College Basketball Rankings – Week 15

So here we are. Midway through the conference season and things are starting to heat up all over the country. The Big Ten and Big 12 are proving to be full of parity… top to bottom anyone can win, the SEC has settled into the haves and have nots, same with the Pac 12 and Mountain West.

Week 15 Rankings

1. Syracuse
2. Arizona
3. Florida
4. Wichita State
5. San Diego State
6. Villanova
7. Kansas
8. Duke
9. Michigan State
10. Louisville
11. Cincy
12. Saint Louis
13. Michigan
14. Iowa
15. Creigton
16. Virginia
17. Iowa State
18. Kentucky
19. Texas
20. Memphis
21. Pitt
22. Ohio State
23. New Mexico
24. Wisconsin
25. UCLA

Here’s a look at last weeks results…

1. Syracuse – Crushed ND; Play Clemson later on Sunday – They were always destined to make a run in the front half of their conference schedule, things are about to get a little tougher now with road games at Duke & Virginia on the horizon.
   
2. Arizona – Survived Oregon, should beat Oregon State today – Back on track? With the loss of Ashley they should be fine in a weak part of their schedule. 
3. Florida – Beat-up Mizzou & Bama – Two tough road games this week at Tennessee & then Kentucky will show us if this is a Final Four team or a bound to bounce in the first weekend.
4. Wichita State – W over pesky Indiana State & then handled Northern Iowa – Their RPI is 5-6 in the country… but the question will soon be if this is the 2014 version of the 2013 Gonzaga team who gets a high seed, then dispatched by an upstart team hungry for respect?
5. San Diego State – survived at Boise; beat Nevada bad – As a fan, I’m sick of hearing about the Aztecs weak schedule from East Coast trolls. The win over Boise State was as tough as they come. Their RPI would be a lot better if lowly Southern Utah would win a game or two. 
6. Villanova – Crushed Xavier & Seton Hall – Look, this team is great. I think a #6 is a bit low but it won’t make a difference come March. A legit top 1-2 seed. 
7. Cincy – Beat UConn; got destroyed by SMU – Their conference is not stellar. So a loss to SMU won’t kill them, but it does hurt. They should roll along until the game against Louisville on 2/22. 
8. Kansas – Smacked Bayor & b-slapped WVU – No one is playing hotter right now. They dropped the hammer on two really good teams this week.
9. Michigan State – beat PSU; Lost to Wisconsin – I think MSU is a Final Four contender, injuries are hurting them and Wisconsin took advantage on their home court. It’s tough on the road. 
10. Michigan – Beat Nebraska; crushed by Iowa – Iowa is tough at home, bottom line there. I’m not sure who this Michigan team is. But with losses piling up in Sparty-land their signature win is diminished returned. 
11. Duke – Wake & BC… popped in the chops –  With all the silly talk about top freshmen, Parker has emerged as the guard worth talking about. 
12. Creighton – beat DePaul – The one-man show will only take you so far in March, just ask BYI. But it will carry you through a rather pedestrian Big East. (I just wish Notre Dame had joined this conference and not the ACC!) 
13. Saint Louis – Crushed St. Joes; survived La Salle – Who knows how good this Saint Louis team really is. But I’ve been impressed with how they manage to keep winning. 
14. Louisville – Beat Houston – A quiet week for Kentucky’s best team. I just don’t get the feeling this team has a March run in them. Could be wrong though. 
15. Texas – Beat TCU & crushed by KSU – A road loss on the road in a tough conference doesn’t mean much for Texas in the long run. But they might have shown the way to beat Texas in the long run… create chaos. 
16. Iowa – beat by Ohio State; stomped Michigan – This team is great. They are fun to watch. Unfortunately, they are only fantastic at home and just so-so on the road. Expect them to destroy PSU & IU this week though.
17. Iowa State – Beat OK State & TCU – Hitting their stride with a couple weak games to go this week… this is a top 10 team if you ask me.  
18. Kentucky – swept Miss & Miss State –  Two wins last week against far inferior competition. Let’s see what happens this week though, I just don’t see a Final Four team, more like an NIT champion. 
19. OK State – Lost to ISU & Texas Tech – Buh bye Cowboys. They’ve lost 4 out of their last 5. Smart will probably get at least a 1-game suspension for his (perhaps justified) shove of the bozo in Lubbuck. Two road games this week at Austin and Norman? They’ll be lucky to split that. Bad news to come in Stillwater. 
20. Virginia – Beat up on BC & Georgia Tech – Have you watched this team? They are gelling and getting better each game. Shawn Kiger & Thomas Edison are grinning as they’ve got 2 more wins lined up for the week. Top 10 in their future? We shall see. 
21. Oklahoma – Lost to WVU & Win at Baylor – This team is their 21 in the RPI right now. The Big 12 is tough, they might make a run in the conference tourney. Probably a 4-5 seed. 
22. UConn – L to Cincy; play UCF today – This is a middle of the pack team in conference play. Something in me tells me that UConn is going to be UConn when it matters though. This game on Saturday with Memphis will be a good measurement. 
23. Gonzaga – Beat Portland; Lost to Memphis – I really want to say they are better than they are. But they aren’t. I think the Zags are destined for an upset in their conference tourney and a trip to the NIT. Just saying. 
24. Memphis – Spanked Rutgers; beat Zags – They have some weird losses. But when they are good, they are great. I expect them to have something to prove on Saturday against UConn. 
25. Pitt – Beat Miami & VT both in OT – I think Pitt is a bit underrated. 

Who is Hot?

Who I’m enjoying…