2017-18 National Rankings

[WuShock Reaper]

"College Basketball Power Rankings: Wichita State’s loss, Oklahoma’s gain, and ‘why Arizona?’ - NBC Sports

By Rob Dauster
Dec 17, 2017, 11:38 PM EST

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2017/12/17/college-basketball-power-rankings-wichita-states-loss-oklahomas-gain-and-why-arizona/

"It seemed like this was going to be a pretty straight-forward week for the Power Rankings … until Saturday happened, and five top 25 teams lost to unranked opponents.

The toughest one to figure out what to do with was Wichita State, who dropped all the way down to No. 16 from No. 3. They currently sit one spot behind Oklahoma, who beat them in Wichita on Saturday. Ranking the Shockers is a difficult thing to do at this point in the schedule, mainly because what we see on the floor from them doesn’t exactly jibe with what we assume that program to be.

They have not been themselves defensively through the first six weeks of the season. Or maybe they have and they just aren’t as good on that end of the floor as we assumed they would be. However you slice, the bottom-line is this: If Wichita State is not among the nation’s elite defensively they are not going to be in the conversation with Villanova, Michigan State and Duke as one of college basketball’s best. They just don’t have the horsepower on the other end of the floor....

Anyway, here are this week’s Power Rankings:

1. Villanova, 10-0 (Last Week: No. 1)
2. Michigan State, 10-1 (2)
3. Miami, 9-0 (3)
4. Duke, 11-1 (5)
5. Arizona, 8-3 (6)
6. Arizona State, 10-0 (7)
7. Texas A&M, 9-1 (8)
8. North Carolina, 10-1 (12)
9. Xavier, 10-1 (9)
10. West Virginia, 9-1 (10)
11. Purdue, 11-2 (16)
12. Gonzaga, 9-2 (14)
13. Kansas, 7-2 (13)
14. Kentucky, 9-1 (17)
15. Oklahoma, 8-1 (19)
16. Wichita State, 8-2 (3)
17. Seton Hall, 9-2 (11)
18. Virginia, 9-1 (18)
19. TCU, 10-0 (25)
20. Notre Dame, 8-3 (15)
21. Cincinnati, 9-2 (23)
22. Tennessee, 7-2 (20)
23. Texas Tech, 9-1 (24)
24. Baylor, 9-2 (NR)
25. Arkansas, 8-2 (NR)..."

[WuShock Reaper]

"2017-18 NCAA Basketball Top 25 (12/18/17)" - The Grueling Truth
NCAA Basketball Top 25

By Mike Goodpaster
December 18, 2017

http://thegruelingtruth.net/basketball/ncaa-basketball/2017-18-ncaa-basketball-top-25-12-18-17/

"As the college basketball season heads towards conference play we are starting to have a better feel for who the top teams are in college basketball are. The ACC and Big East look to be loaded once again and the Big Ten looks to be a one or two horse race while surprise teams like Arizona State and Oklahoma are starting to pop up.

1) Arizona State Sun Devils- The Sun Devils maybe the biggest surprise of this young season so far with wins over Kansas and Xavier both bye double-digits. Those wins over Xavier and Kansas are more impressive than Villanova’s wins.

2) Villanova Wildcats- The Wildcats have won 8 out of their 11 games by double digits and they own three top level wins against Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Temple.

3) Michigan State Spartans- The Spartans lone loss is to Duke, since that lose they have won nine straight games.

4) North Carolina Tar Heels- The Tar Heels have been better than expected this year and their only loss was on a neutral court to the Michigan State Spartans.

5) Kentucky Wildcats- With UCLA, Louisville, and West Virginia coming up on the schedule we should find out real soon exactly how good these Wildcats are.

6) Texas A&M Aggies- The Aggies own a 23 point victory over West Virginia and will be a dangerous team win the SEC season begins.

7) West Virginia Mountaineers- The Mountaineers have been on a roll since a season opening loss to Texas A&M.

8) Miami Hurricanes- The Canes are undefeated but the competition has not exactly been stellar.

9) Duke Blue Devils- The Blue Devils own three wins over top 25 teams and will be a handful as they mature under Coach K.

10) Xavier Musketeers- The Musketeers will battle Villanova for the Big East title ans don’t be surprised if the Muskies come out on top.

11) TCU Horned Frogs- The Frogs continue to roll, the question will be can they hang with the big boys when the time comes.

12) Oklahoma Sooners- The Sooners got national attention with a win over Wichita State and they also have beaten Oregon and USC.

13) Virginia Cavaliers- The Cavaliers maybe the best defensive team in the nation.

14) Wichita State Shockers- The Shockers lost a tough one to Oklahoma which is why they have dropped in these rankings.

15) Tennessee Volunteers- The Vols only loss was a close one to number two Villanova and they own a nice win over Purdue.

16) Gonzaga Bulldogs- The Bulldogs are good once again and have beaten Creighton, Texas, and Ohio State.

17) Purdue Boilermakers- The Boilermakers got a dominant win over a good Butler team and look poised to make some noise in the Big Ten.

18) Kansas Jayhawks- The Jayhawks got back on the winning side with a victory over Nebraska which snapped a two-game losing streak.

19) Arizona Wildcats- The Wildcats are a talented team and they have now won five straight after losing three in a row.

20) Baylor Bears- The Bears two losses were to Xavier and Wichita State and the best win they own was against Creighton.

21) Texas Tech Red Raiders- The Red Raiders have only one loss to Seton Hall and they have two solid wins over Northwestern and Nevada.

22) Florida State Seminoles- The Seminoles don’t have a lot of big-time wins and they just suffered there first loss of the season against Oklahoma State.

23) Seton Hall Pirates- The Pirates resume includes wins at Louisville and a win over Texas Tech.

24) Creighton Blue Jays- The Blue Jays have wins over Northwestern and UCLA.

25) Cincinnati Bearcats- The Bearcats dominated UCLA on Saturday."

[Play Angry]

Rick Bozich slots us at 15 this week.

8-11 spot drop (falling to #11 - #14) looking to be the likely range IMO.

[WuShock Reaper]

"BOZICH | My weekly AP college basketball Top 25 ballot" - WDRB Media

By Rick Bozich, AP Voter
Posted: Dec 18, 2017 7:26 AM CST

http://www.wdrb.com/story/37089330/bozich-my-weekly-ap-college-basketball-top-25-ballot

"LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Quiet times in college basketball last week. Credit final exams. Not many dazzling mid-week games. Not many upsets in the AP Top 25.

Wichita State and Notre Dame will tumble when the latest Associated Press college basketball Top 25 is announced at noon. Arizona State and Oklahoma will continue their unexpected gains.

Otherwise?

Here is my latest ballot:

1. Villanova (11-0) — The Wildcats haven’t played well enough that I won’t make any comments about Jay Wright’s clothing.
2. Michigan State (10-1) — Spartans entered the brief CreamPuff portion of the schedule, though Oakland didn’t get the memo.
3. North Carolina (10-1) — Tennessee threw everybody but Phil Fulmer at the Tar Heels Sunday but North Carolina advanced.
4. Arizona State (10-0) — Six Top 100 wins, including taking down Xavier and Kansas. Solid, Bobby Hurley.
5. Miami (9-0) — This is probably too generous to the Hurricanes, who haven’t beaten anybody but Minnesota.
6. Kentucky (9-1) — Solid win against Virginia Tech, but the Wildcats have not played a road game.
7. Duke (11-1) — The Blue Devils took last week off.
8. Xavier (10-1) — East Tennessee State still doesn’t understand how it coughed up a 20-point second half lead Saturday.
9. Purdue (11-2) — The Boilermakers treated Butler like the junior varsity Saturday.
10. West Virginia (9-1) — The Mountaineers also took the week off.
11. TCU (10-0) — Guess what? The Horned Frogs took the week off.
12. Texas A&M (9-1) — The Aggies’ SEC opener at Alabama will be a joy, but not until Dec. 30.
13. Oklahoma (8-1) — I was ahead of the curve with the Sooners but I’m guessing a few noticed what they did to Wichita State.
14. Kansas (8-2) — The Jayhawks needed a buzzer beater to avoid a third straight loss at Nebraska.
15. Wichita State (8-2) — Don’t be too harsh to the Shockers. They were introduced to Trae Young.
16. Virginia (9-1) — The Cavaliers have some nice wins, but none against Top 50 opponents.
17. Gonzaga (9-2) — This isn’t one of Mark Few’s better teams. The Zags needed needed overtime to beat North Dakota.
18. Arizona (8-3) — The Wildcats have rebounded to win five straight after their lost week in the Bahamas.
19. Tennessee (7-2) — The Vols only two losses have been to Villanova and North Carolina.
20. Louisville (8-2) — The Cards figure to climb to 10-2 before they visit Rupp Arena.
21. Cincinnati (9-2) — The Bearcats had a solid week, toppling Mississippi State and UCLA.
22. Texas Tech (9-1) — The Red Raiders have climbed to 15th in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings.
23. Clemson (9-1) — Nice wins over Ohio State and Florida — and neither game was at home.
24. Arkansas (8-2) — The Razorbacks are the only team to beat Oklahoma.
25. Notre Dame (8-3) — If the Fighting Irish made a free throw or a block out, they’d be 9-2."

[Stickboy46]

Wow .... Talk about an overreaction .. a single loss to a ranked team .... Imagine what would have happened if we lost to Washington ...

[WuShock Reaper]

“Andy Katz's Power 36: Who's in the NCAA tournament? (Dec. 18)” - NCAA

Andy Katz | NCAA.com Correspondent
Last Updated - Dec 18, 2017 09:33 EST

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2017-12-18/andy-katzs-power-36-whos-ncaa-tournament-dec-18

During Selection Week in March, the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee will select the best 36 at-large teams to join the 32 automatic qualifiers to play in the Division I men’s basketball championship. Each week, Andy will rank his best 36 teams based on results to date. These rankings are his own and are in no way affiliated with the committee. This was one of the most difficult Power 36 to put together — after the top 15. The last tiers of teams could be jumbled together and put in any order. Moving out Florida, Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia, Butler and Loyola-Illinois, well at least the first five, wasn’t an easy decision. But losses occurred, some worse than others. Deciding whether or not to put in Missouri, Maryland, Minnesota, Boise State, BYU and Louisville came down to the wire. All have played well enough to have a spot at times, but for now are on the outside looking in with the 36. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be selected if it was occurring today (remember there are automatic qualifiers from this pool). But they didn’t make this week’s cut:

1. Michigan State (Last week: 1)
2. Villanova (2)
3. Arizona State (3)
4. Duke (4)
5. Xavier (5)
6. Arizona (7)
7. North Carolina (8)
8. Miami (9)
9. Kentucky (10)
10. Purdue (11)
11. Oklahoma (26)
12. Texas A&M (11a)
13. TCU (13)
14. Cincinnati (21)
15. Kansas (19)
16. West Virginia (14)
17. Wichita State (6) - The Shockers couldn’t handle Trae Young and the upstart Sooners in Wichita. Maybe this drop is too much. Maybe not. Wichita State is still an American contender and a team that can go deep in March. The biggest concern for Wichita was the slow start, getting down 54-39 at the half. Wichita State had given up more than 66 points in only two previous games. That’s not the norm for Gregg Marshall’s squad.
18. Gonzaga (16)
19. Michigan (NR)
20. Virginia (17)

Others:
29. Houston (12)
34. SMU (36)

[shocks02]

I think the problem is that voters feel obligated to put Oklahoma in front of us, and rightly so. About half of the voters didn't have OU ranked last week so it's hard to jump from unranked to Top 10. That's why we'll probably end up at #13 or #14 today. The rankings will play itself out over the season.

[WuShock Reaper]

"College Basketball Power Rankings: Oklahoma Jumps Into Top 5 After Another Crazy Weekend" - Chat Sports

By Brian Rauf
December 18, 2017

https://www.chatsports.com/ncaa/a/college-basketball-power-rankings-oklahoma-top-5-after-another-crazy-weekend-36619

"Following a really slow week of college basketball, the weekend brought about plenty of shocking upsets and near upsets.

The most impressive team of the week was Oklahoma as another incredible performance from Trae Young (29 pts, 10 asts) led them to a dominant win over Wichita State on the road, solidifying the Sooners as one of the best teams in the entire country. OU now has victories over Oregon, USC, and the Shockers - all of which have come away from Norman. With Young emerging as the best player in the country, this team has surged into the top five of these rankings....

How will all of that craziness shake up the rankings this week? Here are my latest Top 25 Power Rankings:

Just Missed The Cut: Alabama, Florida State, Cincinnati, Texas, Notre Dame

20) Baylor Bears (9-2) LW: 20
19) Seton Hall Pirates (9-2) LW: 10
18) Virginia Cavaliers (9-1) LW: 19
17) Kansas Jayhawks (8-2) LW: 15
16) Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-2) LW: 14
15) Arizona Wildcats (8-3) LW: 18
14) Purdue Boilermakers (11-2) LW: 16
13) TCU Horned Frogs (10-0) LW: 13
12) West Virginia Mountaineers (10-1) LW: 12
11) Wichita State Shockers (8-2) LW: 5 - Losing at home hurts for Wichita State, even if it came to a good team like Oklahoma. Their usually-stingy defense broke down against Trae Young and Oklahoma's high-octane attack, and without Markis McDuffie, they didn't have enough offense to keep pace. Luckily, McDuffie should return before the end of the month.
10) Xavier Musketeers (10-1) LW: 9
9) Texas A&M Aggies (9-1) LW: 11
8) Miami Hurricanes (9-0) LW: 8
7) Kentucky Wildcats (9-1) LW: 7
6) North Carolina Tar Heels (10-1) LW: 6
5) Oklahoma Sooners (9-1) LW: 24
4) Arizona State Sun Devils (10-0) LW: 4
3) Michigan State Spartans (10-1) LW: 3
2) Duke Blue Devils (11-1) LW: 2
1) Villanova Wildcats (11-0) LW: 1..."

[WuShock Reaper]

"College hoops Power Rankings: It's time to notice the Big 12" - ESPN

Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
Posted: 12/18/17, 7:49 AM CT

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/21798319/college-basketball-power-rankings-big-12-showing-strength

"1. Arizona State Sun Devils, Record: 10-0, , Last week: 1
2. Villanova Wildcats, Record: 11-0, , Last week: 2
3. Michigan State Spartans, Record: 10-1, Last week: 3
4. Duke Blue Devils, Record: 11-1, Last week: 4.
5. North Carolina Tar Heels, Record: 10-1, Last week: 6
6. Miami Hurricanes, Record: 9-0, Last week: 7
7. Texas A&M Aggies, Record: 9-1, Last week: 8
8. Kentucky Wildcats, Record: 9-1, Last week: 9
9. Xavier Musketeers, Record: 10-1, Last week: 10
10. TCU Horned Frogs, Record: 10-0, Last week: 11
11. Purdue Boilermakers, Record: 11-2, Last week:14
12. Oklahoma Sooners, Record: 8-1, Last week: NR
13. Wichita State Shockers, Record: 8-2, Last week: 5 - The Shockers' losing to Oklahoma isn't the end of the world, but they're starting to show some defensive cracks that are atypical of Gregg Marshall-coached teams. They have now given up more than 1.1 points per possession in three of the past six games.
14. Kansas Jayhawks, Record: 8-2, Last week: 13
15. Gonzaga Bulldogs, Record: 9-2, Last week: 15
16. West Virginia Mountaineers, Record: 9-1, Last week: 16
17. Virginia Cavaliers, Record: 9-1, Last week: 19
18. Arizona Wildcats, Record: 8-3, Last week: 21
19. Tennessee Volunteers, Record: 8-1, Last week: 20
20. Baylor Bears, Record: 8-2, Last week: 22
21. Texas Tech Red Raiders, Record: 9-1, Last week: 23
22. Arkansas Razorbacks, Record: 8-2, Last week: 24
23. Creighton Bluejays, Record: 8-2
24. Seton Hall Pirates, Record: 9-2, Last week: 12
25. Florida State Seminoles, Record: 9-, , Last week: 17

Dropped out: Notre Dame, Florida"

[FadedCrown]

http://cbbpoll.com/

11th in r/CollegeBasketball's user poll.

[ShockCrazy]

It's kinda flabbergasting to see everyone, both nationally and here overreacting to a single game against a top 25 team. Exhaustive list of teams with 2 good road wins in college basketball better than our two: Oklahoma. Although technically the USC game is counted as a neutral site, which is stupid, USC is 2.3 miles from Staples. If it's a neutral site, ours should too, but the reality is both are home games.

[shocks02]

Pleasantly surprised. This week's AP Top 25: https://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll

[Dan]

OU should be complaining

[Play Angry]

Highest ranked 2 loss team at least.

Hard to grumble too much. I would have preferred we stay in the 8-10 range given the quality of the opponent, but realistically 11 was about as well as we could hope for.

[Windiwu]

Yeah, I think OU should be ahead of KU for sure. I hope we can enjoy watching OU take on the most of the Big12... Right now I don't think the Lawrence bunch can handle em.


I also am happy we are at least staying well in range of the top ten until we can get the rest of our team puzzle put together.