A new year has come and a new season has arrived. College hoops have officially moved from non-conference play (filled with easy-to-purchase games, exciting challenges, and tournaments in casinos and tropical locations) to conference play. Conference play requires teams to travel through extreme cold and attempt to win the game in a hostile cauldron. So hiding isn’t always smooth sailing for everyone either. In front of you is a frigid and choppy sea.
So this might be the last time all season that I can say my vote didn’t move much. So, for the first time in 2023, on Sunday night he presents the correct order of the top 25 men’s college basketball teams as submitted to the Associated Press.
Seth Davis’ Top 25 for Monday, January 2nd
Dropped out: North Carolina (16), Kentucky (19), Memphis (21)
Most Famous: Auburn, Florida Atlantic, Illinois, Missouri, Providence, St. Mary’s, Utah
Voting Notes
• Those who watch my rankings closely (and who know who they are) consider much more than just whether the team won or lost the previous week’s game. I understand that It emphasized who played it, how it was played, and most importantly, where it was played. We all know it’s really, really hard to win on the road. Conversely, this means that the top 25 teams must win at home. Especially when playing against teams that are ranked lower or not ranked at all.
There were 3 results in the top 5 last Saturday. U Connof 83-73 defeats XavierKansas’ 69-67 home victory OklahomaWhen Arizonaof 69-60 wins ArizonaIt nearly left UConn in second place. Because losing to a good team on tour is nothing to be ashamed of. husky They were without a doubt the best team in the country this season. But I was forced to raise some Arizona. the victory was decisive, and it happened against a good team on the way.Arizona also won on neutral courts Indiana and home win Tennessee It pushed an 81-66 loss in Utah on December 1 deep into the rearview mirror. Most teams have bad games once in a while. That defeat was inflicted on the meeting opponent on the way.
as for KansasI usually don’t believe in punishing a team after a win, but the Jayhawks were at home against an unranked team from Oklahoma who lost this season Southern Illinois When UCF, and they are almost lost. In any case, I don’t consider moving the team one slot below him to be a huge punishment, but my decision to jump over Arizona caused the Jayhawks to drop.
Deeper
Bill Self’s skillful coaching moves lead Kansas to another come-from-behind victory
• I think there is still some confusion as to why I have one. houston at number eight cougar It was third in last week’s AP poll, and first in NET, KenPom and BartTorvik. The answer is in your resume. Houston’s best win was Virginia. There is no doubt that it is a spectacular road win, Virginia We also lost the next game in Miami. Other than that, Houston’s best win was in Fort Worth against unranked St. Mary’s. He also has several wins against unranked teams that were uncomfortably close on Saturday, including his 71-65 home victory over UCF. It’s worth noting that Houston is his 7th in Kevin Pauga’s KPI rankings. This is based on results only, while other metrics are for forecasting purposes. There are also some direct consequences to consider.Houston lost at home AlabamaSo shouldn’t the Cougars be ranked behind the Crimson Tide? And Alabama lost Gonzaga Later that week in Birmingham, shouldn’t the Tide be behind Zag? I expect the to go up, but that’s why I’m putting the Cougars where they are now.
• To expand on my metric case, let’s take a look at some teams whose rankings seem to be far off, for better or worse. Who would argue that Miami doesn’t deserve the rankings?The Hurricanes are 33rd in NET, 37th in KenPom and 50th in BartTorvik. Still, he is ninth in KPIs. It shouldn’t rank so highly, but in this case the KPI is much closer to being accurate.
Then there are two teams that don’t like metrics. Wisconsin (44 NET, 42 KenPom, 49 BartTorvik) and providence (57 NET, 44 Ken Pom, 58 Bart Torvik). The KPI is now split. Wisconsin has 12 and Providence has 64. This is all because the metric doesn’t like teams that win a lot of close matches. Still, when they count their standings and quad records, 1 win counts as much as 100 wins.of husky It doesn’t feel good, but it’s rare to see a top-five team on their home court.
Conversely, the metric is beaten west virginia (13 NET, 20 KenPom, 13 BartTorvik, 25 KPI), the Mountaineers’ best win was in Pittsburgh, even though they just lost Kansas At the Big 12 opener. auburn also has strong metrics and continues to rank among the AP Top 25. of the Tigers Your resume is very nice.Their best win was a neutral coatover Northwestand they took a loss to Memphis (neutral) in December, USC (road).
• Of course, the biggest winner of the week was Xavier. It was a stunning win for the Musketeers on Saturday under immense pressure.Two things that left an impression on me Jack Nanji15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the fight against the virus.Most people don’t want to get out of bed when sick, much less play a high-level basketball game. Jerome Hunter, The Groo Guy, who played for Sean Miller’s brother, Archie, in Indiana. Xavier are a very good offensive team, but so-so defensively. Hunter gives this team the toughness it needs at the end of the floor. It will be a very valuable piece during the time of the dog in February.
• I am more supportive of North Carolina and kentucky than my fellow voters Missouri, Each. Speaking of Missouri tigers Not only did they win Kentucky, Illinois In the Braggin’ Rights game. Frankly, I’m not sure how good these teams are. Also, the Tigers have such a questionable non-meeting schedule that they decided to wait a little longer before putting a number next to their name.
Deeper
Is John Calipari now the Jimbo Fisher of college basketball?
• Losing Memphis Tulane Opened another location on Sunday.I hesitate clayton Last few weeks — I gave Jays the coveted Buy-Plus rating in our annual Hoop Thoughts Stock Report. Ryan Kalkbrenner was out, but now that he’s back, expect it to surge again. Seton Hall at home this week, his UConn on tour, followed by his Xavier (tour) and Providence (home) next week. I will soon find out if my trust in this team is justified.
(Xavier’s top photo colby jones: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
