Sunday, January 07, 2007

W-9 BP65

What a wild evening yesterday in college basketball. The biggest story, in my opinion, is the wide-open Pac-10. With UCLA and Arizona going down on the same day there is now a gigantic tie at 3-1. A real mess that I'll go through later this week. For now, the new BP65:


1. NORTH CAROLINA (ACC)
1. UCLA (PAC 10)
1. FLORIDA (SEC)
1. OHIO ST. (BIG 10)

2. Arizona
2. LSU
2. Wisconsin
2. KANSAS (BIG 12)

3. PITTSBURGH (BIG EAST)
3. Duke
3. Alabama
3. Texas A&M

4. Oklahoma State
4. MEMPHIS (CONFERENCE USA)
4. Marquette
4. Oregon

5. UConn
5. Tennessee
5. Texas
5. Washington

6. Kentucky
6. NEVADA (WAC)
6. Maryland
6. AIR FORCE (MWC)

7. Michigan State
7. California
7. Illinois
7. Georgetown

8. Clemson
8. USC
8. Gonzaga
8. West Virginia

9. WICHITA ST (MVC)
9. Notre Dame
9. Boston College
9. Northern Iowa

10. XAVIER (ATLANTIC 10)
10. Missouri State
10. Washington State
10. Southern Illinois

11. BUTLER (HORIZON)
11. Missouri
11. San Diego State
11. Virginia

12. Texas Tech
12. OLD DOMINION (COLONIAL)
12. Villanova
12. Louisville

13. WINTHROP (BIG SOUTH)
13. WESTERN KENTUCKY (SUN BELT)
13. MARIST (MAAC)
13. AKRON (MAC)

14. DAVIDSON (SOUTHERN)
14. VERMONT (AMERICA EAST)
14. PENN (IVY)
14. BUCKNELL (PATRIOT)

15. NORTHERN ARIZONA (BIG SKY)
15. ORAL ROBERTS (MID-CON)
15. BELMONT (ATLANTIC SUN)
15. DELAWARE ST (MEAC)

16. UC-SANTA BARBARA (BIG WEST)
16. SAMFORD (OHIO VALLEY)
16. SACRED HEART (NORTHEAST)
16. SAM HOUSTON ST (SOUTHLAND)
16. JACKSON ST (SWAC)

1 comment:

Jeff said...

I'm not going to really disagree with any of those. Florida State is looking good. I had them in the BP65 earlier this season, before they struggled and fell out. They were probably the first team out this week. A good performance this week will probably bring them back. As for Virginia, you may be right. I've been on the Virginia bandwagon since late last year, and I may be fooling myself with their occasional good performances. You are right that they need to be more consistent to stay in the Tournament. In the ACC, any off night means a loss - there are no pushovers.

As for Providence, they've had a great two weeks, but I want to see more out of a team that hasn't made the Tournament in several years. Yes, they have played a little bit better than Louisville, but we need more evidence before we can be sure they'll still be this good in a month... or even a week.

As for Michigan State, I agree that they've struggled early on in Big 10 play, but keep this in mind: All of their losses have been on the road. They are undefeated at home and on neutral courts, including a very impressive win over Texas in the preseason NIT. They get a shot at Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Indiana at home - a fairly fortuitous schedule for a team looking for another marquee win. Also, like Louisville, how can you bet against Tom Izzo? If you want to look for teams to improve later on in the season, always bet on the best coaches.

Finally, you may also be right about California. I'm sure you've noticed that I don't move teams around quickly. If you want to find a "prediction" that has Wichita State seeded 2nd one week, and 12th a fortnight later, this isn't it. California has, for the most part, been moving down. USC is moving up, and I finally put Washington State into the BP65 (probably a few weeks overdue). If things continue like they're going, both teams will finish with a higher seed than California.