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Rank (Last Week)
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Record
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Comment
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1. Kentucky (2)
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19-1
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Next four SEC games (at Georgia and LSU; vs. Tennessee and at South Carolina) vs. likely non-NCAA tourney teams. |
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2. Syracuse (1)
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20-1
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How quickly can Jim Boeheim’s formerly top-ranked crew bounce back from its first loss? We will not have long to find out – the Orange faces a tough Cincinnati club on the road Monday night. |
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3. Ohio State (4)
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17-3
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Extensive minutes given to freshmen in Lincoln Saturday could polish depth for down the road use. |
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4. Missouri (6)
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18-1
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It can’t get here soon enough – Feb. 4: Kansas at Missouri! |
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5. Kansas (7)
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16-3
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The improvement/contributions of center Jeff Withey should never be low-keyed when evaluating the Jayhawks’ success. |
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6. Duke (9)
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16-3
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A perplexing stat – the Blue Devils have only three more assists than turnovers (255 to 252). |
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7. Baylor (3)
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17-2
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Bears’ “defense” bordered on non-existent in season’s first losses (to Kansas and Missouri) last week. It better show marketable improvement Wednesday night in Norman. |
| 8. North Carolina (8) |
16-3
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The loss of a second key player (starting guard Dexter Strickland last week; superb jump shooter Leslie McDonald was sidelined late in the summer) to a torn ACL has severely hampered the program’s depth/perimeter/scoring. |
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9. Michigan State (9)
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16-4
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How tight is the Big Ten race? The Spartans are one six teams that are either tied for first or within a game of the lead. |
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10. Creighton (12)
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18-2
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Five games (and counting) before Wichita State comes to Omaha for a Feb. 11 clash of the MVC titans. |
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11. Murray State (11)
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20-0
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And the last of the unbeaten teams still standing – the Racers! |
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12. San Diego State (12)
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17-2
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The Aztecs take to the road this week to play a couple of MWC clubs (Wyoming, Tuesday, and Colorado State, Saturday) that are much better than most non-MWC followers realize. |
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13. UNLV (14)
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18-3
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If the Rebels take care of their business on the road, they’ll return as members of the 20-win club with three days to spare in January. |
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14. Indiana (10)
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16-4
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The Hoosiers, after a nifty second-half performance at home against Penn State on Sunday, play three of their next four outside of Bloomington. |
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15. Florida State (NR)
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13-6
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Since their ACC-opening, 20-point loss to Clemson, the Seminoles are 4-0 – including a sweep of North Carolina and Duke! |
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16. Virginia (13)
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15-3
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After playing so well on the road all season the Cavaliers stumbled at home Sunday (47-45) to a Virginia Tech club that lost its first four ACC games. |
On the cusp: Connecticut 14-5, Georgetown 16-3, Florida 15-4, Mississippi State 16-4, Saint Mary’s 19-2, Illinois 15-5, Saint Louis 15-4, Harvard 16-2, Marquette 16-4, Gonzaga 16-3, Kansas State 14-4, North Carolina State 15-5, Dayton 14-5, Michigan 15-5, Wichita State 17-3, West Virginia 15-5, Wisconsin 16-5.
THE TOP PERFORMANCES OF JAN. 16-22
TEAMS: Kansas (gave Baylor its first loss; won at Texas), Notre Dame (stunned Syracuse after losing at Rutgers), Ohio State (beat Indiana and Nebraska by a collective 51 points), San Diego State (beat TCU and New Mexico by a collective 40 points) and Florida State (snapped Duke’s 45-game winning streak after a 14-point win over Maryland).
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Florida State
PLAYERS: Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas/scored 50 points in wins over Baylor and Texas, with seven rebounds and 10 assists), Kevin Jones (West Virginia/scored 51 points with 20 rebounds in wins against Marshall and Cincinnati) and Michael Snaer (Florida State/hit a combined 33 points in wins over Maryland and Duke, including game-winning 3 vs. the Blue Devils).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Taylor
Frank Burlison has been covering hoops for 30+ years for a variety of publications.
Follow Frank on twitter @FrankieBur. Also make sure to follow his website at www.burlisononbasketball.com. College coaching staffs interested in Burlison’s scouting service should contact him at [email protected].
