After nine weeks of the regular season there is probably not a conference that has more uncertainty in it than the Big 12. If the importance of home court advantage in that loaded league had not been clear before, this past week really made sure that everyone realizes it. From Tuesday through Saturday in conference games featuring at least one ranked team, the home team notched a sterling 7-0 record. No Big 12 win last week was more important, though, than #9 Iowa State knocking off #14 Kansas on Saturday night. The victory moved the Cyclones to a 3-1 league record, which helped them keep pace in the loss column following Wednesday’s narrow loss at #23 Baylor. The Big 12 has been so crazy this season that an unranked team (Kansas State) somehow holds sole possession of first place. There is a lot of basketball still to be played, of course, so it will be a good idea to keep an eye on this conference as Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Baylor, and Oklahoma State figure to battle tooth-and-nail for the league crown all the way to the last weekend of the regular season.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump….
Quick N’ Dirty Analysis.
- Kentucky remains the unanimous #1 for the ninth consecutive week. Just one week after the Wildcats were taken to overtime by both Ole Miss and Texas A&M, they completed a dominant week with two impressive performances. First, on Tuesday night, Kentucky destroyed Missouri in an 86-37 home victory. Then, on Saturday, the Wildcats took their show on the road where they easily dispatched Alabama in Tuscaloosa by 22 points. John Calipari’s squad is now 17-0 on the year and will be sizable favorites this week when it hosts Vanderbilt on Tuesday night before traveling to South Carolina on Saturday. Kentucky was upset at South Carolina late last season, which is not to say you should expect an upset again, but Frank Martin’s team is better and it is something to consider leading up to the game.
- Villanova, Gonzaga, and Duke are all fighting for the #3 spot. Villanova takes the #3 spot this week, but the margin between the Wildcats and #4 Gonzaga and #5 Duke is very narrow. Villanova is 17-1 on the season, with its lone loss coming in an overtime setback at Seton Hall. The Wildcats will need to bring their best game on the road tonight, as they will look to move to 18-1 in facing off with Georgetown, currently 3-0 at home in Big East play. #4 Gonzaga currently sits at 18-1 overall with a 7-0 mark in the WCC. The Bulldogs will face their toughest conference game to date this week when they host fellow 7-0 Saint Mary’s on Thursday night in Spokane. #5 Duke went 1-1 this past week, but while a 16-point home loss to #22 Miami (FL) probably could have dropped the Blue Devils a few more pegs, their impressive 11-point road victory at #11 Louisville on Saturday reminded everyone just how good Duke really can be.
- There is some disagreement on VCU. Shaka Smart’s Rams are currently 15-3 overall and have not lost since falling at current #2 Virginia on December 6. Despite VCU’s nine-game winning streak, our pollsters cannot really reach a consensus on where the team should be ranked. One pollster, for example, has the Rams as high as #11 while another has them as low as #22. Playing in the Atlantic 10 does not afford VCU many opportunities to earn high-profile victories, but if VCU keeps winning all of its league games, you should expect their status in the RTC25 to become much more clear as the season progresses.
Game of the Week. #9 Iowa State vs. Kansas State. The two current top teams in the Big 12 will battle in Ames on Tuesday night just three nights after Iowa State defeated Kansas on the same floor. Kansas State will enter action on a four-game winning streak that has surprisingly propelled the Wildcats to the top of the league standings. In that winning streak, Bruce Weber’s squad has grabbed victories over #18 Oklahoma and #23 Baylor. Will they be able to defeat a third ranked opponent in as many weeks? The individual match-up between Kansas State point guard Marcus Foster and Iowa State point guard Monte Morris should go a long way in determining who will earn this important Big 12 victory.
Keep Tabs On. #3 Villanova vs. Georgetown; #14 Kansas vs. #18 Oklahoma; #6 Wisconsin vs. #25 Iowa; #4 Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s; #8 Maryland vs. #23 Indiana; #14 Kansas vs. #17 Texas; #18 Oklahoma vs. #23 Baylor.
Conference Call. Big 12 (6), ACC (6), Big Ten (4), Pac-12 (2), Missouri Valley (2), Atlantic 10 (2), Big East (1), SEC (1), WCC (1).