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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Jan 31: Power 16


What a crazy week in college basketball!  I am anxious to see Joe Lunardi's latest bracket tomorrow.  Here's how I have the top 16 this week:

School
Record
vs RPI top 25
Kansas
20-1 (6-0)
3-1
Syracuse
21-1 (8-1)
3-1
Villanova
19-1 (8-0)
1-1
Kentucky
20-1 (5-1)
1-0
 
It's pretty clear who the top four teams are now.  The only question is what order should they be ranked?  I think Kansas jumps back to the number one overall seed after a road victory at Kansas St.  Syracuse and Villanova hold at two and three respectively and Kentucky comes in at number four.  Kentucky may have the most talent but they currently have played the weakest schedule of these four teams and in my mind that drops them.
School
Record
vs RPI top 25
Michigan St.
19-3 (9-0)
1-1
West Virginia
17-3 (6-2)
0-2
Georgetown
16-4 (6-3)
4-2
Tennessee
16-4 (4-2)
1-2
 
Michigan St. currently sits as the top two seed.  If one of the number one's were to falter down the stretch (lose more than one game) the Spartans are the team that is most likely to capitalize.  Being undefeated in conference play means a lot.  West Virginia had a scare versus Louisville but held on for the victory.  The same for Tennessee against Florida after losing two in a row.  Georgetown leapfrogs into the twos after an impressive home victory over Duke.

School
Record
vs RPI top 25
Duke
17-4 (5-2)
1-3
Kansas St.
17-4 (4-3)
2-1
Purdue
18-3 (6-3)
4-1
BYU
21-2 (6-1)
0-1
 
The threes are where things get interesting.  Duke still only has one real road win and really played poorly at Georgetown.  Purdue seems to be back on track and gets the second three seed thanks to their 4-1 record against the top 25 in the ESPN RPI.  Kansas St. nearly knocked off the number one overall seed at home.  They're not penalized for that but move down because I feel I overrated them last week.  And an impressive BYU squad rounds earns the fourth spot to round out the threes.

School
Record
vs RPI top 25
Vanderbilt
16-4 (5-1)
1-1
Texas
18-3 (4-2)
2-1
Wisconsin
16-5 (6-3)
2-2
Ohio St.
16-6 (6-3)
3-3
Vanderbilt vaults into the rankings.  Although they looked overmatched at Kentucky, they are still 5-1 in conference and are really playing well.  Texas is really slipping.  With another loss they may fall out of the Power 16.   Wisconsin is holding steady but also is not doing anything special. Ohio St. gets the last four seed because they have only lost two times with Evan Turner in the lineup.  I still maintain the committee will take this into consideration when the final pairings are announced.

Also considered: Gonzaga, Butler, Baylor, Pittsburgh 


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Thoughts on recent baseball signings

Tuesday Oakland officially signed Ben Sheets to a one year deal worth $10 plus incentives.  A lof of people may question this move for both Oakland and Sheets.  While I agree that $10 million seems a little pricey for a player who didn't throw a single pitch last year, it's also worth noting that the year off probably did Sheets some good.  Sheets missed last season while recovering from flexor tendon surgery in his pitching elbow.  This is not TJ surgery although there may be a similar "feeling out period" as he tries to regain his form and control.  Sheets has a career WHIP of 1.20 and is third (behind Pedro & Mariano Rivera - not bad company, eh?) among active pitchers with a 3.85 K-BB ratio. 
The big risk here is obviously health.  Mr. Sheets has not pitched 200 innings in a season since 2004 (although he had 198 in 2008).  He's missed time with various ailments related to his shoulder, bicep, back, and hamstring.  I think his year away from baseball was a good thing because by not trying to pitch every fifth day (or recover from a nagging injury) his body had time to heal.  I think he's a good bet to pitch 160-180 innings.  I doubt the A's try to push him too hard for fear of killing him.  This means if Sheets can come close to his career performance he'll be easily worth the money. 
Now whether or not you think the A's can compete is an entirely different question.  Beane has at least improved the squad and if they're out of it he'll get a couple of prospects for him.  I think this is maybe the best signing of the winter.


Jim Thome also signed this week with Minnesota.  I never thought he'd end up there for a couple of reasons.  First, Thome seemed like an obvious fit for the White Sox and he even lobbied to return to Chicago.  Second, since Thome is a DH only now, there seems no place for him to play in Minnesota. Twins GM Bill Smith has already said Thome is a bench option and that Jason Kubel will remain the starting DH.  My guess is that Smith isn't too confident in LF Delmon Young and is hedging his bets.  I think it's a strong move for a team that often waits too long to make a move during the season.  With this in mind I can see Gardenhire sticking to his guns far too long meaning Thome will waste away on the bench for at least half the season. 

That's all for now.  I'm about to enjoy a Purdue victory over Wisconsin. Boiler up!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Recapping last night's games

Tonight marked the first time I've been able to sit down and just watch college basketball for hours without interruption.  So, I had to sacrifice Obama's State of the Union address.  I think I'll be ok.  Here's what I saw:
  • Villanova 90, Notre Dame 72: Villanova is really quick.  Notre Dame had no one that could guard Scottie Reynolds and they played just enough defense that Notre Dame thought 25 ft jump shots were a good idea.  The Wildcats are a legit top five team.  I think Notre Dame is done. Put a fork in 'em.
  • UConn continues to be one of the strangest teams out there.  They lose to Michigan, beat St. John's, beat Texas, and then lose to Providence badly.  They're still on the bubble.  Providence meanwhile inches closer to an at-large bid.
  • Temple lost at Charlotte.  You had to figure they couldn't remain undefeated forever but I'm still a little surprised they lost this game.  Charlotte must be reading the blog!
  • Vanderbilt may have just punched their ticket to the Big Dance.  You have to wonder if Tennessee's win over Kansas was the exception and not the rule to their true performance after key players were suspended.  This is a team to keep an eye on.
  • Duke didn't play well but held off a decent FSU squad.  If Florida State had any kind of offensive discipline this game could have been closer.  Instead Duke just toyed with them defensively and took over down the stretch.  I'm still not convinced this Duke squad can win it all.  They'll reach the Sweet 16 but I haven't seen a dominating performance since they crushed Gonzaga in mid-December.
  • Texas appears to be back on track.  Tech gave it their best effort but it wasn't enough.  I think Texas is a top five team this year.  They play really good defense and out rebound everybody.
  • Ohio State got a big scare from Iowa.  OSU really struggled with Iowa's scrappy defense.  They were forcing shots they didn't need to and often shot way too early in the shot clock.  Iowa had this game but let it slip away.  All game they were terrified of driving inside with Lauderdale patrolling the paint; instead choosing to pass the ball around the perimeter and launch a three.  Yet somehow it almost worked.
  • The last game I peeked at was Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.  The Cowboys are crawling ahead of teams in their conference as they try to secure a place in the field.  A&M could really have used this road victory.  It's still early but the Aggies needs to reel of a little streak here to be taken seriously by the committee.
  • Unfortunately the BYU - New Mexico game started too late.  That's the game I most wanted to see all night.  I should have DVR'd it.  Oh well.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What the Tournament looks like today

After completing the Power 16 yesterday, I began wondering what kind of representation each conference would get if it was already March.  I thought it would be a nice little exercise to go through each conference and see who's in, who's out, and who is somewhere in between.

Big East
Locks: Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia
Lookin' Good: Georgetown, Pittsburgh
Bubble Watch: Notre Dame, Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville, Seton Hall
Not quite 100:1 odds:  Marquette, Providence, St. John's
No Chance: Rutgers, DePaul, South Florida
The Big East is the deepest conference in the country.  Unfortunately that allows for a lot of teams to beat up on each other.  Unimpressive conference records may be ignored as the committee instead looks at impressive road wins and how bubble teams fare in their conference tournament.
Likely bids: 7

ACC
Locks: Duke
Lookin' Good: Wake Forest, Clemson, Maryland, Virginia
Bubble Watch: Florida St., Georgia Tech, UNC, Virginia Tech
Not quite 100:1 odds: North Carolina St., Miami
No Chance: Boston College
Although Duke is a lock, they don't appear to be the dominating team they've been in years past.  That they're the best in the conference represents an unusual case for the ACC.  The likely effect is more teams jumping off the bubble and into the field of 64.
Likely bids: 6 maybe 7

Big 12 
Locks: Kansas, Texas
Lookin' Good: Kansas St., Missouri
Bubble Watch: Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma St.
Not quite 100:1 odds: Texas Tech, Oklahoma
No Chance: Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa St.
The elite teams in the Big 12 are quite possibly two of the top five teams in the land.  The middle of the conference has really improved in recent years thus giving the committee even more reason to dig deep.  Any team with a winning conference record may qualify. 
Likely bids: 6

SEC 
Locks: Kentucky, Tennessee
Lookin' Good: Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Mississippi St. 
Bubble Watch: Florida  
Not quite 100:1 odds: Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia
No Chance: LSU, Auburn, Arkansas
Kentucky and Tennessee will have excellent seeds but one of the other schools will have to get a couple of statement wins to get higher than a six.  The bottom of this conference is really bad. 
Likely bids: 5

Atlantic 10
Locks: Temple
Lookin' Good: Xavier, Dayton, Rhode Island
Bubble Watch: Richmond, Charlotte
Not quite 100:1 odds: St. Louis
No Chance: St. Joseph's, Fordham, George Washington, LaSalle, Duquense, UMass, St. Bonaventure
Rhode Island, Richmond, and Charlotte's strong seasons have turned the A-10 into a very underrated conference.  If Richmond and Charlotte play well down the stretch and beat Temple and/or Xavier this could be a five bid conference.  Thank you, Pac 10.
Likely bids: 4

Big Ten
Locks: Michigan St., Purdue, Wisconsin
Lookin' Good: Ohio St.
Bubble Watch: Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota
Not quite 100:1 odds: Michigan
No Chance: Penn St., Indiana, Iowa
The three bubble teams here are barely on the bubble.  One of them will have to make a statement soon or it's the NIT for certain.
Likely bids: 4

Pac 10 
Locks: none
Lookin' Good: Cal, Arizona St.
Bubble Watch: Arizona
Not quite 100:1 odds: Stanford, Washington, Washington St.
No Chance: Oregon St., Oregon, UCLA, USC (ineligible)
Cal is starting to play well which should put them in the tourney.  Arizona St has the  best RPI after Cal and since they are one of the Big 6, this conference should get multiple bids. 
Likely bids: 3.  There will probably only be two deserving but the committee has a history of giving Pac 10 bubble teams the benefit of the doubt.

Mountain West 
Locks: BYU
Lookin' Good: UNLV, New Mexico
Bubble Watch: San Diego St.
Not quite 100:1 odds: Utah
No Chance: Air Force, TCU, Colorado St., Wyoming
BYU is already a lock for a top four seed.  San Diego St. needs to get a good win on the road and win their bracket buster matchup to get in.  I hope they get it done.
Likely bids: 3

West Coast
Locks: Gonzaga
Lookin' Good: none
Bubble Watch: St. Marys
Not quite 100:1 odds: Portland
No Chance: Everyone else
Portland has really faded since their incredible start. They would probably need to win out in order to reach the big Dance.  As it stands now, I think St. Mary's is in but they'll need to beat Portland again and win two games in their conference tournament.
Likely bids: 2

Conference USA
Locks: none
Lookin' Good: UAB, Tulsa
Bubble Watch: Memphis, Marshall, UTEP
Not quite 100:1 odds: Houston
No Chance: Rice, East Carolina, Southern Miss, SMU, UCF
This is a really interesting conference this year.  Without Memphis' dominance it's really wide open.  UAB and Tulsa are each undefeated in conference and while this is impossible to continue, I think each has done enough to warrant an at-large bid thus far.
Likely bids: 2

Colonial 
Locks: none
Lookin' Good: Old Dominion
Bubble Watch: William & Mary
Not quite 100:1 odds: VCU, Northeastern, George Mason
No Chance: Drexel, UNC-Wilmington, Towson, Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Georgia St.
The Tribe look to get their first ever NCAA bid.  They'll need a strong showing at bracket buster plus a split with Old Dominion to feel safe.
Likely bids: Right now, 2

Horizon
Locks: Butler
Lookin' Good: none
Bubble Watch: UW-Milwaukee
Not quite 100:1 odds: none
No Chance: Everyone else
Unless Milwaukee wins the conference tournament this will be a one bid league.  Butler's a lock even if they don't win their tournament.
Likely bids: 1

MVC
Locks: Northern Iowa
Lookin' Good: none
Bubble Watch: Wichita St.
Not quite 100:1 odds: Creighton, Illinois St., Drake
No Chance: Bradley, Southern Illinois, Missouri St., Indiana St., Evansville
The only reason I've put three schools in the "Not quite 100:1 odds" group is that I can see any one of these teams winning the conference tournament.  Wichita St. needs to win their bracket buster and reach the final of the MVC tournament to get an at-large bid. Even then that may not be enough.
Likely bids: 1

Metro Atlantic Athletic
Locks: none
Lookin' Good: none yet
Bubble Watch: Siena
Not quite 100:1 odds: Iona
No Chance: everyone else
Siena is ALMOST there.  Currently 10-0 in conference play, if they can finish with two or fewer conference losses I'm sure they will clinch an at-large berth.  Iona is the only team that could really challenge them for the conference tournament title. 
Likely bids: 1

Ivy
It's likely between Cornell and Harvard here.  Cornell has the national exposure and is currently tied with Harvard atop the Ivy League standings.  If Harvard can split with Cornell and tie for the Ivy crown, a one game playoff will follow (there is no conference tournament).  Harvard will need to win in order to get in while Cornell's fate would be left to the committee.  Could two Ivy League schools get in?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Jan 24: Power 16

There have been a few changes in the Power 16 since since the last version in early January.  Please remember this is not my power ranking or opinion for the top 25.  Instead this is my prediction and explanation for who I believe would be the top four seeds if the NCAA Tournament began today.  That being said, here's what I've got:
1's
Record
vs. RPI top 25
Kentucky
19-0 (4-0)
1-0
Kansas
18-1 (4-0)
1-1
Syracuse
19-1 (5-1)
1-1
Villanova
18-1 (7-0)
1-1

As long as Kentucky remains undefeated they will maintain their position as the number one overall seed.  The other three teams should be no surprise either as they only have one loss.  It’s possible one of these Big East teams could slip up with the tough conference schedule.

2's
Record
vs. RPI top 25
Texas
17-2 (3-1)
2-2
Michigan St.
17-3 (7-0)
2-1
Duke
16-3 (4-2)
3-1
Kansas St.
16-3 (3-2)
2-0

Despite Texas losing twice this week, I’ve got them at a two seed.  Losing on the road to Kansas St. and to UConn shouldn’t cause them to slip too much.  That being said another loss and they could slip all the way to a four seed.  Michigan St. has pretty much clinched a Big Ten championship and Duke is atop the ACC as well.  Duke might want to win another road game to help cement their status though.  KSt defeated Texas which vaults them up to a two seed.

3's
Record
vs. RPI top 25
West Virginia
15-3 (4-2)
0-2
Purdue
16-3 (4-3)
3-1
Tennessee
15-3 (3-1)
1-1
BYU
20-1 (5-0)
0-0

West Virginia’s win over Ohio St. should erase concerns over their legitimacy for the time being.  They’ll need to win some road games to maintain this seed.  Purdue lost three in a row earlier but seems to be back.  A 3-1 record vs. top 25 teams helps their ranking.  Tennessee seems to be holding up fine after losing some of the team due legal issues.  BYU might be the most under the radar team in the nation right now.  They’ve already won at San Diego St. and are looking at possibly only one or two conference losses.  I don’t think they’ll be able to move up much more, however.

4's
Record
vs. RPI top 25
Georgetown
15-3 (6-2)
4-1
Wisconsin
15-4 (5-2)
2-2
Pittsburgh
15-3 (5-1)
2-2
Ohio St.
14-6 (4-3)
2-3
Georgetown and Pitt have looked very impressive in Big East play.  Might they be challengers to Syracuse and Villanova?  Wisconsin needs to hang tough with the loss of Jon Leuer.  A trip to West Lafayette next week will tell a lot.  OSU has proven to be a different team now that Evan Turner is back.  It’s likely the committee will ignore their performance (4-4) while he was out with a back injury.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

2010 Hall of Fame Candidates

I had intended on writing a posting relating to the potential candidates for the Baseball Hall of Fame but got interrupted several times and was unable to finish (I'm looking at you Joby).  Now, we've learned Andre Dawson is the sole inductee.  I wrote briefly last season about my feelings on Hawk's eligibility. My opinion has not changed.

Now, in sort of a post-election recap, I'll give my thoughts of each of the players on the ballot.  Be sure to check out baseball-reference to see each player's stats and awards.

Andre Dawson, 77%: I will not argue against his great defense, famous throwing arm, and power. But I want to reiterate something Keith Law said, "Dawson finished 8th all time in outs made but just 96th in times reaching base." The fact that his career OBP is .02 lower than the previous low (held by Lou Brock) should say all you need to know.

Bert Blyleven, 74.2%: Seriously, five votes short?  This poor guy.  Does anyone else think Hall voters have gotten really tough on starting pitchers since Nolan Ryan?  Not one single starting pitcher has been elected by the BBWAA since Ryan in 1999.  I'll argue Blyleven was just as good as Ryan if not better.

Roberto Alomar, 73.7%: This is what he gets for spitting on an ump. He'll be in next year so I won't complain too much.

Jack Morris, 52.3%: Universally known as the "Best pitcher of the 80's".  You know what?  If his best seasons were from 1985-1995 no one would even give a crap. Let it go, people!  Jack, you were a very good pitcher who pitched perhaps the greatest World Series game since Don Larsen.  That is all.

Barry Larkin, 51.6%: I had a discussion about Larkin via email with one of my friends the other day.  He believes Larkin should be a shoo-in.  I was on the fence about his candidacy but now I feel better about it.  Bill James ranked Larkin as the seventh greatest shortstop of all time in his latest Baseball Abstract.  While I won't go that far, I agree his ability to get on base, play very good defense, and his playoff performances equate to those of a Hall of Famer.  I'm mostly concerned with his inability to stay healthy as he only played 150 games two times.  With over 50% of the vote in his first year, it's likely he'll be enshrined in the next two seasons.

Lee Smith, 47.3%: I don't remember what his vote total was from last season but I seem to remember it being about the same.  He was a good relief pitcher who put up astronomical save totals but not Hall worthy.

Edgar Martinez, 36.2%: I think we should begin to evaluate full time designated hitters like we do relief pitchers.  Martinez didn't have a long career but when you put up an OPS+ of over 150 for seven straight seasons you're one heck of a hitter.  And remember, he wasn't moved to DH because he was an atrocious defensive player (though he wasn't good).  He was moved in an effort to keep him healthy (isn't this part of why the position was created?).  36% is a pretty good starting block.  I think he'll eventually get in.

Tim Raines, 30.4%: An 8% jump!  Seriously, Raines is the second best player on this ballot.  I've gone on too much about him already.  I'll just link you to Joe Posnanski.

Mark McGwire, 23.7%: The best player on the ballot.  I'd vote for him every year if I could.  Yes, he used performance enhancers. How do we really know who did and who didn't?  I vote yes because he was the best at a time when we need to assume everyone was using.

Alan Trammell, 22.4%: What's funny is that Trammell was the second best AL shortstop of his time, behind only Ripken.   He should be grouped with Ripken, Ozzie, and Larkin.  Maybe if Larkin gets in people will say, "Hey? What about Alan Trammell?"

Fred McGriff, 21.5%: The Crime Dog actually did pretty well.  I don't think he'll get in but he was a good player for a long time.  Thanks for the memories.

Don Mattingly, 16.1%:  Going backwards.  Mattingly was an excellent defensive player and had a couple of monster offensive seasons.   Would you say he was ever the best player in baseball? Second best? Top five?  I'm not sure I would (this will be a very interesting topic once Rafael Palmeiro becomes eligible).

Dave Parker, 15.2%: I don't see what the big difference between Dawson and Parker is.  Parker was a jerk, yeah, but that shouldn't cost him 60% of his votes.  Wait, what? Maybe people are overrating Dawson? No...couldn't be...

Dale Murphy, 11.7%: I wrote last year how I've changed my mind about Murphy.  Was Murphy ever the best player in baseball? Yes, 1984.  Top five? Four or five times.  That's quite a peak.  Remains a yes on my ballot.  Sadly, I doubt he ever gets in.

Harold Baines, 6.1%: Hard to believe he's still on the ballot.  He could hit but not as well as everyone thinks (finished in the top ten of OPS just three times).

Andres Galarraga, 4.1%: Hit his prime in the greatest offensive park of all time allowing him to put up some pretty amazing numbers.  I'm glad he got some votes.

Robin Ventura, 7 votes: I may have voted for him too as an homage to my favorite third baseman before Chipper.

Ellis Burks, 2 votes: See Galarraga.
Eric Karros, 2 votes: That Rookie of the Year Award really paid off.

Kevin Appier & Pat Hentgen, 1 vote: Good careers. Nice to see they got a recognition vote.
David Segui, 1 vote: WTF?

Todd Zeile, Ray Lankford, Mike Jackson, Shane Reynolds - 0 votes.  Congrats for being on the ballot.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Mid-Majors to Keep an Eye on

Each year come March, ESPN and other media outlets try to justify why this Mid-Major is a likely upset special or why that mid major got screwed by not making the tournament.  Today I'm going to make a list of the Mid-Majors (the Atlantic 10 is not a Mid-Major conference) that have a legitimate shot at not only qualifying for the NCAA Tournament but also winning a game.  Since we already know about Butler and Gonzaga I'll skip them and move on to less talked about programs.  Here we go:
note: I am doing this now so I can say, "I told you so" in three months

1. New Mexico (14-1): The Lobos are off to a scorching start and have some solid wins to back up this ranking (Cal, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Dayton).  I have them ranked 12th in my Power 16 which equates to a 3 seed and Joe Lunardi gives them a 4 seed in his latest Bracketology.  The Mountain West is a solid conference and if New Mexico can go 12-4 or better they'll maintain this projected seeding making them favored in their first tournament game.

2. BYU (14-1): Two schools from the MWC almost makes me want to reconsider this conferece as a Mid-Major.  BYU is an offensive machine. They have legitimate size and can shoot the lights out from beyond the arc.  They've scored at least 88 points in each of their last five games and have broken the century mark twice this season.  Even if they don't win their first round match-up they'll be fun to watch.

3. Old Dominion (9-5): Yes, they've been up and down so far in the non-conference but their schedule has been difficult. Losing at Dayton and to Missouri on a neutral floor is nothing to be ashamed of.  Defeating Georgetown and destroying Charlotte should get people's attention.

4. Harvard (10-3): The Crimson look to make their first ever tournament appearance in 2010 and to prepare they've played some quality opponents.  Two of their losses were to Big East foes UConn and Georgetown.  Basketball Prospectus just wrote a nifty little piece on this team.   According to Ken Pomeroy's stats, Harvard currently ranks third in both free throw percentage and two-point percentage. Don't sleep on the Ivy League!

5. Northern Iowa (10-4): I'm as surprised as you are that it's not Creighton in this spot.  Already 3-0 in conference play, give the Panthers credit for winning the ones they should.  Drubbing Boston College and Iowa makes UNI is nearly a lock to get an at large bid.

6. William & Mary (10-2): Although the Tribe hasn't yet beaten anyone of consequence, they are off to a great start. If they can split with Old Dominion and make it to their conference championship game they'll have made a solid case for two teams from the Colonial to go dancing.
7. UNLV (12-2): Playing in the MWC may actually be advantageous this season.  UNLV plays relentless defense, leading the nation in steal percentage.
8. Cornell (12-2): Very similar resume as Harvard in that their only two losses are to Big East opponents (Seton Hall, Syracuse).  Also, they are one of the tallest teams in the nation with 7'0" Jeff Foote.
9. Utah St. (10-5): One of the winningest programs over the last decade, the Aggies always give someone a scare in March..
10. VCU (9-2): VCU's offense is nothing special but they do a great job guarding the perimeter and do a good job protecting the ball.  If they face off against a team that is 3-point happy there could be an upset.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Jan 3: Power 16

Team Record Key Wins
1 Texas 13-0 N-Pitt, N-UNC, Michigan St.
2 Kansas 13-0 Michigan, California, @Temple
3 Purdue 13-0 N-Tenn, Wake Forest, West Virginia
4 Kentucky 15-0 UNC, N-Uconn, Louisville
5 Duke 11-1 N-Uconn, St. John's, N-Gonzaga
6 Syracuse 13-1 N-Cal, N-UNC, N-Florida
7 Villanova 12-1 N-Dayton, N-Maryland, Mississippi
8 Wisconsin 11-2 N-Maryland, Duke, Marquette
9 West Virginia 11-1 N-Tex A&M, Miss, N-Long Beach St.
10 Kansas St. 12-1 N-Dayton, Xavier, @UNLV
11 Michigan St. 11-3 Gonzaga, @NWU
12 New Mexico 14-1 Cal, N-Tex A&M, Dayton
13 Georgetown 10-1 Temple, N-Butler, Harvard
14 BYU 14-1 Arizona St., N-Nevada, N-Nebraska
15 Mississippi 11-2 N-Kansas St., N-UTEP, So. Miss
16 Tennessee 10-2 @Memphis