[-STAT-]

1
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Tennessee
12-0

2
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Auburn
11-1

3
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Iowa State
10-1

4
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Duke
10-2

5
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Alabama
11-2

6
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Florida
13-0

7
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Kansas
9-2

8
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Marquette
11-2

9
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Oregon
12-1

10
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Kentucky
10-2

11
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]UConn
10-3

12
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Oklahoma
13-0

13
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Texas A&M
11-2

14
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Houston
8-3

15
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]UCLA
11-2

16
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Cincinnati
10-1

17
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Mississippi State
11-1

18
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Michigan State
10-2

19
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Gonzaga
9-4

20
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Purdue
9-4

21
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Memphis
10-3

22
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Illinois
9-3

23
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Arkansas
10-2

24
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Ole Miss
11-2

25
[Image: https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/logos/...-50x50.png]Baylor
8-3



Not much movement at the top, or anywhere else in the top 25 due to teams being off for the holidays, but action picks back up this week/weekend as conference play starts. 

[Cactus Jack]

No way around Kentucky or Florida dropping after they play.

Methinks that the win over the Zags continues looking worse as the season goes on. The Zags fell to UCLA on a "neutral" floor at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Right now, they lead 6 win Pepperdine by 4 with 10:00 remaining in regulation and are down to games against WCC opponents only (and none are ranked). Win out and they're supposed to. Lose even one of those and they might drop to the bottom or even out of the Top 25. None of their losses have been bad (they've also lost to UConn and West Virginia) but aside from a blowout against Baylor in their home opener, their best wins came against a then-ranked but very overrated Indiana, at home against Arizona State, and at San Diego State. That looks like the resume of a team who will ultimately be ranked as a low #4 to high #6 seed.

Still think Auburn is better than Tennessee. The Vols didn't look great against Middle Tennessee State, but sometimes I wonder if the committee watches games or just looks at the final score and takes the logic of "despite overwhelming evidence that Auburn is better, we won't put them ahead of Tennessee until Tennessee loses".

Memphis is interesting. They've beat Ole Miss, Clemson, Michigan State, and UConn. They've lost to Auburn, Mississippi State, and Arkansas State. I get that Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas State are close geographic rivals, but one of these things is not like the other. Arkansas State currently has 3 losses-- to Alabama (by 9), to Rice (by 9), and to Hofstra (by 2).

Houston (14), UCLA (15), and Mississippi State (17) are currently lower, but I'd much rather play Oklahoma (12), Texas A&M (13) or Florida (6) in the tournament. Houston is still especially underrated considering who their three losses are to and when they came, but they'll have plenty of chances to move up.

Still don't see why a four loss Purdue is ranked, much less at #20, unless pollsters are giving them tons of credit for one win over Alabama and think that the Big Ten is stronger than most seem to. Not saying that the Big Ten doesn't wind up being an okay league-- Oregon, UCLA, Michigan State, Illinois, Michigan Maryland, and Ohio State are all good to respectable, but I don't see any of them as a "can't miss, Final Four" type in that group.