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The Indiana Hoosiers climbed back onto the top spot in this week’s ratings, courtesy their victory over then-No. 1 Michigan and a home loss by No. 2 Kansas on Saturday.

Hanging onto the top of the heap for a second week in a row is going to be a tough chore for the Hoosiers, though.

That’s because they take to the Big Ten road twice over the next seven days, visiting Illinois on Thursday night and Ohio State on Sunday.

Other games to check out this week include: Monday – Notre Dame at Syracuse; Tuesday – Ohio State at Michigan; Wednesday – Minnesota at Michigan State; Creighton at Indiana State; Baylor at Oklahoma State; Thursday – North Carolina State at Duke; Missouri at Texas A&M; Washington at UCLA; Saturday – Michigan at Wisconsin; Louisville at Notre Dame; Iowa State at Kansas State; New Mexico at UNLV; Pittsburgh at Cincinnati; Sunday – Illinois at Minnesota.

Rank (Last Week)
Record
Comment
1. Indiana (3)
20-2

The Hoosiers seem to have a knack for beating top-ranked teams in Assembly Hall.

2. Michigan (2)
20-2
That the Wolverines were actually close down the stretch Saturday speaks volumes for how good Michigan is.
3. Gonzaga (7)
21-2
Staying perfect in the WCC came a lot smoother Thursday night at Loyola than it did Saturday night at San Diego.
4. Florida (6)
18-2
The Gators’ Feb. 12 game with Kentucky in Gainesville can’t come soon enough for those who wonder if they are finally going to get seriously tested in the SEC.
5. Duke (7)
19-2
The Blue Devils will get another pop at the Hurricanes in Cameron on March 2.
6. Kansas (2)
19-2
PG Elijah Johnson is struggling with both TOs and his jump shot.
7. Syracuse (4)
18-3
The Big East road wasn’t kind to the Orange last week.
8. Louisville (10)
18-4
The Cardinals certainly looked every bit the part of best team in the Big East on Sunday vs. Marquette.
9. Arizona (11)
19-2
The Wildcats held up very well during their trip to the Pacific Northwest, thank you very much.
10. Ohio State (12)
17-4
The Buckeyes scored as many as 70 points only three times in January.
11. Michigan State (13)
18-4
Only blemish in January was a five-point loss at Indiana.
12. Miami (14)
17-3
‘Canes’ backcourt playing about as well as any in the country right now.
13. Butler (9)
18-4
Rotnei Clarke with 17 turnovers in three games since return from sore neck.
14. Oregon (8)
18-4
Point-guard woes big part of being swept in Bay Area last week.
15. Kansas State (NR)
17-4

The Frank Martin-to-Bruce Weber transition has been, apparently, about as smooth as possible.

16. Creighton (NR)
20-3
There hasn’t been a more efficient and consistent scorer in the college hoops this season than Doug McDermott.

On the cusp (listed alphabetically): Akron 18-4, Arizona State 17-5, Baylor 14-7, Boise State 15-6, Cincinnati 18-4, Colorado State18-4, Connecticut 15-5, Georgetown 16-4, Kentucky 15-6, Louisiana Tech 19-3, Marquette 18-5, Memphis 18-3, Minnesota 17-5, Mississippi 17-4, Missouri 16-5, New Mexico 19-3, North Carolina 15-6, North Carolina State 16-6, Notre Dame 18-4, Oklahoma 14-6, Oklahoma State 15-5, Pittsburgh 18-5, Saint Louis 16-5, San Diego State 16-5, Southern Mississippi 18-4, UCLA 16-6, UNLV 17-5, VCU 18-5, Villanova 13-9, Virginia 15-6, Wichita State 19-4 and Wisconsin 15-7.

 

TOP PERFORMANCES OF JAN. 28-FEB. 3

TEAMS

Indiana: The Hoosiers wacked host Purdue by a stunning 37-point margin and knocked off then-No. 1 Michigan on Saturday in Bloomington.

Kentucky: Coach John Calipari’s Wildcats collected back-to-back SEC road victories over Mississippi and Texas A&M.

Memphis: The Tigers extended their winning streak to 11 via victories at East Carolina and at home over Tulsa.

Miami: The Hurricanes remained unbeaten in the ACC after road wins against Virginia Tech and North Carolina State.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys held off Iowa State by two points at home and then stunned Kansas to snap Jayhawks’ winning streaks of 18 (on the season) and 33 (in Lawrence).

 

PLAYERS:

R.J. Hunter (Georgia State): The son of the team’s coach and freshman guard had 65 points (38 against Old Dominion) and nine rebounds in a pair of Colonial Athletic victories.

Shane Larkin (Miami): Thirty-eight points, six rebounds, eight assists and eight steals at Virginia Tech and North Carolina State gives the senior point guard his second consecutive spot on this list.

Nerlens Noel (Kentucky): The freshman center blocked 12 shots at Mississippi (to go with seven rebounds) then had 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and a couple of blocks at Texas A&M.

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State): The best freshman point guard in country had a combined 46 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and nine steals in the Cowboys’ two Big 12 road victories.

Cody Zeller (Indiana): The sophomore center collected 38 points and 21 rebounds during the Big Ten victories at Purdue and at home against Michigan.

Frank Burlison has been covering hoops for 30+ years for a variety of publications.

Follow Frank on twitter @FrankieBur. Also make sure to follow his website at www.burlisononbasketball.com. College coaching staffs interested in Burlison’s scouting service should contact him at [email protected].

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1 Comment

  1. gonzaga too high at #3. They

    gonzaga too high at #3. They shouldnt be ahead of arizona. Zona has wins over florida, miami and san diego state. which are more impressive wins then kansas state, oklahoma state and baylor which are the zags best wins. The quality of losses are about equal but zona has played a significantly tougher schedule in a better conference and has better wins to show for it.

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