NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Review- February 9
NCAA men’s basketball action is at a fever pace with the best teams in the country using the month of February to try and put themselves in the best position possible come tournament-time in March. The following is a brief review of the top few teams in each of the major conferences along with a few teams to watch from the Mid Majors. All rankings quoted are from the latest Coaches Poll.
ACC
No.5 Duke remains the class of the ACC with an overall record of 21-1 and an 8-1 record in the conference. The Blue Devils are coming off a 76-52 romp over North Carolina State and have a huge showdown tonight against the surging No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels, who have won five straight to raise their record to 17-5 overall and 7-1 in the ACC.
Big East
No. 4 Pittsburgh remained the ‘beast of the East’ with a hard-fought 71-66 win over rival West Virginia this past Monday. The Panthers are now 22-2 overall and 10-1 in conference play. No.7 Notre Dame (19-4, 8-3) is in second place in the Big East followed by No.10 Villanova (19-4, 7-3), No.15 Louisville (18-5, 7-3), No.13 Syracuse (20-4, 7-4), No.11 Georgetown (18-5, 7-4), and No.9 Connecticut (18-4, 6-4).
Big Ten
No.1 Ohio State left little doubt it is the best team in the country with an 82-69 victory over No.25 Minnesota (16-7, 5-6) last Sunday. The Buckeyes are a perfect 24-0 on the year and have a three-game lead in the Big Ten at 11-0. The other ranked teams in the conference include No.12 Purdue, which is 19-5 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play and No.14 Wisconsin, which is 17-5 and 7-3.
Big 12
Two of the best teams in the country are poised to battle it out down the stretch in hopes of ending up on top in the Big 12. No.2 Kansas has the better all around record at 23-1, but is 8-1 in the conference. The Jayhawks only loss was to the No.3 Texas Longhorns, who are 20-3 overall, and a perfect 8-0 in Big 12 play. No.22 Texas A&M is 17-5 overall, and 4-4 in the Big 12, while No.20 Missouri has a record of 18-6 and 4-5.
PAC-10
No.16 Arizona remains the only team in the PAC-10 ranked in the top 25. The Wildcats have won five straight including a thrilling 107-105 triple-overtime victory over Cal this past Saturday. They are 20-4 overall and in first-place in the conference at 9-2. Washington (15-7, 7-4) fell from the rankings after losing to Oregon 81-76.
SEC
No.19 Florida opened up a two-game lead in the SEC-East with a 70-68 win over No.18 Kentucky last Saturday. The Gators are now 18-5 overall and 7-2 in the conference, while the Wildcats fell to 17-6 and 5-4. No. 24 Vanderbilt (16-6, 4-4) is the only other ranked school in the conference, but Alabama leads the SEC-West and is a team to watch after winning five straight games to raise its record to 15-7 and 7-1.
Mid-Majors
The top two Mid-Major schools in the country also happen to reside in the same conference; the Mountain West. No.6 San Diego State has an overall record of 24-1 and is 9-1 in the conference, while No.8 BYU is 22-2 overall and 8-1 in the MWC. The Cougars won the first game between these two teams 71-58 on Jan.26, but they are scheduled to meet again on Feb.26. Utah State out of the WAC comes in at No.17 with an overall record of 22-2 and 11-0 in the conference. The only other Mid-Major in the rankings is No.23 St. Mary’s from the West Coast Conference. The Gaels are 20-4 overall and 8-1 in the WCC.
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