Busting Brackets Power 32 Poll: Kentucky Takes the Top Spot
By Jamal Murphy
After a busy week of college basketball, we have a new #1 and plenty of changes after that.
(Rankings prior to games played 11/28/11)
1. KENTUCKY (6-0) LW: 2 – The Wildcats crushed Radford and Portland while a couple other top teams struggled versus greater competition.
2. OHIO STATE (6-0) LW: 3 – The Buckeyes absolutely dispatched some lesser comp as well, but get a real test in Duke on Tuesday.
3. DUKE (7-0) LW: 6 – The Dukies had a nice week, leaving Maui with the championship trophy. The competition will get even stiffer come Tuesday.
4. SYRACUSE (6-0) LW: 5 – The Cuse has a lot going on, but it has yet to affect them on the court, thus far.
5. NORTH CAROLINA (5-1) LW: 1 – Carolina got caught sleeping by Vegas, in Vegas. Who says what happens there, stays there?
6. ALABAMA (7-0) LW: 9 – Bama jumps up a few spots due to some casualties and a nice victory against a scrappy VCU squad.
6. CONNECTICUT (6-1) LW: 4 – Uconn was exposed a bit by the UCF zone, but don’t expect Calhoun and company to be down for long, especially with the addition of G Ryan Boatwright.
8. FLORIDA (4-1) LW: 10 – The Gators lunched on some cupcakes last week, but visit the Carrier Dome on Friday.
8. LOUISVILLE (5-0) LW: 7 – Siva has been slowed by an ankle injury, but the Cards will need him this week versus Long Beach State and Vandy.
10. MISSOURI (6-0) LW: 24 – The Tigers shot way up the charts with blow out wins against Notre Dame and Cal.
11. WISCONSIN (6-0) LW: 11 – The Badgers stay right where they were in this poll, but we’ll learn more Wednesday when they face the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
12. BAYLOR (5-0) LW: 13 – The Bears will likely get a test Sunday at Northwestern.
12. XAVIER (4-0) LW: 11 – Tu Holloway and friends have a tough match-up tonight at Vanderbilt to start a rough non conference stretch.
14. PITTSBURGH (5-1) LW: 15 – Khem Birch’s inevitable emergence makes Pitt a force once again.
14. VANDERBILT (5-1) LW: 15 – A tough week ahead for the Commodores, as they host Xavier, then travel to Louisville.
16. KANSAS (3-2) LW: 17 – Bill Self tested his squad in Maui and came out OK. Thomas Robinson has been a beast for the Jayhawks.
17. MICHIGAN (4-1) LW: 19 – The Wolverines lost a tough one to Duke, but took care of business versus Memphis and UCLA in Maui.
18. MARQUETTE (5-0) LW: 14 – Nice in-state match-up with Wisconsin coming Saturday.
19. GONZAGA (4-0) LW: 19 – The Zags finally test themselves versus Notre Dame and Illinois this week.
19. MISSISSIPPI STATE (7-1) LW: 21 – The Bulldogs host West Virginia on Saturday.
21. SAINT LOUIS (6-0) LW: NR – Huge week for Majerus and the Bilikens as they took care of Villanova and Oklahoma on their way to a 76 Classic championship.
22. UNLV (6-0) LW: NR – The Rebels shot the lights out and upset #1 North Carolina. Can they keep the momentum rolling in Vegas?
23. CREIGHTON (5-0) LW: 32 – The Bluejays have an interesting match-up at San Diego State on Wednesday.
23. HARVARD (5-0) LW: NR – Yes, it’s true. Tommy Amaker has the Ivy League squad competing at a high level. Wins over Florida State and Central Florida got them a tournament championship out in the Bahamas.
25. MEMPHIS (2-2) LW: 8 – The Tigers took a big dip in the eyes of many and in our poll after losing to a couple of good teams in Maui last week.
26. FLORIDA STATE (5-2) LW: 22 – This long, athletic, tough defensive-minded team will remain in the mix all year long, despite a couple of tough losses in the Bahamas last week.
27. PURDUE (6-1) LW: 28 – Purdue kept rolling last week, but get a couple tests this week in the form of Miami and Xavier.
28. BELMONT (2-2) LW: 29 – Belmont was idle last week, but we can’t forget their great showing in Cameron Indoor.
28. GEORGETOWN (3-1) LW: NR – The Hoyas were an unknown entity until they scared Kansas and beat Memphis last week in Maui. Now, we know they have plenty of talent and length to work with.
28. MICHIGAN STATE (4-2) LW: 30 – Tom Izzo’s team continues to try and get better after two early season losses to the ACC’s best. It will look more like a football game when the Spartans meet Florida State on Wednesday.
28. OREGON STATE (4-1) LW: NR – Craig Robinson’s squad has been surprisingly good early in the season. With the Pac-12 seemingly wide open, this could be a solid year for the Beavers.
32. DAYTON (5-1) LW: NR – The Flyers came from nowhere to give coach Archie Miller an early season tournament championship.
What are your thoughts on this week’s rankings?
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