The Predictor Top 25 & Tournament Bids: 2/15/10

Rankings, but no pith. Teams that are in, but no bracketology. That’s what happens when Maryland plays three games in five days. Don’t blame me, blame the snow.

1. Kansas (24-1), LW-1
2. Villanova (22-2), LW-2
3. Kentucky (24-1), LW-3
4. Purdue (21-3), LW-5
5. Syracuse (24-2), LW-4
6. Kansas State (20-4), LW-6
7. Duke (21-4), LW-11
8. New Mexico (23-3), LW-12
9. Michigan State (20-6), LW-8
10. Texas (20-5), LW-9
11. West Virginia (19-5), LW-7
12. BYU (23-3). LW-13
13. Vanderbilt (19-5), LW-15
14. Gonzaga (21-4). LW-17
15. Georgetown (18-6), LW-10
16. Temple (20-5), LW-18
17. Texas A&M (18-6), LW-20
18. Ohio State (20-6), LW-23
19. Baylor (19-5), LW-21
20. Wake Forest (18-5), LW-24
21. Wisconsin (19-6), LW-14
22. Butler (23-4), LW-NR
23. Tennessee (18-6), LW-16
24. Pittsburgh (19-6), LW-NR
25. Northern Iowa (22-3), LW-22

Next 5: Illinois, Clemson, Maryland, Richmond, UNLV


Here are the 65 teams that would make the NCAA tournament right now. It could completely change by next week. You can call it a lazy man’s version of Bracketology. The conference bids are separated into four groups. First you have your traditional six-power conferences. Then the conferences that are better than the mid-majors, but aren’t the BCS six. Those are followed by the true mid-major conferences. Finally, the small conferences that are only going to get one bid no matter how you slice it. The conference leaders are in italics.

Notes: I fully anticipate the Pac-10 getting two teams in this season. I know that it's absolutely the worst conference ever (or at least that's what every media outlet is telling you), but they'll sneak either Washington or Arizona State in there with Cal. And I don't see the Atlantic-10 getting six teams...just not gonna happen. Other than that, I leaned on the standings more then RPI. That's why Missouri is in over OK State, Marquette over the Big East backwash, Old Dominion over the crowded top in the CAA. By that reasoning, Virginia Tech has to be in even though they have very few quality wins.

POWER
ACC (7): Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Big East (7): Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia
Big Ten (5): Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big XII (6): Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M
Pac-10 (1): California
SEC (5): Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

MAJOR
Atlantic-10 (5): Dayton, Richmond, Rhode Island, Temple, Xavier
Conference USA (2): Alabama-Birmingham, UTEP
Mountain West (4): BYU, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV

MID-MAJOR
Colonial: Old Dominion
Horizon: Butler
Mid-American: Kent State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Sun Belt: Middle Tennessee State
West Coast: Gonzaga, St. Mary’s
Western Athletic: Utah State

SMALL
America East: Stony Brook
Atlantic Sun: Belmont
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Coastal Carolina
Big West: UC Santa Barbara
Ivy: Cornell
MAAC: Siena
MEAC: Morgan State
Northeast: Robert Morris
Ohio Valley: Murray State
Patriot: Lehigh
Southern: Charleston
Southland: Sam Houston State
Southwestern: Jackson State
Summit: Oakland