As we head into the fast and furious month of February, NCAA Men’s basketball action is at a fever pace with the best teams from every major conference fighting for a top seed come tournament time and the rest of the nation’s Division 1 teams battling for an invitation to the dance. The following is a brief review of the top two or three teams in each of the major conferences along with a few teams to watch from the Mid Majors.
ACC
For the most part the power teams in the ACC continue to drop in the rankings as the losses are starting to pile up. Duke is still on top with an overall record of 17-4 and is 5-2 in conference play. A 77-89 loss this past weekend at Georgetown dropped them from #7 in the Coaches poll to #9. Clemson (16-6, 4-4) was #21 but dropped out of the top 25 after losing to Boston College 69-75. Georgia Tech (16-5, 4-3) was the only team to move up in the rankings going from #22 to #19 after wins over Wake Forest and Kentucky State.
Big 12
With Kentucky losing, Kansas (20-1, 6-0) found itself back in the number one spot after a two point 81-79 win over Kansas State. The Jayhawks are now 6-0 in conference play. Texas (19-3, 5-2) dropped their third game of the season, losing to Baylor 77-80 in OT. They fell from #6 to #10 in the rankings. Despite the loss to the Jayhawks, Kansas State (17-4, 4-3) moved up two spots in the rankings to #11. Baylor (16-4, 3-3) entered the rankings at #24 with their upset win over the Longhorns.
Big East
The Villanova Wildcats at 19-1 and 8-0 in the conference are off to the best start in school history. They are now ranked #2. They beat Notre Dame 90-72 in their last game. Syracuse (21-1, 8-1) remains right on their heels and is ranked #3. They squeaked out a 59-57 win over DePaul in their last outing. Other top 25 teams in the conference include West Virginia (17-3, 6-20) who moved from #9 to #6, Georgetown (16-4, 6-3) who jumped from #11 to #8, and Pittsburgh (16-5, 6-3) who fell from #17 to #21 after losing to South Florida 61-70.
Big 10
Michigan State has a three game lead over four other teams in the Big 10. They are ranked #5 and have an overall record of 19-3 and are a perfect 9-0 in conference play. Purdue (18-3, 6-3) moved up from #12 to #7 after a big 60-57 win over Wisconsin. The Badgers (16-5, 6-3) remain ranked #16 despite the loss. Ohio State (16-6, 6-3) jumped from #24 to #18 after wins over Iowa and Minnesota.
PAC 10
At 6-3 in conference play, California is tied with Arizona for the lead in the PAC 10. The Golden Bears have an overall record of 14-6, while the Wildcats have a record of 12-9. Arizona State is 5-4 in the conference but has the most overall wins with a record of 15-7.
SEC
Kentucky’s 62-68 loss to South Carolina, their first of the year knocked them out of the number one spot down to #3. They are now 20-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC. With a loss to Vanderbilt 76-85 and a 61-60 win over Florida, Tennessee (16-4, 4-2) remained ranked #14. The Commodores (16-4, 5-1) had an up and down week as well. With the win over the Volunteers and a 72-85 loss to the Wildcats they actually moved up in the rankings to #20 from #23.
Mid Majors
BYU is currently the highest ranked school from a mid major conference. They are ranked #12, down from #10 after a loss to New Mexico and are 21-2 overall and 6-2 in the MWC. Gonzaga fell out of the top 10 after a 77-81 loss to San Francisco and are now ranked #13. They are 17-4 overall and 6-1 in the WCC. With wins over Green Bay and Milwaukee, Butler moved up three spots to #15. They are 18-4 overall and a perfect 11-0 in the Horizon conference. Temple is ranked #17 down two spots after a loss to Charlotte. They are 18-4 overall and 6-1 in the A-10. Northern Iowa is ranked #22 and 19-2 overall, 10-1 in the MVC. New Mexico (20-3, 6-2 MWC) moved into the rankings at #23 and Cornell (18-3, 4-0 Ivy League) is in at #25.
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