CI’s College Basketball Top 25 Rankings
Our staff has developed college basketball power ratings with up to date rankings and how we as handicappers see these teams. We will list our NCAA basketball team rankings on a week by week basis and as much as possible. You can check this page for up to date NCAA basketball power ratings from Cappersinfo Sports Handicapping. Thanks for visiting and don’t forget to check out all the free sports picks in the forums and free picks monitor, other sports betting information, and college basketball predictions for sports handicappers!
Cappersinfo Current NCAA Basketball Power Rankings
(Through Games Completed 3/6/11)
1: Ohio State Buckeyes (29-2) (LW: 1) – There is absolutely no doubt in our minds anymore that the Buckeyes have the top team in the country right now. They blew through the end of their regular season schedule without any difficulties, including that big win over Wisconsin to end the regular season on a fine note. The next question: How much does OSU have to do to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? Right now, we’re not so sure that there is anything that has to be done. Ohio State is that far ahead of the curve right now.
2: Kansas Jayhawks (29-2) (LW: 3) – It doesn’t really seem to matter what pieces to the puzzle are missing for the Jayhawks. They always seem to figure out how to get through all of these hassles without missing a beat. You know that the Big XII Tournament is going to be key for this team, as getting revenge on Texas would be sweet. Still, KU can’t take its eye off of the prize. Topping out in the Big 12 tourney would be dangerous, just as we saw last year when Northern Iowa swept this team off of the dance floor far too prematurely.
3: Pittsburgh Panthers (27-4) (LW: 4) – The Panthers might have lost that game at the KFC Yum! Arena, but we know that there is no shame in that. U-Pitt still has a great squad that is sure to be making a ton of noise, not only this coming week in the Big East Tournament, but in the big dance for the whole enchilada as well. The question is whether Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker really have what it takes to lead a team to the Final Four. This is a No. 1 seed in the making as long as it gets to the Big East finale.
4: San Diego State Aztecs (29-2) (LW: 7) – Has all of the carnage around the Top 25 in the land set up the Aztecs to take back a No. 1 seed again? It’s quite possible, though it still seems like a bit of a long shot to actually happen. The better case scenario is getting to stay on the West Coast somewhere as No. 2 seed. Certainly, winning the MWC is a prerequisite for a top seed. Beating BYU for the first time in three tries would also help out dramatically.
5: Duke Blue Devils (27-4) (LW: 5) – Instead, at least for the current moment, the Dookies probably hold the last top seed in spite of the fact that they were beaten by North Carolina on Tobacco Road on Saturday. The Blue Devils still know that there is a lot of basketball to be played. It will be hard to take this team out of the ACC Tournament next week, and as long as that remains the case, the defending champs have to really be in consideration for that top seed in Charlotte.
6: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-5) (LW: 9) – It’s fairly clear that Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough make up a great tandem, but is this the group that can really win the NCAA Tournament this year? We’re really not all that sure to be quite honest. What we do know is that this is a great team that was built to win in the Big East. But what happens when these little guys all come gunning for Notre Dame? Will Irish eyes still be smiling? There might be a big time difference in this team’s seeding depending on what happens next week at Madison Square Garden.
7: BYU Cougars (28-3) (LW: 2) – It’s really hard to punish this BYU team for the way that it has played of late. Let’s be real here. San Diego State can’t beat BYU. BYU can’t beat New Mexico immediately after playing San Diego State. It happens to be if the Lobos were a little better this year, maybe things would be different. But the truth of the matter is that the Cougs are getting punished for those two losses and for the loss of Brandon Davies for his off the court issues.
8: Texas Longhorns (25-6) (LW: 8) – We know that wins against bubble teams generally aren’t necessarily the greatest things in the world for teams that should be contending for top seeds, but the Longhorns have to know that that victory at Baylor was a huge stepping stone. First off, it kept them in the Top 10 in the land, as a loss would have surely knocked them out, and it also kept alive that chance for a No. 1 seed. Jordan Hamilton still has the ability to be an amazing athlete down the stretch, and Head Coach Rick Barnes has to impress upon his team that it has weathered the storm and is now ready to swarm on the rest of the country again.
9: Syracuse Orange (25-6) (LW: 12) – The Orange are one of the hottest teams in the Big East coming into Madison Square Garden this week, and this is a really dangerous proposition for the rest of this conference. Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine, and company have that massive beat down of DePaul to rally around for the Big East Tournament. Earning that double bye was crucial. Head Coach Jim Boeheim and company know that this is a big chance to make a huge move up in the bracket.
10: North Carolina Tar Heels (24-6) (LW: 13) – First a huge comeback. Then an ACC regular season crown. Is the ACC Tournament title next for a team that was outside of the Top 25 just a few weeks ago? If it is, UNC might actually be on its way to being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in amazing fashion.
11: Purdue Boilermakers (25-6) (LW: 8) – Kiss any hopes of a top seed good bye for the Boilermakers, as they were absolutely stunned by Iowa on the final weekend of the regular season. Fortunately for Purdue, it didn’t cost it the No. 2 slot in the Big Ten Tournament, but it has to be a real confidence killer to get drained in a circumstance such as that against the worst team in the conference.
12: Wisconsin Badgers (23-7) (LW: 10) – We can’t say that we didn’t see Wisconsin getting whooped by Ohio State from a mile away, but it’s really hard to argue now that this is really one of the best 10 teams in the country. Head Coach Bo Ryan has a team that plays fantastic defense, but if Jordan Taylor isn’t at his best, the rest of this team is really going to struggle.
13: Louisville Cardinals (23-8) (LW: 11) – That tremendous signature win for the Cardinals over U-Pitt was only the beginning for Head Coach Rick Pitino and company. The ‘Ville earned its double bye in the Big East Tournament, giving it a huge advantage. Terrence Knowles and company are the real deal, especially defensively. Now, if the stupid cheerleaders just stay off of the court…
14: Florida Gators (24-6) (LW: 15) – The Gators didn’t really need to take out the Commodores on Saturday to make us feel good about their chances in the SEC Tournament, but they did so anyway. There is a great chance that this is a team that is moving up in a hurry, and if UF can successfully end up in the finale of the SEC Tournament, it could be all the way up on the No. 2 line by the time Selection Sunday rolls around.
15: Arizona Wildcats (25-6) (LW: 19) – An outright Pac-10 title was crucial for the Wildcats this year, and that’s exactly what they got when they took care of Oregon on Saturday night at McKeon Pavilion. Derrick Williams might be the best player in an underrated conference, but he certainly isn’t just a one man band. The Cats are deep… very deep, in fact. And when push really comes to shove, the U of A could be moving a long way up in these brackets as well.
16: St. John’s Red Storm (20-10) (LW: 16) – Head Coach Steve Lavin’s team finally suffered its first really terrible loss in quite some time when it was beaten at Seton Hall during the week, but this should have little bearing on what happens to this club for the rest of the year. The Johnnies have made their point, they’re in the NCAA Tournament, and heck, they might even win the darn thing when push comes to shove.
17: Connecticut Huskies (21-9) (LW: 14) – If we were Kemba Walker, we would be absolutely irate right now. Walker went out and scored 34 against Notre Dame at home on Senior Day on Saturday, and the rest of the team couldn’t even match that effort as the whole rest of the squad combined. UConn had better do some damage this year, because once Walker steps outside of that gym in Storrs for the final time, this program might be down the drain with him.
18: Georgetown Hoyas (21-9) (LW: 17) – The body of work suggests that the Hoyas are a Top 25 team, but recent form surely doesn’t indicate that. Georgetown has lost three straight, finished just 10-8 in the Big East, and only just barely ended up hanging on for a bye in the first round of this Big East Tournament starting this coming week. Just one win would do miracles for this team and its psyche heading into the NCAA Tournament, as it doesn’t want another very, very quick exit once again.
19: Kentucky Wildcats (22-8) (LW: 24) – No team in a major conference might have come up with a bigger win this weekend than when Kentucky knocked off Tennessee in Rocky Top. The win preserved a first round bye in the SEC Tournament, which is a crucial thing to have when you have a team that legitimately only goes six players deep (and sometimes, not even that deep). The talent is definitely there, but there is only so much that this team can really do without Enes Kanter in the fold.
20: Utah State Aggies (28-3) (LW: 23) – The Aggies are absolutely in the NCAA Tournament at this point in spite of the fact that everyone would love to take them out of the field of 68. They’re moving further up the charts because of the demise of so many other teams around them. After all, take a look at our power rankings and check out how many teams lost since the last time that we took a looksie at this. USU just keeps on winning, and sometimes, that’s all that you have to do to get into the show.
21: Xavier Musketeers (24-6) (LW: NR) – Xavier has kept its slot in the Top 25, and at the same time, it locked up that regular season A-10 title. With an outrageous set of computer numbers and that 15-1 mark in conference, the X-Men are absolutely set for a great seed in March Madness. But how far can they move up? They’re not San Diego State, but if they win the A-10 title, they could be BYU, believe it or not.
22: Texas A&M Aggies (23-7) (LW: 21) – The Aggies are potentially the sneakiest team in the Big XII Tournament this season because they have a fantastic draw. They’re not playing the greatest ball right now in the world, but let’s be realistic. Who in this conference is aside from Kansas? We don’t have to worry about A&M running into the Jayhawks until the Big 12 finale, and if that’s what happens, even a 50 point loss in that game wouldn’t upset anyone in College Station.
23: Villanova Wildcats (21-10) (LW: 18) – Is it time to say goodnight to Villanova? That’s four straight losses and eight out of 12 for the Cats, and they are really just in a world of hurt right now. They’re going to have to play in the very first round of the Big East Tournament next week, which basically dooms any chances of actually winning the conference title. Right now though, Head Coach Jay Wright would just take a win of any kind.
24: Temple Owls (24-6) (LW: NR) – The Owls are back in the Top 25 this week in spite of the fact that they are dealing with a ton of injuries that are probably going to ultimately end up crippling their season. But give the boys from the City of Brotherly Love some credit. Any time you can go 14-2 in the A-10, you’ve definitely accomplished something, even if the conference is down just a tad this season.
25: Old Dominion Monarchs (26-6) (LW: NR) – We welcome one of the best defensive teams in the land to our NCAA basketball power ratings this week, as the Monarchs are clearly the best team right now in one of the most underappreciated conferences in America. The problem with ODU is that the world will be done seeing it play after Monday night in the CAA finale. There are many bubble teams that are hoping this team just gets the job done and doesn’t swipe another bid out from under them.
