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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

College Basketball Power Rankings: February 19

     For the first time in six weeks the #1 team in the country didn't lose.  Indiana remains at the top spot after two easy wins at home while Kansas stopped its three game losing streak.  Michigan State and Gonzaga cracked the top five for the first time but Duke and Michigan were top five teams that both suffered losses.  Let's do it.

  1. Indiana (23-3, LW 1) - Indiana has been rolling since their buzzer-beater loss at Illinois but will face a tough test Tuesday on the road at Michigan State.  Victor Oladipo will be playing through an ankle injury and if he's not 100% it will be that much harder for the Hoosiers to get the win.
  2. Miami FL (21-3, LW 2) - The Hurricanes struggled badly at Clemson but was able to escape with a win 45-43.  They only shot 34% but the mark of a good team is winning games when it's not your night and Miami is showing they are legit.
  3. Michigan State (22-4, LW 8) - I expected MSU to beat Michigan at home but not the way they did.  The Spartans largest lead was 31 as they dominated from the from the jump.  Indiana now comes to town which starts a four game stretch of IU, OSU, Michigan, and Wisconsin who are all ranked.
  4. Florida (21-3, LW 5) - Since their first SEC loss Florida has won three straight by an average of 24 points.  They visit Missouri on Tuesday for their hardest game left on the schedule.
  5. Gonzaga (25-2, LW 6) - Gonzaga is garnishing a few #1 votes in both of the major polls and their 17-point win at rival Saint Mary's proved they might be deserving.  Kelly Olynyk is averaging 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
  6. Michigan (22-4, LW 3) - Michigan went 1-3 in their toughest stretch of the season and it ended in a blowout at MSU.  Then they struggled against Big Ten bottom feeder Penn State at home.  The freshmen look to have hit a wall and their lack of big men is a glaring weakness against top competition.  We'll see what they do after a week off when Illinois visits Ann Arbor.
  7. Duke (22-3, LW 4) - Duke needed a second half comeback to beat North Carolina 73-68 but couldn't muster one at Maryland as they fell 83-81.  Mason Plumlee played his worst game of the season with only 4 points and 3 boards as the bigger Alex Len dominated the POY candidate.
  8. Kansas (21-4, LW 11) - KU looks to be back on track after handling K-State and Texas each by more than 20 points.  We'll see if they are fully back when they head to Oklahoma State this week.
  9. Syracuse (21-4, LW 7) - The road hasn't been kind to the Orange lately as they've lost three of their last four away from home.  They have a difficult close to their season as four of their final five games are against ranked teams.
  10. Louisville (21-5, LW 12) - Louisville needed a break after a 5 OT game with Notre Dame and they get with four straight against the bottom of the Big East.  After easily disposing of St. John's and South Florida last week, they now face Seton Hall and DePaul.
  11. Georgetown (19-4, LW 15) - The Hoyas had two big wins last week over Marquette 63-55 and at Cincinnati 62-55.  They did blow a 17-point lead at Cincy but managed to hang on.  They head to Syracuse this week for big matchup this Saturday.
  12. Arizona (21-4, LW 9) - The Wildcats seem to be struggling as of late.  Colorado took revenge with a 71-58 win and then they had a tough time beating Utah 68-64.  However, they still have a chance to win the Pac-12.
  13. Kansas State (20-5, LW 13) - K-State was ran out of the gym in Kansas but have bounced back nicely against Baylor and West Virginia getting wins by double digits.  They are fighting for a Big 12 title and travel to Texas this week.
  14. Oklahoma State (19-5, LW NR) - The Cowboys have won seven straight and have one of the best freshmen in country in Marcus Smart.  They host Kansas Wednesday night as they look to sweep the Jayhawks on the year.
  15. New Mexico (22-4, LW NR) - The Lobo's have a hard time scoring but opponents also have a hard time scoring on them.  They have a big road test this week at Colorado State.
Biggest Jump - Michigan State up 5
Biggest Drop - Butler down 6

New Editions - #14 Oklahoma State, #15 New Mexico
Old News - Butler, Pittsburgh

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