These Rankings are from the USA Today Poll that came out Monday 1/31.
St. Johns-93 #5 Duke-78
I cant say I watched this entire game, though I did check out most of the first half. It wasn't really a game from the opening tip, St. Johns controlled the paint and played a solid perimeter game as well, not forcing outside shots or turning the ball over. Also Kyle Singler struggling (7-17 from the field) really hurt the blue devils. They cannot win on a one man Nolan Smith show. Aside from the obvious what made this game a blowout? I see two huge points. The first being the experience of St. Johns. Any team where more the half the team are seniors is going to be competitive, no matter who they are playing. The second being, the Big East is proving more then just a little dominance over the college basketball world. That was not a fluke win. Duke is ranked 3rd in the country, St. Johns is 11th in the Big East. How does that add up? And one more thing, all the fans in Cameron Indoor really need you to get healthy Kyrie Irving.
#13 Louisville- 79 #7 Uconn-78
Now usually this couldn't be considered an upset, given its the Big East and these are both top 20 teams. However Uconn was in the top ten, and more importantly it was at Uconn. Winning on the road is huge, and Louisville pulled that off in a double OT thriller. Another huge surprise to me in this game, was Louisville didn't outscore Uconn from three point land. I see Louisville as a live and die by the three team, and to show they can win on the road while not outscoring an opponent from three shows a lot. But this game showed more about Uconn. Kemba Walker, national player of the year candidate, shot 7-23 with only 20 points. He is a great player, but watching this game, he forced shots for no good reason. He has a good team around him, when the shot isn't falling you cant force up 23 shots. Also, I see a huge lack of effort on his part. A 30 foot three point shot to try to win the game when your only down 1? No going to cut it Kemba, you need to learn how to play for the team rather then yourself sometimes. And, your not Jimmer, though you try sometimes. One more thing, look for Jeremy Lamb for the rest of Uconn's season. He is coming on as a real scoring threat for the Huskies.
#14 Georgetown-69 #12 Villanova-66
True, this is not much of an upset, more of a close game that could have gone either way but once again, a Big East team won on the road, which is the only way you can win this conference. Stokes continued his struggles from the Providence game, only shooting 4-10 from the field. Fisher only scored 15 points and if that guard tandem cannot preform at a high level then Nova will struggle to win any game. The game was truly about Georgetown's offense however, shooting 52% from the field. Austin Freeman is finally playing up to the level he can, turning it on these last few games, scoring 30 against Nova. A close game was a result of the timely scoring by Villanova and a home court advantage. However, these are two teams headed in opposite directions, and unless the backcourt of Nova can wake up, they will continue to slide with a brutal schedule.
New Mexico-86 #9 BYU-77
Jimmer Fredette must have had a bad game right? Because BYU is way too good to fall to any MWC team with that star power right? False. Jimmer went for 32 points which is above his season average, and shot 6-9 from three, with the typical 30 foot fade away shots that leave my jaw dropped for at least 30 seconds. Your average college basketball fan wouldn't know much about New Mexico, and for good reason. Sitting at 15-7 and only a 3-4 record in the MWC, they would be lucky to be on the bubble without having a good run and competing with BYU and San Diego State for the Conference, which seems unlikely. Bottom line, you don't have to know much about New Mexico. What you have to know is that unless Jimmer goes for 40 a game, this team is overrated and does not have much talent. One guy can carry you a long way (ask Steph Curry about that), however they will not make you a top ten team. Unless they get a good base of scoring and a new found defense (New Mexico shot 50% from the field), you won't have to worry about BYU staying a top ten team for long.
Marquette-76 #17 Syracuse- 70
If you want to understand why this doesn't surprise me, read my previous article on the Big East. Syracuse is sliding a lot and suddenly that unbeatable 2-3 zone looks lackluster at best. Syracuse can score, and they are. They shot 57% from the field and lost! 14 turnovers on the road in the Big East though, not going to cut it. Sure you could say this isn't a big deal because Cuse was on the road, however dropping 4 straight? That is a big deal. It is all about the defense too, which we usually see is Syracuse's high point. So what exactly is the issue? It is the same zone as usual right? Thats the point. The soft spots are getting exposed, and teams come in with confidence that breaking it will be easy. Also, Cuse is missing the quick hands of a player like Andy Rautins, who could have 5 steals in any given game. Also, who is making the big shot? There are a lot of questions with the Syracuse team, and unless Coach Boeheim answers them, they will quickly fall out of the Big East standings. Much props to Marquette too they are winning at home and games they are supposed to, and at 15-8 you cannot sleep on a team with explosive offense from stars Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom.
Nebraska-57 #16 Texas A&M-48
Before I discuss this game, which will be brief because this was not an interesting game, Nebraska is 15-5. They play basketball in Lincoln too, and they have a good team this year. The "Upstart Aggies" as many were calling them loose a bad road game to a good Nebraska team, and people are surprised? Texas A&M has been struggling to score all year, being 121st in the country with only 70 points a game. They play great defense, and can rebound the ball, but you need to score, especially with the teams in the Big 12. Texas A&M was considered highly underrated, but now we see that we just overrated them. Sure, at 17-3 they are a good team but getting blown out by Texas was no fluke. This team has no go to scorer, especially with Middleton (15.7 ppg) struggling of late. With only 12 points in the Nebraska game, there is no chance for them to win. Frankly unless this team find offense, especially with Texas coming to town tonight at 9, look for a fast fall in the rankings for the Aggies.
Penn State-56 #18 Wisconsin-52
As we have seen over the last few years, Wisconsin always plays like a top 20 team at home, but on the road not so much. Playing typical Wisconsin defense, even with a very poor shooting performance should beat Penn State on the road right? False. The real story of this game is not Wisconsin it is Penn State. Finally they are competitive in the Big 10. Sure, at only 12-8 they have a very slim chance at competing with Ohio State for the Big 10. But they have a chance to even sneak into the bubble. Whats different this year? The simple answer is Taylor Battle. This kid is no joke at all, he is averaging big numbers (20.4ppg, 3.3apg). More importantly, he is leading them to wins. They also beat Michigan State, Illinois and were seconds away from beating #10 Purdue and #1 Ohio State. They are getting better, and every team in the Big 10 has to be weary, no one wants to go to University Park nowadays. Watch out for The Nittany Lions traveling to #24 Illinois tomorrow night.
In my mind those were the major upsets of the weekend. Other upsets include:
In my mind those were the major upsets of the weekend. Other upsets include:
Washington St.-87 #19Washington-80
In state rivalry, at Washington St, I don't see it as an upset, just more of the Pac-10 beating up on each other. Both teams will probably make the tournament, and the Pac-10 is weak, just like it was last year. Not a big deal in the college basketball world. (One more note Isiah Thomas is once again playing well, averaging 17.1 points a game and in chase for Pac-10 player of the year.)
Arkansas-89 #24 Vandy- 78
SEC basketball? Nothing important nowadays unless your Kentucky. This game comes down to Arkansas is not a bad team in terms of the SEC, and if you can outscore the Commodores, they are not an impressive team.
One more note: Pitt and Ohio State barley edged by non-ranked opponents Rutgers and Northwestern. They both impressed me by fighting through horrible shooting performances in hostile arenas.
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