Fresh off last weekend’s plethora of upsets, this college basketball season experienced its first week of relative chalk. To illustrate that, the top 16 teams in the RTC25 fell in exactly the same order as they were last week. The only notable RTC25 teams to suffer defeats and take tumbles were #19 North Carolina and #25 Butler. The Tar Heels dropped two spots after being thoroughly outmanned in a 14-point loss Saturday at Kentucky. The Bulldogs fell eight spots after getting tripped up Sunday in Knoxville against a feisty Tennessee squad. You should know by now that a week like this is not the norm in college basketball, and you should expect more weeks of upsets as the season progresses.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump…
- Kentucky remains the unanimous #1 for the fourth straight week. John Calipari’s Wildcats experienced their first taste of adversity last Wednesday when they faced a tough battle from Columbia. The Lions held a two-point halftime lead before Kentucky roared back to score a 10-point victory. The Wildcats also faced some offcourt adversity on Thursday when junior forward Alex Poythress suffered a torn ACL in practice and will miss the remainder of the season. Playing with Poythress in mind Saturday, Kentucky responded with an impressive 14-point victory over #19 North Carolina. The Wildcats have this week off for exams, but will take the court again Saturday against UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago.
- Kansas continues to win. If you wrote the Jayhawks off after they suffered a 32-point shellacking at the hands of Kentucky on November 18, it is already quite clear that you made a mistake. Kansas turned in one of the more impressive weeks in the country with a road win at #24 Georgetown and a very hard-fought victory over #15 Utah. Bill Self’s squad is still very young and often shows signs of inconsistency, but if the wins keep coming, look for the Jayhawks to steadily make their move up the rankings.
- Notre Dame keeps it going. The Fighting Irish are proving that their December 3 home overtime victory over Michigan State was not an anomaly, as they scored two blowout victories this past week. Mike Brey’s squad put a 26-point drubbing on Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday before opening conference play with a 20-point beatdown of Florida State. The season is still young and there are questions about the long-term prospects of the Irish, but if guards Jerian Grant and Demetrius Jackson can continue to play at a high level, Notre Dame may find itself in the thick of things when ACC play fully commences.
- Washington enters the RTC25. The 8-0 Huskies enter the RTC25 this week at #23 after emerging victorious in a hard-fought battle with pesky Eastern Washington on Sunday. Outside of a sloppy home victory over #16 San Diego State the previous Sunday, Washington is still searching for a chance to make its doubters believe. The Huskies will have that shot this Saturday as they have a game on tap against #13 Oklahoma.
Game of the Week. #12 Ohio State vs. #19 North Carolina. Both the Buckeyes and Tar Heels will enter Saturday’s game at the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago with something to prove. Ohio State is 8-1 on the season but has yet to be tested outside of its loss at Louisville. North Carolina already has three losses and will be looking to convince the country that it should still be taken seriously as a potential Final Four contender. The match-up to watch in this game will be between the two veteran point guards – Ohio State’s Shannon Scott and North Carolina’s Marcus Paige. Whoever gets the best of that battle will have a significant hand in determining which team will grab the important victory.
Keep Tabs On. #16 San Diego State vs. Cincinnati; #2 Duke vs. Connecticut; #17 St. John’s vs. Saint Mary’s; #13 Oklahoma vs. #23 Washington; #1 Kentucky vs. UCLA; #9 Villanova vs. Syracuse; #25 Butler vs. Indiana.
Conference Call: ACC (6), Big 12 (5), Big East (4), Big Ten (3), Pac-12 (3), SEC (1), Missouri Valley (1), Mountain West (1), WCC (1)