13 Mar11 - Unclinch (PRETOURNAMENT)

Volume XVII, No. 19 - 13 Mar11 : PRETOURNAMENT - [] TOP 25 BALLOT

Unclinch

Among the eleven BCS/MM conferences, only MOUNTAIN WEST(New Mexico+2), SEC(Florida+2), WEST COAST(Gonzaga-u+2) and CONFERENCE USA(Memphis-u+4) had gap margins. The other seven went down to the final game on the schedule. (Last week, Creighton/Wichita State settled the MISSOURI VALLEY regular season title head-to-head on the last day -- and those two met again in the MVC tournament final this week.)

    
Indiana was in position to clinch the nation's best conference (BIG 10) with a gap to spare when Ohio State came to town. The Buckeyes played solid defense and gAaron Craft(15p4a) helped out just enough on offense to knock off the Hoosiers, 67-@58. That started a mad scramble among 4 teams all with a shot at a share of the title. Michigan State eliminated Wisconsin's chance with a solid @58-43 win, holding the Badgers to 29% shooting while coming up with 16 steals. OhioSt's @63-55 win over Illinois had them in position. The final card needing to fall was Michigan's home showdown with Indiana. In a game that was close throughout, cCody Zeller (25p10r6to;GWFG) hit the go-ahead bucket, but Michigan's last-second attempts rolled agonizingly off the rim as the IU escaped, 72-@71, to claim the league outright. We were that close to a 4-way tie in the nation's toughest conference. Think this NCAA tournament is going to be competitive?)

    
Georgetown was alone in first to start the week, but Villanova's @67-57 win put the BIG EAST into a 3-way tie. Marquette secured its share of the title with a 69-@67(OT) win (on bVander Blue's game-winning drive to the basket). Surging Louisville (playing its best ball at the end of the season -- naturally) routed Cincinnati (@67-51) and Notre Dame (@73-57, behind 20p11r5b from cGorgui Dieng) to claim its piece. The Hoyas made it a threesome, bidding slumping Syracuse farewell with a @61-39.

    
Miami(Florida) -- which hasn't played like a Final Four contender in four weeks, now -- gave back its gap lead in the ACC with a dreadfull, @69-71 home loss to 6-12 Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes saved face in their final game, putting away 5-13 Clemson, @62-49 (as xKenny Kadji had 23p12r).

    
Nobody in the competitive PAC-12 can stand prosperity. UCLA gave up its share of first place with disappointing 61-@73 loss at last-place 4-14 Washington State. California failed to stay in the race with a poor @70-83 home loss to arch-rival Stanford (that ended with a skuffle after the outcome was no longer in doubt). Not to be outdone, co-leader Oregon was thumped at Colorado (53-@76) and then lost 62-@72 at 5-13 Utah to fall out of the lead entirely. Finally, UCLA "came through" with a 61-@54 at Washington claim the hot potato league title.

    
St. Louis could have clinched the overstuffed ATLANTIC 10 outright with a win at Xzvier, but the Musketeers pulled out a @77-66(OT) win. VCU gained a split in the (now two-part) BLACK & BLUE battle with crosstown rival Richmond (@92-83) and tied things up in the league race. St. Louis did its part, drubbing La Salle (@78-54) for its share of the title. Things looked great for VCU against Temple after an 18-0 run gave the Rams an early lead; but the Owls adjusted and handled the pressure the rest of the way, converting 10-for-24 on three-pointers and 26-for-31 on free throws as gKhalif Wyatt(30p;13/16ft) led the way to an @84-76 win.

    
Co-leaders Kansas and Kansas State backed their way into sharing the BIG 12 title. In their final game, KansSt dropped a 70-@76 decision at Oklahoma State earlier in the day, meaning Kans didn't need to beat host Baylor to claim its share -- and with "nothing to play for", they didn't. Bubble-dwelling Baylor, needing to impress, pounded the Jayhawks, @81-58 (as pPierre Jackson had 28p10a6r;11/13fg). Happy with the split, it's the first regular season title for KSU since 1977 -- hats off to the often-maligned Bruce Weber -- and, remarkably, it's the NINTH-STRAIGHT REGULAR SEASON TITLE for KU (and Bill Self.)

In games without title implications: New Mexico was edged at Air Force (88-@89, as 21p10a from pKendall Williams wasn't enough to counter 30p5a from pMichael Lyons); Kentucky rallied to upend Florida (@61-57); Iowa State handled Oklahoma State (@87-76); UNLV lost at home vs Fresno State (@52-61, thanks to 25p from fKevin Foster); and Minnesota dropped two road games, at Nebraska (51-@53) and at Purdue (73-@89).

SOUTHLAND/Stephen F. Austin won its final two games to stay ahead of Northwestern State and claim the title. WAC/Louisiana Tech had already clinched the title (undefeated with a two-game gap) going into its final (and roughest) week; the Bulldogs were thumped at third-place New Mexico State (60-@78) and then second-place Denver dumped them (@78-54) to claim a share of the title for itself. MAC/Akron clinched its share of the title (on its second try) with a win at Miami(Ohio); but then it lost pAlex Abreu (to a drug arrest) and dropped the finale vs Kent State (@64-68), allowing Ohio University to sneak in and claim a share of the title after all. IVY/Princeton gave back its one-game league with a Lost Weekend of its own, falling at Yale (66-@71) and at Brown (67-@80), giving Harvard a three-peat league title. BIG SKY/Montana won three games, including 86-@74(OT) at Southern Utah, to finish 19-1 (just ahead of 18-2 Weber State); the win also means the Grizzlies will host the conference tournament (and even still they might not be the favorites to win the rubber match with the streaking Wildcats). MEAC/With only one starter back from last year's NCAA splash team, Norfolk State still completed an undefeated campaign (16-0, just ahead of 15-1 North Carolina Central whom they didn't meet in the regular season).

The first wave of conference tournaments didn't do too much damage to the NCAA field.

    
MISSOURI VALLEY/With both teams assured of a bid, only pride was on the line for [1]Creighton and [2]Wichita State in the final. The 'Shockers shut down Doug McDermott(14p4r) third time around, but the Bluejays are more than a One-Man Team -- Creigh held a 10-point margin before WichSt clawed back (behind tMalcolm Armstead[28p9r3a;10/20fg]) for an endplay with CU holding on (barely) for a 68-65 TiTo crown. Both teams looked tough.

    
OHIO VALLEY/As hoped for, it came down to [1/E1]Belmont vs [2/W1]Murray State -- Murray won the only regular season meeting at home (@79-74), but this final was Nashville -- a high-quality game between 1BC-juggernauts teams, star players and the winnningest senior classes at both schools. In OT, Belmt completed the Carpetbagger TiTo triumph, @70-68(OT) on gKerron Johnson's game-winner ... and a great new 1BC rivalry is born.

    
SUN BELT/[1]Middle Tennessee dominated the regular season (with a 5-game gap, biggest in any conference); but, sure enough, it bowed out of the tourney, 57-61, in the semifinals to [4a]Florida International (coached by Richard Pitino, son of Louisville's Rick). That means we'll get a pretty bad Jack Dawson representative into the NCAA. It might also mean the NIT for MidTenn -- sure, they dominated a middle-of-the-road 1BC league, but one squeak home win over Mississippi might not be enough to get them an at-large bid against BCS candidates.

    
AMERICA EAST/3-game gap champ [1]Stony Brook was tripped up in the semis as well, 59-@61 at host [5]Albany, giving us another Jack Dawson impostor.

    
NORTHEAST/[1]Robert Morris won the league title with a gap, but bowed out at home, @60-69, to [5a]Mt. St. Mary's -- hello, Jack Dawson #3.

    
ATLANTIC SUN/[2]Florida Gulf Coast was
the ultimate Unwelcome Guest, winning the rubber match with [1]Mercer on MU's own home floor, 88-@75, to earn its first NCAA bid (in only its second year of full Division-I eligibility).

    
COLONIAL/[1]Northeastern, who won the league thanks to several narrow come-from-behind wins, was nearly bounced right away in its opening semifinal game -- the Huskies trailed George Mason 7-31 to start the game, but eventually got back in it thanks to a 20-0 run and won it at the buzzer on gJonathan Lee's game-winning drive, 69-67.

    
BIG SOUTH/[5N]Liberty -- that's tenth place -- kept doing the unthinkable: beating host [4S]Coastal Carolina (78-@61), co-champ [1N]High Point (61-60), [2S]Gardner-Webb (65-62) and co-champ [1N]Charleston Southern (87-76), making Jack Dawson #4 the best of all. At "15"-20 (actually just 12-20 vs D-I schools), and after dropping its first 10 games to D-I opponents this year, they become just the second 20-loss team ever to make the NCAAs (after 16-21 Coppin State '08). (If it weren't a religious school, I'd love to hear gJohn Caleb Sanders(27p) speak on what kind of mentality it takes to endure all that failure and still be positive enough to come through at season's end. Look, I completely get the Power of Belief, but it matters to me whether what you believe in is real. I can do without the coach's halftime speech that "God has appointed us be here.")

- -

So, were this year's Great Conference Migration moves a net plus or minus for the college basketball landscape?

• Even though it's down overall, you'd have to say that the SEC is stronger having added Missouri and Texas A&M, but the BIG 12 is worse off swapping in West Virginia and TCU.
  
• The ATLANTIC 10 was stronger having added VCU and Butler -- 17-13 Dayton is a decent team, and it just barely grabbed the last spot in the 12-team conference tournament. If Temple gets in, it'll be four legit bids (compared to last year's three plus Party-Crasher St. Bonaventure). The HORIZON and COLONIAL representatives will undoubtedly be worse than Butler and VCU would have been in their place, and they're also undoubtedly worse than any two "bubble" teams that could have used those spots. The BRACKETBUSTERS event lost some of its lustre without Butler and VCU participating -- it could have meant two more marquee games and a better RPI for two more opponents (or even one more if they had faced each other, which they did in-conference).
  
• Belmont's jump to the OHIO VALLEY gave us a great new 1BC rivalry (with Murray State) but it also diluted the NCAA pool leaving [1]Mercer/[2]Florida Gulf Coast as the ATLANTIC SUN standard-bearers.
  
• Oral Roberts' jump from SUMMIT to SOUTHLAND probably made SLAND a bit deeper, but SUMMIT did just fine without it thanks to South Dakota State, Western Illinois and North Dakota State all having fine seasons.
  
• The WAC was less deep after its subtractions and additions, but the top was OK with Louisiana Tech, Denver and New Mexico State.
  
• Hawaii's jump to the BIG WEST didn't have much of an impact this season.
  

- -

With 37 at-large bids, no one who had a halfway decent season doesn't get in anymore, so whichever team winds up as "first team out" is sure to have lots of negatives.
     Here are the locks (and nots) for this year's at-large bids among the BCS and MM leagues:

• BIG EAST(6/2/1) - Georgetown/Louisville/Marquette + (lock: Syracuse, Pitttsburgh, Notre Dame, Cincinnati;
  
  not: Villanova, Providence; n/a: Connecticut)
  
• BIG 10(6/2) - Indiana + (lock: Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois;
  
  not: Iowa, Purdue)
  
• BIG 12(4/1) - Kansas/Kansas State + (lock: Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma;
  
  not: Baylor)
  
• ACC(4/1) - Miami-FL + (lock: Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia;
  
  not: Maryland)
  
• MWC(4/1) - New Mexico + (lock: Colorado State, UNLV, San Diego State, Boise State;
  
  not: Air Force)
  
• PAC-12(3/2) - UCLA + (lock: Arizona, Colorado, Oregon;
  
  not: California, Arizona State)
  
• A-10(2/2) - St. Louis + (lock: VCU, Butler;
  
  not: Temple, La Salle)
  
• SEC(1/5) - Florida + (lock: Missouri;
  
  not: Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama)
  
• WCC(1/2) - Gonzaga + (lock: St. Mary's;
  
  not: BYU, Santa Clara)
  
• MVC(1/0) - Creighton + (lock: Wichita State;
  
  not: NONE)
  
• C-USA(0/1) - Memphis + (lock: NONE;
  
  not: Southern Mississippi)
  

That's 32 lock bids, leaving only 5 soft bids up for grabs among 19 contenders who could still play themselves in or out of a bid. Memphis is no Anti-Spoiler this year (with Ohio U and Harvard as its best wins, Middle Tennessee has a better calling card beating Ole Miss). As always, a no-name Party-Crasher winning the tourney in a multi-bid leage could ruin things for everybody.
     Villanova's win over Georgetown set the whole BIG EAST scramble in motion; Kentucky's win over Florida was way more legit than Baylor's rout of Kansas; Air Force's squeak win over New Mexico looks good on paper (but NM had nothing on the line); Purdue's blowout of Minnesota probably says more about UM; Temple's hanlding of VCU's pressure is a solid win; Mississippi's squeak win over Alabama doesn't do much; Southern Mississippi's handle of UCF can't compare to BCS results; Maryland's OT loss at Virginia is better than Arizona State's rout loss at Arizona; Middle Tennessee's early exit from the SUN BELT tourney spells doom (and Louisiana Tech can't afford it, either.) (Right now, for me, these 5 are in: Iowa, Kentucky, Temple, Baylor, Villanova; with these next in line: Purdue, Maryland, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi, Arizona State, California, Air Force, Southern Mississippi.)

Any one of the Top 11 teams could win up with a #1-seed, depending on how things go in the major conference tournaments: (Indiana, Georgetown, New Mexico, Kansas, Duke, Michigan, Ohio State, Louisville, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Florida). The top half of the BIG 10 draw is loaded (IU-WISC-MICH-ILL-MINN) compared to the bottom half (OHIOST-MICHST-Iowa-Purd), but it could easily wind up with a stronger final four than the actual Final Four -- that's how good this league has been this year. Louisville has the best draw in the BIG EAST tourney. Surging Duke is the favorite in the ACC. The luck of the draw seems to be with Oregon in the PAC-12 tourney (just as it was in the regular season schedule). UNLV couldn't win the GS-A CLASSIC at home in the preseason, so don't put too much stock in its hosting the MOUNTAIN WEST tournament -- New Mexico has dominated an incredibly tough league. The Old Guard (St. Louis, Temple) is favored (slightly) to hold off the New Guard (Butler, VCU) in the ATLANTIC 10 tourney (at BARCLAY'S CENTER in Brooklyn). The BIG 12 tourney won't be easy for Kansas (even in K.C.). Florida is an overwhelming favorite to win the SEC tourney (even with Kentucky's home-away-from-home crowd advantage) No reason to expect anything different between Gonzaga and St. Mary's in the WEST COAST final. Memphis has dominated CONFERENCE USA, no reason to expect otherwise in the tourney.
     There wasn't much to choose from between South Dakota State, Western Illinois and North Dakota State during the SUMMIT regular season -- the tourney should be tight as well. Louisiana Tech's horrible final week has made the WAC tourney a lot more interesting. Akron's troubles give Ohio U a good shot at returning to the NCAAs (and finally redeeming a disappointing season). Veteran Davidson dominated the SOUTHERN conference and is the kind of team that could make noise in the NCAAs (despite its uneventful preseason). Very little separates Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State in the SOUTHLAND. Montana might not even be the favorite at home against Weber State in the SKY tourney. Norfolk State and N.C. Central didn't even meet in the regular season -- only a road loss at Savannah State prevented twin undefeated co-champs -- who knows what will happen if they meet in the MEAC final. With Texas Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff ineligible, Southern should have the SWAC tourney all to itself.

Las Vegas is the place to be this week for C-Hoops. Nashville ain't bad, either.

-- Ron

P.S. Look for the official Hoops Contest invite Sunday overnight!!! (And don't forget the new deadline is TUESDAY 6:30P because of the FIRST FOUR games.)

The Final Four is coming to Atlanta and I don't have a ticket -- AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

Key games this week:

Monday:

WCC TOURNAMENT Final @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/

- ([1]Gonzaga-[2]StMarys),

SUN BELT TOURNAMENT Final @ HotSpringsAR

- ([4a]FLInternational-[6]WeKentucky),

SOCON TOURNAMENT Final @ AshevilleNC

- ([1/S1]@Davidson-[3]ColofCharleston),

MAAC TOURNAMENT Final @ SpringfieldMA

- ([4a]Iona-[6a]Manhattan(NY)),

COLONIAL TOURNAMENT Final @ RichmondVA

- ([1]Northeastern-[4]@JamesMadison),

Monday-Tuesday:

SUMMIT TOURNAMENT Semis,Final @ SiouxFallsSD

- ([1a]@SDState-[5]IPFW, [2b]WeIllinois-[3]NDState),

Monday, Wednesday-Saturday:

MAC TOURNAMENT on-campus, @ ClevelandOH

- (Thu @CleveOH 3rd/Qtrs:  [3a/W1a]WeMichigan, [5]@KentSt;

   Fri @CleveOH 4th/Semis: [1a/E1a]@Akron, [1b/E1b]@OhioU),

Tuesday:

HORIZON TOURNAMENT Final on-campus

- (@[1]Valparaiso-[3a]WrightSt(BG)),

NEC TOURNAMENT Final on-campus

- (@[2b]LongIsland-[5a]MtStMarys),

Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday:

WAC TOURNAMENT @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/

- ([1a]LouisianaTech, [1b]Denver, [3]NewMexicoSt),

Tuesday-Saturday:

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ NewYorkNY/MSG/

- (Tue 1st/32s:  [12]Rutgers-[15]DePaul, [13a]@SetonHall-[13b]SFlorida;

   Wed 2nd/16s:  [5a]@Syracuse-[13a]/[13b], [5b]NotreDame-[12]/[15], @[11]StJohns-[7a]Villanova, [9a]Providence-[9b]Cincinnati;

   Thu 3rd/Qtrs: [1a]Georgetown-[9a]Providence/[9b]Cincinnati, [1b]Louisville-[7a]Villanova/@[11]StJohns, [1c]Marquette-[5b]NotreDame//[12]/[15], [4]Pittsburgh-[5a]@Syracuse//[13a]/[13b]),

MEAC TOURNAMENT @ NorfolkVA/Norfolk St/

- (@[1]NorfolkSt, [2]NCCentral, [3a]@Hampton, [3b]SavannahSt),

Tuesday-Wednesday, Friday-Saturday:

MWC TOURNAMENT @ LasVegasNV/UNLV/

- (Tue 1st/16s:  [8]Wyoming-[9]@Nevada;

   Wed 2nd/Qtrs: [1]NewMexico-[8]Wyoming/[9]@Nevada, [2]ColoradoSt-[7]FresnoSt, @[3]UNLV-[6]AirForce, [4a]SanDiegoSt-[4b]BoiseSt),

Wednesday:

PATRIOT TOURNAMENT Final on-campus

- (@[1]Bucknell-[2a]Lafayette(PA)),

Wednesday-Saturday:

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ KansasCityMO

- (Wed 1st/16s:  [7]Texas-[10]TCU(TX), [8]WVirginia-[8]TexasTech;

   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1a]@Kansas-[8]WVirginia/[8]TexasTech, [1b]@KansasSt-[7]Texas/[10]TCU, [3]OklahomaSt-[6]Baylor, [4a]Oklahoma-[4b]IowaSt),

PAC-12 TOURNAMENT @ LasVegasNV/MGM/

- (Wed 1st/16s:  [5]Colorado-[11b]OregonSt, [6a]Washington-[11a]WashingtonSt(WA), [6b]USC-[10]Utah, [6c]Stanford-[6d]ArizonaSt;

   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]UCLA-[6c]Stanford(CA)/[6d]ArizonaSt, [2a]California-[6b]USC(CA)/[10]Utah, [2b]Oregon-[6a]Washington/[11a]WashingtonSt, [2c]Arizona-[5]Colorado/[11b]OregonSt),

C-USA TOURNAMENT @ TulsaOK/Tulsa/

- (Wed 1st/16s:  [7a]Houston-[12]Rice(HoustonTX), [7b]UAB-[11]SMU, [9a]Tulane-[9b]Marshall;

   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Memphis-[9a]Tulane/[9b]Marshall, [2]SoMississippi-[7b]UAB/[11]SMU, [3]UTEP-[7a]Houston/[12]Rice(TX), @[6]Tulsa-[4b]ECarolina),

SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT @ KatyTX

- ([1]@StephenFAustin, [2]NorthwesternSt, [3]OralRoberts),

SWAC TOURNAMENT @ GarlandTX

- ([2a]Southern),

Wednesday-Sunday:

SEC TOURNAMENT @ NashvilleTN/BRIDGESTONE/

- (Wed 1st/32s:  [11]TexasA&M-[14]Auburn, [12a]SCarolina-[12b]MississippiSt;

   Thu 2nd/16s:  [5a]@Tennessee-[12a]SCarolina/[12b]MississippiSt, [5b]Missouri-[11]TexasA&M/[14]Auburn, [7]Arkansas-@[10]Vanderbilt, [8a]Georgia-[8b]LSU;

nbsp  Fri 3rd/Qtrs: [1]Florida-{[8a]Georgia/[8b], [2a]@Kentucky-[7]Arkansas/@[10]Vanderbilt, [2b]Mississippi-[5b]Missouri//[11]TexasA&M/[14], [2c]Alabama-[5a]@Tennessee//[12a]/[12b]),

Thursday-Saturday:

BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ AnaheimCA

- ([1]@LongBeachSt, [2]Pacific, [3]@CalPolySLO),

BIG SKY TOURNAMENT @ #1-seed[Montana]/MissoulaMT

- (@[1]Montana, [2]WeberSt),

GREAT WEST TOURNAMENT @ ChicagoIL/Chicago St/

- ([1]NJIT, [2]TXPanAmerican),

Thursday-Sunday:

BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ ChicagoIL/UNITED/Nortwestern/

- (Thu 1st/16s:  [4b]Michigan-[12]PennSt, [6]Iowa-@[11]Northwestern, [7a]Purdue-[10]Nebraska, [7b]@Illinois-[7c]Minnesota;

   Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Indiana-[7b]@Illinois/[7c]Minnesota, [2a]OhioSt-[7a]Purdue/[10]Nebraska, [2b]MichiganSt-[6]Iowa/[11]@Northwestern, [4a]Wisconsin-[4b]Michigan/[12]PennSt),

ACC TOURNAMENT @ GreensboroNC

- (Thu 1st/16s:  [4b]@NCState-[12]VirginiaTech, [6]FloridaSt-[11]Clemson, [7]Maryland-[9b]@WakeForest, [8]BostonCol-[9a]GeorgiaTech;

   Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]MiamiFL-[8]BostonCol/[9a]GeorgiaTech, [2]@Duke-[7]Maryland/[9b]@WakeForest(NC), [3]@NCarolina-[6]FloridaSt/[11]Clemson, [4a]Virginia-[4b]@NCState-[12]VirginiaTech),

A-10 TOURNAMENT @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

- (Thu 1st/16s:  [3c]Butler-[11b]Dayton(BG), [6a]Xavier-[11a]GeoWashington, [6b]Massachusetts-[8c]StJosephs, [8a]Richmond-[8b]Charlotte;

   Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]St Louis-[8a]Richmond/[8b]Charlotte, [2]VCU-[6b]Massachusetts/[8c]StJosephs, [3a]Temple-[6a]Xavier/[11a]GeoWashington, [3b]LaSalle-[3c]Butler/[11b]Dayton),

Saturday:

AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT Final on-campus

- (@[2b]Vermont-[5]Albany),

Sunday:

(NCAA BRACKET SELECTION),

(NIT BRACKET SELECTION),

(CBI BRACKET SELECTION),

(CIT BRACKET SELECTION).

---

Top 25 - 13 Mar11: PRETOURNAMENT - [] Column

1. Indiana (26-5) (25-4) BIG 10
   
2. Georgetown (24-5) .3BIG E+3
   
3. New Mexico (26-5) MWC+2
   
4. Kansas (26-5) .5BIG 12
   
5. Duke (27-4)
   
6. Michigan (24-6)
   
7. Ohio State (22-7)
   
8. Louisville (26-5) .3BIG E+3
   
9. Michigan State (23-7)
   
10. Gonzaga (29-2) WCCu+2
    
11. Florida (24-6) SEC+2
    
12. Kansas State .5BIG 12
    
13. Marquette (23-8) .3BIG E+3
    
14. Oklahoma State (23-7)
    
15. St. Louis (24-6) A-10
    
16. Wisconsin (20-10)
    
17. Miami(Florida) (24-6) ACC
    
18. Syracuse (23-8)
    
19. St. Mary's (26-5)
    
20. Creighton MVC [MVCt]
    
21. Pittsburgh (24-7)
    
22. UNLV (22-8)
    
23. UCLA (23-8) PAC-12
    
24. Arizona (24-6)
    
25. Colorado State (22-7)
    

Honorable Mention:

Villanova (18-12), Air Force (15-12), Baylor (17-13), Georgia Tech (16-14), Kentucky (21-10), Xavier (17-13), Iowa State (20-10), Fresno State (11-18), Temple (23-8) .5BIG 5, Purdue (15-16), Nebraska (14-17), Colorado (20-10), Utah (13-17),

Loisiana Tech (25-5)/Denver (20-8) .5WAC,

Akron (23-6)/Ohio University (23-8) .5MAC+4,

Stephen F. Austin (22-3) SLAND,

Harvard (18-9) IVY,

Montana (21-6) SKY,

Norfolk State (21-10) MEACu,

Belmont (24-6) [vOVCt],

Florida Gulf Coast (20-10) [@A-SUNt],

Liberty (12-20) [4@BIG St].