Sweet 16 Day 2 Recap

Michigan rallies late to force OT and advance to Elite 8

It looked all but over when Kansas led 68-54 with less than seven minutes left in the game but that's when Michigan turned up its defense and Trey Burke played like the POY he is.  In the first half Kansas couldn't miss as they shot 68% but only had a six point lead, 40-34, despite Burke going scoreless.  The Jayhawks were scoring at will inside as Jeff Withey, Kevin Young and Perry Ellis appeared to be unstoppable in the paint.  In the second half it was more of the same for KU for the first 12 minutes but Burke was finally starting to make a scoring impact.  With Kansas up 14 late, Michigan ramped up their defense exposing the lack of point guard for KU forcing bad passes and a crucial 10-second call.  The Wolverines kept fighting back but still found themselves down ten with 2:22 and then five with 21 seconds left.   After Burke hit a layup, Elijah Johnson was at the free throw line shooting one-and-one.  He missed, which left the door open for Burke to solidify his Player of the Year status as he hit a 30-footer to send the game to overtime.  Riding that momentum, Michigan came out strong in OT creating an 87-82 lead.  Kansas still had a chance to tie only down two with nine seconds left when Johnson looked to have an open lane, but he kicked it out to Naadir Tharpe who missed the game-winning 3-pointer.  Somehow Michigan pulled out the win in this game.  Burke scored all 23 of his points in the second half and OT but it was Mitch McGary who kept this team in it the entire game.  McGary finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds as he and Burke (also 10 assists) became the fourth pair of teammates to have 20 points, 10 assists and 25 points, 10 rebounds in a NCAA tournament game.  Another pair was Glen Rice and Rumeal Robinson when Michigan won the title in '89.  For Kansas, their best player Ben McLemore finally showed up in the tournament putting in 20 points on 4-8 beyond the arc.  Also, Withey was dominate inside with 12 points, eight boards, and five blocks.  As for Johnson, he day started and ended badly.  Not even two minutes into the game he was called for a flagrant foul after hitting McGary below the belt, then to end regulation he missed a free throw to ice the game, and at the end of OT he passed on what looked like to be an open game-tying layup.  Throughout the year Michigan was on the wrong side of games like this (see Wisconsin and Indiana) but last night they showed their resiliency and pulled off the improbable comeback.  It doesn't get any easier from here on out either, but Michigan reaches the Elite 8 for the first time since 1994.

Florida ends Florida Gulf Coast Cinderella run

For the first 15 minutes Florida Gulf Coast seemed to be on their way to another upset and continuing their Cinderella run.  The Eagles were up 24-14 before the Gators ended the first half on a 16-2 run to take a 30-26 lead at the break.  After that Florida never looked back.  "Dunk City" was a great story while it lasted but they were severely over matched by the bigger and stronger Gators.  The story was offensive rebounding for Florida and turnovers for FGCU.  Florida shot only 38% but collected 13 offensive rebounds and forced 20 turnovers which led to 16 points.  In the first two games Eagles PG Brett Comer averaged 12 assists and only 2.5 TOs but the Gators guards applied the pressure throughout the game making Comer turn the ball over nine times.  Mike Rosario scored 15 for Florida and Casey Prather chipped in 11 off the bench.  FGCU's standout guard Sherwood Brown led them with 14 and 6 rebounds.  The entire country backed the small Florida school against its big brother but the talent disparity finally reared its ugly head as the Eagles tied a season low 50 points.  With the 62-50 win the Gators have still claimed every victory by double-digits.  A date with Michigan is scheduled for a trip to the Final Four.

Duke, Coach K outlasts Michigan State, Izzo

The battle between two of the best coaches in college basketball went the way we expected in the first half, a strategic back and forth game.  Duke took an eight point lead but MSU quickly cut the deficit to one before the half 32-31.  However, early in the second the Blue Devils went on a 9-0 run which Michigan State was never able to overcome as they fell to Duke 71-61.  The problem for Sparty was that Seth curry was on fire.  He came out in the second connecting on his first three attempts from long range and finished with 29 points on 6-9 from distance.  His performance was very reminiscent of his brother Stephen for Davidson in his run to the Elite 8 in 2008.  These teams matched up pretty well across the board especially with each team having two bigs, one that likes to bang (Mason Plumlee and Derrick Nix) and one that plays outside (Ryan Kelly and Adreian Payne).  They pretty much cancelled each other out (Plumlee and Kelly 23 pts 14 rebs, Nix and Payne 23 pts 19 rebs), but Michigan State had nobody to help Keith Appling on the outside.  The Spartans were only 3-12 from deep and their freshman stud Gary Harris missed both his 3-point attempts and was 2-11 from the field.  Coach K now owns a 7-1 advantage against Tom Izzo.

Louisville, Russ Smith, easily takes care of Oregon

Louisville jumped out to a 24-8 lead in the first 10 minutes and that's all the Cardinals needed as they cruised to a 77-69 win.  Russ Smith continued to be "Russdiculous" as he tied a career high 31 points on 9-16 from the field and 12-14 from the line.  He's now averaging 27 in the tourney and I don't think there's another player that has looked better.  Gorgui Dieng contributed 10 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks.  Louisville has been pressuring teams like crazy in the tournament, taking a NCAA record 20 steals in their first game, but only forced 12 Oregon turnovers.  Give a lot of credit to the Ducks as well because they were able to fight back in the second half and cut the deficit to six with 5:13 left but wouldn't get any closer.  Arsalan Kazemi posted another double-double with 11 and 12, and E.J. Single had 15 points.  Louisville is definitely the team to beat right now and are the only #1 seed to make it to the Elite 8.  Their rewarded with facing Duke for a Final Four bid.  The last time Rick Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski met in a regional final was in 1992 and Christian Laettner hit his game-winning shot.   These two teams met in November with Duke taking it 76-71, but that was without Dieng so Louisville is looking for revenge.



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NCAA Tournament Day 3 Recap

Wichita State shocks the Zags

Gonzaga was pushed by Southern in their first game and they were thought of by many to be the first 1-seed to out of the tournament.  Tonight they proved those people right as 9-seed Wichita State took out the top team, 76-70, in the crazy West Region.  The Shockers jumped out early going up 26-13 and leading 36-31 at the half.  Gonzaga came out in the second half blazing on an 18-5 run to take an eight point lead 49-41.  At this point you figured the Bulldogs have found their groove and will continue their run to closeout the Shockers.  But it was Rob Baker who scored eight points in 1:38 to give Wichita State the lead back at 67-63 with just under three minutes to play.  Baker finished with 16 points on 4-6 from deep and Cleanthony Early also chipped in 16 with seven boards.  The Shockers went 50% from the field including 14-28 on 3-pointers.  On the other hand the Zags couldn't find their offense down the stretch going only 4-12 in the last 6:05.  Kelly Olynyk finished with 26 points and nine rebounds.

Marquette seeks revenge on Butler

This was a rematch of a game from November in Maui that Butler won on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Rotnei Clarke for the 72-71 win.  Marquette wanted to come out and get revenge for that heartbreaking loss but it was the Bulldogs that had the 35-27 lead at the break.  Marquette managed to fight back in the second half and tie the game late with 1:29 left after Vander Blue hit a 3 to make it 69-69.  After three free throws by the Golden Eagles, Butler's Roosevelt Jones found himself on the line with 15 seconds left.  Jones made the first and The Bulldogs were down two.  He missed the second and these two teams found themselves in the same position they were in at Maui.  Butler got the rebound off the miss and Rotnei Clarke hoisted the potential game-winning 3 but he was off.  Marquette finished off the late rally to win 74-72 behind Blue's 29 points.  Clarke added 24 for Butler.  The closest margin of the day before this game was Oregon over Saint Louis by 17, so this was the type of nail-biter we all expect to see in the tournament.

Michigan and Michigan State cruise to the Sweet 16

The state of Michigan sent the first two teams in the Sweet 16.  Michigan led the way as the Wolverines reached the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since 1994.  Coming into their game against the VCU Rams, Michigan was said to be on upset alert for the second straight game.  The biggest reason is VCU's "havoc" defense and the fact that they just beat a short-handed Akron team 88-42, but Michigan had a few surprises for the Rams.  The first was that to handle their press the Wolverines decided to have Tim Hardaway Jr. bring the ball up to help Trey Burke.  VCU leads the nation in steals, led by Darius Theus (2.4 spg, who was on Burke), but the Wolverines took care of the ball well in the first half as Burke and Hardaway only had three turnovers combined and led 38-23 at the break.  The other surprise was the play of Mitch McGary who played his most minutes of the season and rewarded John Beilein with 21 points on 10-11 shooting and 14 rebounds, both career highs.  An inside presence has been UM's most glaring weakness all year, if McGary can keep this up it makes the Wolverines an even tougher out.  Michigan's largest lead was 31 and the highlight of the night went to Spike Albrecht's left handed bounce pass between defenders to Glenn Robinson III for the dunk.  Michigan held VCU to only 3-16 on 3-pointers and the Wolverines now gear up for Kansas.

March is the month of Tom Izzo and Michigan State.  Memphis was able to keep it close in the first half (32-29) but the Spartans pulled away in the second to earn the 70-48 victory and move on to the sweet 16.  Gary Harris was hitting early and often as he poured in 23 points on 4-7 from beyond the arc and Adreian Payne controlled the paint with 14 points, ten boards and a career high five blocks.  MSU turned the ball over 18 times but a stifling defense held Memphis to only 29.7% from the floor.  The Spartans also are going to have to check the status of Keith Appling as he left the game with a right shoulder injury.  The starting point guard said he could have gone back in if needed but it will be interesting to see how it will affect him next weekend.  MSU now awaits the winner of Creighton and Duke, if the Blue Devils prevail it will be a matchup between two of the best coaches in the country.

Oregon shows they are for real

Oregon felt disrespected by receiving a 12-seed and they are taking it out on their opponents.  After dismantling Oklahoma State 68-55 in their first game, Saint Louis was the next victim 74-57.  The Billikens were a sexy pick by a few analysts to possibly upset #1 Louisville but they never reached that matchup because the Ducks weren't having it.  The game was tight for the first seven minutes when Saint Louis held an 11-10 lead.  After that, Oregon finished the half on a 25-8 run and never looked back.  Saint Louis had one of the best defenses in the country but the Ducks ran their offense with great efficiency as they shot 53% from the field and were 8-11 from distance.  Freshman Damyean Dotson led the way for Oregon with 23 points and 5-6 on 3-pointers.  Also, Arsalan Kazemi controlled the paint with eight points and 16 rebounds, including seven offense.  Oregon faces Louisville next weekend and shouldn't be taken lightly by the top seed in the Midwest.

Arizona is looking like the team that started the season 14-0

Another Pac-12 team that didn't get much respect when the tournament began was Arizona.  The Wildcats were once ranked as high as #4 in the country after starting 14-0 with wins over Florida, Miami FL, and San Diego State.  In conference play (Oregon gave them their first loss) Arizona struggled against the top teams in the Pac-12 and ended up a 4-seed in the conference tournament, then ousted by UCLA.  However, they seem to be rejuvenated in the big dance as they've won their first two games by an average of 20 points.  Belmont was a popular upset pick by many but they were no match for Arizona and neither was Harvard after pulling off its major upset over New Mexico.  In both games the Wildcats have been over 55% from the floor and their leading scorer Mark Lyons has been on fire.  In two games Lyons has 50 points on 20-32 shooting.  Arizona is back to being a team that has Final Four hopes as they seem to be hitting on all cylinders at the right time.



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Midwest Region Breakdown

The Midwest region of the NCAA tournament is recognized as the toughest in the bracket and for good reason.  Despite being the #1 overall seed, Louisville has to contend with Duke, Michigan State, and a sneaky good Saint Louis team.  Not only does this region have good teams but great players as well.  Creighton's Doug McDermott is second in the nation in scoring with 23 points per game and is up for player of the year.  While Oklahoma State has a freshman of the year candidate in Marcus Smart.  This side of the bracket will have a lot to watch for.

Top Seeds
1. Louisville
2. Duke
3. Michigan State
4. Saint Louis

Sleepers
I really like Saint Louis.  This team plays great defense and Dwayne Evans is a physical presence inside.  But they are a 4-seed so a sleeper to watch for has to be the Oregon Ducks.  This team was sitting atop the Pac-12 before their point guard Dominic Artis went down in late January and the Ducks lost three of their next four games.  Artis is healthy again and Oregon is back in a groove after winning the Pac-12 tournament.

First Round Upset Alerts
5 Oklahoma State vs 12 Oregon - The 12-5 upset that we see every year.  Obviously, I like Oregon for reasons I stated above but also I'm not sure how they are ranked this low.  With all its players healthy the Ducks have six players that average at least 8.5 points and Arsalan Kazemi cleans up the boards with 9.5 per game.  Oklahoma State likes to play uptempo but if the Ducks control the pace they have a good shot at winning multiple games.

7 Creighton vs 10 Cincinnati - Offense vs Defense.  I mentioned McDermott being a POY candidate and the Bluejays lead the nation in field goal percentage.  As for the Bearcats, they pride themselves on defense.  Cincy ranks 8th in country in rebounding and if they can keep the game in the 60's instead of the 70's they have a great chance of advancing.

Possible Match Ups
Louisville vs Saint Louis - If you like good defense this is the game for you as both teams only give up around 58 points per game.  Louisville ranks #1 in adjusted defense in Ken Pomeroy's rankings while Saint Louis might be the most physical team in the country.  The Billikens were 5-1 against ranked teams and won the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships, a conference that sent five teams to the NCAA tournament.

Louisville vs Duke - A rematch of a game earlier this season that Duke won 76-71.  However, this time the Cardinals have Gorgui Dieng who will look to neutralize Mason Plumlee down low.  Duke received a boost when they got Ryan Kelly back from a foot injury and he poses match-up problems for other teams bigs.

My Pick
This is a tough bracket to pick because of the threat from so many teams but I'm going with Louisville.  The best defense and the hottest team in the nation after plowing through the Big East tournament.  I turned their championship game against Syracuse on with just under 16 minutes in the second half with the Orange up 16.  Louisville proceeded to close the game on a 49-16, enough said.  Coach Rick Pitino better bust out his white suit when the reach the Final Four.



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College Basketball Power Rankings: March 12

The regular season is over and we are only a week away from the NCAA tournament.  Some teams showed us what they were made of to close out their season (Duke and Indiana) while others seemed to be looking ahead (Kansas and Florida).  Duke and Gonzaga are tops with Indiana and Louisville hot on their heels.  There's a lot more to be told as the major conference tournaments start this week.  Let's get it.

1. Duke (27-4, LW 3) - Duke's rout of North Carolina on the road 69-53 and the return of Ryan Kelly puts the Blue Devils back on top.  Kelly not only provides a scoring lift but he makes the rest of the team better just by being on the court.  Case in point, Mason Plumlee had his best in the past month game at UNC (23 pts, 13 rebs) because of the spacing of Kelly.
2. Gonzaga (30-2, LW 1) - Gonzaga could have been listed as 1B because I still feel they are a legit team, Duke is just a little better.  They closed out their undefeated conference season with a 65-51 win over St. Mary's last night.  The WCC was no match for them but people just want to see if they are worthy of the #1 seed they will receive.
3. Indiana (26-5, LW 2) - Earlier is the week Indiana lost at home to Ohio State 67-58 which opened the door for the Big Ten championship.  It all came down to their road game at Michigan and Cody Zeller made a layup with 14 seconds left for their first out right Big Ten title since 1993.
4. Louisville (26-5, LW 7) - The Cardinals avenged their 5 OT loss to Notre Dame 73-57 behind Gorgui Dieng's 20 and 11.  This team is poised to make a strong run in the Big East and NCAA tournaments after winning 10 of their last 11.
5. Georgetown (24-5, LW 4) - Georgetown is another Big East team that's playing really well.  The lost to Villanova to begin the week 67-57 but came back with holding Jim Boeheim's team to its lowest points of his career 61-39.  The Big East tournament will be one of the best of Championship week.
6. Kansas (26-5, LW 5) - Kansas lost to Baylor 81-58, their worst loss in seven years.  They could have won't the Big 12 title outright but instead had to share it with their rival Kansas State.  The Jayhawks might have been looking ahead to the tournaments because they seemed uninterested.
7. Michigan State (24-7, LW 11) - Sparty finished their season with a solid win over Wisconsin 58-43.  Keith Appling has gotten back on track scoring 35 points in his last two games.  This team is also dangerous come tournament time and this year is no different.
8. Michigan (25-6, LW 8) - Ugh.  The entire Big Ten was watching, Michigan State and Ohio State fans were even cheering for them, but Michigan choked away their game against Indiana and a four way tie for the Big Ten title.  The Wolverines lost a five point lead with 50 seconds left because of missed FREE THROWS by Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr.  Next up Penn State in the B1G tourney, great.
9. Florida (24-6, LW 9) - The Gators had a SEC title all wrapped up before they played Kentucky so losing 61-57 only hurts their seeding for the time being.  Florida didn't score in the last seven and a half minutes of the game, we'll see if they were looking ahead or if there's problems in the swamp after losing three of six.
10. Ohio State (23-7, LW NR) - OSU ended the year with five straight wins and took out Indiana on the road last week thanks to Aaron Craft's 15 points on 7-10 shooting.  The Buckeyes will Craft's play to stay consistent to go with Deshaun Thomas if they want to continue their recent success.
11. Miami FL (24-6, LW 6) - The Canes won 14 straight but lost three of five to end the year including shockers to Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.  Miami needs a strong showing in the ACC tourney believers back on their side.
12. Oklahoma State (23-7, LW 13) - OK-State lost at Iowa State 87-76 earlier but finished the week with a good 76-70 victory over Kansas State.  This team surprised the Big 12 finishing third in the conference and are a team to watch for a Big 12 tournament title.
13. Marquette (23-7, LW 14) - Buzz Williams' team needed a last second shot by Vander Blue to secure an OT win over St. John's 69-67.  More importantly the win secured a share of the Big East regular season title with Louisville and Georgetown, Marquette's first since joining the league.
14. Kansas State (25-6, LW 10) - Despite a loss to end their season, the Wildcats still managed to share the Big 12 title with Kansas.  This team was only 2-5 against ranked opponents, it will be interesting to see how they fare in the tournaments to come.
15. New Mexico (25-4, LW 12) - New Mexico is known for its defense but couldn't get a stop when it mattered against Air Force.  The Falcons hit two 3's in the final 16 seconds to pull off the upset 89-88.  The Lobos still hold a 3-seed in Joe Lundari's bracketology but need a strong showing in a difficult Mountain West tournament to keep it.

Biggest Jump - Ohio State up 5
Biggest Drop - Miami FL down 5

New Editions - #10 Ohio State
Old News -  Saint Louis



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Michigan Basketball Needs To Shake Its Funk

It wasn't too long ago that I had a conversation with a friend about how this years Michigan team has a legit shot at winning a national title.  That was when they started the season 16-0 then moved their record to 20-1 during conference play.  Since then they are 3-4 and looking like the Final Four hopes were a mirage

Wednesday's loss at Penn State is in the running for upset of the season in college basketball along with TCU over Kansas.  Until then they didn't have a loss to a team outside of the top 25 in RPI ranking and all of them were on the road at Ohio State, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan State.  It's tough to call the Wisconsin game a loss because the Badgers needed a half court shot by Ben Brust to send it to overtime.  But the loss at Michigan State was so bad that it counts for one and a half so it all evens out.  Every team is going to lose throughout the year and those were all acceptable, but the loss at Penn State is inexcusable.

The fact that they had a 15 point lead with a little over 10 minutes left in the game then proceeded to be outscored 33-12 by a team that was winless in the Big Ten is a cause for concern.  Usually when major upsets like this happen it's because the better team just has an off night like in the case of Kansas who shot 29% from the field.  Michigan doesn't have that excuse because they shot 52% and hit their scoring average.  What they didn't do is play defense and that's beginning to be a problem.  Penn State averages 62 ppg and shoots 39% ranking 292nd and 329th respectively but managed to score 84 points on 49% shooting against the Wolverines.  It's games like this you don't see the top teams losing.  They will have tough road games against lesser opponents that are close but will never lose the game.  If they want to get into the same class as consistently good teams like Duke and Michigan State this can't happen

We all know Michigan can score with anybody, averaging 76 ppg and shooting 49.5% from the floor, good for 6th in the country.  But defensively they rank 262nd nationally in both steals (5.8) and blocks (2.6) per game.  According Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defense, Michigan is the only top ten team ranked outside of the top 24.  In the last 10 years no National champion has been ranked lower than 19 according to Ken Pom's defensive rankings and Michigan currently sits at 57.

Trey Burke is the best point guard in the country and Tim Hardaway Jr. is a great compliment but the lack of an inside presence on both sides of the ball is a glaring weakness.  Jordan Morgan, Mitch McGary, and Jon Horford are serviceable at best.  This is Morgan's third year and his numbers have gone down in each one.  He shows flashes every now and then as he's posted three double-doubles this year but he's too inconsistent and missing time due to injury has helped his cause.  I think McGary is the best out of the bunch and reminds me of a bigger Zack Novak as far as determination.  Coming in I wasn't sure about him as I saw him get torn up by Nerlens Noel in high school and watched his recruiting rank plummet.  He has grown on me though, I love his hustle and passion for the game but his athleticism kills me.  There's been too many times I've seen him not be able to finish around the rim with a dunk or get out rebounded by a smaller more athletic player.  Horford is decent, he gets the occasional block but often looks lost on the court.  Teams with good post players will always give them trouble and are hard to beat unless Michigan's guards are hitting their shots.

The starting freshmen, Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III, are key to the success of this team in the tournament.  Like I said, we know what to expect out of Burke and Hardaway, but they can't win big games by themselves and will need the scoring of the two young bucks.  Both average 11 points but seemed to have hit a wall of late, Robinson more-so than Stauskas.  In the murderers row of their schedule (at Indiana, vs Ohio State, at Wisconsin, at Michigan State) Robinson scored only 18 points on 7-24 shooting.  Stauskas started the year red hot from three point range ranking among the top five and hovering around 50%.  Since conference play started his numbers have dropped and he's had more than two 3's in a game only three times, whereas he had eight games out of conference.  It was a difficult pace to keep and defenses are tough in the Big Ten but his jumper doesn't seem as consistent as it once was.  Maybe it's because they are playing more games in college than a year ago in high school.  Either way UM needs to get these two back on track if they want to make a run in the tournament.

Their game against Michigan State is the biggest one so far and will tell us if they are ready to take down top notch opponents.  Not only is this a rivalry game but they were utterly embarrassed in East Lansing losing by 23 and trailing by as many as 31.  Every loss has came on the road and with this game being played at Crisler it's a must win for this team and needs to do it convincingly without the threat of losing it at the end.  I don't want to sound like I'm calling this team overrated or I've lost faith in my team because they are very solid and better than most in the country.  But if they want to be considered a serious contender for a National Championship they need to beat MSU and if not get a win against Indiana at least a game down to the last possession.  The good thing for Big Blue is that there are no road games in the NCAA tournament.  The bad thing is they are susceptible to an early upset.


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College Basketball Power Rankings: February 25

More games, more upsets.  This week we saw three of the top four teams go down and Michigan State lost twice.  They had the most anticipated game with #1 Indiana which the Hoosiers pulled it out late 72-68 thanks to Victor Oladipo who is starting to be recognized as a candidate for POY.  Miami probably had the worst loss at Wake Forest 80-65.  And we're off.

1. Indiana (24-3, LW 1) - The Hoosiers win at Michigan State was huge and no player was bigger than Victor Oladipo.  He had 19 points, 9 boards, 5 steals, and the last six points for IU when they were down one.  This win solidified Indiana as the top team in the country.
2. Gonzaga (27-2, LW 5) - Gonzaga won their two games last week by a combined 74 points over Santa Clara and San Diego.  This week they will try to finish with a perfect record in conference play at BYU and hosting Portland.
3. Michigan (23-4, LW 6) - UM handled an Illinois team that was on a five game win streak 71-58.  Trey Burke had 28 points on 8-11 shooting and 8 assists.  They travel to Penn State Wednesday before MSU comes to Ann Arbor on Sunday.  The Wolverines will be looking to avenge an embarrassing 23-point loss by the hands of the Spartans.
4. Duke (24-3, LW 7) - Duke rebounded nicely after their loss to Maryland with easy wins on ACC bottom feeders Virginia Tech and Boston College.  Mason Plumlee got back on track recording a double-double in both games.  The Blue Devils now have their eyes set on a rematch with Miami this Saturday.
5. Florida (22-4, LW 4) - Florida seemed to be cruising to another win before Missouri was able to erase a 13-point deficit.  The Gators are still in good position for the SEC title and remain the only SEC team ranked in the top 25.
6. Miami FL (22-4, LW 2) - The U had flirted with losses to Clemson and Virginia before tripping up at Wake Forest.  Miami was never in the game as they trailed by 13 at the half and shot only 39% from the field.  They travel to Duke this week so we'll see if this team can find its groove again.
7. Georgetown (21-4, LW 11) - Georgetown was a hard team to get a read on when conference play started, now they find themselves on top of the Big East after a 57-46 win at Syracuse.  Otto Porter Jr. was the only Hoya in double figures but he scored 33 with 5 three's, 8 rebounds and 5 steals.  They are on a nine game win streak and head to UConn for a tough road test Wednesday.
8. Kansas (23-4, LW 8) - Kansas narrowly escaped with a double-overtime win at Oklahoma State 68-67.  The Jayhawks only made one field goal in either OT and that was a Naadir Tharpe jumper to go up one with 20 seconds left in the game.  A tough road game at Iowa State in next, in a rematch of a game that Kansas needed a strong push late to come out with the win.
9. Michigan State (22-6, LW 3) - I give the Spartans love last week and they let me down losing to Indiana at home and Ohio State on the road.  Don't get me wrong, both were tough games to win but I didn't expect two losses.  They let the IU game slip away late and their leading scorer Keith Appling has lost all his mojo shooting 2-14 with 9 points combined in the losses.  Michigan is licking their chops at a wounded MSU squad.
10. Louisville (22-5, LW 10) - Louisville stood pat after a 79-61 win over Seton Hall as Gorgui Dieng scored 28 on 10-11 from the floor.  The Cardinals are still the hunt for a Big East title and a matchup at Syracuse will determine the fate of one of those teams.
11. Syracuse (22-5, LW 9) - The Orange could not find any offense against G-Town as they only shot 34% and were held to a season low 46 points.  It doesn't get any easier for them either as they travel to Marquette tonight before hosting Louisville Saturday.
12. Arizona (23-4, LW 12) - Arizona looked good disposing of both Washington Pac-12 teams by 35 combined points.  They are getting contributions from multiple players and back on top of the Pac-12 standings after Oregon lost to Cal.
13. Kansas State (22-5, LW 13) - K-State still has hopes of a Big 12 championship but a road game this week at Baylor could kill that dream.  They are looking for their first conference title since 1976-77.
14. New Mexico (23-4, LW 15) - New Mexico was able to get a big win at Colorado State 91-82.  Kendall Williams scored 46 on a ridiculous 10-13 from beyond the arc.  This weeks brings Steve Fisher and San Diego State into town.  In the first meeting the Lobos scored 12 less that Williams' output against CSU, 34.
15. Oklahoma State (20-6, LW 14) - The Cowboys took Kansas to 2 OT's despite their stand-out Freshman Marcus Smart going 2-14 from the field.  Ok-State has a mild schedule this week with TCU and Texas on the docket.

Biggest Jump - Georgetown up 4
Biggest Drop - Michigan State down 6


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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

College Basketball Power Rankings: February 11

     It's only February but it feels like March with how many upsets we saw last week.  4 of the top 5 and 9 of the top 15 teams suffered a loss and three teams (Kansas, Ohio State, Creighton) went down twice.  Things couldn't get more difficult to determine who is the best team in the country because nobody has shown any dominance.  But that's why we love college basketball right?  Let's get into it.

1. Indiana (21-3, LW 1) - Even though IU lost on a last second lay-up to Illinois, they came back and handled Ohio State on the road with ease.  Because of that OSU win they remain at #1 and are rewarded with a "week off" of sorts with Nebraska and Purdue coming to Bloomington.
2. Miami FL (19-3, LW 10) - Undoubtedly the hottest team in the country, I'm starting to drink the kool-aid after the Hurricanes blew out UNC at home 87-61 to run their winning streak to 11.  Durand Scott, Kenny Kadji, and Shane Larkin can all create their of shot and Reggie Johnson is a load in the post averaging 10 points and 9 boards.
3. Michigan (21-3, LW 3) - This was a stressful week for Big Blue as both of their games went to OT.  First, they were able to pull off the win against OSU as Tim Hardaway Jr. hit 6 of 9 three's for 23 points.  Then they went to Wisconsin, where they haven't won in eleven meetings, and Ben Brust hit a half-court buzzer-beater to send it to overtime and also hit the game-winning three in OT.  Michigan finishes its grueling four game stretch with a visit to Michigan State on Tuesday.
4. Duke (21-2, LW 6) - Duke was one of the few top teams to escape last week without a loss, barely.  They avenged their loss to NC State with a 98-85 win, but needed Mason Plumlee to hit 3 of 4 free throws late to beat Boston College 62-61.  Now they prepare for bitter rival North Carolina.
5. Florida (19-3, LW 2) - The Gators came out flat at Arkansas getting behind 43-26 at halftime and couldn't recover.  However, they did just that against Mississippi State winning 83-58.  This week they play host to Kentucky.
6. Gonzaga (23-2, LW 5) - Gonzaga is coasting through their conference but travel to Saint Mary's on Thursday, which poses it's most difficult test until the conference tournament.
7. Syracuse (20-3, LW 9) - Cuse was one of the few teams that didn't lose last week and also were able to welcome back James Southerland.  He returned against St John's to score 13 points in a 77-58 win.
8. Michigan State (20-4, LW 11) - As usual, Michigan State has been sitting back winning games while nobody pays attention to them.  Now they are tied for the Big Ten lead with Indiana.  They host Michigan on Tuesday which could turn out to a be another classic in the Big Ten this year.
9. Arizona (20-3, LW 7) -The Wildcats dropped a surprising home game to California 77-69 this weekend as they were outscored in the second half 44-31 behind Allen Crabbe's 31 points.  They will look to rebound on the road against a tough Colorado team that should have beat them earlier if not for a blown call.
10. Butler (20-4, LW 14) - The Bulldogs needed to hold on late at George Washington after blowing a 17-point lead to win 59-56.  We are now waiting for a showdown at VCU on March 2nd.
11. Kansas (19-4, LW 4) - What has happened to Kansas?!  After riding an 18 game winning streak the Jayhawks have dropped 3 straight to Oklahoma St, TCU, and Oklahoma.  Monday they host Kansas State to kick off rivalry week on ESPN.  This game is the perfect spot for KU to show the country it's still dangerous by taking out the Big 12 leader.
12. Louisville (19-5, LW 8) - Hands down the game of the week went to the 5-OT thriller between Louisville and Notre Dame.  ND came out of this winner 104-101 after Jerian Grant scored 12 points in the last 44 seconds to force the first OT.  The Cardinals get an easy stretch now with their next four games against unranked opponents.
13. Kansas State (19-4, LW NR) - Three of K-State's four losses are from ranked teams.  They've been a team that's under-the-radar all season but have consistently won.  The Wildcats lost their home meeting to Kansas earlier but will get a huge boost if they can give the Jayhawks a fourth straight loss.
14. Pittsburgh (20-5, LW NR) - Pitt is rolling right now after starting the Big East season 1-4 they recently have wins over Syracuse and Cincinnati.  Their only game this week is a visit to Marquette.
15. Georgetown (17-4, LW NR) - The Hoyas seem to be hitting their stride as well as they've won 7 of 8 since a 28-point home loss to the aforementioned Pitt Panthers.  Otto Porter Jr is playing great averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Biggest Jump - Miami FL up 8
Biggest Drop - Kansas down 7

New Editions - #13 Kansas State, #14 Pittsburgh, #15 Georgetown
Old News - Ohio State, Creighton, New Mexico