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Basketball AP Top 25 – Week 14

Dan Spritz — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:07:55 +0000

1. Kentucky (63)

I would be remiss if I did not mention UK’s obliteration of #8 Florida last night. They are just amazing. Almost too much talent, if that’s possible. Last week Anthony Davis averaged 7.5 blocks per game. Blocks! That’s absurd. Chad Ford has four of the team’s starters ranked in the top 30 for this year’s draft. Do you think they make fun of Doron Lamb (37th in Ford’s rankings), because he’s the only starter not expected to be drafted into the first round?

2. Syracuse (2)

Fab Melo is important. That’s what we’ve learned.

3. Ohio State

Up 51-50 with 3:39 to go against #21 Wisconsin, the Buckeyes proved that they can close out good teams. That will be important in March (next month!). They may not be as talented as Kentucky, but their experience playing together is really showing.

4. Missouri

The way the Tigers closed out against Kansas last weekend changed my perception of them. Sure, they were at home, but they looked entirely comfortable in the types of late-game situations that can cause many teams to unravel. With multiple elite free throw shooters, their ability to close games out could also have them playing late into March.

5. North Carolina

The Tar Heels continue to stomp the ACC. I don’t think the game against #10 Duke will be that close. They’ve been that locked in since the loss to #15 Florida State.

6. Baylor
7. Kansas
8. Florida
9. Murray State
10. Duke

I’m calling it right now: Murray State will be a #8 seed and will play #1 Kentucky in the second round of the tournament. There, they will learn that the Wildcats are undoubtedly the state’s best team.

11. Michigan State
12. Georgetown
13. San Diego State
14. UNLV
15. Florida State

SDSU and UNLV play this week. The Aztecs won the first meeting by 2, but this game will be in Las Vegas. No matter what happens, this is progress for the Mountain West. They may not be as strong as the Missouri Valley was a few years ago, but as mid-majors go, they are exceptionally competitive.

16. Saint Mary’s
17. Creighton
18. Marquette
19. Virginia
20. Mississippi State

Mississippi State is still here! Ridiculous.

21. Wisconsin
22. Michigan
23. Indiana
24. Louisville
25. Harvard

This same sort of pattern often emerged with the football rankings, where Big Ten teams clumped towards the back of the rankings. The difference here is that Ohio State is #3 and Michigan State is #11. Still, the Big Ten seems to clump together far more often than any other conference. I don’t know what this means.

Boston University, Boston College Advance to Beanpot Final

Taylor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:44:40 +0000

The Boston University Terriers (17-8-1) and Boston College Eagles (17-10-1) each advanced to next Monday’s Beanpot final, dispatching the Harvard Crimson (7-7-9) and Northeastern Huskies (11-12-3) respectively at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass.

BU advanced to the title game with a 3-1 triumph over Harvard, while BC obliterated Northeastern 7-1. The game will be the 21st time BU and BC will play for the Beanpot Championship, with the Terriers possessing 12-8 series lead. It will also be their fourth match up of the year, with BU having won two of the first three match ups.

BostonUniversity 3, Harvard 1

Wade Megan led the offensive attack with a pair of goals, while BU goalie Kieran Millan turned away 29 of 30 shots en route to a 3-1 Boston University victory on Monday night.

The Terriers jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 8:14 in, registering the first goal of the tournament on a neat Alex Nieto wrap around goal to beat Crimson goalie Steve Michalek. Alex Chiasson and Sean Escobedo each garnered assists on the play.

BU was able to extend their lead to 2-0 with 12:30 remaining in the second period, capitalizing on the man advantage. Sahir Gill passed to Escobedo, who found Megan who buried home the game-winner. The residents of Commonwealth Avenue took a 3-0 lead less than seven minutes later when Megan tallied his second score on the night, receiving a second assist from Gill.

Millan would not be able to parlay the effort into a shutout however, as Harvard cut the deficit to 3-1 when Alex Killorn scored on the power play in the second period. Marshall Everson found Killorn in the slot, who rifled his shot past Millan for the final goal of the contest with 4:23 remaining in the second.

The Crimson attack peppered Millan in the third, but he stood tall saving all 10 Harvard shots in the final frame.

Harvard out shot the terriers 30-25 throughout, but Millan was up to the challenge to send the Terriers to the Beanpot Championship.

Boston College 7, Northeastern 1

The Boston College Eagles scored early and often, pummeling the Northeastern Huskies 7-1 in the night cap of the 2012 Beanpot. Paul Carey, Johnny Gaudreau, Steven Whitney each scored a pair of goals, while Barry Almeida notched his 17th scored of the year in the rout.

Parker Milner, Boston College’s goaltender, turned away 22 of 23 shots in his Beanpot debut.

BC’s special teams dominated the action throughout, scoring two power play goals and twice shorthanded to generate the disparity in the score. The Eagles’ speed and talent was on display all evening, doubling the Huskies with a 46-23 advantage in shots, and constantly forcing Northeastern defenders into mistakes in their own end.

Carey gave the Eagles an early edge just 5:14 in, beating NU netminder Chris Rawlings on his glove hand side for the 1-0 lead. Freshman defender Josh Manson turned the puck over near his own blueline to Pat Mullane, who found Johnny Gaudreau before he showcased a beautiful feed back to Carey in the slot for the game’s first tally.

Gaudreau doubled the Eagle’s advantage to 2-0 with 10:17 remaining in the first, stripping Northeastern defender Luke Eibler near the Huskies’ bench. Gaudreau skated in on Rawlings, and snuck a shot through the junior goaltender’s five-hole for the two-goal lead.

BC would let NU creep back into the contest with back-to-back penalties assessed to Chris Kreider and Whitney. The Huskies answered the call with the 5-on-3 advantage, with Anthony Bitteto one-timing a Ludwig Karlson pass to cut the score to 2-1. Garrett Vermeersh recorded a second assist on the play.

After six minutes of back-and-forth play in the second stanza, NU was awarded the man advantage at 5:43 after Kreider was whistled for his second penalty of the evening, a hitting from behind call. But another Huskies mistake near the Northeastern bench resulted in a shorthanded 2-on-1 opportunity for the Eagles, who ounce again pounced on the opportunity to take a 3-1 lead. Patch Alber wrestled the puck away from Bitteto, and found a streaking Alemida down the right side who fired a perfect pass to Whitney in the slot to beat Rawlings 6:41 in the second.

A little over two minutes later, Gaudreau put Boston College up 4-1 on a rebound opportunity after Alber’s shot from the right side ricocheted off the blocker of Rawlings, forcing NU to take their timeout.

Four and a half minutes later, the Eagles continued to convert NU errors when Almeida careened a Justin Daniels turnover once again in front of the Northeastern bench, and skated up the ice on a 2-on-1 opportunity. The senior needed not pass however, firing a pair of shots before beating Rawlings upstairs on the glove side for the 5-1 edge.

Backup goaltender Clay Witt entered in the third, but fared no better against a relentless Boston College attack. Barry Alemeida’s second goal of the night with occurred on the powerplay 8:43 remaining, assisted by Brian Dumoulin and Whitney. Carey capped the BC scoring with 2:40 remaining, notched his second goal with helpers from McCleod and Shea.

Basketball AP Top 25 (Week 13): Murray State Continues to Impress

Dan Spritz — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:47:44 +0000

1. Kentucky (63)
Last week was another easy walk through the SEC for the Wildcats. This is the time of the season when malaise sets in though, so watch out for the upset.

2. Syracuse (2)
The Orange won both of their games last week, but the absence of Fab Melo was evident. Unresolved academic issues have not allowed him to play since Jan. 16, but it looks like he will be able to return on Saturday. If it turns out that that is not the case and he can’t return this season, you can write Syracuse off as a contender for the national championship.

3. Ohio State
While the Big Ten has been very good this year, the Buckeyes have still only been tested a couple times. With home-and-homes remaining against #9 Michigan State and No. 19 Wisconsin, they have a lot of work to do. As it is now though, they are far and away the class of the league.

4. Missouri
With the home game against No. 8 Kansas this week, the Tigers get to show how good they are. They won’t win the game at Allen Fieldhouse down the road, but they can win at home. Despite the flaws they’ve shown, most glaringly their inability to slow down the tempo, winning this game would say a lot.

5. North Carolina
The Tar Heels have been lingering here for a while and seem to have been energized since the thrashing at Florida State. Watch for them to really come on as February begins.

6. Baylor
7. Duke
8. Kansas
9. Michigan State
10. Murray State
The Racers! In the top ten! With a Bracke tBusters game against No. 18 Saint Mary’s! I almost can’t contain my excitement at an OVC school being undefeated and ranked this highly. Moreover, I’m glad they will be able to break up the monotony of playing schools with abbreviations like SEMO, SIUE, and EIU. They are without a doubt the best team in Kentucky. Take that Louisville!

11. UNLV
12. Florida
13. Creighton
14. Georgetown
15. Marquette
Given Florida’s past tournament history and the fact that this year’s Gators are on the fringe of the contenders, I think they are the perfect dark horse pick to go to the Final Four.

16. Virginia
17. San Diego State
18. Saint Mary’s
19. Wisconsin
20. Indiana
Did you know that Virginia’s three losses this season are by a combined seven points? They don’t often blow teams out, but they stifle them defensively. They held Georgia Tech to 38 points a couple weeks ago. Because of that, they are going to give Duke and UNC a run for their money (er, scholarships?) in the ACC race. They may not be as talented, but they’re such a tough out that they will give both teams problems.

21. Florida State
22. Mississippi State
23. Michigan
24. Gonzaga
25. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt was launched into the rankings after a victory over Sun Belt-leading Middle Tennessee. That’s an awfully strange non-conference game to have at this point in the season, but it fits them.

Basketball AP Top 25 (Week 12): Missouri to No. 2

Dan Spritz — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:50:53 +0000

1. Kentucky (61)
As usual, Kentucky looked really good last week. I wouldn’t call them unstoppable, but they’ve certainly shown signs of dominance. For that reason, I think they are going to get upset soon.

Before the matchup with No. 14 Florida, in fact. Because the SEC hasn’t been quite as strong as it looked like it would be in the preseason, the common wisdom will be that Kentucky will cruise through the conference schedule, with only Florida and No. 18 Mississippi State as potential roadblocks.

Conference play never works that cleanly, which means they will lose in the next four games. The best bet for an upset is Tennessee.

2. Missouri (2)
Here’s my analysis: Missouri had the best win last week. Seriously though, that was a really strong win over Baylor. In a surprisingly strong Big 12, the Tigers control their own destiny. I remain skeptical about their ability to beat Kansas (especially at Allen Fieldhouse), but that is an issue for another week.

3. Syracuse (2)
I simultaneously respect and am confused by individuals who give a previously top-ranked squad a No. 1 vote immediately after they’ve suffered a loss. It really shows that the voters don’t totally know what they’re doing.

While many are swayed by the inertia that emerges from the reaction to week-to-week results, others take a more holistic look at who they believe the best teams are, and in what order. While I do respect the decision to vote Syracuse No. 1 this week, my initial reaction was, “Why do those voters have to be so difficult?”

4. Ohio State
A measly win over Nebraska? That’s all the Buckeyes had to show for their efforts last week. At least they didn’t have to go to Lincoln.

5. Kansas
Last week was business as usual for the Jayhawks, with wins over No. 6 Baylor and Texas. Strangely, Texas gave them much more trouble. This discrepancy is primarily the result of the Longhorns significantly outrebounding the Jayhawks and being almost perfect from the line while Kansas struggled there.

Texas has been mediocre this year though, so the Jayhawks should be worried about their performance.

6. Baylor
7. North Carolina
8. Duke
9. Georgetown
10. Michigan State
Baylor must feel must feel like they walked into a buzz saw last week. After a drubbing at No. 5 Kansas they came home to lose a nail biter against No. 2 Missouri. That should give them a pretty good sense of where they stand in the Big 12’s hierarchy. On the bright side, they lost both of the week’s game and only fell three spots in the poll.

11. Murray State
12. UNLV
13. San Diego State
14. Florida
15. Creighton
I bet Florida feels out of place in this quintet. You know what these highly-ranked mid-majors (or in Murray State’s case, a low-major) mean? There will be plenty of high seeds that will be good upset picks in the tournament. Given their high rankings, they are bound to get good seeds.

The switch from semi-irrelevant underdog to high-seeded target is tough for most teams to overcome though. Keep that in mind when Murray State is an undefeated No. 3 seed.

16. Indiana
17. Marquette
18. Mississippi State
19. Virginia
20. Michigan
Mississippi State came into the rankings in Week 3, and their rankings each week since have been: 24, 21, 17, 17, 18, 15, 15, 20, 18, and 18. A disproportionate number of teams have passed them in both directions, and I don’t know why. They jumped quickly into the high teens and have barely moved since.

Their ranking has been absurdly consistent, despite the fact they’ve won almost all of their games. I don’t get it, although I feel like Renardo Sidney must be at least partially to blame. He has so much talent, but he is fat and uncomfortably lazy.

He disinterestedly jogs down the floor better than just about anyone I’ve ever seen. I think he gets winded running over to set picks, when he can be bothered enough to set picks that is. NBA players after the ’98-’99 lockout were better conditioned than he is. What a mess.

21. Saint Mary’s
22. Kansas State
23. Florida State
24. Connecticut
25. Wisconsin
The Huskies are in free fall, having lost four of their last six games. Can I write them off yet?

Basketball AP Top 25: FSU Blasts North Carolina

Dan Spritz — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:42:50 +0000

1. Syracuse (60)

Is there some sort of Syracuse equivalent to, “Roll Tide?” If so, I would like to use it to describe their continued success in the Big East. If not, let me suggest a few.

Squeeze Orange
Hold The Pulp
Citrus Strong
Fab Melo

2. Kentucky (4)
The Wildcats beat Auburn and Tennessee last week. I consistently forget that Auburn plays basketball. They’ve not made the tournament since 2003 and only have three appearances since the ‘80s. How is that even possible for a major conference team? Does no one care down there? Is the focus that much on football? Also, Kentucky still looks really good.

3. Baylor (1)
Oh hey, a vote for No. 1. Something tells me that won’t be there next week… That’s not what I want to talk about though. I’ve referred to the Golden Age of Baylor Athletics before, but not talked much about this team. They are led by Perry Jones III, an athlete with such a unique skill set that there may be no precedent for him.

The football team was led by Robert Griffin III, also an athlete with such a unique skill set that there may be no precedent for him. To have these two players at the same time would be unusual enough, but the fact there they both have the suffix III is downright bizarre. The odds of having two athletes like this at the same time are insanely low.

The odds of them both being IIIs are also insanely low. It’s like when the unrelated Jack and Jim Youngblood played for the LA Rams, except if they were the two best players in Rams history. Someone else should be acknowledging this.

4. Duke
The Blue Devils beat No. 15 Virginia last week, hold sole possession of fist place in the ACC, and have played at a consistently high level all season. I’m not buying it this year though. They may well get a No. 1 seed in the tournament, but I don’t think there’s any chance they will make it to the Final Four, let alone the National Championship. They don’t have someone who can take them to the next level. I just don’t trust them, Austin Rivers in particular.

5. Missouri
Look at that, the Tigers are in the Top 5. Given their play this season, they deserve this ranking. They are strong enough to win the Big 12. However, much like Duke, they aren’t a national contender. They can score on just about anyone in a regular season game, but a team that plays defense and rebounds will give them trouble.

They can’t rebound, an issue that isn’t really an issue when they get good looks. When they play a team like Kansas though, those likes will be hard to come by. Expect them to continue to make noise but ultimately flame out in the tournament.

6. Ohio State
7. Kansas
8. North Carolina
9. Michigan State
10. Georgetown
Kansas makes it three teams in the top 7 for the Big 12. Not bad for a league with ten schools. Meanwhile, what happened to UNC last week? They’re not exactly “tough,” but I had no idea they could be that soft. That was an abysmal effort. Florida State was able to do just about anything they wanted on the court. Semi-related note: BC is currently tied with UNC in the ACC conference standings. Make of that what you will.

11. Indiana
12. Murray State
13. Connecticut
14. UNLV
15. Virginia
The Hoosiers are beginning to unravel, having lost both games last week. What they do this week will give a strong indication of how the rest of their season will go. Losing last week to a Minnesota team that had lost four in a row was bad. Following that up by getting blown out at Ohio State was worse. They just didn’t have any focus. If they want to have a successful season, they will need to regain that focus.

16. San Diego State
17. Florida
18. Mississippi State
19. Creighton
20. Michigan
WILL NO ONE CHECK THE RISE OF SAN DIEGO STATE AND CREIGHTON IN THE RANKINGS?! Sorry, I just channeled Billy Packer there. I’ll try to keep it from happening again.

21. Marquette
22. Illinois
23. Louisville
24. Saint Mary’s
25. Kansas State
Gonzaga fell out of the rankings this week while Saint Mary’s jumped into the rankings. The Gaels beat the Bulldogs last week. I like to imagine that Gonzaga had some sort physical manifestation (a shillelagh, maybe?) of their ranking that Saint Mary’s stole from the team bus. They probably didn’t.

Book Review: “Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection”

Matt Goisman — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:16:36 +0000

Geno:In Pursuit of Perfection is the University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma’s memoir. Published in 2006, the mostly self-written book takes us from Auriemma’s earliest years in Italy to growing up in Norristown, Penn. The book touches lightly on Auriemma’s career at St. Joseph’s and Virginia before devoting the bulk of pages to UConn. Diana Taurasi, whose departure basically ends the book, also introduces it.

Though also credited as a writer, the book contains none of former Boston Globe writer Jackie MacMullan’s style. I get the feeling MacMullan just helped a bit with structure and grammar.

As Good as it Gets

The best parts of this memoir are the recruiting stories for Rebecca Lobo and Taurasi. They were two of the most acclaimed, successful and popular players in women’s basketball history, and the book doesn’t skimp on how Auriemma convinced them to play for UConn. Lobo’s story actually reads a bit better because UConn wasn’t a premier franchise yet.

Auriemma’s brief discussions of real basketball strategy are also quite interesting. Too many look at Auriemma and only see his “fiery” attitude. They forget that to do what Auriemma’s done, you need the brains to properly utilize the talented players you have. The strategy sessions show off his mind instead of his voice.

Still, this book has some serious flaws to it. Auriemma darts back and forth too much between seasons. The 1995 and 2002-04 championship teams obviously had different players. Auriemma also says he both worked his players harder and got more feedback from players on those early teams. So if the players are different, the relationship with the players are different, and the demands placed on the players are different, how valid can any comparison between two eras of UConn basketball really be?

Additionally, Auriemma’s a coach – he’s not a writer. He tends to use the same adjectives to describe every one of his players. He names two or three different players as the nicest, the most loving, the most fit, the smartest, etc. By using the same superlatives over and over, Auriemma diminishes each player’s unique accomplishments.

Yes, a school like UConn will likely get multiple players who are incredibly smart, incredibly athletic, or incredibly competitive. But no two players are identical, and Auriemma should have tried harder to differentiate his players by specific strengths and weaknesses. Only Swin Cash comes off as unique, and that’s only because she dressed exceptionally well (which is kinda sexist to focus on, anyway).

Auriemma’s book reads a little false. None of his assumptions about his players’ motivations and thoughts are corroborated with player interviews, so every encounter is just his version of it.

Finally, Auriemma also spends a lot of time talking about regretting some of the things he’s said and done, in particular slamming Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. If Auriemma regretted “acting like an ass,” as he himself calls it, then why does he continue to do it throughout his career? And if he didn’t regret it at the time but does now, then the book is a disingenuous attempt to rebuild his public image in what he thought was the twilight of his career. I’m not interested in reading that.

Whatever this book’s faults may be, there will likely never be another Geno Auriemma book. This is as good as it will probably ever get. So if you want to know anything about Auriemma beyond the sound bites on ESPN, buy this book.

Missing Maya Moore

Auriemma’s decision to write this in 2005 makes sense: He’d just lost Taurasi, the best player in UConn history, and likely thought his team’s three straight championships were the most successful they’d ever be. He assumed no future team or player would ever live up to the 2002-04 dynasty, so he wrote a memoir.

Auriemma turned out to be wrong on both fronts: his Huskies would go undefeated and win national championships in two straight years from 2009-10, and Maya Moore would give UConn two of the best individual seasons in school history. Moore also did it with weaker teammates than Taurasi, playing with just three future first-round draft picks to Taurasi’s six (including four who went 1-2-4-6 in the 2002 WNBA draft).

Along the way, the team broke the NCAA men’s record for consecutive wins held by the 1971-74 UCLA Bruins – a record Auriemma says he’d get a lot more joy out of breaking in the book, as opposed to the women’s win streak, which Taurasi’s Huskies broke.

Moore’s absence gives this memoir an unfinished feel, as if at least one key chapter is missing. I can’t fault Auriemma for this – how was he to know? Still, between this book’s faults and its lack of Moore, a real journalist (perhaps MacMullan) needs to at some point write a real account of the rise of UConn basketball.

Auriemma’s memoir is a good holdover, and no one may ever profile the coach as well. But as for the entirety of the UConn Lady Huskies, the true story has yet to be written.

Basketball AP Top 25 (Week 10): Temple Tops Duke

Dan Spritz — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:34:03 +0000

1. Syracuse (60)

The Orange did their business last week. At this rate, they look to have a decent chance of making it through January undefeated. With five of their last seven games against UConn, Louisville, and Georgetown though, they are likely to trip up in sight of the finish line.

2. Kentucky (5)
The Wildcats continued to play really well. Looking at their remaining schedule, I have a tough time picking out which game they’ll lose. It’s going to happen, but they are considerably better than everyone they play for the rest of the season.

3. North Carolina
Watching the Tar Heels toy with BC was, if nothing else, instructive. Even though BC got within nine points well into the second half, there was never a chance that they were going to win. The Tar Heels just needed to turn it on for a few minutes to reassert just how talented they are.

4. Baylor
The Bears beat a pair of Texas schools with ease last week. They are still undefeated, which should ease the pain of RG3 going pro.

5. Ohio State
This recap isn’t supposed to know Ohio State lost to Illinois… so check back next week.

6. Michigan State
7. Indiana
8. Duke
9. Missouri
10. Kansas
Duke lost to Temple last week, a reminder to everyone that they are a flawed squad. Sure they have a number of good players, but there isn’t a lot of elite NBA talent. Austin Rivers will go pro, but he doesn’t fit Coach K’s system.

11. Georgetown
12. UNLV
13. Michigan
14. Louisville
15. Murray State
Hey, remember last week when I said that Louisville’s slide was the result of a rough patch on the schedule? Looks like I was wrong. They might just be in the middle of the pack in the Big East.

16. Virginia
17. Connecticut
18. Kansas State
19. Florida
20. Mississippi State
The Huskies lost to No. 24 Seton Hall and Rutgers last week. Let’s not forgot that they finished ninth in the Big East last year and then lost their best player. It is totally reasonable to expect that they would have some losses to middle-of-the-pack conference foes. The fact that Seton Hall is now ranked makes it even less surprising.

21. Gonzaga
22. San Diego State
23. Creighton
24. Seton Hall
25. Marquette
Oh hey Creighton. It’s always nice to see you around these parts. The MVC has been down for a few years now. Remember when people were calling it a Top 5 conference? It’s a shame you couldn’t keep that up.

Report: Penn State to Name Bill O’Brien New Head Coach

KC Downey — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:15:15 +0000

Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien will become the new head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

O’Brien will be replacing the legendary 84-year-old Joe Paterno. A press conference is set for Saturday.

The move allows Penn State to officially move on (in a football sense) from the Paterno era, which at its end was plagued by the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. Paterno was fired when the Sandusky scandal blew up and it was revealed that the legendary 84-year-0ld coach knew more about Sandusky’s actions than he let on.

O’Brien joined the Pats as an assistant in 2007, and worked his way up to become offensive coordinator this season. He previously spent time coaching in the college ranks at Brown, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Duke.

The last time a Patriots coordinator took a college head coaching job during the team’s playoff bye week was in 2004 when Charlie Weis accepted the Notre Dame job. The Pats won the Super Bowl that year.

Basketball AP Top 25 (Week 9): Baylor Enters Into Top 5

Dan Spritz — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:48:20 +0000

1. Syracuse (60)
Last week was business as usual for the Orange. They opened the conference slate with walk throughs against Seton Hall and DePaul. Things will get a little tougher this week, with games against PC and No. 20 Marquette. No one gets through the Big East unscathed, so Syracuse’s first loss should come pretty soon.

2. Kentucky (5)
The Wildcats starts SEC play this week. They also had a big win over Louisville. I know conference play is different and that the SEC is really good this year, but I still can’t imagine UK losing more than two games the rest of the way. They have so much talent.

3. North Carolina
The Tar Heels host our Boston College Eagles this week. If BC stays within 30, consider it a success. They are just too inexperienced to do anything worthwhile.

4. Baylor
This is the Golden Age of Baylor Athletics. There’s no way around it. Enjoy yourselves Waco.

5. Duke
Duke plays Temple tonight, and I’ve been trying to come up with a joke about a Duke going into a temple. Sorry guys, I’ve got nothing. Also, Duke destroyed Penn and Western Michigan last week. As they should.

6. Ohio State
7. Missouri
8. Connecticut
9. Georgetown
10. Michigan State
Hey! Everybody! Missouri’s undefeated! Along with Baylor, they look to be the class of the Big 12 this season. Assuming they keep this up and have a little luck when they play Baylor, a No. 1 seed has to be in play.

11. Louisville
12. Indiana
13. Florida
14. Kansas
15. Mississippi State
This was a rough week for Louisville, but don’t forget about them. They’re still really good. How many teams could even split a week with games against No. 2 Kentucky and No. 9 Georgetown?

16. Michigan
17. UNLV
18. Wisconsin
19. Murray State
20. Marquette
Murray State Watch: still undefeated. Check back next week for more.

21. Virginia
22. Harvard
23. Kansas State
24. San Diego State
25. Gonzaga
Is Gonzaga still America’s Team? They’ve barely made any national waves in the last few years, but they’ve still hung around the Top 25. They’re not an underdog, but they’ve not been dominant. They never live up to their ranking but the consensus is usually that they still deserve to be ranked. Does anyone else care?

Basketball AP Top 25 (Week 8): Baylor Defeats Paul Quinn

Dan Spritz — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:26:13 +0000

1. Syracuse (54)
The Orange played the eclectic duo of Bucknell and Tulane last week, and they will get started with Big East play this week. They will play a school almost exclusively associated with Big East basketball (Seton Hall) as well as a school that people often forget is in the Big East (DePaul). I’m looking forward to seeing how they will handle the grueling conference schedule.

2. Ohio State (5)
The Buckeyes open conference play this week, and after steamrolling Northwestern, they will have a tasty matchup with No. 13 Indiana. While Jared Sullinger’s health is still not totally certain, this should be a fantastic game and will give us a much better sense of where these two teams are right now.

3. Kentucky (4)
This week, the Wildcats will play Lamar and No. 4 Louisville. This is interesting for a host of reasons. First is my sympathy for Lamar, who lost to Ohio State last week. Perhaps most interesting to me, Lamar and Louisville are known as the Cardinals, which is weird. Most importantly though, Kentucky-Louisville is going to be a fantastic game.

4. Louisville (2)
The Cardinals will open conference play this week by playing Georgetown and No. 3 Kentucky. Wait… that’s not right. They will open conference play against Georgetown, immediately jump out of it to play a fantastic game against Kentucky, and then jump back in next week. I’m excited.

5. North Carolina
The Tar Heels will play my former future Alma mater Elon this week in what should be a walkover. The Phoenix don’t have much of a basketball program – my most distinct memory is that I was once 20 feet away from Stephen Curry when Davidson came to play.

He looked like a child. Nothing noteworthy has happened in the Southern Conference since he left, and I would imagine some SoCon schools miss being “the random school Steph Curry just torched.” That’s life in a low-major conference.

6. Baylor
7. Duke
8. Missouri
9. Connecticut
10. Florida
The Bears beat something called Paul Quinn 95-54 last week. As best I can tell, Paul Quinn is an HBCU (the only one west of the Mississippi) that is associated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church and has had accreditation problems in recent years.

More importantly, it is an NAIA school. I can’t think of any reason this game would even be worth it to Baylor. Wouldn’t a scrimmage be better? What could possibly be gained from playing a school from the Red River Athletic Conference?

11. Wisconsin
12. Georgetown
13. Indiana
14. Marquette
15. Mississippi State
The Hoosiers won their two games last week by an average margin of 49.5 points. 49.5 points! Mediocre teams that they were (Howard and UMBC), that’s still a lot of points. Indiana is really good (also, undefeated), but we’re still a few days away (the aftermath of the Ohio State game) from hearing about them as national title contenders. It will happen though, and they deserve to be in the discussion.

16. Michigan State
17. Kansas
18. Michigan
19. UNLV
20. Murray State
The Racers beat Tennessee-Martin last week and will play Eastern Illinois this week. They play teams like that for the rest of the season. I said it last week, but I’ll say it again. This team has a really good chance to be undefeated in the regular season. I have no idea what that would mean for tournament seeding, but it would definitely be cool.

21. Creighton
22. Pittsburgh
23. Virginia
24. Harvard
25. San Diego State
After a wonderful season last year, the Aztecs have joined the rankings again this year. There is no reason to doubt them either, with their two losses coming against No. 6 Baylor and No. 21 Creighton. However, we won’t know any more about them until they play No. 19 UNLV in a couple weeks. In the meantime, they will play such schools like Redlands and San Diego Christian. Again, wouldn’t scrimmages be more productive?