers continue their strong run towards some attention in a crowded Big Ten. They will get a tough game this week, hosting North Dakota St., not a team that are hyped, but one with some strong results.

Last week: W v. #180 South Dakota St. 88-64, W @ #145 Southern California 71-57

This week: T v. #83 North Dakota St.

Player of the week: SO G Andre Hollins, 18.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 97.1 eFG%

9 (10). Wichita St. Shockers (8-0) - #11 ELO, #9 SRS, #8 TN, #23 KP

Wichita St. eased past Northern Colorado in their only game last week, but will face a more interesting game this week, as they travel to Tennessee, their last road challenge before starting Valley play. While the Vols haven’t been great this year, they are still a solid team that will be a tough beat on the road.

Last week: W v. #276 Northern Colorado 80-54

This week: R @ #84 Tennessee

Player of the week: SR G Demetric Williams, 12.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, 125.0 eFG%

10 (17). Kansas Jayhawks (7-1) - #17 ELO, #5 SRS, #23 TN, #9 KP

Kansas faced a potentially tough test against a former league rival, Colorado, last week, and came through with flying colours, obliterating the Buffaloes with a 36-point victory. That reasserts the Jayhawks among the top programs in the country. They’ll now get a very interesting run of games, with Belmont and Richmond coming to Lawrence before they head to Ohio St.

Last week: W v. #38 Colorado 90-54

This week: S v. #65 Belmont

Player of the week: SR F Kevin Young, 16.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 88.9 eFG%

11 (12). Arizona Wildcats (7-0) - #9 ELO, #16 SRS, #21 TN, #13 KP

Arizona closed two games really well this week, finishing on a 22-7 run at Clemson and a 14-4 run against Southern Miss, to pull away to solid victories in both. Things won’t be as easy on the weekend, when they host Florida in what should be a high-quality meeting.

Last week: W v. #89 Southern Mississippi 63-55, W @ #79 Clemson 66-54

This week: S v. #4 Florida

Player of the week: SO G Nick Johnson, 18.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 4.5 SPG, 65.2 eFG%

12 (6). Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-1) - #18 ELO, #17 SRS, #17 TN, #12 KP

Gonzaga’s first loss of the season came at home against Illinois, in their first challenge against a top 50 opponent. They’ll play just once this week, but it won’t be an easy game, as they’ll play against Kansas St. in Seattle. With Baylor and Oklahoma St. still up before the end of the year, Gonzaga’s season could be at a bit of a crossroads.

Last week: W @ #103 Washington St. 71-69, L v. #15 Illinois 74-85

This week: S v. #47 Kansas St.

Player of the week: SR F Elias Harris, 19.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 58.0 eFG%

13 (18). Creighton Bluejays (9-1) - #15 ELO, #10 SRS, #26 TN, #15 KP

The in-state rivalry with Nebraska is always a hard-fought game, but there wasn’t much of a fight I the score, as the Jays dominated the game. They also took out Akron at home, but will face their toughest challenge of the non-conference this weekend, when they head out to California.

Last week: W @ #119 Nebraska 64-42, W v. #74 Akron 77-61

This week: S @ #33 California

Player of the week: JR F Doug McDermott, 28.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 70.6 eFG%

14 (16). Pittsburgh Panthers (9-1) - #13 ELO, #18 SRS, #28 TN, #7 KP

A solid cross-town rivalry win against Duquesne saw Pitt extend their win streak to five, though they still have yet to win against a power-conference opponent. They won’t get a chance before Big East play, with only three low level non-conference games left.

Last week: W v. #135 Duquesne (N) 66-45, W v. #215 North Florida 89-47

This week: S v. #271 Bethune Cookman

Player of the week: SR G Tray Woodall, 19.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 5.5 APG, 75.0 eFG%

15 (21). Illinois Fighting Illini (10-0) - #2 ELO, #44 SRS, #2 TN, #25 KP

Illinois were very impressive in winning at Gonzaga, a result that may start to prove the Illini’s place on the national stage as more than just an overrated Maui winter. They’ve still got a showdown with Missouri to test them next week, and this week get a top-100 Eastern Kentucky team that shouldn’t be any problem for them.

Last week: W v. #233 Western Carolina 72-64, W @ #12 Gonzaga 85-74

This week: T v. #190 Norfolk St., U v. #90 Eastern Kentucky

Player of the week: SR G Brandon Paul, 24.5 PPG, 2.5 APG, 2.5 SPG, 58.1 eFG%