College Basketball Power Rankings: March 5

Ahh, March is finally upon us and we are only one week from the conference tournaments and two weeks away from the big dance.  I would say let the upsets begin but that's been happening all year.  Last week we saw one of the biggest upsets of the year when Michigan squandered a 15-point second half lead at Penn State.  Indiana, Duke, Florida, and Miami also lost as 5 of my top 6 teams tasted defeat.  The lone team to come out unscathed was Gonzaga, but will they top our list?  Let's find out.

1. Gonzaga (29-2, LW 2) - Since the 2008 Memphis team that made it to the NCAA championship game, no mid-major has been ranked #1 until now.  Gonzaga is a legit team this year.  Last week they finished their conference schedule undefeated at 16-0, the first time ever in the WCC.  If not for a sloppy out of bounds play to end the Butler game this team would only have one loss.  Like that Memphis team and Saint Joe's in 2004, the Zags have their doubters but it's hard to deny any team that will have 30 wins before the big dance starts.
2. Indiana (25-4, LW 1) - The Hoosiers lost to Minnesota 77-73 behind Trevor Mbakwe's 21 and 12.  Oddly enough Indiana's four losses have all been to unranked teams but they are 6-0 against ranked teams.  They will look to improve to 8-0 this week hosting Ohio State and traveling to Michigan.
3. Duke (25-4, LW 4) - Apparently Ryan Kelly is more important to Duke that anyone knew.  After missing 13 games due to a foot injury, Kelly returned against Miami and scored a career high 36 points on 10-14 shooting, including 7-9 from deep.  With Kelly's return to the lineup, this Duke team is back into discussion of the top team in the country along with Indiana and Gonzaga.  They head to Chapel Hill this week where anything can happen.
4. Georgetown (23-4, LW 7) - Georgetown survived a double OT scare at Connecticut 79-78.  Otto Porter Jr. continued to shine with 22 points and the game winning lay-up.  Syracuse comes in Saturday and it marks the last time these rivals will meet in the Big East conference.
5. Kansas (25-4, LW 8) - For the second time this year the Jayhawks needed late game heroics to get past Iowa State in overtime, this time by Elijah Johnson.  He finished with 39 points and had eight in the last 32 seconds to force OT.  A game at Baylor is all that stands in their way of getting at least a share to the Big 12 title for the fifth straight year.
6. Miami FL (23-5, LW 6) - The U might have lost to Duke but were in it down til the end.  They've lost two of their last three games but close the regular season with home games against Georgia Tech and Clemson.
7. Louisville (24-5, LW 10) - Louisville has now won six straight following their five OT game at Notre Dame, including a 58-53 road win at Syracuse last week despite Peyton Siva going scoreless.  To close their season they will host ND, we'll see if this game provides the same fireworks.
8. Michigan (24-5, LW 3) - Michigan started the week with its worst loss of the season at Penn State 84-78, but finished with its best win of the year over Michigan State 58-57.  Thanks in large part to Trey Burke who had finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals.  His rip of Keith Appling lead to the game winning dunk.  They finish the season at Purdue, a game they can't overlook, they host Indiana.
9. Florida (23-5, LW 5) - The Gators had a bad loss to Tennessee 64-58, but rebounded against Alabama to clinch at least a share of the SEC title.  Florida's match-up at Kentucky to end the season will likely determine the champion.
10. Kansas State (24-5, LW 13) - A sloppy turnover by Baylor lead to Rodney McGruder hitting a buzzer beating three for a 64-61 win.  That win kept them in a tie with Kansas in the conference and K-State is looking for its first ever regular season title.  A game at OK-State will be the last hurdle.
11. Michigan State (22-7, LW 9) - MSU has now dropped three straight, all to ranked opponents.  They played one of their worst games at Michigan shooting only 35% and committing 18 turnovers.  Wisconsin comes into EL Thursday, which won't be easy.
12. New Mexico (25-4, LW 14) - With their 70-60 win over San Diego St and 53-42 over Wyoming, the Lobos have clinched the outright regular season championship in a tough Mountain West Conference.  They close their season with road games at Nevada and Air Force.
13. Oklahoma State (22-6, LW 15) - The Cowboys have two difficult games this week at Iowa State and home against K-State.  They are still in the hunt for a share of the Big 12 title and Markel Brown had a nasty dunk against Texas.
14. Marquette (21-7, LW NR) - Marquette had two huge home wins last week, 74-71 over Syracuse and 72-64 over Notre Dame.  The Golden Flashes still have a shot at Big East title as they are the surprise team in the conference.
15. Saint Louis (23-5, LW NR) - The Billikens are one of the hottest teams right now with 11 straight wins (two over Butler and one over VCU) and are first place in a good Atlantic 10 Conference.  They do it with defense holding teams to only 57.9 ppg.  They end with two tough games, at Xavier and against LaSalle.

Biggest Jump - Marquette up 5
Biggest Drop - Michigan down 5

New Editions - #14 Marquette, #15 Saint Louis
Old News - Syracuse, Arizona


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