EXAMINER TOP 25
Still No. 1 in our (Buck)eyes
It’s unusual for a team to lose and remain No. 1. But that’s what happened to Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ 71-67 defeat at surging Wisconsin was about as quality a loss as a team could sustain. San Diego State is the only other one-loss team with a similar quality road loss — at BYU. But the Aztecs’ schedule has not been as challenging. Kansas might have had the best resume before Monday’s loss to Kansas St. And Texas is the hottest team in the nation, but with three early defeats it’s hard to make the Longhorns No. 1.
| No. Team » Comment » Last week 1. Ohio State (24-1) » Sullinger shows you can be great below the rim » 1 2. Texas (22-3) » Q: Last team to go unbeaten in Big 12? Kansas (2001-02) » 2 3. Kansas (24-2) » Kansas St. guard Pullen spoils Kansas’ AP top ranking » 3 4. Pitt (22-2) » After loss by Ohio State, Pitt has a reasonable claim to No. 1 » 4 5. Duke (23-2) » In the last six games, Curry has hit 16 of 31 3-pointers » 5 6. San Diego St. (26-1) » Held UNLV to 1-for-33 from 3-point range in two wins » 6 7. BYU (24-2) » G Fredette has more wins (104) than any other Cougar » 7 8. Notre Dame (21-4) » With 7 straight in the Big East, Irish feeling the ‘burn’ » 8 9. Georgetown (20-5) » Hottest team (8 straight) in the nation’s top conference » 9 10. Wisconsin (19-5) » Payback? Badgers must play in Columbus in season finale » 12 11. Louisville (19-6) » Last seven games decided by five or fewer points or in OT » 13 12. Syracuse (21-6) » Triche with 41 points in last two games » 11 13. Connecticut (19-5) » With win over Providence, broke two-game home skid » 14 14. Purdue (20-5) » Big week at Mackey Arena — host Wisconsin, Ohio State » 15 15. Arizona (21-4) » Feb. 19 vs. Washington, Feb. 26 at UCLA loom for ‘Cats » 16 16. Florida (20-5) » 7-1 against teams that have been ranked at some point » 19 17. Villanova (19-6) » In rugged Big East, Wildcats have lost five of the last eight » 10 18. Missouri (19-6) » Have not beaten higher-ranked team this year » 17 19. N. Carolina (18-6) » At Duke, Ol’ Roy had the plan, but not enough experience » 18 20. Texas A&M (19-5) » Nice bounce back with wins at Colorado, Texas Tech » 20 21. Temple (19-5) » Owls have won six straight in A-10; play Richmond Thurs. » 22 22. Vanderbilt (18-6) » Wins last week over Bama, UK came by same score, 81-77 » 24 23. G. Mason (21-5) » At VCU, can set a school record for consecutive wins (12) » 25 24. Kentucky (17-7) » Freshmen were supposed to be up to speed by February » 21 25. C. Carolina (24-2) » First team nicknamed Chanticleers in Examiner rankings » NR * Results include Monday night’s games |
HEATING UP
George Mason; Also » Vanderbilt, Temple
COOLING DOWN
Villanova; Also » Ohio State, Kentucky
GAME OF THE WEEK
St. John’s at Marquette, Tuesday, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
How many losses can a team sustain and still get an NCAA at-large berth? Marquette (15-10) might test the limit this season. The Golden Eagles have victories over Notre Dame, Syracuse and West Virginia. And all of their losses have come by nine or fewer points to teams that have been ranked at some point this season. The schedule is doable with two games remaining with Seton Hall, and one each with Cincinnati, Providence, and UConn.
PLAYER TO WATCH
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt, G
The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard is never to blame for No. 22 Vanderbilt (18-6). In the Commodores’ losses, Jenkins has hit 40 of 80 shots and 22 of 48 from beyond the arc, never failing to score at least 21 points. Last week in home wins over Alabama and Kentucky, Jenkins scored 52 points, hitting 16 of 28 from the floor. Now comes the hard part. Four of Vandy’s next five are on the road, including Wednesday at Georgia. (Wed., 7 p.m., ESPNU)
STORYLINES
1. Down goes Ohio State » Madison, Wis., has become a dreaded destination for the Ohio State Buckeyes. In October, OSU’s top-ranked, undefeated football team lost 31-18. Four months later, it was the same outcome in another sport as Wisconsin took down the top-ranked and undefeated Ohio State basketball team 61-57. This one was particularly painful in Columbus as the Buckeyes led by 15 points with 13 minutes left. But the Badgers rallied behind guard Jordan Taylor, who scored 21 of his 27 points and dished four of his seven assists in a final 13 minutes of brilliant offensive execution.
2. Muddled ACC » Some are insisting the ACC will get four or five teams in the NCAA tournament. But who? Duke and North Carolina are locks, but beyond that few teams are making a strong case. Florida State (18-6) was closing in on a berth, but that was before a foot injury Saturday to top player Chris Singleton, which will require surgery and a month of rehab. This may finally be the year for perennial bride-at-the-altar Virginia Tech (16-7), though its credentials (66 RPI) are suspect. The same goes for Boston College (16-9/43), Miami (15-10/68), Clemson (17-8/73), and Maryland (16-9/89).
3. Stone Cole good » The biggest head-scratcher among the finalists for the Cousy Award, given to the nation’s best point guard, might have been Cleveland State’s Norris Cole. But after his performance Saturday, he might be the new favorite. Cole scored 41 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and dished out nine assists in an 86-76 win over Youngstown State. It’s the stat line of the year — maybe longer. In the last 15 seasons, the only other player with a 40/20 was Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, who had 40 and 23 against Texas Tech in 2009.
AREA INTELLIGENCE
GEORGETOWN
The D.C. Three — Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark — garners much attention. But Hollis Thompson, who had 13 rebounds Sunday against Marquette, and Julian Vaughan, who has averaged 9.4 points and 6.4 boards, have been major contributors to the No. 9 Hoyas’ current eight-game win streak.
Next » at UConn, Wed., 7 p.m. (MASN)
GEORGE WASHINGTON
After going 0-5 against A-10 teams with winning records, GW had a breakthrough Sunday at UMass 59-51, behind freshman Nemanja Mikic (20 points, 7 rebounds) and sophomore Dwayne Smith (14 points, 10 rebounds). A 19-9 edge in turnovers was key as GW (13-12, 6-5) moved into sixth place in the league.
Next » at LaSalle, Sat., 7 p.m. (CBSCS)
AMERICAN
In a 69-60 victory over Colgate on Saturday, junior Stephen Lumpkins scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Eagles improved to 12-0 at home all-time against the Red Raiders. AU (17-8, 7-3) is two games behind Bucknell (18-8, 9-1) in the Patriot League standings with four games left.
Next » at Army, Wed., 7 p.m.
NAVY
After being outrebounded by at least 20 in each of their previous three games, the Mids won the battle of the boards 34-32 and had their best defensive effort since 2007 in a 57-52 victory Saturday over Lafayette. Navy (9-17, 4-6) is tied for fifth in the Patriot League with Holy Cross (5-19, 4-6).
Next » at Holy Cross, Wed., 7 p.m.
VIRGINIA
The Cavaliers’ woes continued Saturday with a 63-56 loss at Florida State. Sammy Zeglinsky (19 points) and Joe Harris (17 points) kept Virginia close, but the rest of the Cavs made only six of 30 shots. Virginia (12-12, 3-7) needs a win over No. 5 Duke to prevent from falling under .500 for the first time this year.
Next » Duke, Wed., 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
