VI Top 25 Ranking
Conference Rankings (Top 10)
1) Big Ten
2) ACC
3) Big 12
4) Pac-12
5) SEC
6) American
7) Big East
8) Atlantic 10
9) West Coast
10) Mountain West
Projected Final Four
Michigan State, Arizona, Louisville, Oklahoma State
Player of the Year Accolades
Marcus Smart - Oklahoma State State - Player of the Year Smart started December tasting his only loss, but carries a five-game winning streak into 2014. He's won showdowns with LaTech's Raheem Appelby and Colorado's Spencer Dinwiddie despite shooting poorly, so don't get lost in the numbers here. He's consistently impacting the game with his presence and physically taking smaller lead guards out of their comfort zone, exciting NBA scouts and executives by oozing intangibles. Randle's tremendous afternoon in Kentucky's conquest of Louisville narrows the gap, but we'll stick with Smart.
First Team VI All-Americans
F - Julius Randle, Kentucky
F - Doug McDermott, Creighton
C - Patric Young, Florida
G - Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
G - Shabazz Napier, Connecticut
Second Team VI All-Americans
F - Aaron Gordon, Arizona
F - Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
C - Adreian Payne, Michigan State
G - Gary Harris, Michigan State
G/F - Jabari Parker, Duke
Team to Watch (Dec. 31 - Jan. 6)
Louisville - Coming off a humbling loss at rival Kentucky where it never even resembled the team Rick Pitino has built, Louisville goes back to work without dismissed power forward Chane Behanan. Invaluable as a starter last year, he'd had a rough season and fallen out of favor, hitting rock bottom with a scoreless effort against the 'Cats before crossing the point of no return. The Cardinals begin their lone season of American Athletic Conference play with a New Year's Eve date at UCF before a date with Rutgers at the RAC over the weekend. Considering Memphis follows after that, Pitino will certainly want to get his team back on track. The Ville sure misses Georgui Dieng.
College Basketball Rankings (Through 12/30/13)
Rank Team Betting Notes Previous
1 Arizona (13-0 SU, 9-3 ATS) 1
2 Ohio State (13-0 SU, 6-6 ATS) 3
3 Wisconsin (13-0 SU, 8-4-1 ATS) 4
4 Syracuse (12-0 SU, 5-3 ATS) 8
5 Michigan State (11-1 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) 5
6 Wichita State (13-0 SU, 7-2-1 ATS) 7
7 Oklahoma State (12-1 SU, 6-3 ATS) 9
8 Iowa State (11-0 SU, 6-3 ATS) 10
9 Oregon (12-0 SU, 9-2 ATS) 11
10 UConn (11-1 SU, 4-6 ATS) 12
11 Duke (10-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) 13
12 Florida (10-2 SU, 4-2-2 ATS) 14
13 Memphis (9-2 SU, 5-4 ATS) 15
14 Baylor (10-1 SU, 3-5 ATS) 16
15 North Carolina (9-3 SU, 6-6 ATS) 17
16 Kentucky (10-3 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) 28
17 Louisville (11-2 SU, 6-5 ATS) 2
18 Villanova (11-1 SU, 8-2 ATS) 6
19 Kansas (9-3 SU, 5-6 ATS) 19
20 Iowa (11-2 SU, 7-4 ATS) 20
21 Pittsburgh (11-1 SU, 3-7 ATS) 21
22 Massachusetts (11-1 SU, 9-3 ATS) 22
23 Missouri (11-1 SU, 5-4-1 ATS) 23
24 Xavier (10-3 SU, 7-4 ATS) 24
25 Colorado (11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) 25
Dropped out of Top 25: None
On the Radar: Arizona State, Utah, George Washington, Toledo, Saint Mary's, Creighton, Illinois, Texas, Gonzaga, Stanford, San Diego State, Dayton, New Mexico, Tennessee, Indiana, Butler, Boise State, Marquette, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgetown, VCU, Kansas State, LSU, SMU, Cal, USC, Minnesota, Virginia, Providence, Cincinnati, NC State, BYU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Saint Louis, Harvard, Missouri State, Princeton.
Conference Rankings (Top 10)
1) Big Ten
2) ACC
3) Big 12
4) Pac-12
5) SEC
6) American
7) Big East
8) Atlantic 10
9) West Coast
10) Mountain West
Projected Final Four
Michigan State, Arizona, Louisville, Oklahoma State
Player of the Year Accolades
Marcus Smart - Oklahoma State State - Player of the Year Smart started December tasting his only loss, but carries a five-game winning streak into 2014. He's won showdowns with LaTech's Raheem Appelby and Colorado's Spencer Dinwiddie despite shooting poorly, so don't get lost in the numbers here. He's consistently impacting the game with his presence and physically taking smaller lead guards out of their comfort zone, exciting NBA scouts and executives by oozing intangibles. Randle's tremendous afternoon in Kentucky's conquest of Louisville narrows the gap, but we'll stick with Smart.
First Team VI All-Americans
F - Julius Randle, Kentucky
F - Doug McDermott, Creighton
C - Patric Young, Florida
G - Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
G - Shabazz Napier, Connecticut
Second Team VI All-Americans
F - Aaron Gordon, Arizona
F - Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
C - Adreian Payne, Michigan State
G - Gary Harris, Michigan State
G/F - Jabari Parker, Duke
Team to Watch (Dec. 31 - Jan. 6)
Louisville - Coming off a humbling loss at rival Kentucky where it never even resembled the team Rick Pitino has built, Louisville goes back to work without dismissed power forward Chane Behanan. Invaluable as a starter last year, he'd had a rough season and fallen out of favor, hitting rock bottom with a scoreless effort against the 'Cats before crossing the point of no return. The Cardinals begin their lone season of American Athletic Conference play with a New Year's Eve date at UCF before a date with Rutgers at the RAC over the weekend. Considering Memphis follows after that, Pitino will certainly want to get his team back on track. The Ville sure misses Georgui Dieng.
College Basketball Rankings (Through 12/30/13)
Rank Team Betting Notes Previous
1 Arizona (13-0 SU, 9-3 ATS) 1
2 Ohio State (13-0 SU, 6-6 ATS) 3
3 Wisconsin (13-0 SU, 8-4-1 ATS) 4
4 Syracuse (12-0 SU, 5-3 ATS) 8
5 Michigan State (11-1 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) 5
6 Wichita State (13-0 SU, 7-2-1 ATS) 7
7 Oklahoma State (12-1 SU, 6-3 ATS) 9
8 Iowa State (11-0 SU, 6-3 ATS) 10
9 Oregon (12-0 SU, 9-2 ATS) 11
10 UConn (11-1 SU, 4-6 ATS) 12
11 Duke (10-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) 13
12 Florida (10-2 SU, 4-2-2 ATS) 14
13 Memphis (9-2 SU, 5-4 ATS) 15
14 Baylor (10-1 SU, 3-5 ATS) 16
15 North Carolina (9-3 SU, 6-6 ATS) 17
16 Kentucky (10-3 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) 28
17 Louisville (11-2 SU, 6-5 ATS) 2
18 Villanova (11-1 SU, 8-2 ATS) 6
19 Kansas (9-3 SU, 5-6 ATS) 19
20 Iowa (11-2 SU, 7-4 ATS) 20
21 Pittsburgh (11-1 SU, 3-7 ATS) 21
22 Massachusetts (11-1 SU, 9-3 ATS) 22
23 Missouri (11-1 SU, 5-4-1 ATS) 23
24 Xavier (10-3 SU, 7-4 ATS) 24
25 Colorado (11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) 25
Dropped out of Top 25: None
On the Radar: Arizona State, Utah, George Washington, Toledo, Saint Mary's, Creighton, Illinois, Texas, Gonzaga, Stanford, San Diego State, Dayton, New Mexico, Tennessee, Indiana, Butler, Boise State, Marquette, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgetown, VCU, Kansas State, LSU, SMU, Cal, USC, Minnesota, Virginia, Providence, Cincinnati, NC State, BYU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Saint Louis, Harvard, Missouri State, Princeton.