With many NCAA teams failing their conference exams, we stay the course with our NCAA Suite 16 college basketball rankings.
- Florida (17-2) – Two more easy wins, and Joakim Noah and the Gators appear unbeatable and are the easy choice to head our college basketball rankings.
- Wisconsin (19-1) – The Badgers extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 15 games, as Wisconsin remained unbeaten in the Big Ten.
- North Carolina (17-2) – The Tar Heels responded to a loss to ACC foe Virginia Tech by humiliating very good Clemson and Georgia Tech squads. North Carolina is clearly the most-talented team in college basketball.
- Oregon (18-1) – The Ducks leapfrog UCLA, due to Oregon’s victory over the Bruins and the Ducks’ first-place standing in the Pac-10. Oregon’s small lineup is giving some very good teams fits. Our colleagues may not place Oregon this high in their college basketball rankings, but we’re giving these mighty Ducks the benefit of the doubt.
- UCLA (17-1) – Let’s not forget that the Bruins are one missed buzzer-beating 3-pointer away from being college basketball’s lone undefeated team. Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison are stars, and the supporting cast isn’t bad either.
- Texas A&M (16-2) – It’s time we give some love to the Aggies. They’ve won nine straight games, have four double-figure scorers and pounded a very good Oklahoma State team. It seems that Texas A&M is for real and deserving of this position in our college basketball rankings.
- Ohio State (16-3) – More impressive than the Buckeyes overall won-loss mark is that they’ve done it without a healthy Greg Oden. As Oden’s game improves, Ohio State looks more and more unbeatable.
- Kansas (16-3) -- In spite of a recent upset loss to Big 12 rival Texas Tech, Kansas is a scary-good team with eight players who could start just about anywhere else. Brandon Rush may get the hype, but freshman Sherron Collins might just be the Jayhawks best player.
- Butler (17-2) -- The Bulldogs just keep destroying anyone in their path. Guard A.J. Graves is America's best-kept college basketball secret.
- Clemson (18-2) -- Everyone said the Tigers weren't as good as their 17-0 record indicated. Clemson promptly lost two straight, and the naysayers thumped their chests. Let's not forget that one loss was to a North Carolina squad that could stick closely with a few NBA teams. Clemson is loaded with talent and still very good.
- Marquette (17-4) -- If the Golden Eagles had more quality losses, they would be at least three spots better in our college basketball rankings. What Marquette has on its resume is four straight wins against the cream of the Big East Conference. Marquette recently defeated Connecticut, West Virginia, Louisville and Pittsburgh, and three of those teams were top 25 teams at the time.
- Pittsburgh (17-3) -- Just when we wanted to start really believing in the Panthers, who lead the Big East, Pittsburgh lost a home game to Marquette.
- Air Force (18-2) -- Sure, an unimpressive Utah team snapped the Falcons' 13-game winning streak. But Air Force responded with a nice win over a very capable San Diego State club, and the Falcons remain on track in the Mountain West and in our college basketball rankings.
- Washington State (16-3) -- One of the stingiest teams in the nation, the Cougars have very impressive wins over Gonzaga, Arizona and California. Even more impressive, though was Washington's three-point loss to then number 1 UCLA.
- Notre Dame (16-3) -- The Fighting Irish continue to impress. Even without one of its stars, suspended guard Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame has wins over Maryland, Alabama, West Virginia and Louisville. Notre Dame's three losses are to teams with a combined record of 43-12.
- Indiana (14-4) -- For just a moment, forget about Indian's impressive wins over Connecticut, Michigan State and Southern Illinois. The Hoosiers, under new head coach Kelvin Sampson, have just four losses to the likes of Duke, Ohio State, Kentucky and Butler -- by a combined 20 points. Give Indiana any two of those games, and the Hoosiers move to number 6 in our Suite 16.
The copyright of the article Florida Remains Atop NCAA Top 20 in College Basketball is owned by Mark Barnes. Permission to republish Florida Remains Atop NCAA Top 20 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
