Heading into the final week of January, 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
The ACC as a whole this season is lacking the luster it usually enjoys when it comes to Men’s basketball. Duke is currently the highest ranked team at #7 (Coaches poll) with an overall record of 16-3. They are 4-2 in conference play with losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. Clemson is ranked #21 with a record of 15-5(3-3) and the Yellow Jackets are ranked #22 with a 14-5 (3-3) record. North Carolina fell out of the top 25 after losing their seventh game of the season.
Big 12
Kansas suffered their first loss of the season earlier this month to Tennessee and is no longer ranked number one in the nation but with an overall record of 19-1 and a 5-0 record in the conference they are still a top the Big 12 and ranked #2 (Coaches Poll). Texas also held the top spot in the country for awhile, but after two back to back losses they fell to #6. Their overall record is now 17-2 (3-1). Kansas State is the third Big 12 team in the top 25, currently ranked #13 with a 16-3 (3-2)record.
Big East
The Big East is the BIG Beast this season with five teams currently in the Coaches Poll top 25. Villanova is off to their best start in sixty years and is currently ranked #3 in the country. They are 18-1 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the conference. Syracuse is right on their heels, ranked #4. Their overall record is 20-1 (7-1). The other three ranked teams are West Virginia, #9 with an overall record of 15-4 (5-2), Georgetown, #11 with a record of 15-4 (6-3), and Connecticut, #19 with a record of 13-6 (3-3).
Big Ten
Michigan State leads the way in the Big 10 with a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. Their overall record is 17-3 and they are ranked #5 in the country. Next is the Purdue Boilermakers at # 12. They are 16-3 overall and 3-3 in the conference. Wisconsin is 16-4(6-2) and ranked #16, while Ohio State is currently 14-6 (4-3) and ranked 24th.
Pac 10
The Pac 10 has fallen on some hard times as they currently do not have a single team ranked in the top 25 in any of the major polls. The California Golden Bears currently lead the conference at 4-2 and they are 13-6 overall. Arizona State is the next best team at 14-6. They are tied in conference play with USC and three other teams at 4-3.
SEC
Kentucky is the only Division One team in the country that has yet to lose a game. They are ranked number one in both the AP and Coaches poll with an overall record of 19-0 and are 4-0 in the SEC. The next highest ranked team is Tennessee at #14. The Volunteers are 15-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play. Ole Miss is 15-4 (3-1) and ranked #20 and Vanderbilt is 15-3 (4-0) and ranked # 23.
Mid Majors
There are some really good teams to watch from the mid major conferences as these could end up being your upset specials come tournament time. Gonzaga, who is always a team to watch is currently ranked #8 and is 16-3 overall, 5-0 in the WCC. BYU has climbed up to #10 in the country with an overall record of 20-1, 5-0 in the MWC. The Temple Owls, ranked #15 are 17-3 overall and 5-0 in the Atlantic 10. From the Horizon Conference, Butler is ranked #16 with an overall record of 16-4 and is a perfect 9-0 in conference play. The final team to crack the Coaches Poll top 25 is Northern Iowa at #25. They are 17-2 overall and 8-1 in the MVC.
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