CollegeHoops.net Top 50 Ranking: Week Eight

Carolina moves no further back than #2 after loosing its conference opener at home to a non-ranked team that was picked to finish 11th in in the ACC? Thats unbelievable. Did you get your degree from UNC or something?

I'd probably flip Utah St. and SDSU, but I have a feeling the Aggies will be pulling up this list in the weeks to come. Also, I'd have West Virginia and Cal both a few spots higher, and maybe drop Baylor and Gonzaga a little. The massive clustering of 2 and 3 loss teams makes it pretty tough, though.

Shawn, Just curious about your ranking for the Big Ten teams? Why so low? They have the best out of conference record of all the leagues this year. Illinois is 13-2 with wins at Vandy and at Purdue but ranked #33? Michigan at #32 with wins over UCLA and Duke? I just dont get your love for Baylor and I'm sure not many people do. Maybe you can explain the mad formula you use to come up with your rankings.

Especially considering BT is 2nd in RPI right now, though a distant 3rd in most other statistical power rankings. Mostly its just a matter of going team by team and looking at who theyve actually played, and stripping away all the useless home wins over bad non-conference teams. Illinois is the prime example, non-conference play they lost at home to their only lock NCAA opponent, and beat one bubble team (Missouri) on a neutral court. Okay, 1-1 for againt potential NCAA teams in non-conference play, and neither was a true road game.

Purdue, 1-2 for against lock teams, Okla, Duke, Davidson, 1-0 against a fringe tourney team (BC). And again, none of those were true road games.

Wisconsin, 0-3 against lock teams, 1-0 against a fringe team (VT)

Minnesota, yet to play a lock tourney team, 1-0 against a fringe team for now in Louisville on a neutral court.

The one team, looking at the rankings again this morning, that I was admittedly too harsh towards is OSU, who I need to move up some.

S

Let it go Shawn...let it go. Drop SIU like a hot potato...they're not doin' much this year...probably 15-18 L's. Why you holdin' on? Sorta like a lost love, or an old girlfriend...just can't let go, huh.

Drake & Evansville however deserve a bit of consideration. How 'bout it?

Gotta say Shaun, you giving Butler less credit then the BCS conference coaches who vote in the ESPN Coaches Poll (who have Butler at #20 this week) is kinda sad...

How can they be out of the top 50?? I know their schedule was a little weak before beating Oklahoma... But, they handled the Sooners, rather easily for most of the game, and OU is still #6 and the Hogs are outside your top 50... That doesn't really make sense. Not saying the Hogs should be higher than the Sooners, but they should be ahead of Oklahoma State, Missouri, Creighton, Cincy, SDSU, etc, etc, etc...

This is in response to posts here and last week which I missed during the holiday. Simply put, I'm not sold yet. Mediocre teams win games against good teams, it simply happens. Hogs have played the 299th hardest schedule, and not only have they played a crazy easy schedule, they've done it at home. Against real competition, Arkansas would have 3 losses or so like everyone one of the other fringe teams people want on the list. Then again, if they beat Texas this week.. I look like a fool and they jump up the list substantially.