Monday, February 4, 2008

Cats and Dogs


The Kitty is purring, the dog is barking, and just that quickly the rankings are flipped. You have a Washington State team that quietly began the year in the top 10, silently maintained that ranking for weeks, and now comes crashing with a thunderous thud. The Cougars spent the week hosting their Pac 10 brethren from Northern California, and were swept on their home court by Cal and Stanford. It's now the stretch run of college hoops, and Wazzu finds themselves bounced from the upper tier of the polls. At a time when programs will battle for tournament seedings, these Cats no longer roar, managing a less frightening purr instead.

But the dogs are barking, as the UConn Huskies are rolling. They've reeled off 5 straight victories, which found them ripping through Marquette, Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville, and Pittsburgh. Calhoun's team is peaking at the right time, and they have a favorable schedule to close out the season. Can we call the Huskies a dark horse? No. Not quite yet.

Those other Cats in Memphis were supposed to walk through the bulk of their remaining schedule, with a possibility of finishing the regular season undefeated. But it seems there was a "Miner" interuption in the "breezing" part, as UTEP gave the Tigers all they could handle, coming ever so close to pulling the upset. It's not easy being No. 1, and for the first time this season the Tigers appeared vulnerable. After the close call with UTEP, it appears more likely that someone can knock Memphis from their perch. Any Volunteers?

AP Top 25

1. Memphis (31) 21-0
2. Duke 19-1
3. North Carolina 21-1
4. UCLA 20-2
5. Kansas 21-1
6. Georgetown 18-2
7. Tennessee 19-2
8. Wisconsin 18-3
9. Stanford 18-3
10. Michigan State 19-3
11. Butler 19-2
12. Texas 17-4
13. Indiana 18-3
14. Xavier 18-4
15. Drake 20-1
16. Marquette 16-4
17. Washington State 17-4
18. Texas A&M 18-4
19. Connecticut 16-5
20. Vanderbilt 18-4
21. Notre Dame 16-4
22. Florida 18-4
23. St. Marys 18-3
24. Kansas State 15-5
25. Pittsburgh 17-5

ESPN/USA Today Poll

1. Memphis (31) 21-0
2. Duke 19-1
3. North Carolina 21-1
4. UCLA 20-2
5. Kansas 21-1
6. Georgetown 18-2
7. Tennessee 19-2
8. Wisconsin 18-3
9. Stanford 18-3
10. Michigan State 19-3
11. Butler 19-2
12. Texas 17-4
13. Indiana 18-3
14. Xavier 18-4
15. Drake 20-1
16. Marquette 16-4
17. Washington State 17-4
18. Texas A&M 18-4
19. Connecticut 16-5
20. Vanderbilt 18-4
21. Notre Dame 16-4
22. Florida 18-4
23. Saint Mary's 18-3
24. Kansas State 15-5
25. Pittsburgh 17-5

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