1. Pittsburgh Panthers (Big East auto)
Record: 20-2 overall; 8-1 conference; 4-2 vs. RPI Top 50; 7-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 6-0 vs. RPI 150+; 6-0 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 121 Loss: 13
RPI: 7
SOS: 23
RPI 1-50 Wins: at Georgetown, Connecticut, Texas (N), Syracuse
RPI 51-100 Wins: Marquette, Maryland (N), Duquesne (N), Rhode Island, Seton Hall, at Rutgers, at Providence
Losses: Notre Dame, Tennessee
Last Week: won at Rutgers 65-62
This Week: Cincinnati (Sat.), at West Virginia (Mon.)
The Panthers struggled to grab a win in New Jersey on Saturday, but given the issues highly-ranked Big East teams had that day, they should be happy. Pitt gets a few days off before Cincy visits and a trip to Morgantown for Big Monday.

16. Austin Peay Governors (Ohio Valley auto)
Last Week: 15
Record: 12-9 overall; 8-3 conference; 0-2 vs. RPI Top 50; 0-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 10-3 vs. RPI 150+; 8-7 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 198 Loss: 116
RPI: 109
SOS: 170
Last Week: won at Eastern Kentucky 61-52, lost at Morehead State 64-56
This Week: UT Martin (Thu.), Murray State (Sat.), at Tennessee Tech (Mon.)
The Governors' loss Saturday at Morehead State drops them into a loss-column tie with Murray State, who owns one fewer conference win.

8. Arizona Wildcats (Pac-10 auto)
Last Week: 9
Record: 18-4 overall; 7-2 conference; 1-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 4-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 8-1 vs. RPI 150+; 5-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 148 Loss: 65
RPI: 22
SOS: 45
RPI 1-50 Wins: UCLA
RPI 51-100 Wins: California, at Washington State, USC, at NC State
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: at Oregon State
Other Losses: at  BYU, Kansas (N), at BYU, at Washington
Last Week: def. UCLA 85-74, def. USC 82-72
This Week: at Stanford (Thu.), at California (Sat.)
Thursday's win over UCLA is the Wildcats' first over a top 50 opponent. It also helped Arizona cement their second-place position in the Pac-10, a standing confirmed by a potentially bubble-busting win over USC.

9. Florida State Seminoles (ACC at-large)
Last Week: 8
Record: 15-6 overall; 5-2 conference; 2-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 4-2 vs. RPI 51-100; 9-1 vs. RPI 150+; 6-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 180 Loss: 82
RPI: 53
SOS: 75
RPI 1-50 Wins: Duke, Boston College
RPI 51-100 Wins: Clemson, at Miami, Baylor (N), NC State
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: at Auburn
Other Losses: Ohio State, Florida, Butler (N), at Virginia Tech, at Clemson
Last Week: lost at Clemson 62-44
This Week: Wake Forest (Tue.), at North Carolina (Sun.)
The Seminoles' performance at Clemson on Saturday brought back memories of their loss to Auburn, and serves as another anchor on their seeding. A win over UNC on Saturday would be huge, as long as they don't slip up against Wake on Tuesday night.

5. Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten at-large)
Last Week: 7
Record: 16-5 overall; 5-4 conference; 3-4 vs. RPI Top 50; 2-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 10-1 vs. RPI 150+; 5-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 143 Loss: 46
RPI: 19
SOS: 29
RPI 1-50 Wins: Purdue, West Virginia (N), North Carolina (N)
RPI 51-100 Wins: at Michigan, Northwestern
Bad (RPI 150+ Losses): Virginia
Other Losses: at Ohio State, at Purdue, at Wisconsin, at Michigan State
Last Week: def. Northwestern 81-70, lost at Purdue 73-61
This Week: at Indiana (Wed.), Ohio State (Sun.)
The Gophers toppled Northwestern easily on Wednesday night at The Barn, but couldn't sweep Purdue on Saturday at Mackey Arena. Still, there are lots of winnable games from here on out for Minnesota, so their record should continue to improve.

12A. Richmond Spiders (A-10 at-large)
Record: 16-6 overall; 5-2 conference; 1-2 vs. RPI Top 50; 5-2 vs. RPI 51-100; 10-1 vs. RPI 150+; 8-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 169 Loss: 78
RPI: 62
SOS: 92
RPI 1-50 Wins: Purdue (N)
RPI 51-100 Wins: VCU, at Dayton, at Massachusetts, at Seton Hall, Wright State (N)
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: Georgia Tech (N)
Other Losses: Xavier, at Old Dominion, Rhode Island, Bucknell, at Iona
Last Week: won at Dayton 70-60, lost to Xavier 85-62
This Week: St. Joseph's (Wed.), at Fordham (Sat.)
The Spiders knocked off Dayton at UD Arena on Tuesday night to put themselves in position against Xavier on Saturday. Unfortunately for Richmond, the Musketeers came to the Robins Center ready to play. Another opportunity missed with two can't lose games on the slate for this week.

12B. Washington State Cougars (Pac-10 at-large)
New Entrant
Record: 15-6 overall; 5-4 conference; 1-4 vs. RPI Top 50; 3-2 vs. RPI 51-100; 10-0 vs. RPI 150+; 6-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 178 Loss: 49
RPI: 65
SOS: 88
RPI 1-50 Wins: Washington
RPI 51-100 Wins: Portland (N), Baylor (N), Gonzaga
Losses: Arizona, Kansas State, Butler (N), at UCLA, at California, at USC
Last Week: def. Washington 87-80
This Week: at Oregon (Thu.), at Oregon State (Sat.)
The Cougars jump into the bracket after their Sunday night home win over Washington, and they can potentially move out of the First Round with a sweep in Oregon this week. Washington State owns two wins over bubble teams, a major reason why they're in this projected field right now.

4. Texas A&M Aggies (Big 12 auto)
Record: 16-4 overall; 4-3 conference; 4-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 2-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 7-0 vs. RPI 150+; 4-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 143 Loss: 41
RPI: 16
SOS: 46
RPI 1-50 Wins: Washington, Missouri, Temple (N),  Kansas State
RPI 51-100 Wins: Oklahoma State, Arkansas
Losses: at Texas, Texas, Boston College (N), at Nebraska
Last Week: lost at Nebraska 57-48, lost to Texas 69-49
This Week: Baylor (Sat.)
The Aggies may have been looking ahead to Texas in losing to Nebraska on Saturday, though the Huskers presented a matchup problem for A&M. However, A&M continued issues on offense, evident in the second half in Lincoln and the first against the Longhorns, must be addressed by Mark Turgeon.

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC auto)
New Entrant
Record: 13-7 overall; 5-1 conference;  1-2 vs. RPI Top 50; 0-4 vs. RPI 51-100; 10-2 vs. RPI 150+; 2-7 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 220 Loss: 89
RPI: 113
SOS: 161
RPI 1-50 Wins: Kentucky
RPI 51-100 Wins:  None
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: St. Peter's (N), Iowa (N)
Other Losses: at Purdue, Oklahoma State (N), at Arkansas, at Providence, Seton Hall (N)
Last Week: def. LSU 70-46
This Week: Mississippi State (Wed.), at Tennessee (Sat.)
The Crimson Tide are a rare major conference bid thief, as they lead the SEC as the conference's only one-loss team. but they don't have a resume worthy of at-large consideration.

6. West Virginia Mountaineers (Big East at-large)
Record: 14-6 overall; 5-3 conference; 4-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 3-3 vs. RPI 51-100; 3-0 vs. RPI 150+; 6-5 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 102 Loss: 43
RPI: 13
SOS: 4
RPI 1-50 Wins: at Georgetown, Purdue, Vanderbilt (N), Cleveland State, at Cincinnati
RPI 51-100 Wins: Oakland, at Duquesne, Providence
Losses: Minnesota (N), at Louisville, St. John's, at Marquette, Marshall (N), at Miami
Last Week: lost at Louisville 55-54, won at Cincinnati 66-55
This Week: Seton Hall (Wed.), at Villanova (Sat.), Pittsburgh (Mon.)
The Mountaineers, shorthanded, blew a double-digit lead in Louisville and naturally lost, but the rebounded nicely with an 11-point win at Cincinnati. Up next, the always difficult three-game week, with a trip to Nova and home game against Pitt in a less than 72-hour span.

11. Wichita State Shockers (Missouri Valley auto)
New Entrant
Record: 17-4 overall; 9-2 conference; 0-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 0-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 13-0 vs. RPI 150+; 7-2 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 192 Loss: 28
RPI: 49
SOS: 114
RPI 1-50 Wins: None
RPI 51-100 Wins: None
Losses: at San Diego State, Connecticut (N), Missouri State, Northern Iowa
Last Week: won at Southern Illinois 74-64, def. Bradley 61-41
This Week: at Indiana State (Tue.), Illinois State (Sat.)
The Shockers put on quite a performance on Wednesday night, recovering from being down big in Carbondale at half to win by 10. They needed no such heroics to take care of Bradley at home on Saturday. With Missouri State's loss to Northern Iowa on Sunday, Wichita State jumps back in as the MVC's auto bid holder. However, thanks to no top 100 wins, the Shockers' at-large chances are similar to Utah State's, slim and requiring no further hiccups.

3. Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten at-large)
Record: 18-4 overall; 7-2 conference; 4-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 5-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 6-0 vs. RPI 150+; 5-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 121 Loss: 24
RPI: 9
SOS: 18
RPI 1-50 Wins: Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State, at Penn State
RPI 51-100 Wins: at Valparaiso, at Virginia Tech, Oakland, at Michigan, Northwestern Losses: at  Ohio State, at West Virginia, at Minnesota, Richmond (N)
Last Week: lost at Ohio State 87-64, def. Minnesota 73-61
This Week: at Wisconsin (Tue.)
The Boilermakers were never in it against Ohio State on Tuesday night, but had few issues after halftime against Minnesota. A win in Madison this coming Tuesday would be another major boost.

14. Montana Grizzlies (Big Sky auto)
New Entrant
Record: 14-5 overall; 8-1 conference; 1-0 vs. RPI Top 50; 0-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 13-1 vs. RPI 150+; 6-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 201 Loss: 130
RPI: 94
SOS: 231
Last Week: won at Montana State 79-58
This Week: at Weber State (Thu.), at Northern Arizona (Sat.)
The Grizzlies only played once this week, but a win over archrival Montana State, combined with Northern Colorado's loss at Weber State, was enough for Montana to take a share of first place from the Bears. Thanks to a better overall record, which includes a win at UCLA, Montana is in this week.

7. Florida Gators (SEC at-large)
Last Week: 6
Record: 16-5 overall; 5-2 conference; 4-1 vs. RPI Top 50; 5-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 4-1 vs. RPI 150+; 7-2 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 115 Loss: 96
RPI: 20
SOS: 16
RPI 1-50 Wins: at Tennessee, at Xavier, Kansas State (N), at Georgia
RPI 51-100 Wins: at Florida State, Kent State, Rhode Island, Arkansas, Mississippi
Bad Losses (RPI 150+): at Mississippi State
Other Losses: Ohio State, UCF (N), South Carolina, Jacksonville
Last Week: won at Georgia 104-91 (2OT), lost at Mississippi State 71-64
This Week: Vanderbilt (Tue.), Kentucky (Sat.)
The Gators picked up a potentially season-changing win in Athens on Tuesday, which they promptly followed with a terrible loss at Mississippi State, a game that ended with a 9-1 Bulldog run. Such inconsistency may very well keep Florida out of the protected seeds this year. Two huge home games loom for the Gators' SEC title hopes.

10. Boston College Eagles (ACC at-large)
Last Week: 9
Record: 14-7 overall; 4-3 conference; 1-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 6-3 vs. RPI 51-100; 4-1 vs. RPI 150+; 5-5 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 136 Loss: 63
RPI: 34
SOS: 23
RPI 1-50 Wins: Texas A&M (N)
RPI 51-100 Wins: California (N), at Maryland, Massachusetts (N), Bucknell, Providence, NC State
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: Yale
Other Losses: at Duke, Wisconsin (N), at Florida State, Harvard, at Miami, at Rhode Island
Last Week: lost at Duke 84-68
This Week: North Carolina (Tue.), Virginia Tech (Sat.)
The Eagles continued to struggle with Duke, whom they've only defeated once since joining the ACC. BC's good early results are keeping them alive.

2. San Diego State Aztecs (MWC auto)
Last Week: 3
Record: 19-1 overall; 6-1 conference; 3-1 vs. RPI Top 50; 4-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 4-0 vs. RPI 150+; 11-1 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 110 Loss: 2
RPI: 4
SOS: 37
RPI 1-50 Wins: UNLV, St. Mary's, Wichita State
RPI 51-100 Wins: at California, at New Mexico, at Gonzaga, Air Force
Losses: at BYU
Last Week: lost at BYU 71-58, def. Wyoming 96-57
This Week: at Colorado State (Wed.), TCU (Sat.)
The Aztecs finally lost, falling at BYU on Wednesday, though you have to wonder if things would have been any different had Kawhi Leonard been 100 percent (probably not). The two meet again on February 26 at the Viejas Arena. Wyoming felt the Aztecs' frustration on Saturday night, and Colorado State and TCU may feel some pain this week, though SDSU should be wary of the trip to Fort Collins, especially since the Rams are a decent team.

15. Florida Atlantic Owls (Sun Belt auto)
Record: 14-7 overall; 8-1 conference; 0-2 vs. RPI Top 50; 1-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 11-3 vs. RPI 150+; 8-5 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 185 Loss: 114
RPI: 101
SOS: 202
Last Week: def. Middle Tennessee State 62-51, lost to Western Kentucky 57-53
This Week: at North Texas (Thu.), Florida International (Sat.)
The Owls finally lost a conference game, falling to WKU at home on Saturday. That defeat means they're tied in the loss column with Denver for the overall Sun Belt lead, but FAU is here because they have one more conference win. Thursday's trip to Denton will be a tough test for Mike Jarvis' team, while Isiah Thomas' FIU Golden Panthers visit in a derby game on Saturday.