The Predictor Top 25: 1/30/06

Lots of moving and shaking this week from the bottom half of the Top 25. The teams that move up didn't necessarily do anything special to earn their ascent up the rankings. They just managed not to screw up while all the teams in front of them did.

Speaking of rising up, did anyone check out my Virginia-Duke pick in the last post. I not only got the game correct, I got the exact score correct. I had Duke winning 82-63, and thanks to some meaningless free throws at the end of the game, I was right on the money. Do you have any idea how hard it is to accurately predict the score of a basketball game? But I'm so freakin' smart, I almost got the exact score right twice last week. I also had Miami beating FSU 86-80. Miami won 84-78. A lay-up by both teams would have given me an amazing two-fer. You can worship me whenever you deem necessary. Just don't pay attention to the Maryland prediction...please. So without further ado, the second rankings.

1. Connecticut (18-1), Last Week-1: No reason to move them from the catbird seat. Two easy wins over St. John's and Providence. Games against Pittsburgh and Indiana should serve as more of a challenge.
2. Duke (19-1), LW-2: Like UConn, no reason to move down. Also no reason to move them up. Tough game at Boston College this week.
3. Illinois (19-2), LW-3: A couple of easy wins last week will be followed by two easy wins this week.
4. Memphis (19-2), LW-5: Big win over UAB vaults them over Texas (a team that they've lost to) for now. Soft Conference USA schedule will knock them down shortly.
5. Texas (17-3), LW-4: A loss at a very good and ranked Oklahoma team is no reason to move the Horns down more than one spot.
6. Villanova (15-2), LW-6: Notre Dame handed them a gift win. Otherwise, 'Nova would have moved out of the Top 10. They stay put for now, but they aren't good enough to move ahead of Texas.
7. Gonzaga (17-3), LW-9: The Zags managed to avoid close calls in the WCC this week. Couple that with losses by teams above them, and the Bulldogs move up two spots.
8. Pittsburgh (17-1), LW-16: I don't think the Panthers are good at all. But too many teams had bad losses this week. And Pitt still has only one loss.
9. George Washington (16-1), LW-15: GW is helped by the "Pitt Effect". They're not that impressive, but they keep winning while others lose.
10. Florida (18-2), LW-8: They're lucky that the rest of the Top 25 was horrible this week. Normally a loss to South Carolina would drop them much further.
11. West Virginia (15-4), LW-12: They lose to Marshall...and move up a spot? That just shows how weak the landscape of NCAA basketball is this season.
12. UCLA (17-4), LW-17: One of the few teams that managaed to -*gasp*- win two games last week.
13. Oklahoma (13-4), LW-24: I love this squad. Their win over Texas is just the excuse I need to elevate the Sooners 11 spots.
14. Ohio State (14-3), LW-14: The Buckeyes only had one game in the last seven days, and it was in Iowa City. Not fair to drop them after a close but hard fought loss.
15. Boston College (16-4), LW-21: Starting to get on a roll. Let's see if they can pull an upset over the Dookies this week.
16. Washington (16-4), LW-7: Repeat after me...If you are up three points with only two seconds left in the game, DO NOT FOUL THE OTHER TEAM WHILE ATTEMPTING AN OFF-BALANCE LAST SECOND SHOT FROM 30 FEET AWAY!
17. Georgetown (14-4), LW-18: Notre Dame handed the Hoyas a win last week as well. Pounding of Cincinnati was impressive though.
18. Michigan (15-3), LW-25: In a week of bad losses, UM managed to pull off two wins over ranked teams. Time to move them up the rankings (By the way, I had the only poll that ranked Michigan last week. Seems like everyone else is jumping on the bandwagon a little late.).
19. Tennessee (14-3), LW-22: Like Pitt and GW, I'm not sold on the Vols. Prove it to me with a win this week over Vandy.
20. Michigan State (16-5), LW-10: Loss at Michigan not that bad. But just imagine what would have happened if they lost at home to Penn State...which they almost did.
21. Northern Iowa (19-3), LW-20: Like with Michigan, I was the only one to rank the Panthers last week. Too many "Johnny-come-latelies" voting on these basketball polls.
22. Colorado (15-3), LW-23: They may not be beating the best the Big 12 has to offer, but they keep winning. They join Michigan and NIU as The Predictor's surprise three.
23. NC State (16-4), LW-13: Blowout loss, at home no less, to terrible Seton Hall is unacceptable. They fall 10 spots as a result.
24. Iowa (15-5), LW-NR: Solid home wins over Indiana and Ohio State is enough to jump the Hawkeyes into the Top 25.
25. LSU (14-5), LW-NR: Only unbeaten team left in the SEC. They keep losing players to injuries, so it's going to be tough to stay in the rankings.

Next Five In: Maryland, Indiana, North Carolina, New Mexico, UAB