Figuring Out Top 25 (14-25)

The college basketball season has been Charlie Sheen-like crazy.  Every week it seems a top 5 team goes down, and the bubble goes on forever this season. I really hadn't immersed myself into the game until about three weeks ago because I found the NFL more intriguing that ever before leading me to spend more time with that sport. These last couple of weeks I have done more research and looking at most ranked teams so far this season. So let's dive into the bottom half, and then the first half so it's an easy read for you guys.

*Editors note: I didn't get to finish this before the games started today so I just held to my original opinions on all teams.  Thanks
14.) Georgetown- The Hoyas are an interesting bunch because I like the way Chris Wright plays, same goes for Austin Freeman. I am interested to see what comes of Julian Vaughan, he could become a matchup problem for some bigs down the stretch.  

15.) Missouri- Despite being in the top 15, they might be flying under the radar.  The Tigers did lose at Texas, but a lot of teams would in the college basketball world. This team lost two games in overtime to a solid Georgetown team, and a decent Texas A&M team. Mizzou also have five guys scoring in double digits, and they have guy in Marcus Denmon who is lethal from long range shooting 47 percent.

16.) Texas A&M- The Aggies got their asses handed to them last night at home against Texas.  They have now lost three of their last four, and I am starting to wonder if they are paper tigers. Further, the Aggies only have two guys scoring in double dights, no one averaging higher than six rebounds a game, and shoot free throws like a JV team.  I am selling on the Aggies.

17.) Syracuse- I watched them last Saturday and left with mixed feelings. Kris Joseph is a special player who  the media do not give enough credit to. But on the other hand, Fab Melo is the most overrated freshman in Division 1 basketball right now. Melo's poor play leads to them to not having a man in the middle for their 2-3 zone, that's a big problem. They have a brutal schedule for the remainder of the season, but I am interested to see how they handle UConn on the road Wednesday night.

18.) Wisconsin- Jordan Taylor is emerging as a true talent at point guard, and probably one of the best leaders in college basketball. The Badgers suffered from the same things that plague their in-state rivals... closing out games. They should have beat Michigan State and Penn State, which both resulting in losses due to late game struggles. Not to mention, they haven't had a big conference road win yet.

19.) Washington- When it comes down to teams from the ACC and Pac-10, I am going to look at their non-conference schedule because their conferences suck as a whole.  The Huskies had a nice blowout win against Arizona, but that doesn't do much for me. Also they are horrible from the free throw line (66%) which never bodes well for teams. Although, I do like Isiah Thomas' game, but I don't know if he will have enough to carry them very far in March.

20.) Minnesota- I watched the Gophers a couple times, and they left me with an eh sort of feeling. They do rebound well, but other than that?  Nothing really comes out at you except the negetives. The Gophers aren't a good three-point shooting team, and they shake in their Nikes when shooting free throws, 65 percent to be exact. Goldy has a light Big Ten schedule after a big game with Ohio State this weekend.

21.) Utah State- One team I can admit I haven't seen this year, but let me give you a rundown of why they will not do much in March.  They got blown out by Georgetown and lost to BYU in non-conference play. Add to the fact, no other team in the WAC has less than 9 losses.  I will file them into my paper tigers category.

22.) Arizona- I will sum up my assessment of the Wildcats with this statement. If Derrick Williams doesn't score for the Cats, they are screwed.  He is the only one who averages double digits, not a good sign. Although, they shoot around 40 percent from the three-point line which gives them an edge.

23.) Florida- A good way to prove how wild this season is...  Arizona got 161 votes for the Top 25, while the next three teams got 51, 45, 45.  The Gators still have to play Kentucky and Vanderbilt twice this season so the jury is still out on them. I didn't like that they got beat by Jacksonville at home during the non-conference.

24.) Vanderbilt- I think Vandy is an interesting team. The Commodores know how to score, and they make their free throws (74 percent), hit threes (37 percent) plus a good amount of balanced scoring. But Vandy is in the same boat as Florida with still having to play the Gators and Wildcats twice.

25.) Illinois- The Fightin' Illini have lost the last four of five and they are still ranked... what the hell? Demetri McCamey hasn't played well in the past couple of weeks, and they really need Brandon Paul to step up in the coming month.

-Charlie.