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.