10. Kansas (19-6)–With NBA prospect Joel Embiid on the mend, Kansas looked a little more vulnerable this past week. Bill Self’s young squad lost at Kansas State 85–82 in overtime Monday, as Embiid logged 18 sub-par minutes. Saturday the Jayhawks struggled in the first half (on defense anyway) against 9-15 TCU, which has yet to win a Big 12 game. At Texas Tech (Tuesday), versus Texas (Saturday). This week: Previous: 7
9. San Diego State (22-2)–After 20 straight wins, the Aztecs finally had a slip-up this week. Steve Fisher’s squad lost at Wyoming 68–62, and followed that up with a narrow 64–56 home win over lowly Air Force. This week: versus Utah State (Tuesday), at New Mexico (Saturday). Previous: 4
8. Villanova (22-3)–With a trio of players averaging better than 13.0 points per game (James Bell, JayVaughn Pinkston, and Darrun Hilliard) 13th-year Villanova coach Jay Wright might have his most explosive offensive team ever. Unfortunately it hasn’t been enough to get past Creighton either time this season. This week: at Providence (Tuesday), versus St. John’s (Saturday). Previous: 6
7. Virginia (21-5)–With the win streak now at nine and counting the Cavaliers are the surprise of the ACC, where they’re just a half a game behind Syracuse. Fifth-year coach Tony Bennett has his team allowing an NCAA-best 55.6 points per game and no ACC team has reached 70 on them. This week: at Virginia Tech (Tuesday), versus Notre Dame (Saturday). Previous: 10
6. Cincinnati (23-3)–The Bearcats have continued to win games, and now find themselves at 12-1 in first place in the American Athletic Conference. The schedule starts to pick up soon though as Cincy will face highly-regarded opponents Louisville, Connecticut, and Memphis (all in a row) starting later this week. This week: at Central Florida (Wednesday), versus Louisville (Saturday). Previous: 9
5. Duke (20-5)–The Blue Devils just keep coming. Despite a leaky defense that led to a very un-Duke like 1-2 ACC start, as well as a pair of non-conference losses, Mike Krzyzewski has righted the ship to the tune of eight wins in nine games. This week will be their toughest test yet though with the North Carolina make-up game sandwiched into the schedule. This week: at Georgia Tech (Tuesday), at North Carolina (Thursday), versus Syracuse (Saturday). Previous: 8
4. Arizona (23-2)–The Wildcats have been teetering for the better part of three weeks now (much like Syracuse) and were done in by Arizona State Friday, 69–66 in double-overtime. The loss made the once-invincible Wildcats just 2-2 over the past four games. Things won’t get any easier as Sean Miller’s squad plays four of its final six games on the road. This week: at Utah (Wednesday), at Colorado (Saturday). Previous: 2
3. Wichita State (27-0)–How far has seventh-year coach Gregg Marshall taken the Shockers? Before his arrival, Wichita state had reached the 26-win plateau just three times in over 100 seasons of basketball. Last week’s 78–67 win over Southern Illinois marked the fourth straight 26-win season under his coaching. This week: at Loyola (Wednesday), versus Drake (Saturday). Previous: 3
2. Florida (23-2)–The Gators, which suffered two early-season losses, have flown under the radar for most of the season thanks to the undefeated runs that Syracuse, Arizona, and Wichita State have had. But with 17 straight wins and few challengers in the SEC, Florida is just waiting in the wings should Syracuse run out of the last-second magic that saved them twice last week. This week: at Auburn (Wednesday), at Ole Miss (Saturday). Previous: 5
1. Syracuse (25-0)–Syracuse is officially folding under the weight of their remarkable start. Yes they’re still undefeated, but they shouldn’t need a last-second steal and layup to beat N.C. State in the Carrier Dome. On the positive side, it’s nice to see that they have clutch players (see Tyler Ennis’ 35-foot three to beat Pitt) to lead them in the tournament. This week: versus Boston College (Wednesday), at Duke (Saturday). Previous: 1
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