TOP 25
Despite hiccup, UK still No. 1
Fine, Kentucky lost, just like every other undefeated team in the country. But did a one-night wonder by South Carolina’s Devan Downey — okay, he’s pretty darn good — make a big enough impression to drop the Wildcats? Not when they still have more future pros than any other team in the country on their roster. Not when Syracuse could only eke out a nail-biter at DePaul. Villanova and Kansas are certainly threatening, but there isn’t reason for anything close to anxiety at Rupp Arena. The rest of the rankings are just a mess, with a bunch of teams that look decent, except for on the days that they get stomped (ahem … Duke).
*records through 1/31 (10 p.m.)
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Kentucky (20-1) | The way they dismantled Vandy keeps Cats on top | 1 |
| 2 | Villanova (19-1) | A final homecoming for Reynolds at Verizon on Saturday | 2 |
| 3 | Syracuse (21-1) | If DePaul had beaten Orange, would that make AU third? | 3 |
| 4 | Kansas (20-1) | 20 lead changes, 14 ties in epic outlasting of K-State | 4 |
| 5 | Michigan St. (19-3) | Still unbeaten in Big 10, but at Wisc and Illinois this week | 6 |
| 6 | West Virginia (15-3) | May have exhaust comeback quota by tourney time | 7 |
| 7 | Georgetown (16-4) | Freeman is fourth in Big East FG Pct (.577) | 8 |
| 8 | Purdue (18-3) | Last three opponents held under 60 points | 10 |
| 9 | Kansas State (17-4) | Winning in spite of, or because of Clemente’s play | 14 |
| 10 | Duke (17-4) | Scheyer: at least 3 TOs in last three games | 9 |
| 11 | Texas (18-3) | Did the Horns peak too early? | 5 |
| 12 | Ohio State (16-6) | Five Big Ten wins in a row | 20 |
| 13 | Wisconsin (16-5) | Nearly held serve at Mackey. The reward: The Spartans | 15 |
| 14 | New Mexico (20-3) | Selection committee! Lobos 4-0 against ranked opponents | 17 |
| 15 | Ga. Tech (16-5) | Ohio State visits WVU, Jackets play Kentucky State?! | 21 |
| 16 | Tennessee (16-4) | Four double-figure rebounding games in last six for Chism | 13 |
| 17 | Temple (18-4) | Owls stranglehold on A-10 starting to get precarious | 11 |
| 18 | BYU (21-2) | Fredette 32.0 ppg in last three. Last month he had mono | 12 |
| 19 | Baylor (16-4) | OT win at Texas was first Big 12 road victory | NR |
| 20 | Xavier (15-6) | Five of next six away from home, including visit to Florida | 22 |
| 21 | Wake Forest (14-5) | When they beat Miami, all Canes talk should finally stop | 24 |
| 22 | Vanderbilt (16-4) | Won’t be here long if they can’t handle Miss. St. and UGA | NR |
| 23 | Ole Miss (16-5) | Guilty of looking ahead? Dropped postponed game | 18 |
| 24 | Charlotte (16-1) | Derrio Green tops in A-10 play with 3.4 threes per game | NR |
| 25 | Cornell (18-3) | Throttled Harvard, which should help at-large stock | NR |
HEATING UP
Ohio State
Also » Murray State, Charlotte, UTEP
COOLING DOWN
Gonzaga
Also » Texas, BYU, Temple
TOP 25 GAME OF THE WEEK
Mississippi at Kentucky, Tuesday, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Ole Miss is rolling behind Chris Warren and Terrico White, but is still in search of a signature win. This would qualify..
PLAYER TO WATCH
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia, forward
The “Bull From Istanbul,” a 6-9, 260-pound freshman, was suspended for the Mountaineers’ first 20 games for accepting expense money and playing alongside a former pro while on a club team in Turkey. Kilicli makes his debut Tuesday against slumping Pitt (16-5, 6-3 Big East). He lacks explosion, but is fundamentally sound and skilled, with an ability to finish with either hand. Compared to Luis Scola, Kilicli gives WVU (17-3, 6-2) another frontcourt weapon to team with 6-9 Devin Eubanks, 6-8 Kevin Jones and 6-7 De’Sean Butler. The trio already averages 42 points and 22 rebounds per game.
STORY LINES
1. No ‘D’ in Duke » It’s February and Duke has one road win. What’s wrong with this picture? In Saturday’s 89-77 loss at Georgetown, played with President Obama in the front row, Duke trailed by as many as 23 points and fans chanted, “Yes, we can.” In falling to 1-4 on the road, the Blue Devils (17-4) allowed the Hoyas (16-4) to shoot 71 percent from the floor, making 19 layups and five dunks among their 33 field goals. Leaky defense also was the culprit 12 days ago in Duke’s mystifying loss to N.C. State, which scored 88 points and shot 58 percent.
2. Michigan State’s rugged road » The Big Ten has seven NCAA Tournament quality teams, but somehow, Michigan State (19-3, 9-0) got through January unscathed. Riding a 10-game game winning streak, now comes the hard part — February. In a span of 25 days, Tom Izzo’s team will play five conference games on the road and two at home, both against ranked teams. The stretch starts Tuesday at Wisconsin, which has won 17 straight games at home. In addition to two games against Purdue, Michigan State has February dates at Illinois, at Penn State, at Indiana and at home against Ohio State.
3. Texas free fall » After going 17-0 and achieving a No. 1 ranking, Texas has lost three of four. Saturday’s 80-77 overtime loss to Baylor came at home, to a team that had lost eight straight Big 12 road games, and on a night when Baylor committed 20 turnovers and its exciting 7-footer Ekpe Udoh missed all 11 of his shots from the floor in regulation. One problem for Texas — a lack of inside presence. C Dexter Pittman (6-10, 290) has skill, but lacks quickness and conditioning. In losses to Kansas State and UConn he committed nine fouls and averaged only 15.5 minutes.
AREA INTELLIGENCE
GEORGETOWN
For the first time in their career, Greg Monroe (21 points), Chris Wright (21 points), and Austin Freeman (20 points) all scored 20 or more points simultaneously in an 89-77 win over Duke. GT (16-4, 6-3 Big East) hosts USF (14-7, 4-5) Wednesday and Villanova (19-1, 8-0) Saturday.
GEORGE MASON
On a seven-game winning streak, GMU (15-7, 9-1) took sole possession of first place in the CAA on Saturday with a win over JMU, 70-68, and ODU’s loss at Northeastern, 74-64. The Patriots will be tested Wednesday at Georgia State (9-14, 3-7) and Saturday at Drexel (12-10, 7-3).
GEORGE WASHINGTON
The Colonials’ struggles in the A-10 continued Saturday with a 72-66 loss at Rhode Island despite another strong performance by sophomore G Tony Taylor (22 points), who has hit 17 of his last 30 shots (57 percent). GW (12-8, 2-5) plays at rebuilt Charlotte (16-5, 6-1) on Wednesday.
NAVY
Propelled by its guard duo from Virginia, Jordan Sugars (34 points) and Chris Harris (25 points), Navy tallied a season high in a 100-91 win over Colgate. The Mids (10-12, 4-3) get a week off at the midway point of the Patriot League season, before hosting Bucknell (9-14, 4-3) on Saturday.
AMERICAN
With a 76-66 win Saturday at Lafayette, AU (7-15, 4-3) got into the crowded Patriot League race, where one game separates the top five teams. American plays Lehigh (14-8, 5-2) on Saturday at Bender Arena, where the Eagles have a 20-game home winning streak in the conference.
