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College Basketball
Super Sixteen
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The top four teams remain the same in this week's poll, while one team each from the Big East, Missouri Valley, and SEC join the elite list....
[ Week of December 29 - January 4 ] |
>SUPER SIXTEEN POWER RANKINGS
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Duke
8-1 |
Road wins in the ACC will determine the champion. Duke can get off to a good start at Clemson. |
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Connecticut
9-1 |
At least the cupcakes will be on the road this week against Rice and Rutgers, but it shouldn’t make much of a difference. |
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Arizona
7-1 |
If Arizona can take care of the basketball, they will be a scary team to play come March. |
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Wake Forest
7-0 |
Tune-ups against the likes of Brown and New Mexico should prepare Wake for an 8 day stretch that includes games against Texas, Duke, and Georgia Tech. Should be interesting. |
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North Carolina
7-1 |
Although it’s not a conference game, going up against Kentucky will be a measuring stick for this young Carolina team. |
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St. Joseph's
9-0 |
Will they ever lose? Schedule says no, but logic says yes. Anything is possible though with that kind of backcourt. |
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Georgia Tech
11-0 |
Some say Tech is the best team in the country. If they are still undefeated in a couple of weeks, I’ll be one of those people. |
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Stanford
9-0 |
See Georgia Tech. |
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Louisville
7-1 |
The Cardinals beat a No. 1 for the second time in December. Winning at Kentucky establishes this team as a major threat and also has to make Rick Pitino feel pretty good. |
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Oklahoma
8-0 |
One more soft week for Oklahoma before things get interesting. Connecticut, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Texas Tech are all on the schedule in a matter of nine days. |
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Kentucky
7-1 |
Losing at home never impresses anybody, especially when you’re the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Can get back on track with a win over North Carolina on Jan. 3rd. |
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Pittsburgh
12-0 |
The wins keep coming and coming. But this is nothing new for Pittsburgh fans lately. |
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Cincinnati
8-0 |
Completely demolished Dayton in one of our Key Games of the Week and haven’t let up since. Look for Cincy to keep climbing. |
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Creighton
8-0 |
I know, I know, they haven’t played anybody, but still, it could be a long time before Creighton loses. |
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Vanderbilt
9-0 |
Don’t expect Vanderbilt to last too long on this list, but they have earned it. Will either rise or disappear in the coming weeks. There is no in-between ground here. |
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Syracuse
7-1 |
It was only a matter of time until Syracuse put together a string of wins. Will they keep it up? |
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>KEY GAME OF THE WEEK
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SUMMARY: This game has lost some of its preseason luster as both North Carolina and Kentucky have lost home games in recent weeks. North Carolina suffered two key injuries to center Sean May and forward Jawad Williams in the win over UNC Wilmington. Neither played against Coastal Carolina, but both are expected to play against Kentucky.
North Carolina comes in with one of the most explosive starting fives in the country, and are only a few OT free throws from being undefeated. Carolina has been sound in every other aspect of its game.
Kentucky meanwhile, has more questions to answer than Carolina. They shot a dismal 33.9% percent from the field and were heavily out-rebounded at home against Louisville. The lack of a number 1 option became apparent as Gerald Fitch finished just 3-12 from the field and scored a mere 9 points. |
X-FACTOR: Field goal percentage: In order for Kentucky to win this game, they are simply going to have to make more shots. It sounds trivial, but as long as Kentucky is struggling to score points, they are going to have a hard time keeping up with good teams, especially teams with high powered offenses like North Carolina. Making shots has an effect on every other aspect of the game, and vice-versa. With that being said, look for North Carolina’s offensive spurt ability to be the difference in this game. |
PREDICTION: North Carolina 80 – Kentucky 75 |
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