1. SYRACUSE (22-0): Within the span of just a few hours last Saturday night, Syracuse won the most exhilarating college basketball game of the season and Arizona suffered both its first loss and a key injury. That was enough for the AP and Coaches polls to anoint the Orange as the new #1 team in the country and it's difficult to disagree. Their toughest road test of the year comes on Wednesday when they visit Pittsburgh, a legitimate candidate to hand this team its first loss.
2. KANSAS (17-5): For some reason, the Jayhawks dropped to eighth in the AP poll after suffering their fifth loss of the season this week, at Texas. First of all -- Texas is 18-4 overall, 7-2 (and in second place) in the Big 12, and on its way to the NCAA Tournament. And more importantly -- five losses is not a big number for Kansas, which has subjected itself to an unthinkably hellish schedule. Here's a few of their opponents: Florida, San Diego State, Villanova, Duke, Colorado, New Mexico, Georgetown, Toledo, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Iowa State (twice), Baylor (twice), and now Texas. Eight of those teams are currently ranked nationally in the AP Poll, and most of them will be in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas' 11-5 record against those opponents should be a plus, not a minus.
3. FLORIDA (20-2): The Gators have surrendered 70 points in a regulation game just once; they haven't lost since December 2nd; their starting lineup includes four seniors who have been to the Elite Eight in each of the last three seasons. Quietly, a #1 seed is becoming increasingly likely.
4. ARIZONA (22-1): The Wildcats' long-term outlook has changed rather significantly after the loss at Cal -- not because of the defeat itself, but because of the season-ending foot injury sustained by Brandon Ashley. A six-foot-eight forward averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, Ashley was a key third big man who could stretch the floor and make free throws (neither of which are skills that the more-heralded Aaron Gordon possesses at this juncture). Arizona was only using seven legitimate rotation players when Ashley was healthy; without him, the team's depth and versatility take a serious hit. In their first full game without him, they barely sneaked past Oregon at home. Similar struggles may follow.
5. WICHITA STATE (24-0): On Wednesday, the Shockers passed the most challenging test they had left on their schedule by winning at Indiana State, 65-58. With only seven games remaining until the Missouri Valley's conference tournament, ESPN's Basketball Power Index estimates that Wichita State now has a 65% chance of finishing the regular season without a loss.
6. MICHIGAN STATE (20-3): The injury cards keep being reshuffled: Adreian Payne made his successful return from a foot sprain against Penn State on Thursday, but Keith Appling missed that same game because of a wrist injury that may prevent him from playing at Wisconsin. That's Michigan State's snake-bitten season in a nutshell. Tom Izzo has been forced to use 13 different starting lineups in 23 games. Health remains the biggest (and perhaps only) obstacle for the Spartans.
7. SAN DIEGO STATE (20-1) and 8. CINCINNATI (22-2): These teams are remarkably similar: both play elite defense, struggle to score, and rely heavily on one superstar in crunch time. For San Diego State, that star is Xavier Thames, who keyed a double-digit comeback win at Boise State by scoring 10 straight points and recording the game-winning assist in the final minutes. And for Cincinnati it's Sean Kilpatrick, who put up a monster 26-point, 12-rebound, six-assist effort to carry his team to a narrow win over Connecticut.
9. DUKE (18-5): The Blue Devils proved that it's possible for a team's stock to rise after a gut-wrenching loss. Despite significant foul trouble and Herculean performances from C.J. Fair and Jerami Grant, Duke almost managed to knock off undefeated Syracuse in front of the largest crowd in the Carrier Dome's history. Even factoring in that loss, Duke has been one of the best teams in the country over the last several weeks and the schedule down the stretch is a cakewalk -- with the notable exception of a rematch with the Orange on February 22nd.
10. VILLANOVA (20-2): The Big East is quietly having one if its most disappointing seasons in years. Syracuse, Louisville, and Pittsburgh are gone; Marquette and Georgetown are underachieving; and newcomers Butler and Xavier have done little of note. One of the league's only bright spots (along with Creighton) has been Villanova, which won the Battle for Atlantis tournament back in November by beating Kansas and Iowa on a neutral floor. Since then, the Wildcats have used their depth and balance to emerge as the favorites to win the new-look Big East.
Key Games to Watch This Weekend:
#10 Michigan at #17 Iowa, 2:00 PM Saturday
Will the Big 10 ever provide us with some semblance of order or clarity? Silly question.
#23 Gonzaga at #24 Memphis, 9:00 PM Saturday
Gonzaga has once again amassed its typically-gaudy record (21-3, 11-1 in the West Coast Conference), but unlike last year, the team hasn't beaten anybody of note. This game will be the Bulldogs' only chance to beef up their tournament résumé and prove that they're relevant.
#9 Michigan State at Wisconsin, 1:00 PM Sunday
Once the beneficiaries of an elite home field advantage, the Wisconsin Badgers have somehow lost three consecutive home games (one to Northwestern!) for the first time since 1997-98. Undefeated as recently as a month ago, this usually-consistent program has now lost five out of seven overall and another defeat would leave them at just 5-6 in the Big 10. Fortunately for the wounded home team, the Spartans' Keith Appling is a question mark because of his wrist injury. It's a golden opportunity for Wisconsin to finally right the ship.
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