Is this the weekend #1, 2 and 3 all lose? Purdue will have trouble with Mich State tomorrow without Hummel. Things might not be so bad for Kentucky afterall.

Syracuse plays Villanova too. Wouldn't be surprised if all 4 fall.

Oklahoma State decided to play their best half of basketball over the past 4 years today. Hard to beat that.

Kansas would still be #1 with only 2 losses.

If all 4 lose, the rankings would probably see Nova move ahead of Cuse, Purdue drop, Syracuse drop, and Duke take over the #3 spot. Kansas and Kentucky would still be 1 and 2 I'd say. Lots of basketball left though.

Azubuike24 wrote: If all 4 lose, the rankings would probably see Nova move ahead of Cuse, Purdue drop, Syracuse drop, and Duke take over the #3 spot. Kansas and Kentucky would still be 1 and 2 I'd say. Lots of basketball left though.

Sounds about right. I dont see Syracuse losing tonight though to Nova. That huge crowd will have them fired up and Nova isnt playing their best ball lately. Ill say Cuse is next weeks #1.

Two down and Purdue losing tomorrow. Syracuse wins tonight and becomes your new #1!!

Syracuse will not jump KU.

slingshot4ever wrote: Syracuse will not jump KU.

With a win over #8 Villanova tonight you can guarantee they would jump kansas!!

Purdue is the trump card here. No one knows how exactly they will respond/play without Hummel. If they happen to win tomorrow vs MSU..then finish out the season, go on to win a couple games at least in the Big Ten...it could be enough to get them a #1 seed IMO. I think everyone is waiting to see how the do without Hummel. Tomorrow is a HUGE game for Purdue, not only for Big Ten, but for seeding purposes as well.

september63 wrote:

slingshot4ever wrote: Syracuse will not jump KU.

With a win over #8 Villanova tonight you can guarantee they would jump kansas!!

Agreed. Not sure they beat the Wildcats but if they do I think the Orange will be ranked #1 come Monday afternoon.

What happens if Purdue wins? Do they move to number 1?

Yes. They are #3. Id think beating #14 would be enough to move them to #1.

There isn't as much emphasis placed on top 25 rankings as there is for NCAA seeding implications. If Purdue beats Michigan State tomorrow and Syracuse loses tonight, the Boilermakers are No. 1 or 2 come Monday. I still think there is a possibility Kansas stays at No. 1 no matter what happens. This has been known to happen. From recollection of my own team, on two different occasions during the 1992 season Duke lost and the following week remained atop the college basketball standings.

I could see KU, with only two losses, remaining at the top.

I think IF Syracuse holds on to win tonight....they're #1 on Monday regardless of what Purdue does tomorrow.

reclegend22 wrote: There isn't as much emphasis placed on top 25 rankings as there is for NCAA seeding implications. If Purdue beats Michigan State tomorrow and Syracuse loses tonight, the Boilermakers are No. 1 or 2 come Monday. I still think there is a possibility Kansas stays at No. 1 no matter what happens. This has been known to happen. From recollection of my own team, on two different occasions during the 1992 season Duke lost and the following week remained atop the college basketball standings.

I could see KU, with only two losses, remaining at the top.

NOT happening this time. Syracuse #1 Monday afternoon!!

Now I don't think it matters what Purdue does tomorrow. Syracuse kicked the shit out of the #8 team in the land and clinched at least a share of the Big East regular season title. They will be the new #1 team in the country.

I'd agree with that considering how dominant tonight's victory was. Unless, of course, Duke were to jump the Cuse based on the Blue Devils recent win streak.


I'm kidding (that was for ahdonis.

Syracuse will be the new #1 most likely, and deservedly so. As I've said most of the year, the Orange(men) have the best team in the country.

Ive been saying I thought Syracuse was the best team in the land and would cut donw the nets for about 4-5 weeks. Unfortunately everyone else is starting to see it and they cant be a surprise team anymore. Kentucky, for me still has the most talent. Kansas I cant get a grip on. Ive never been overly impressed with their entire game (defense, transition, shooting, and offensive exectution) like I have been with Cuse, yet they only have 2 loses and a ton of talent.

Those are the 3 best imo.

After that:
Purdue who I never thought would have enough down-low or depth wise (until Jackson came back) really is hurting now without Hummel. Plus, they remind me a little of Wisky in that they will struggle with ueber athletic teams.

OSU is a wild-card. Best player in America and a ton more talent around him on the starting 5 plus incredible height and length and athleticism. But with no depth and only Lauderdale in the post I worry.

Duke I admit I havent seen a lot of. If the reports on Zoubek are true they will be a tough out. But a team with quick guards will once again give them fits (and I still have my doubts that Zoubek is going to be a factor in March)

WVU just doesnt scare me at all past the Sweet 16

Tennessee can beat anyone (obvious with wins over UK and KU), but they can also lose to anyone. I wouldnt put it past Pearl to choke it away early in the tourney. I cant see this team making a serious run.

Villanova - Well Im trying not to make a quick judgement after tonight, but got they looked terrible. Couldnt hit a shot to save their lives (King had a few and Reynolds is Reynolds). But Stokes and Fisher were just beyond bad. They had NOTHING inside to stop the post presence(s) of Syracuse.

UNM could be a sleeper all the way to the Elite 8. Play solid defense and dont over commit which is a trait of really good mid majors. They can shoot the ball as well and look to have some big bodies.

BYU I dont think has near the shot as UNM, but they do have the best scorer in the country (if healthy) and that will always be a huge plus in March.

G'Town - Ill pass. Monroe is great, and if they are hitting 3s they will beat anyone. But that IF too often turns into a DIDNT.

Kansas State is a tough one as well. They have looked great vs Kansas and Texas...but both were at home with incredible crowds. This is the one team I really cant make a prediction on.

Butler is solid and are playing incredible right now (I dont care about the league), but I just dont think they have the athletes to get it done.

Michigan State is another wildcard. They have the leadership, depth, experience, post play as well as guard play, outside shooting, and post scoring to get all the way to the FF. But they just havent seemed to click all year long for a prolonged period of time. BUUUUT, that has been the motto of Izzo teams, and I wouldnt be shocked at all to see them make a serious run.

Ok, well I was planning on just breaking down a few teams and then just got on a roll. I think I hit most of the top 15 teams, but couldve missed 1 or 2.
NOTE: Those are my predictions of the chances to make the Final Four, not anything else.

I've been a Syracuse fan for as long as I've been watching college hoops (since 1990) and I've seen more talented Syracuse teams but never a better Syracuse "team."

They lost Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devedorf and got better. Amazing. So unselfish. No big egos. Heart, effort, chemistry, sufficient talent and one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.

I usually remain cautiously optimistic in regards to my teams but it's hard not to be excited about this team. I've felt that they've been a legit title contender for a while. If they're getting after it defensively and that zone is active.....man, they'll be extremely tough to beat.

GO 'CUSE!

With Syracuses win they will be number 1. I honestly think that even if Purdue wins toady that Kentucky and Kansas would both remain ahead of them. Although as an OSU fan we need MSU to beat Purdue anyway

I'd say if Purdue wins, they go to #2.

Think about this, Purdue defeated Tennessee (who UK and KU have lost to) and the Boilers haven't lost in 6 weeks. They have an extra loss, but would deserve the #2 ranking, at least for the upcoming week.

Great point I didn't realize that they all three had a common opponent.

Im not sure how much common opponents really factor in this. IT's a complete boby of work, plus what your team can bring to the table for the tourny

Should be:

1-Syracuse
2-Kansas
3-Kentucky
4-Duke
5-Purdue