College Basketball Power Rankings: December 19

     We entered last week excited about a Top 10 matchup between the Florida Gators and Arizona Wildcats but the Butler Bulldogs stole the headlines with their upset of the Indiana Hoosiers in overtime.  I expected that game to be highly contested but was definitely surprised to see Butler win and they showed us again that you never can count this scrappy team out.  Here are the top 15.

1. Duke Blue Devils (9-0, Last Week 1) - Duke is now the #1 team without debate after Indiana's loss and looks forward to playing their first game in 11 days against Cornell on Dec. 19 the first of a back to back with Elon.
2. Michigan Wolverines (11-0, Last Week 3) - John Beilein went against his old team, West Virginia, and handled them with ease.  Trey Burke is making a case for Player Of The Year after putting up 27 points, 8 assists, and 0 turnovers.  Next up, their neighbor, Eastern Michigan Eagles.
3. Syracuse Orange (10-0, Last Week 5) - Jim Boeheim recorded his 900th win on Monday making him the third coach in men's college basketball history to achieve that mark.  Michael Carter-Williams recorded his 5th straight double-double and is averaging 10.7 assists for the year.
4. Louisville Cardinals (9-1, Last Week 6) - They faced a 16-point first half deficit on the road at Memphis but scored 59 second half points to come out on top.  Now face two cupcakes before a matchup with Kentucky on Dec. 29.
5. Arizona Wildcats (9-0, Last Week 8) - After being down six with a minute left the Wildcats used three turnovers, a missed free throw, and a Mark Lyons lay-up to upset Florida at home.  This team is showing it's for real after a road win over Clemson on the road and now the Gators.
6. Indiana Hoosiers (9-1, Last Week 2) - Indiana ran into the upset minded Butler Bulldogs and couldn't hold their halftime lead.  Butler outplayed the Hoosiers down the stretch and won in OT.
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1, Last Week 7) - They've been rolling opponents after their loss at Duke but this week brings the Kansas Jayhawks to Columbus.
8. Florida Gators (7-1, Last Week 4) - The Gators could not hold on late against Arizona and suffered their first loss of the season.  Good thing for them they next play 1-7 SE Louisiana before taking on Kansas State.
9. Kansas Jayhawks (9-1, Last Week 9) - Since their loss to Michigan State they have disposed of weaker competition very easily.  However, they travel this week to play another Big Ten team in Ohio State.
10. Illinois Fighting Illini (12-0, Last Week 10) - After a big win against Gonzaga, the Fighting Illini coasted past its next two opponents.  Now look forward to playing Missouri on the road.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-1, Last Week 11) - Trevor Mbakwe could find his way back in the starting lineup soon after posting 14 points and 18 rebounds against North Dakota State.  Next up Lafayette before starting Big Ten play against Michigan State.
12. Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0, Last Week 12) - Cincy remains unbeaten and the best rounding team in the country.  This week they take on in state rival Xavier, let's hope another brawl doesn't break out.
13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (10-1, Last Week 13) - The Zags dropped after losing to Illinois but rebounded nicely with a 68-52 win over a decent Kansas State squad.
14. San Diego State Aztecs (9-1, Last Week 14) - SDSU took down rival San Diego by 16 behind Jamaal Franklin who leads the team with 18.6 ppg and 9.7 rpg.
15. Missouri Tigers (9-1, Last Week 15) - The Tigers share the rebounding lead with Cincinnati at 46.1 per game and this week host a tough Illinois team.

Biggest Jump - Arizona up 3
Biggest Drop - Indiana and Florida down 4

College Basketball Power Rankings: December 11

     Not too much happened this week as most of the top teams had easy blowouts but the marquee match-up was Illinois at Gonzaga which we saw the Fighting Illini take in an upset 85-74.  With the Zags being the only team to lose not much has changed but here are the top 15.

1. Duke Blue Devils (9-0, Last Week: 1) - Duke had a week off before handling Temple 90-67.  Now they wait until Dec. 19 to play Cornell giving them 2 games in 18 days.  Plenty of rest for Coach K's team.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (9-0, Last Week: 2) - After posting a 100-69 win over Central Connecticut St, the Hoosiers are in line to take on in state rival Butler on Dec 15 which will be their last real test before starting Big Ten Conference play on Dec 31.
3. Michigan Wolverines (9-0, Last Week: 3) - The Maize and Blue coasted to wins over Western Michigan and Arkansas bringing their hot start to 9-0.  But they have a game against John Beilein's old team West Virginia looming later this week in Madison Square Garden.
4. Florida Gators (7-0, Last Week: 5) - The Gators beat their rivals Florida State in football on the road then a week later embarrassed the FSU basketball team on the road again 72-47.  However, a top 10 match-up at Arizona will provide a tough test.
5. Syracuse Orange (8-0, Last Week: 4) - In three games last week the Orange average margin of victory was 39.6 points.  The Orange are rolling behind a balanced team that is 3rd in points, 1st in rebounding, and 6th in assists per game.
6. Louisville Cardinals (8-1, Last Week: 6) - Speaking of blowouts, Louisville won its last 2 games by 52 points.  Next up is a road meeting with Memphis.
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, Last Week: 7) - After an easy win over Long Beach St, the Buckeyes have a few more home snoozers before taking on Kansas next week.
8. Arizona Wildcats (7-0, Last Week: 9) - Arizona had a nice road win at Clemson 66-54 last week.  Now they'll have a week to prepare for a home showdown with the Florida Gators.
9. Kansas Jayhawks (7-1, Last Week: 10) - Rock Chalk Jayhawk cruised past Colorado 90-54 and welcome Belmont this week.
10. Illinois Fighting Illini (10-0, Last Week: 13) - The most surprising team keeps up the trend after upsetting Gonzaga in the Kennel last week behind the sharpshooting Brandon Paul's 35 points.  This week provides two easy match-ups before heading to Missouri next week.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-1, Last Week: 11) - The Gophers breezed by USC 71-57 giving Tubby Smith his 500th career victory.
12. Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0, Last Week: 12) - Cincy has looked good all year and has kept it going against soft competition lately behind consistent offense and strong defense.
13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-1, Last Week: 8) - Dropping 5 spots after a tough loss at home to Illinois, the Zags will look to get back on their winning ways against Kansas State.
14. San Diego St Aztecs (7-1, Last Week: 15) - The Aztecs jumped out to an early lead against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos with Chase Tapley leading the way going 6-8 from deep.  Next up at rival San Diego Toreros.
15. Missouri Tigers (8-1, Last Week: NR) - Frank Haith's squad struggled against then #2 Louisville earlier this year but has hit its stride.  Laurence Bowers is back off an injury averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds while UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi is posting 11 points and 8 boards.

Dropping out of the Ranks: Georgetown Hoyas (7-1, Last Week: 14) - I can't figure this team out.  After looking good against Texas winning 64-41 they squeak by Towson 46-40 shooting 29% at home.

Biggest Jump - Illinois up 3
Biggest Drop - Gonzaga down 5

College Basketball Power Rankings: December 4

     Last week we saw four major conferences go head to head in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge and the SEC-Big East Challenge.  The Big Ten-ACC games were the most anticipated headlined by Duke-Ohio State, which Duke came out on top 73-68.  After seeing the majority of the top 25 in action against quality opponents we learned a lot about what these teams have to offer.  Here are my top 15 College Basketball Power Rankings.

1. Duke Blue Devils (8-0) - With wins over then ranked #3 Kentucky, #2 Louisville, and #4 Ohio State it's hard not to put this team at the top.  Mason Plumlee is playing like a player of the year candidate averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds so it's hard to argue against Duke as the best team in the country.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (8-0) - It was hard for me to knock IU out of the top spot, especially after a 24-point blow out of North Carolina, so let's call them 1-B.  They are the nation's highest scoring team and their POY candidate Cody Zeller has had plenty of help from Victor Oladipo, Jordan Hulls, and Christian Watford as this is a balanced offensive attack.
3. Michigan Wolverines (7-0) - After winning the NIT Season Tip-Off the Wolverines followed it up with a solid win over North Carolina State.  Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. have improved from last year and the additions of Glenn Robinson III and Nik Stauskas make this team the most talented perimeter team in the country.
4. Syracuse Orange (5-0) - The Orange have replaced Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters with the emergence of James Southerland and Michael Carter-Williams.  Southerland is a top sixth man averaging almost 17 points off the bench and Carter-Williams is stuffing the stat sheet posting 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 3.7 steals per game.
5. Florida Gators (6-0) - Coming off a 33-point drubbing of Marquette, this balanced inside-outside team has won every game by double digits and an average of 25 points.  Their next two games, at rival Florida State and at Arizona will tell us how good they could be.
6. Louisville Cardinals (6-1) - After a 23-point win over then #13 Missouri and a five point loss to then #5 Duke, Rick Pitino's squad struggled to get a three point home win over Illinois State.  With Gorgui Dieng out with injury Louisville will rely even more on Peyton Siva and Russ Smith.
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) - OSU took an eight point halftime lead at Duke but subsequently fell 73-68 after giving up 50 2nd half points.  Deshaun Thomas has filled in nicely after the departure of Jared Sullinger averaging 21 points and 6 rebounds.
8. Gonzaga Bulldogs (8-0) - The Zags have five players averaging double digits and lead the nation in field goal percentage as a team.  Their eight wins have been by an average of 28 points.
9. Arizona Wildcats (5-0) - They have been great on offense ranking 6th in points (85.2), 6th in assists (18.2), and 5th in field goal percentage (.523) in the nation.  But we don't get a good barometer for this team until December 15th when it hosts Florida.
10. Kansas Jayhawks (6-1) - Since an early three point loss to Michigan State, Kansas has looked good but against lesser competition.  They have a few more games at home before traveling to Columbus for a matchup with Ohio State.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-1) - Rodney Williams is one of the best athletes in the country and with Trevor Mbakwe trying to work his way back from an ACL injury this team is on its way up.
12. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0) - Cincy has been solid all year being lead by Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright.  They are dominating the glass ranking 3rd in the country in rebounding and doing it collectively as no player averages more than 6.4 per game.
13. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-0) - Starting the season unranked this team has recorded convincing double digit wins over USC, Butler, and Georgia Tech.  However, their game on December 8th at Gonzaga will tell us even more about them.
14. Georgetown Hoyas (5-1) - After taking the #1 Indiana Hoosiers to overtime on the road, this team caught everybody's attention.  Their 37-36 win over Tennessee raised some eyebrows again, but in a negative way.
15. San Diego State Aztecs (6-1) - SDSU opened the season with a 13-point loss to then #9 Syracuse.  Since then they have played well behind the leadership of Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley.