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The Atlantic Coast Conference figures to be a big part of the discussions when the NCAA selection committee begins meeting in two weeks to determine this year's Field of 65.
The ACC is not as strong as in many other seasons. North Carolina has fallen so far after winning the national championship last season that an NIT berth seems out of the Tar Heels' reach. Duke is the only true power team in the conference and the Blue Devils and Maryland are the only two ACC teams to make The List this week
However, there are a number of ACC teams that merit consideration for the NCAA Tournament despite not necessarily being Top 25-caliber. In our weekly NCAA projections, we have seven ACC going to the big dance with Duke and Maryland being joined by Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
It will be quite interesting to see if the ACC winds up getting that many teams in the field, especially as they are likely to take turns knocking each other offer during the last two weeks of the regular season and in the conference tournament. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, Kansas again remains atop the list after beating Oklahoma on Monday night. Rounding out the top five are Duke, Syracuse, Kentucky and Purdue.
Pittsburgh, Maryland and Tennessee all return to The List this week. Pitt is the biggest gainer, going from unranked all the way to No. 11 following victories over Marquette and Villanova. Gonzaga takes the biggest tumble, going from No. 15 to off The List after its loss to Loyola Marymount.
As always, the rankings are based on a team's chances of winning the national championship and we lean on the objective data, taking into account Ken Pomeroy’s Pomeroy Ratings at kenpom.com, the Jeff Sagarin ratings for USA Today at usatoday.com, RealTimeRPI at realtimerpi.com, Team Rankings at teamrankings.com and Kyle Whelliston’s State of Basketball rankings at basketballstate.com.
1.Kansas
Record: 26-1
Last week’s ranking: 1
Last week: Defeated No. 25 Texas A&M 59-54 and Colorado 94-74
This week: Defeated Oklahoma 81-68 on Monday night, at Oklahoma State on Saturday
Information: Cole Aldrich's 14.2 block percentage is fifth in the nation.
2.Duke
Record: 23-4
Last week’s ranking: 2
Last week: Defeated Miami (Fla. ) 81-74 and Virginia Tech 67-55
This week: Tulsa on Thursday, at Virginia on Sunday
Information: Brian Zoubek's 23.0 offensive rebounding percentage leads the nation.
3.Syracuse
Record: 25-2
Last week’s ranking: 3
Last week: Defeated No. 11 Georgetown 75-71
This week: at Providence tonight, No. 7 Villanova on Saturday
Information: Scoop Jardine's 35.7 assist rate is 19th in the nation.
4.Kentucky
Record: 26-1
Last week’s ranking: 4
Last week: Defeated Mississippi State 81-75 and No. 20 Vanderbilt 58-56
This week: South Carolina on Thursday, at No. 23 Tennessee on Saturday
Information: DeMarcus Cousins' 22.8 offensive rebounding percentage in second in the nation.
5.Purdue
Record: 23-3
Last week’s ranking: 6
Last week: Defeated No. 14 Ohio State 60-57 and Illinois 75-65
This week: at Minnesota on Wednesday, Michigan State on Saturday
Information: Robbie Hummel's 8.6 turnover rate is 13th in the nation.
6.Kansas State
Record: 22-4
Last week’s ranking: 8
Last week: Defeated Nebraska 91-87 and Oklahoma 83-68
This week: at Texas Tech tonight, No. 22 Missouri on Saturday
Information: Jamar Samuels' 7.3 fouls drawn per 40 minutes is 17th in the nation.
7.Villanova
Record: 22-4
Last week’s ranking: 7
Last week: Lost to Connecticut 84-75 and Pittsburgh 70-65
This week: South Florida on Wednesday, at No. 3 Syracuse on Saturday
Information: Scottie Reynolds' 63.5 true shooting percentage is 35th in the nation.
8.Brigham Young
Record: 25-3
Last week’s ranking: 9
Last week: Defeated Colorado State 92-70 and Wyoming 85-63
This week: San Diego State on Wednesday, No. 12 New Mexico on Saturday
Information: Noah Hartsock's 131.3 offensive rating is fifth in the nation.
9.Texas
Record: 21-6
Last week’s ranking: 13
Last week: Lost to No. 22 Missouri 82-77 and defeated Texas Tech 71-67
This week: at Texas Tech on Wednesday, Oklahoma State on Saturday
Information: Dexter Pittman's 16.1 offensive rebounding percentage is 10th in the nation.
10.West Virginia
Record: 21-7
Last week’s ranking: 5
Last week: Defeated Providence 88-74 and Seton Hall 75-63
This week: Lost to Connecticut 73-62 on Monday, Cincinnati on Saturday
Information: Kevin Jones' 126.7 offensive rating is 17th in the nation.
11.Pittsburgh
Record: 21-6
Last week’s ranking: NR
Last week: Defeated Marquette 58-51 and No. 7 Villanova 70-65
This week: at Notre Dame on Wednesday, at St. John's on Saturday
Information: Ashton Gibbs' 1.1 fouls called per 40 minutes is fifth in the nation.
12.New Mexico
Record: 25-3
Last week’s ranking: 12
Last week: Defeated Wyoming 83-61 and Air Force 59-56
This week: at Colorado State tonight, at No. 8 Brigham Young
Information: Dairese Gary's 97.9 free throw rate is sixth the nation.
13.Ohio State
Record: 21-7
Last week’s ranking: 14
Last week: Lost to No. 6 Purdue 60-57, defeated No. 19 Michigan State 74-67
This week: at Penn State on Wednesday, Michigan on Saturday
Information: Dallas Lauderdale's 76.4 effective field goal percentage leads the nation.
14.Wisconsin
Record: 20-7
Last week’s ranking: 10
Last week: Lost to Minnesota 68-52, defeated Northwestern 70-63
This week: at Indiana on Thursday
Information: Jon Leuer's 8.8 turnover rate is 15th in the nation.
15.Georgetown
Record: 18-7
Last week’s ranking: 11
Last week: Lost to No. 3 Syracuse 75-71
This week: at Louisville tonight, Notre Dame on Saturday
Information: Austin Freeman's 64. 5 true shooting percentage is 29th in the nation
16.Baylor
Record: 20-6
Last week’s ranking: 16
Last week: Defeated Texas Tech 88-70, lost to Oklahoma State 82-75
This week: No. 25 Texas A&M on Wednesday, at Oklahoma on Saturday
Information: Epke Udoh's 13.1 block percentage is sixth in the nation.
17.Butler
Record: 25-4
Last week’s ranking: 18
Last week: Defeated Illinois-Chicago 73-55 and Siena 70-53
This week: at Valparaiso on Friday
Information: Matt Howard's 85.9 free throw rate is 13th in the nation.
18.Xavier
Record: 19-7
Last week’s ranking: 23
Last week: Defeated St. Joseph's 88-52 and Charlotte 81-67
This week: at Saint Louis on Wednesday, Richmond on Sunday
Information: Jordan Crawford's 34.6 percentage of shots is eighth nationally.
19.Vanderbilt
Record: 20-
Last week’s ranking: 20
Last week: Defeated Mississippi 82-78, lost to No. 4 Kentucky 58-56
This week: Georgia on Thursday, at Arkansas on Saturday
Information: A.J. Ogilvy's 8.1 fouls drawn per 40 minutes is fifth in the nation.
20.Temple
Record: 22-5
Last week’s ranking: 21
Last week: Defeated St. Bonaventure 73-55 and St. Joseph's 75-67
This week: Dayton on Wednesday, at La Salle on Sunday
Information: Ryan Brooks' 10.5 turnover rate is 48th in the nation.
21.Maryland
Record: 19-7
Last week’s ranking: NR
Last week: Defeated North Carolina State 67-58 and Georgia Tech 76-74
This week: Clemson on Wednesday, at Virginia Tech on Saturday
Information: Greivis Vasquez's 35.6 assist rate is 21st in the nation.
22.Missouri
Record: 20-7
Last week’s ranking: 22
Last week: Defeated No. 13 Texas 82-77 and Nebraska 74-59
This week: Colorado on Wednesday, at No. 6 Kansas State on Saturday
Information: Kim English's 32.1 percentage of shots is 40th in the nation.
23.Tennessee
Record: 20-
Last week’s ranking: NR
Last week: Defeated Georgia 69-60 and South Carolina 63-55
This week: at Florida tonight, No. 4 Kentucky on Saturday
Information: J.P. Prince's 3.8 steal percentage is 67th in the nation.
24.Northern Iowa
Record: 24-3
Last week’s ranking: 24
Last week: Defeated Creighton 70-52 and Old Dominion 71-62
This week: at Evansville on Tuesday, Illinois State on Saturday
Information: Jordan Eglseder's 17.0 offensive rebounding percentage is fifth in the nation.
25.Texas A&M
Record: 19-7
Last week’s ranking: 25
Last week: Lost to No. 1 Kansas 59-54, defeated Oklahoma State 69-52
This week: at No. 16 Baylor on Wednesday
Information: Bryan Davis' 85.7 free throw rate is 15th in the nation.
Dropped out: No. 15 Gonzaga, No. 17 Wake Forest, No. 19 Michigan State
Others to watch: California (18-9), Clemson (19-7), Florida State (19-7), Gonzaga (22-5), Wake Forest (18-7)
Most overrated: Michigan State is No. 14 in The Associated Press media poll but has fallen off The List as the Spartans are 2-4 against teams in the top 50 of the RPI and the average RPI of the teams they've beaten is just 152.
Most underrated: No. 18 Xavier didn't crack The AP poll but the Musketeers are 20th in the RPI, 24th in strength of schedule, according to the RPI, and 10-2 in their last 12 games.
The Field of 65
ACC (7):Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
America East (1): Vermont
Atlantic 10 (5): Dayton, Rhode Island, Richmond, Temple, Xavier
Atlantic Sun (1): Jacksonville
Big 12 (7): Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Big East (7): Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia
Big Sky (1): Montana
Big South (1): Coastal Carolina
Big Ten (4): Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big West (1): Pacific
Colonial (1): Old Dominion
Conference USA (2): UAB, UTEP
Horizon (1): Butler
Ivy (1): Cornell
Metro Atlantic (1): Siena
Mid-American (1): Kent State
Mid-Eastern (1): Morgan State
Missouri Valley (1): Northern Iowa
Mountain West (4): Brigham Young, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV
Northeast (1): Quinnipiac
Ohio Valley (1): Murray State
Pac-10 (2): California, Washington
Patriot (1): Lehigh
SEC (4): Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Southern (1): Wofford
Southland (1): Sam Houston State
Summit (1): Oakland
Sun Belt (1): Western Kentucky
SWAC (1):Arkansas-Pine Bluff
WAC (1): Utah State
West Coast (2):Gonzaga, Saint Mary's
New to the dance: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida, Jacksonville, Montana, San Diego State
Tossed off the floor: Belmont, Charlotte, Mississippi, Texas Southern, Weber State
The bubble team: Connecticut
Hello NIT: Arizona State, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Illinois, Jackson State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Memphis, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri State, Nevada, New Mexico State, North Texas, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Robert Morris, St. John's, Saint Louis, Seton Hall, South Carolina, South Florida, Stony Brook, Texas Tech, Tulsa, UC-Santa Barbara, Virginia Commonwealth, Weber State, Wichita State, William & Mary
John Perrotto is an author of Basketball Prospectus.
You can contact John by clicking here or click here to see John's other articles.
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