2017-18 National Rankings

[AndShock]

Really don’t understand how a team gets BTFO and stays in the top 5 but once again, I’m perfectly fine/pleasantly surprised with our ranking.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Same drop? Naw.

29 of the 65 voters dropped MSU from 1 or 2 last week to 5+ this week. Very few would have dropped them past 3 or 4 if they lost at the buzzer, on the road, to a top 50 conference rival.

[AndShock]

And 5+ is accurate. My bone to pick is with the people who have them 2-4.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Only 11 of 65 still have them top 3. I disagree with you that 4 is unreasonable.

[AZ Shocker]

Tom Izzo's teams gets lots of love...much like Gregg Marshall's teams gets lots if love. It's a good problem to have!

[RoyalShock]

If Duke doesn't play 'D', should we refer to them as the Blue Tschombas?

[WUwolf]

Look Ma....No Creighton

[Stickboy46]

They actually snuck in at 25

[1979Shocker]

3 votes ahead of Duke and tied with Purdue. That's what you call luck.

And they put us right above Purdue. Normally on ties, they put the teams in alphabetical order. Maybe they think we're a smidgeon better even though we're tied. Or maybe the person typing in the teams likes us better.

[1979Shocker]

#5 in Coaches Poll.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...0/seasontype/2

No ties on this one.

[im4wsu]

I really want to see Kentucky lose a game this week and potentially drop out of the polls.

But they might draw the 16 seed and then gel for one game

[1972Shocker]

Very nice to be so highly ranked but that's not the most impressive thing to me about this past week. I was more impressed with the level of play the Shockers put on exhibit against Houston and USF espeically in the 1st half of those games. Both games were pretty much over with by halftime. Granted USF is not a very good barometer but the Shocks still looked as sharp as a tack. And we still haven't been at full strength this season but were getting there.

Very pleased with the progress Markis showed this week and hopefully Zach Brown has found his health and his groove. Now if we can just get Conner back to feeling good and avoiding the health issues.

This week will be a good test to see if the Shocker vibe they showed at home this past week will travel well. ECU is similar to USF and Tulsa is probably not far behind Houston sans Breaon Brady. Unfortunately, the Shocks will probably have to win by 40 over ECU and by 20 over Tulsa just to hold serve in the rankings even with the games being on the road.

[Shockm]

Tom Izzo's teams gets lots of love...much like Gregg Marshall's teams gets lots if love. It's a good problem to have!

If you're looking for favored status, N. Carolina is 12-4 and still Top 20.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

... in KenPom

[Shockm]

NC lost to three Top 40 types of teams and Wofford. I’m not overly impressed with Wofford. They lost to lowly California and Mediocre North Carolina Greensboro.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Of the "3 top 40 types of teams", two were @#3 and N#4.

If a totally formula based calc like KenPom still has them top 20, I'm not sure why it is so crazy for human pollsters to have them top 20 as well.

[ICT2CLT]

If you're looking for favored status, N. Carolina is 12-4 and still Top 20.

Maybe they're getting too much credit, but if I were a 4 seed I wouldn't want to face them in the second round as a 5 seed. They lost two road games to ranked teams, including the team sitting at #3 this week. Neither was a blowout.

[Shockm]

A #4 seed facing a #5 Seed in the 2nd Round? I don’t think that can happen.

[ICT2CLT]

That is literally how it happens every year. http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-brac...ketball-men/d1.

[ShockerFever]

Maybe they're getting too much credit, but if I were a 4 seed I wouldn't want to face them in the second round as a 5 seed. They lost two road games to ranked teams, including the team sitting at #3 this week. Neither was a blowout.

Interesting how you ignore the home loss though..

[ICT2CLT]

Yes that loss is one of the worst for anyone in the top 25. No getting around that. I'm just say the rest of their resume looks like a solid top 15-20. I know we're only supposed to use kenpom when if favors the Shockers but he has them at #12. I think that's too high and I think kenpom is overrated but no matter where you look they're consistently top 20. Now watch them lose in the first round in Charlotte after I say all of that.

[WuShock Reaper]

"Power Rankings: Villanova Reclaims Top Spot as Purdue, West Virginia Continue to Climb" - Sports Illustrated

By MOLLY GEARY
January 10, 2018

https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/01/10/power-rankings-villanova-purdue-west-virginia-michigan-state

"After another upset-filled week saw four of our top five and plenty of other top teams lose, college basketball is quickly becoming a tangled web with little separation between many of the nation’s best. Some of this week’s biggest risers are not necessarily entirely the result of impressive wins, but also a product of playing well enough to keep winning while other teams had off nights or saw their weaknesses exposed. Additionally, the blanket chaos meant that some teams that had a rough loss didn’t fall as much as you’d normally expect. Without further ado, here’s the new-look top 25:

1. VILLANOVA (14–1)
Last Week (3): beat Marquette
Next Week: vs. Xavier, at St. John’s

2. PURDUE (16–2)
Last Week (6): beat Rutgers, beat Nebraska, beat Michigan
Next Week: at Minnesota, vs. Wisconsin

3. WEST VIRGINIA (15–1)
Last Week (8): beat Oklahoma, beat Baylor
Next Week: at Texas Tech, vs. Kansas

4. MICHIGAN STATE (15–2)
Last Week (1): beat Maryland, lost to Ohio State
Next Week: vs. Rutgers, vs. Michigan

5. VIRGINIA (15–1)
Last Week (10): beat Virginia Tech, beat North Carolina, beat Syracuse
Next Week: vs. NC State

6. DUKE (13–2)
Last Week (2): lost to NC State
Next Week: at Pittsburgh, vs. Wake Forest, at Miami

7. OKLAHOMA (13–2)
Last Week (7): lost to West Virginia, beat Texas Tech
Next Week: (13–2): vs. TCU, at Kansas State

8. XAVIER (15–2)
Last Week (5): lost to Providence
Next Week: at Villanova, vs. Creighton

9. ARIZONA STATE (13–2)
Last Week (4): lost to Colorado, beat Utah
Next Week: vs. Oregon, vs. Oregon State

10. WICHITA STATE (13–2)
Last Week (16): beat Houston, beat USF
Next Week: at East Carolina, at Tulsa

In three AAC games so far, the Shockers have taken 72 threes and hit 50% of them. While that number is not sustainable, it’s hard to ignore the 52.7% clip Landry Shamet has posted on 74 perimeter attempts on the season so far. Shamet has found a way to be even more efficient than last year, when his 129.6 offensive rating on kenpom.com ranked 18th in the country. It’s currently up to 136.0 this season, and his effective field goal percentage has grown from 59.5% to 68.9%, his true shooting percentage from 62.7% to 72.0% and his assist rate from 22.2% to 28.5%. Not too shabby.

Others:
12. CINCINNATI (14–2)
Last Week (18): beat Temple, beat SMU
Next Week: at South Florida, at UCF

The Bearcats picked up two important AAC wins in beating Temple on the road before defeating SMU by 20 at home. Cincinnati can be a legitimate challenger to Wichita State in the American, but for as good as its defense is, its offense, currently ranked 52nd in efficiency, is what may be key. It needs more showings like the one it had against SMU, when Gary Clark and Jacob Evans each scored 18 and the Bearcats won by 20 despite the rest of the team shooting 31.4% from the floor, and less like their 55–53 win over Temple in which the offense gave the defense no breathing room and little margin for error.

24. NOTRE DAME (13–3)..."

[AndShock]

It's a bit interesting how the large majority of power rankings/random articles have us rounding out the top 10 but the AP has us top 5.

[WuShock Reaper]

"The Bilastrator wades through the beautiful mess of this hoops season to give you the best 68 teams" - ESPN

by Jay Bilas, College Basketball analyst
Posted: 01/10/18, 6:40 AM CT

http://kwese.espn.com/mens-college-b...ege-basketball

"1. Villanova Wildcats
2. Michigan State Spartans
3. West Virginia Mountaineers
4. Purdue Boilermakers
5. Virginia Cavaliers
6. Duke Blue Devils
7. Wichita State Shockers - The Shockers are finally getting healthy. Markis McDuffie is back. This team is capable of getting to San Antonio for the Final Four. Wichita State leads the American in field goal percentage (49 percent) and assists (18.6) and is second in three-point percentage (41 percent). But what makes Wichita State special is its grit. With Rashard Kelly, Zach Brown and Darral Willis Jr., Wichita State has a tough bunch of "role players" who can kick the crap out of you when the game gets tough.
8. Kansas Jayhawks
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
10. Cincinnati Bearcats - The Bearcats are balanced, with no standout scorers or go-to guys that can be targeted. Cincinnati has a bunch of really good players who can each go for 20 on a given night. This is an unselfish team that will find the open man. Not every team does that. Cincinnati leads the American in field goal percentage defense and is second to Wichita State in rebounding, always staples of the Bearcats' program. The difference is that this team can score.

Others:
12. Oklahoma Sooners
31. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
33. Marquette Golden Eagles
36. Baylor Bears
43. SMU Mustangs - The Ponies are solid in most areas of play. They do a great job hunting shots from the 3-point line. Shake Milton is among the American's leaders in scoring, assists and steals. He is one of the five best players in the league.
51. Houston Cougars - The Cougars had won four straight games and 11 out of 12 heading to Wichita State, where Houston got hit with a bag of hammers. Houston will not be the only team beaten senseless by Wichita State, but it certainly shakes your confidence. You had better make Houston play in the half court and limit its second shots, because this team can run and rebound well. Rob Gray is the engine that makes this team go. Houston has wins over Providence, Arkansas and Temple, but it only has five more regular-season games against top 50 competition (Wichita State, SMU and Cincinnati). Houston is one of three teams in Division I to rank in the top 35 of both offensive rebound percentage (31st) and defensive rebound percentage (35th), according to KenPom.com. The Cougars have done it despite ranking 318th in average height; the other two teams rank 15th (Gonzaga) and 78th (North Carolina).
52. UCF Knights - The Knights' defense is stifling and one of the five best in the country. The Knights' offense is rough, and without B.J. Taylor and Aubrey Dawkins, it is one of the most challenged in the country. Still, it is exceedingly difficult to score against UCF. Games with the Knights are one of the toughest in which to establish any kind of rhythm. A real bright spot has been the play of A.J. Davis, a terrific rebounder who leads the American in rebounding and defensive rebounding. UCF ranks sixth in Division I in adjusted defensive efficiency and 281st in adjusted offensive efficiency. That's the biggest differential (275) between offense and defense in Division I.
62. Oklahoma State Cowboys..."

[wheathead]

Based on everyone else around us I actually see us dropping to #7. Purdue and Duke will jump us. We will see if Mich St drops below us.