Florida Gators Lead NCAA Top 20

Upsets rearrange college basketball rankings

© Mark Barnes

Feb 5, 2007

Top college basketball teams continue to fall, dramatically changing the look of our Suite 16.

College Basketball Rankings Week 13

  1. Florida (21-2) -- The Gators continued to look invincible, hammering Tennessee and maintaining a stranglehold on the top spot in our college basketball rankings.
  2. UCLA (20-2) -- The Bruins avenged an earlier loss to Oregon and improved to 20-2. With an RPI rank of 1 and strength-of-schedule rank of 2, UCLA has a very nice resume.
  3. Ohio State (20-3) -- Seven straight wins since a loss to Wisconsin, and the Buckeyes are tied atop the Big Ten and check in at their highest spot in our college basketball rankings.
  4. Texas A&M (19-3) -- The Aggies lived upt to their hype with a stunning win at Kansas, while taking a one-game lead in the logjammed Big 12.
  5. Wisconsin (22-2) -- The Badgers are off to their best start in team history. A battle at Ohio State in three weeks could decide the Big Ten Championship.
  6. Kansas (19-4) -- In spite of the home loss to Texas A&M, the Jayhawks are still in second in the Big 12, and Kansas marches out the best 8 players in the country night in and night out. A six spot in our college basketball rankings is definitely warranted.
  7. North Carolina (20-3) -- The Tar Heels stumble in our college basketball rankings, due to a recent upset by NC State. North Carolina is still probably the deepest team in the nation.
  8. Butler (22-2) -- The Bulldogs would likely be a top 10 team in every poll, if their RPI rank was higher. They sit at number 22 in the RPI, based on a weak strength of schedule. Our college basketball rankings, though, have not forgotten Butler's early season wins over Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Gonzaga.
  9. Pittsburgh (20-3) -- Our readers know we're not big on the Panthers, but a number 3 ranking in the RPI, coupled with their stellar overall record moves Pittsburgh into our top 10 -- for the time being.
  10. Air Force (20-3) -- The Falcons are ranked 14 in the RPI and play the very underrated Montain West Conference. Air Force almost never surrenders more than 60 points (just 6 times all year) and is very deserving of this high spot in our college basketball rankings.
  11. Florida State (17-6) -- The Seminoles shocked the college basketball world, beating Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, after losing 15 straight games in Durham. Florida State also pounded a very good Maryland squad last week, giving FSU solid standings in our college basketball rankings.
  12. Southern Illinois (19-5) -- Some may scoff our ranking of the Salukis, who have gotten no love in the polls this season. Southern Illinois plays in the Missouri Valley Conference, ranked fifth by the RPI, and SIU is ranked 10th by the RPI. The Salukis play full-court, in-your-face basketball from start to finish. Watch this team come March, and our respect for coach Chris Lowery's team will become clear.
  13. Oregon (19-4) -- After key wins over UCLA and Arizona, the Ducks have tumbled in our college basketball rankings with consecutive losses in the PAC-10. Still, Oregon is very athletic and plays in a strong conference.
  14. Oklahoma State (18-4) -- The Cowboys suffered a disappointing loss to Colorado -- last in the Big 12, damaging OSU's standing in our college basketball rankings.
  15. Boston College (16-6) -- The Eagles may not have the superior overall record that other teams in our rankings have, but BC still leads the ACC and continues to compete, despite losing interior force, Sean Williams, who was averaging 5 blocks per game for BC.
  16. Washington State (19-4) -- The defensive-minded Cougars are a game behind UCLA in the Pac-10 and play 10 guys double-figure minutes, a recipe for success come March.

The copyright of the article Florida Gators Lead NCAA Top 20 in College Basketball is owned by Mark Barnes. Permission to republish Florida Gators Lead NCAA Top 20 must be granted by the author in writing.



Comments
Feb 5, 2007 10:35 AM
Mark Barnes :
We rank teams like Southern Illinois, Butler and Air Force very high in our College Basketball Rankings?

Do they deserve to be this high? Who do you think we've left off?
Feb 6, 2007 5:25 PM
Alan L. Hammond :
Where has all the love gone for my beloved Kentucky Wildcats and the rest of the SEC? Sincerely, from the heart of Wildcat Country.
Feb 9, 2007 7:11 AM
eric barnes :
After Pitt at nine, you can drop the rest of the pretenders you have ranked at least three spots and enter Memphis, Marquette, and Nevada.

Florida state? are they the team that beat Florida or the team that's .500 in their conference?

Can't wait for Saturdays KU vs Florida game. We may have a new #1 come Monday.
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