The College Basketball Post

Seems like he has no problem with it...I've watched a lot of them this year, and I haven't seen Boeheim get upset with him once.
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Wow.. Did Westbrook lock up Oj Mayo or What!!.. Does anyone else think that the other players like Lewis and Davon Jefferson get a little ticked when OJ hasthe ball the majority of the time.. B/C to me, Lewis definitely looked that way last night..
 
Two good games later tonight that I'll for sure be watching...
Syracuse at Louisville at 7 P.M. ET
Texas A&M at Texas at 9 P.M. ET

I'm about to start on my homework (I have so much too...) right now so I can hopefully be done in time to watch these.
 
[h2]SA Today/ESPN: Feb 18[/h2]
The USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Men's College Basketball poll, with number of first-place votes and record, total points and previous ranking:

Records through Mon Feb 18, 2008
[h3]USA Today/ESPN[/h3][table][tr][th=""]Rank[/th] [th=""]Team[/th] [th=""]Record[/th] [th=""]Pts[/th] [th=""]Last Week[/th] [/tr][tr][td]1.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](25-0)[/td] [td]775[/td] [td]1[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](23-2)[/td] [td]724[/td] [td]4[/td] [/tr][tr][td]3.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](24-2)[/td] [td]685[/td] [td]5[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-2)[/td] [td]668[/td] [td]2[/td] [/tr][tr][td]5.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](24-2)[/td] [td]664[/td] [td]3[/td] [/tr][tr][td]6.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-3)[/td] [td]647[/td] [td]6[/td] [/tr][tr][td]7.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]562[/td] [td]11[/td] [/tr][tr][td]8.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](24-2)[/td] [td]539[/td] [td]10[/td] [/tr][tr][td]9.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]486[/td] [td]7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]10.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]452[/td] [td]14[/td] [/tr][tr][td]11.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-4)[/td] [td]447[/td] [td]8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]12.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]446[/td] [td]13[/td] [/tr][tr][td]13.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]390[/td] [td]17[/td] [/tr][tr][td]14.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]369[/td] [td]12[/td] [/tr][tr][td]15.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-5)[/td] [td]293[/td] [td]23[/td] [/tr][tr][td]16.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-4)[/td] [td]285[/td] [td]19[/td] [/tr][tr][td]17.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]268[/td] [td]9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](23-2)[/td] [td]243[/td] [td]15[/td] [/tr][tr][td]19.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]235[/td] [td]20[/td] [/tr][tr][td]20.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-3)[/td] [td]204[/td] [td]21[/td] [/tr][tr][td]21.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](19-5)[/td] [td]186[/td] [td]18[/td] [/tr][tr][td]22.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]142[/td] [td]16[/td] [/tr][tr][td]23.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-6)[/td] [td]132[/td] [td]NR[/td] [/tr][tr][td]24.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](18-6)[/td] [td]108[/td] [td]25[/td] [/tr][tr][td]25.[/td] [td] [/td] [/tr][/table]
 
I like Memphis at home

that place gets just as loud as any place, particularly for being a pro arena.

I think they win it on the defensive side
 
Updated: February 18, 2008

SOUTH (Houston)
Little Rock
(1) MEMPHIS (25-0)
(16) Play-in Game

(
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Baylor (16-7)
(9) Maryland (17-9)

Denver
(5) Washington St (20-5)
(12) DAVIDSON (18-6) / Southern

(4) Notre Dame (19-5)
(13) CORNELL (15-5) / Ivy

Washington D.C.
(6) Clemson (18-6)
(11) West Virginia (17-7)

(3) XAVIER (21-4)
(14) BOISE ST (18-6) / WAC

Little Rock
(7) Vanderbilt (22-4)
(10) Arizona St (16-
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(2) Texas (20-4)
(15) AUSTIN PEAY (18-9) / OVC



WEST (Phoenix)
Omaha
(1) KANSAS (23-2)
(16) PORTLAND ST (15-
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/ Big Sky

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Rhode Island (20-5)
(9) Mississippi St (17-7)

Tampa
(5) BUTLER (24-2)
(12) KENT ST (21-5) / MAC

(4) LOUISVILLE (20-6)
(13) WESTERN KENTUCKY (19-5) / Sun Belt

Tampa
(6) Marquette (17-6)
(11) Dayton (17-7)

(3) PURDUE (21-5)
(14) WINTHROP (15-9) / Big South

Anaheim
(7) SAINT MARY'S (21-3)
(10) UNLV (18-6)

(2) UCLA (21-3)
(15) WAGNER (19-6) / Northeast



EAST (Charlotte)
Raleigh
(1) DUKE (22-2)
(16) AMERICAN (16-10) / Patriot

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Southern California (15-9)
(9) Gonzaga (20-6)

Denver
(5) Indiana (21-4)
(12) Syracuse (17-9)

(4) Kansas St (17-6)
(13) VCU (19-6) / CAA

Birmingham
(6) Texas A&M (19-5)
(11) South Alabama (19-5)

(3) Georgetown (20-4)
(14) CS NORTHRIDGE (16-6) / Big West

Anaheim
(7) BYU (20-5)
(10) Ohio State (17-9)

(2) Stanford (21-4)
(15) BELMONT (18-
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/ Atl Sun


MIDWEST (Detroit)

Birmingham
(1) TENNESSEE (22-2)
(16) LAMAR (11-
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/ Southland

(
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Pittsburgh (18-6)
(9) Oklahoma (17-
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Omaha
(5) DRAKE (21-2)
(12) Oregon (15-10)

(4) Wisconsin (21-4)
(13) ORAL ROBERTS (17-6) /

Summit
Washington D.C.

(6) Michigan St (20-5)
(11) Saint Joseph's (16-7)

(3) Connecticut (20-5)
(14) SIENA (16-9) / MAAC

Raleigh
(7) Arizona (15-9)
(10) Arkansas (17-7)

(2) North Carolina (24-2)
(15) UMBC (17-7) / Amer East
 
Those are some strong 8/9's and if that was the bracket, I think a #1 wouldn't make it out of the first weekend.



bubble watch...

[table][tr][td]Atlantic Coast Conference[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Teams that should be in: Clemson
Work left to do: Miami (FL), Maryland, North Carolina State, Wake Forest

The top four -- Duke, North Carolina, Clemson and Maryland -- are really starting to pull away from the pack. Could that be where the committee draws a line this season? No one else is making a legitimate push at this point. Wake Forest enters for a quick look. Virginia Tech drops out after the Hokies' 39-point loss at UNC on Saturday.
Should be in:

Clemson [18-6 (7-4), RPI: 21, SOS: 31] Give the Tigers credit for being resilient. After the collapse down the stretch at North Carolina, they bounced back with two wins this week that really solidified their at-large position. Given the RPI advantage they have over Maryland, Clemson looks like ACC team No. 3 at the moment. Wins over Purdue and Mississippi State in nonconference play look better and better as both those teams continue to win and lead their league/division.

Work left to do:

Miami (FL) [16-7 (4-6), RPI: 35, SOS: 42] The Canes haven't played since last Saturday, so no there will be status change until after Sunday's game at Georgia Tech. They still have a lot of ground to make up, especially with the top four teams really starting to separate from the ACC pack. Miami had a few credible wins in nonconference play, including Mississippi State, VCU and Providence.

Maryland [17-9 (7-4), RPI: 51, SOS: 21] The Terps split the week the expected way, losing at Duke and then beating Florida State at home. At 7-4 in the league and with a soft stretch run, 10 wins is a real possibility. If the Terps get there, it's hard to imagine they'd miss the dance, even with RPI numbers that are not great at the moment. Nonconference blemishes include losses to VCU, Ohio and American, but two of those teams might end up winning their leagues.

North Carolina State [15-10 (4-7), RPI: 60, SOS: 51] Two more losses this week for the Wolfpack make it seven in their last 11 games and put them in extremely shaky position. The only saving grace is that the Pack still have Carolina and Duke at home, so if they manage to get back to 8-8 or so, they'll have at least one huge win in league play. In nonconference play, the Wolfpack beat Villanova and Davidson but lost at home to New Orleans and at East Carolina, neither of which will help.

Wake Forest [16-8 (6-5), RPI: 61, SOS: 115] It's time to take a nominal look at the Demon Deacons as they have won two straight to get back to .500 in the league. The next two games -- Sunday vs. Duke and next Sunday at Carolina -- will decide whether the Deacons remain here. They have a lot of work left to do. The best work in nonconference play was the home win over BYU. None of the losses are bad.
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[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]Big East Conference[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Teams that should be in: Marquette, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame
Work left to do: West Virginia, Syracuse, Villanova, Seton Hall, Cincinnati

UConn and Louisville enter the land of the locked after continued excellent play. Notre Dame, Pitt and Marquette all look extremely likely to join them in the NCAAs, giving the Big East at least six bids. After that? Syracuse and West Virginia look best positioned. Eight bids is certainly attainable, especially with the way other conferences are shaking out. Could it be nine? That might be a bit much to ask.
Should be in:

Marquette [17-6 (8-5), RPI: 17, SOS: 14] The impressive win over Pitt on Friday night was a nice boost; the Golden Eagles had been 2-6 against the RPI Top 50 prior to that win. With games on tap against St. John's and Rutgers, Marquette could have things iced by this time next week. The overall profile, despite a relatively weak nonconference schedule (save for the win at Wisconsin), remains quite solid.

Pittsburgh [18-6 (7-5), RPI: 19, SOS: 45] That wasn't a good effort Friday night at Marquette, but the Panthers probably only need to get to 9-9 to get in. That's not a mortal lock given that road trips to Notre Dame, Syracuse and West Virginia remain, as well as a home game with Louisville, but Pitt should be in the NCAAs when all is said and done. The nonconference win over Duke obviously looks great. A victory at Washington is probably the next-best thing out of conference.

Notre Dame [19-5 (9-3), RPI: 24, SOS: 90] Only one game this week for the Irish, a tough loss at UConn midweek, so they stay right here for now. They're still in excellent position and should comfortably make the Field of 65. Their best nonconference win was over Kansas State. Their losses were to Baylor and Georgia Tech in an early tournament.

Work left to do:

West Virginia [17-7 (7-5), RPI: 40, SOS: 47] The Mountaineers won their midweek game and now have an important home game Sunday against Seton Hall. There are wins to be had in their remaining schedule, so 10 Big East wins is definitely possible. If they get there, you'd have to like their chances to get in the dance. WVU's two nonconference losses were to Tennessee and Oklahoma on neutral courts (although the loss to the Sooners was in Charleston, W.Va.).

Syracuse [17-9 (7-6), RPI: 45, SOS: 15] It was a crazy week for Syracuse, which dumped a bad one at South Florida before finding redemption in the form of a home win over Georgetown. The Cuse should be one of the most interesting teams to watch down the stretch. The Orange's last five are at Louisville and Notre Dame, home to Pitt, at Seton Hall and home to Marquette. There's no given win in there anywhere, but there are also multiple opportunities for additional big wins. If Syracuse gets to 9-9, the Orange would have a pretty good shot to get into the NCAAs. In nonconference play, their road win at Virginia is the best on an OK slate, and the Cavaliers aren't helping matters by sinking in the ACC. Home losses to UMass and Rhode Island are no disgrace, but certainly don't help.

Villanova [15-9 (5-7), RPI: 59, SOS: 73] The fickle whistle with 0.1 seconds left that deprived Villanova a chance at overtime with Georgetown might really haunt this team. They do have Casiem Drummond back and play three home games in a row up next in which to make a final push, but things don't look good right now. Nova's best nonconference win was over George Mason. The only nonconference loss in the pre-league schedule was on the questionable late foul call against NC State in Orlando. They also lost to Saint Joseph's in early February.

Seton Hall [15-11 (5-
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, RPI: 70, SOS: 34] The Pirates are hanging on by a thread entering Sunday's game at West Virginia. A loss there would be five in a row and probably would be too much to overcome, even though the last five have some wins in them. As with Syracuse, the best nonconference win was over Virginia, although the Pirates won that one on a neutral court at the Palestra in Philly.

Cincinnati [12-12 (7-5), RPI: 71, SOS: 4] There's no reason not to take a peek at the Bearcats, whose SOS-enhanced RPI has them close enough to striking distance. The overall record is not good, but the last three at home are all very winnable. If they can steal one on the road at G'town, Pitt or UConn, the Bearcats could end up with 11 Big East wins. Would that be enough with a decent conference tournament run? It's not impossible, even though it would be hard to recall the last at-large team that had a five-game nonconference losing streak and also lost to Belmont and Bowling Green.
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[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]Big Ten Conference[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Teams that should be in: Michigan State
Work left to do: Ohio State

This is getting simpler and simpler. Purdue gets locked in after notching its 11th straight conference win. There are several wins left in the schedule, so it's hard to imagine how the Boilermakers would miss the dance now. Same with Indiana after the win over Michigan State. The Spartans most likely are on their way to the NCAAs, but are struggling. Ohio State looks like it will be the league's only true bubble team, and the Buckeyes look like they're on the right side of the cutline at this point.
Should be in:

Michigan State [20-5 (8-4), RPI: 14, SOS: 43] The Spartans have three losses in their past four games and haven't looked great in weeks. It's hard to imagine the Spartans not making the NCAAs, but if they don't take care of Penn State and Iowa at home this week, the last four are at Wisconsin, home to Indiana and then at Illinois and Ohio State. You'd imagine even 9-9 most likely would be enough, and 10-8 would be plenty, but the trend is not good right now for MSU. Two wins this week push them back into lock, but it's worth the half-step back this week, if only on principle. The best nonconference wins are Texas, BYU and NC State.

Work left to do:

Ohio State [17-9 (8-5), RPI: 47, SOS: 53] The Buckeyes won their only game of the week, so their profile consolidated a bit more. They have a nice chance Sunday at home against Wisconsin to get a marquee win. Wins over Syracuse at MSG and over Florida in Columbus were the nonconference bright spots. OSU also lost to Tennessee, Texas A&M, North Carolina and Butler.
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[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]Big 12 Conference[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Teams that should be in: Kansas State, Texas A&M
Work left to do: Oklahoma, Baylor

It still appears to be six-max for the Big 12, but Oklahoma's rebound makes that max more possible.
Should be in:

Kansas State [17-6 (8-2), RPI: 30, SOS: 32] K-State made up for a frustrating midweek loss at Texas Tech by crushing Missouri on Saturday. The Wildcats probably need two wins in their last six to feel pretty decent about their chances. Four of the last six are on the road, so KSU has a bit of work left. Having a win over Kansas in your pocket never hurts, and they get a second chance at the Jayhawks on March 1. A win over Cal is the best thing on the nonconference résumé, one which also includes losses to George Mason, Notre Dame, Oregon and Xavier.

Texas A&M [19-5 (6-4), RPI: 38, SOS: 116] That was not a good home loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday. It gave Sean Sutton his first true road win with the Pokes. Still, the overall profile is good. The Aggies beat UTEP, Washington and Ohio State (in a rout) to win the NIT Season Tip-Off. They also beat Alabama and LSU.

Work left to do:

Oklahoma [17-8 (5-5), RPI: 32, SOS: 24] Good job by the banged-up Sooners to get back to .500 by beating Iowa State and Texas Tech. This team is nothing if not resilient, so much credit to Jeff Capel and his staff (and the players). They now have a very big game against Baylor on Tuesday, with one team getting above .500 in the conference. As far as nonconference play, early losses to Memphis and USC were understandable. The home loss to Stephen F. Austin was less so. The Sooners did beat Gonzaga and West Virginia on neutral floors for some nonleague heft.

Baylor [16-7 (5-5), RPI: 42, SOS: 38] The Bears' 4-0 league start feels like years ago after five losses in six games have them at .500. Now they have to travel to Norman for a really important game Tuesday night with the Sooners. There are some wins available down the stretch, but the Bears need to grab some of them. The profile has slipped a lot. Baylor beat Wichita State, Notre Dame and Winthrop to win the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands, and they won at South Carolina. Their nonconference losses are by three to Washington State at home and to Arkansas in Dallas.
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[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]Pacific-10 Conference[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Teams that should be in: Arizona, Washington State
Work left to do: USC, Oregon, Arizona State, California

Parity is really eating away at this league's chances for more than five bids. As Arizona State, Cal and Oregon keep floundering around, none are putting together a profile that is clearly NCAA Tournament-worthy.
Should be in:

Arizona [15-9 (6-6), RPI: 16, SOS: 1] After the tough one-point loss to Stanford on Saturday, the RPI continues to weaken. Still stuck at .500 in league play, the Wildcats have to come back down out of the mortal lock category for now. Assuming the Oregon State road game is a win, the Cats need two of their other five, but none will be easy. Jerryd Bayless has been extraordinary, but the Cats aren't getting enough from the rest of the cast. They have been swept in league play by Stanford (no issue there) and Arizona State (which could be a bubble issue if things break oddly). The best nonconference win is over Texas A&M. They also won at UNLV and Houston, which are solid road wins.

Washington State [20-5 (8-5), RPI: 28, SOS: 81] Things are looking good for the Cougars after taking both ends of the Oregon road trip. That gives them a sweep of the Ducks in addition to a sweep of USC. The wins at Baylor and Gonzaga are nice nonconference chips, if needed.

Work left to do:

USC [15-9 (6-6), RPI: 37, SOS: 11] The Trojans get a chance Sunday at home to sweep UCLA, which would be a huge boost to their candidacy. Five of their remaining seven are at home, so the Trojans have every chance in the world to play their way into the NCAAs. USC beat Oklahoma, Miami (Ohio) and Southern Illinois for their best nonconference wins. The Mercer loss at home hurts, and the Trojans just missed on big-name chances against Kansas and Memphis (two four-point Ls).

Oregon [15-10 (6-7), RPI: 50, SOS: 19] The Saturday night home loss to Wazzu may be very damaging to the Ducks. They now face a road trip to L.A. and could very well come out of that at 6-9 in the league. That would put a ton of pressure on them for the final home weekend against the Arizona schools, assuming they can handle Oregon State on the road. Kansas State and Utah were their best nonconference wins, but the Ducks also lost at Saint Mary's, Nebraska and Oakland; the last two could prove damaging.

Arizona State [16-8 (6-6), RPI: 77, SOS: 92] The Sun Devils had all the momentum in the world after rallying past Arizona and then Stanford. Then they coughed up a crucial home game to Cal on Saturday and now are really in some bubble mess. That leaves the Sun Devils at 6-6 in the league, with four of their last six on the road. Given that the rout of Xavier is the only nonconference chip they had and the RPI isn't very good for an at-large, 9-9 might not be enough, even as good as the Pac-10 is.

California [15-9 (6-7), RPI: 78, SOS: 61] A road split in Arizona might not be enough to save the Golden Bears, but the win Saturday in Tempe may be one that eventually kills the Sun Devils. Cal beat Missouri and San Diego State in an uninspired nonconference slate and their RPI is terrible for an at-large candidate, so you'd have to think the Golden Bears need to win four of their last five, minimum.
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[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]Southeastern Conference[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Work left to do: Arkansas, Mississippi State, Mississippi, Florida, Kentucky

Vandy gets locked up after eking out a fifth straight league win. The Dores probably only need one more win to feel absolutely safe. After that, Arkansas and Miss. State have to like their chances right now. Mississippi has opened the door for them and other bubble teams with a Clemson-like collapse in progress. Kentucky continues to have a chance, despite the fiasco in Nashville this past week.
Work left to do:

Arkansas [17-7 (6-4), RPI: 31, SOS: 39] The Hogs couldn't get it done at Tennessee or at Mississippi State and now look like they are going to be aced out for the West division title. They have a better overall profile than Miss. State and leapfrogged the Bulldogs last season, so there's still a good deal of at-large hope here. Its nonconference win over Baylor still looks good. Victories over VCU and Missouri are decent, too. Losses to Providence and Appalachian State (the latter in Little Rock) are less so.

Mississippi State [17-7 (8-2), RPI: 46, SOS: 58] A great home win for the Bulldogs over Arkansas gives them a two-game lead in the SEC West and pole position for the division crown. The overall computer profile isn't great because of their 5-5 start to the season, but it's hard to imagine that the selection committee could jump a team that could win 10 games or more and take its division. Still, with four of their next five on the road, things aren't wrapped up yet. Missouri is the only decent nonconference win, and it's up against losses to Clemson, Southern Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Miami and South Alabama.

Mississippi [17-7 (3-7), RPI: 48, SOS: 71] The Rebels are in a complete free fall after losing at Alabama then at home to Auburn. That's six losses in their past eight games and Ole Miss is now just 3-7 in the SEC. The RPI is slipping badly. The Rebels very well could be this season's Clemson. Ironically, their win over Clemson in Puerto Rico was the out-of-league highlight, but the one over South Alabama was quality, as well.

Florida [19-7 (6-5), RPI: 58, SOS: 127] It's not the tough three-point loss at Vandy that is the killer this week. It was the home loss to LSU. Now the home game against South Carolina on Wednesday looms as a must-win. The last four (at Georgia, Miss. State, Tennessee, at Kentucky) aren't easy. Their best nonconference win was over Temple, which tells you all you need to know about that part of the schedule. As the RPI weakens, you would imagine 10 SEC wins very well could be necessary, which means 4-1 down the stretch.

Kentucky [13-10 (7-3), RPI: 73, SOS: 16] The Wildcats were awful at Vandy, but it's just one (really ugly) loss. They rebounded to take out LSU on the road and now have three straight winnable home games before a trip to Knoxville. Incredibly, if the Cats enter that game at 10-3, they don't have to win it to maintain a credible chance to making it as an at-large, despite a bad nonconference slate that includes crippling home losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego.
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[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]Atlantic 10 Conference[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Teams that should be in: Rhode Island
Work left to do: Dayton, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph's, Temple

Is the A-10 losing steam? Xavier is a lock and Rhode Island and Saint Joe's are in solid position, it seems. After that? Maybe Dayton, with a decent profile that's hanging in there despite the personnel issues and a spate of losses.
Should be in:

Rhode Island [20-5 (6-4), RPI: 25, SOS: 130] URI blew a big lead at Temple and lost in overtime after edging past Fordham on the road midweek. Now comes a huge three-game homestand, during which the Rams can really solidify their standing with games against Xavier, UMass and Saint Joe's. Nonconference wins over Syracuse and Providence will help. The RPI remains pretty strong, although the overall SOS still is mediocre.

Work left to do:

Dayton [17-7 (5-6), RPI: 23, SOS: 17] The Flyers came through in an absolute must-win against Temple on Saturday. They have three very winnable road games left along with home dates with Xavier and Saint Joe's, so the pieces are in place to salvage their NCAA Tournament hopes. The Flyers should get a lot of consideration for Chris Wright's absence, assuming they start winning big again when he returns. Dayton had two outstanding nonconference wins -- at Louisville and versus Pitt -- and several other solid nonleague wins.

Massachusetts [16-9 (5-6), RPI: 36, SOS: 25] Losing at Temple in overtime was tough, but losing at home to league straggler Fordham might be the game that crushes the Minutemen's at-large hopes. The RPI, which had been the strength of their profile, took a huge hit and now is very dicey for a non-power conference team, as good as the A-10 is. UMass already has been swept by Saint Joseph's and lost to Xavier, but the Minutemen also beat Dayton and Charlotte. Like Rhode Island, they beat Syracuse. Unlike the Rams, the Minutemen also beat BC and Houston in nonconference play.

Saint Joseph's [16-7 (7-3), RPI: 41, SOS: 89] The loss at Duquesne without Ahmad Nivins wasn't a shock. Allowing Xavier's last eight points Sunday to lose by four on the road, though, was a big missed chance. Still, five of its last seven are on Hawk Hill, so Saint Joe's remains in pretty decent shape. With road games left at Rhode Island and Dayton, though, it might need one of those to make sure. The season sweep of UMass could be a huge chip come Selection Sunday. Saint Joe's also has one of the toughest collections of nonleague Ls in the land. Two were in overtime (Gonzaga and at Creighton), and two were last-possession defeats (at Syracuse and against Holy Cross).

Temple [13-11 (6-4), RPI: 62, SOS: 13] The Owls missed a huge chance at Dayton on Saturday to really put themselves in position to make an at-large push. Now they probably have to come close to running the table to have a real chance. The nonconference schedule is littered with seven losses, which could be too many to make up for barring a huge push down the stretch and a strong A-10 tournament. That said, the SOS is carrying the RPI, so they're still worth a look.
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[/td] [/tr][/table][table][tr][td]Other at-large contenders[/td] [/tr][tr][td] Teams that should be in: Saint Mary's, Gonzaga
Work left to do: Brigham Young, UNLV, South Alabama, Kent State, Oral Roberts, Houston, Western Kentucky, Illinois State, New Mexico, George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth, Davidson, UAB

San Diego State and Creighton drop out after two-loss weeks. Ohio and Akron bite the dust in the MAC -- the Bobcats because of positioning and the Zips because of a horrid RPI. Utah State no longer is in control in the WAC and the Aggies' profile isn't good enough right now to stick around. It still looks good for Gonzaga and Saint Mary's from the WCC. It looks more and more likely that the Valley will be one-bid if Drake wins the auto bid. The CAA may also only get its auto-bid winner in, after VCU and George Mason both suffered damaging losses.
Should be in:

Saint Mary's [21-3 (9-1), RPI: 26, SOS: 173] The only thing keeping the Gaels away from lock status is the possibility of a third-place finish in the WCC. They look to be ready to dance, though. A solid nonconference slate includes victims like Drake, Oregon, Seton Hall, San Diego State and Ohio.

Gonzaga [20-6 (9-1), RPI: 39, SOS: 99] Forget the March 1 clash with Saint Mary's. The most crucial game on the Zags schedule could be Monday at the Slim Gym in San Diego. The Toreros are a surprising 8-1. If they can beat the Zags at home, they could help push Gonzaga into a third-place finish, which would be very dicey for at-large consideration. Their nonconference wins at Saint Joe's and over UConn in Boston look better and better on paper. Gonzaga also beat Western Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Utah, and all five of its nonconference losses came against good or excellent teams.

Work left to do:

Brigham Young [20-5 (9-1), RPI: 29, SOS: 100] The Cougars took a huge step toward an at-large (if needed) by pounding UNLV in a revenge beating. The 26-point win makes up for the 29-point loss in Vegas. Now with eight straight W's in the MWC, the Cougars have a strong hold on the league race. They sit two losses up on the Rebels with six games to play for BYU. The Cougars beat Louisville and lost to North Carolina and Michigan State in competitive efforts in nonleague play. The loss at Wake Forest wasn't a great effort.

UNLV [18-6 (8-3), RPI: 33, SOS: 64] The Rebels had the tables turned on them by BYU and now may have a better chance of winning the conference tourney on their home court than holding on to an at-large slot. The three-point home loss to Arizona was a big missed opportunity in nonconference play. They also lost to Louisville by 20 and don't have a really good nonconference win.

South Alabama [19-5 (13-2), RPI: 34, SOS: 129] Losing at Middle Tennessee State this past Thursday puts a huge amount of pressure on the Jaguars to win at Western Kentucky this week. If they can't topple the Toppers, whom they already beat at home, they'll be two back of WKU with a weakening RPI. USA's three nonconference losses were at Ole Miss by three, at Vandy by three in double overtime and by five to Miami (Ohio) in Anaheim. The best nonleague win was at home over Mississippi State.

Kent State [21-5 (10-2), RPI: 43, SOS: 166] The SOS is a major concern for an at-large bid, but the Golden Flashes are doing what they need to do, and that's win the MAC East by multiple games. Wins over Illinois State and George Mason could come in handy in head-to-head bubble comparisons. They get a huge chance at Saint Mary's in BracketBusters next weekend.

Oral Roberts [17-6 (13-1), RPI: 44, SOS: 120] A tough loss at other Summit League heavyweight IUPUI won't help the Golden Eagles' at-large hopes, which were fairly thin to begin with. They still don't have a top-100 win.

Houston [19-5 (8-2), RPI: 49, SOS: 114] The Cougars are real happy that UAB just missed against Memphis on Saturday night. That keeps UH ahead of the Blazers heading into Wednesday's showdown in Birmingham. After two competitive losses to Memphis, what would the committee do with a Houston team that might not have an RPI top-50 win and still be 27-6 if it loses to Memphis again in the C-USA final? The other losses were to VCU, UMass and Arizona, so there's no shame in any of those. If it develops the right way, Houston could be the biggest debate come Selection Sunday.

Western Kentucky [19-5 (13-1), RPI: 52, SOS: 169] The overall profile is weak and lacks a marquee win, but the Hilltoppers are in position to win the Sun Belt, possibly by multiple games if they can handle South Alabama at home this week. They have won 11 straight since losing to the Jaguars on the road. The best nonconference win is over Nebraska. The Toppers came close against Gonzaga and Tennessee, but no cigar.

Illinois State [17-8 (10-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 83] The Redbirds' loss Saturday at Indiana State most likely means the Valley will need Drake to lose in the conference tournament to get two bids. Illinois State's best nonconference win was over Cincinnati.

New Mexico [20-6 (7-4), RPI: 54, SOS: 175] There's nothing great in the profile, but the overall numbers are decent enough for a mention. The Lobos get both BYU and UNLV at home down the stretch, so the chances are there for impact wins in the conference.

George Mason [18-8 (10-5), RPI: 64, SOS: 125] A home loss to UNC-W could be the death knell for Mason's at-large hopes. The Patriots failed to take advantage of VCU's loss at home to Old Dominion and still sit two games behind the Rams, but now with an additional home loss. GMU beat Dayton, Kansas State and South Carolina in nonleague play, so there is something to work with.

Virginia Commonwealth [19-6 (12-3), RPI: 65, SOS: 177] The Rams lost at home to Old Dominion on Saturday, really denting their at-large hopes. They still look to be in very good shape to win the CAA, which should mean something, but the RPI and SOS are very weak for a mid-major at-large. They beat Houston and Maryland in nonconference play, but a loss to MEAC member Hampton won't help.

Davidson [18-6 (17-0), RPI: 66, SOS: 179] Davidson keeps rolling through the SoCon, and it is setting itself up as a massively debated team should the Wildcats win out until the SoCon final. Given how well Davidson played in nonconference games against North Carolina, Duke, NC State and UCLA, the committee could find a way for this seven-loss SoCon team to make the dance, even though it didn't win any of its major nonleague games.

UAB [17-8 (7-3), RPI: 68, SOS: 122] A crushing one-point home loss to Memphis is a huge missed chance for the Blazers, who lack a top-50 RPI win. The Blazers beat Cincinnati and Kentucky for their best nonconference wins, but probably need to beat Houston and Memphis (once) to have any chance.
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I just got this feeling that Tennessee is going to pull off the "upset", with the x-factors being JP Prince and Tyler Smith. Tennessee just has toomuch offense for Memphis' D to overcome. I'd love to see Memphis win though cause I love their squad and this dude FR3SH got me hating all Tennesseeathletics.
 
Well looks like the "official" rankings are out...
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Pretty much the same as the USA with the exception of a few teams...

[h2]AP Top 25: Feb 18[/h2]
The Associated Press Top 25 Men's College Basketball poll, with number of first-place votes and record, total points and previous ranking:

Records through Mon Feb 18, 2008
[h3]AP Top 25[/h3][table][tr][th=""]Rank[/th] [th=""]Team[/th] [th=""]Record[/th] [th=""]Pts[/th] [th=""]Last Week[/th] [/tr][tr][td]1.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](25-0)[/td] [td]1800[/td] [td]1[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](23-2)[/td] [td]1699[/td] [td]4[/td] [/tr][tr][td]3.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](24-2)[/td] [td]1592[/td] [td]5[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](24-2)[/td] [td]1567[/td] [td]3[/td] [/tr][tr][td]5.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-2)[/td] [td]1519[/td] [td]2[/td] [/tr][tr][td]6.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-3)[/td] [td]1498[/td] [td]6[/td] [/tr][tr][td]7.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]1310[/td] [td]11[/td] [/tr][tr][td]8.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](24-2)[/td] [td]1228[/td] [td]9[/td] [/tr][tr][td]9.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]1156[/td] [td]7[/td] [/tr][tr][td]10.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]1122[/td] [td]12[/td] [/tr][tr][td]11.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]1033[/td] [td]15[/td] [/tr][tr][td]12.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-4)[/td] [td]989[/td] [td]8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]13.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]925[/td] [td]17[/td] [/tr][tr][td]14.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-5)[/td] [td]877[/td] [td]19[/td] [/tr][tr][td]15.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](21-4)[/td] [td]796[/td] [td]13[/td] [/tr][tr][td]16.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](23-2)[/td] [td]612[/td] [td]14[/td] [/tr][tr][td]17.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]581[/td] [td]21[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-6)[/td] [td]543[/td] [td]23[/td] [/tr][tr][td]19.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]503[/td] [td]10[/td] [/tr][tr][td]20.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-4)[/td] [td]432[/td] [td]24[/td] [/tr][tr][td]21.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](19-5)[/td] [td]361[/td] [td]20[/td] [/tr][tr][td]22.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](20-5)[/td] [td]345[/td] [td]16[/td] [/tr][tr][td]23.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](22-3)[/td] [td]302[/td] [td]25[/td] [/tr][tr][td]24.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](18-6)[/td] [td]247[/td] [td]18[/td] [/tr][tr][td]25.[/td] [td] [/td] [td](18-6)[/td] [td]176[/td] [td]NR[/td] [/tr][/table]
  • Dropped Out:
  • No. 22 Pittsburgh
 
Originally Posted by allen3xis

Seems like he has no problem with it...I've watched a lot of them this year, and I haven't seen Boeheim get upset with him once.
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He really hasn't it is the most bizarre thing. He gets so upset about other things and then Greene puts up a 25 footer. No rim just board. Jimis all cool.
 
I feel like this year - as of today anyways - the selection process would be a cakewalk compared to years past. There's really a lot of separation thisyear within the conferences, I think there may only be 1 possibly 2 teams that come selection sunday have a real gripe if they're left out... Picking 65this year might be pretty easy.
 
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February 18, 2008
[font=times new roman, times, serif]Back and Forth[/font]
The Presidential Edition

by John Gasaway and Ken Pomeroy
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John: Yo, hoops nation! John and Ken here, feeling presidential and hailing the new chiefs of the ACC. That would be Wake Forest, which holds the distinction of being the only team in the conference that's been able to beat Duke. Ken, what does the Deacons' 86-73 win last night say about both teams?

Ken: I think there's a danger in reading too much into this. I'm sure we'll hear that Wake found the "formula" for beating Duke. In a sense, they did, because their quickness clearly posed a huge problem for the Blue Devils. At the same time, it's worth pointing out that Wake played a great game and Duke did not. That's about as far as I want to go. Duke was a shot away from being 23-0 going into this game, so changing our minds about them now would be a lot like suddenly changing our opinion of Memphis if they lose a game.

John: I agree. Duke played awfully and Wake Forest got up for this one. Though I will say the Deacs' Jeff Teague showed me some things--he should be heard from. One very un-Duke stat: the Devils coughed the ball up 21 times in an 84-possession game. Coming into the evening they were committing turnovers on just 16 percent of their possessions in-conference. I guess Coach K really did listen to Mike D'Antoni: you can't turn the ball over if you only have it for a few seconds before you shoot.

As for Memphis, a loss in Birmingham wouldn't have changed my opinion; they're a great team. To me, the interesting question is: what happens if the Tigers really do go undefeated and win the national championship? Would they truly be Indiana-in-1976 good? Would they even be Florida-in-2007 good? Or would they be "just" a great team with a middling conference and some close wins?

Ken: That's an interesting discussion hinging on a very large hypothetical. I don't think you could put them on the Indiana pedestal, based on schedule, but they would be in a very special place in hoops history. The UAB game notwithstanding, they haven't had much last-minute tension this season. Plus, IU's tourney run was in a different era: five games with a field that wasn't as deep, due to different selection rules back then. Winning the tournament carrying a zero in the loss column in 2008 would be an amazing achievement to me, especially for a team that gets very little offense from the four and five positions.

John: Sure it'd be amazing. It hasn't been done in 32 years. I just think it's an interesting situation. It doesn't take anything away from Memphis to note that the team and the situation have to align for history to be made. For instance, very few people would expect Memphis, or any team in the country this year, to go undefeated if it had to play in the Pac-10. Which brings me to my next question. (How did I become the Mike Wallace this time around?) You wrote about the muddled middle of the ACC. What do you make of the mess below the top of the Pac-10? There figure to be more tournament teams in that mid-section than in the heart of the ACC, no?

Ken: I don't know, I think a clear hierarchy has developed. It's UCLA, Stanford and Washington State taking gold, silver and bronze from that conference. Then there's USC, Arizona and ASU, in that order, as their other tournament teams. What am I missing, Mr. Wallace?

John: Actually with the laudably tidy Pac-10, where everyone plays everyone, we can hazard some fine distinctions. If the season ended today, the Sun Devils would be a notch below Oregon by my wacky conference-only lights, and even a hair below Washington. That being said, the curious thing about the Pac-10 to me is that some of the "bad" teams have really good offenses. Take Cal. Their offense in-conference has been as good as Arizona's, so the Bears were able to post road wins at Washington State and Arizona State. Of course their defense has been pathetic. I'm just saying.

Ken: I'll add a curious observation myself. At the beginning of last night's UCLA-USC game, the FSN crew posted a graphic displaying the Pac-10 standings. The graphic had Washington State mistakenly listed as the 0-13 team at the bottom of the conference. How long does it take to shake a reputation?

John: Wow, I hope the selection committee doesn't make the same mistake. It'd be embarrassing if Oregon State went dancing. Speaking of decisions handed down by the NCAA, these are strange days in Bloomington, Indiana. Can you recall a situation like this? Speaking only for myself, I've never before known the date of a coach's firing seven days in advance.

Ken: Me neither. It can't be a fun week for AD Rick Greenspan. I do find it interesting that the circus is not affecting the team's play. Judging by Saturday night, you'd have thought it was Tom Izzo who was concerned about his employment status. It seems like the administration at Indiana has two choices to try to get some leniency from the NCAA: fire Sampson soon or declare itself ineligible for this postseason.

John: The Hoosiers will take column A there in a heartbeat. If it's a choice between keeping Sampson and seeing what this team can do next month, well, put it this way. In "Godfather" terms, Sampson is Carlo, with Greenspan/IU as Clemenza. We know the rest.

As for Izzo, I love the big lug and he's won one more national championship and been to four more Final Fours than I'll ever be able to claim. Over the past few years, though, any time his teams have run into any kind of adversity, his diagnosis has been immediate, automatic and unwavering: it's a lack of toughness! One question: is "lack of toughness" really the problem with a 2008 team that can't score because they can't hang onto the dang ball?

Ken: As long as we're talking about teams that can't hold onto the ball, I think it's time to proclaim that this season's version of Georgetown is a notch below last season's. Syracuse sat back in their zone on Saturday and again rendered the Hoyas' offense ineffective (at least in the first half). True fact: the Hoyas rank no better than 10th in the Big East in any of the non-shooting four factors on either side of the ball, looking at conference play only. Last week, you and I jointly proclaimed Louisville as "BP's Team" and now the Big East regular season is theirs for the taking.

John: I promised myself I wouldn't yell and wave my arms yet again about how woefully underrated Louisville is, but (my arms are beginning to wave) Louisville is woefully underrated! Why is this not getting through? The sad part is they were woefully underrated last year, got a low seed, and had to play Acie Law and Texas A&M in the round of 32 for goodness sake. That being said, seeding shouldn't come into play the first weekend for the Cards this March. This is the first time in a couple years that I've toyed with declaring a defense "better than Kansas." Now, with everyone healthy, they just might be.

Ken: I felt uncomfortable watching the Louisville-Providence game and not seeing a number to the left of Louisville's name. The coaches don't even have them in their top 25! I guess people just see that they have six losses and don't really understand what's going on there. Three losses were without David Padgett and the other three weren't decided until very late. Meanwhile, all of their Padgett wins have at least been in the comfortable category. Let's keep them our little secret for the next month until the selection committee gives them the two-seed they'll deserve. Any other secrets out there that you see?

John: Say hello to Mississippi State, another team outside the top 25 that's playing outstanding defense. Their case isn't as nearly egregious as Louisville's, but the Bulldogs are a lot closer in quality to Tennessee than they are to the rest of the SEC. If Charles Rhodes can play anywhere near as well as he did in the first half against Arkansas on Saturday, MSU can be our little secret for the next couple weeks and then we'll come out looking smart in March. The appearance of March smartness of course being the point of this little exercise.

Ken: Yes. Much like college teams themselves, we want to peak in March. I'll sacrifice stupidity now for some "I told you so"s later.

John: How presidential! With that, let's bring our term of office to an end.

Ken: Sounds good. Looking forward to the dedication of my Ken Pomeroy Library. Goodbye, my fellow Americans.
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John: I promised myself I wouldn't yell and wave my arms yet again about how woefully underrated Louisville is, but (my arms are beginning to wave) Louisville is woefully underrated! Why is this not getting through? The sad part is they were woefully underrated last year, got a low seed, and had to play Acie Law and Texas A&M in the round of 32 for goodness sake. That being said, seeding shouldn't come into play the first weekend for the Cards this March. This is the first time in a couple years that I've toyed with declaring a defense "better than Kansas." Now, with everyone healthy, they just might be.

Ken: I felt uncomfortable watching the Louisville-Providence game and not seeing a number to the left of Louisville's name. The coaches don't even have them in their top 25! I guess people just see that they have six losses and don't really understand what's going on there. Three losses were without David Padgett and the other three weren't decided until very late. Meanwhile, all of their Padgett wins have at least been in the comfortable category. Let's keep them our little secret for the next month until the selection committee gives them the two-seed they'll deserve. Any other secrets out there that you see?

Hopefully people do keep sleeping on Louisville
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...even though that doesn't really seem to be the case much anymore. I remember saying in one of theLouisville game threads earlier in the season that once everyone got back from injuries that Louisville would be trouble. Hopefully they don't slip uptonight against Syracuse.
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This potential 4 way tie for first is bonkers. We need some separation at the top so the Huskies can take it out right
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I hate wanting 'Cuse to win but I'm rootin' for them bums.
 
It'll work it's way out soon, I think.
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Louisville @ Gtown last regular season game could be the one tho.

Nowadays though, I'll take a BET win over the regular season
 
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