RPI and schedule data from Basketball State (subscription), accessed on January 24, 2011. This information only reflects games played against Division I opponents through Monday, January 24, 2011.
Tulsa Pod
1. Kansas Jayhawks (Big 12 at-large)
Record: 18-1 overall; 3-1 conference; 4-1 vs. RPI Top 50; 7-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 5-0 vs. RPI 150+; 8-0 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 119 Loss: 15
RPI: 1
SOS: 12
RPI 1-50 Wins: Arizona (N), Memphis (N), Valparaiso, UCLA
RPI 51-100 Wins: Colorado State (N), at California, at Baylor, at Michigan, at Iowa State, Miami (OH), USC
Losses: Texas (No. 15)
Last Week: lost to Texas 74-63
This Week: at Colorado (Tue.), Kansas State (Sat.)
Not only did the Jayhawks lose their unbeaten record, they lost their 69-game home win streak in the process. I pity the two bubble teams the Jayhawks face this week.
16A. Jackson St. Tigers (SWAC auto)
NEW ENTRANT
Record: 8-9 overall; 6-1 conference; 0-1 vs. RPI Top 50; 0-3 vs. RPI 51-100; 8-3 vs. RPI 150+; 5-9 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 241 Loss: 119
RPI: 178
SOS: 291
Last Week: won at Grambling 69-57
This Week: Mississippi Valley State (Sat.), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Mon.)
The Tigers are in a three-way tie atop the SWAC with Mississippi Valley State and Texas Southern, who played on Monday, with the Delta Devils handing that set of Tigers their first conference loss. MVSU will try to give JSU their second on Saturday.
16B. Lamar Cardinals (Southland auto)
NEW ENTRANT
Record: 5-9 overall; 3-1 conference; 0-1 vs. RPI Top 50; 0-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 5-8 vs. RPI 150+; 4-7 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 165 Loss: 207
RPI: 298
SOS: 342
Last Week: def. Central Arkansas 107-72
This Week: Northwestern State (Wed.), at Nicholls State (Sat.)
The Cardinals are the only one-loss team in the Southland right now, and no less than eight teams have two losses.
8. Florida St. Seminoles (ACC at-large)
Last Week: 12
Record: 15-5 overall; 5-1 conference; 3-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 3-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 8-1 vs. RPI 150+; 6-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 175 Loss: 84
RPI: 44
SOS: 60
RPI 1-50 Wins: Duke, Boston College, at Miami
RPI 51-100 Wins: Baylor (N), Clemson, NC State
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: at Auburn
Other Losses: Ohio State (No. 6), Florida (No. 19), Butler (N) (No. 27), at Virginia Tech (No. 62)
Last Week: won at Miami 55-53, def. Boston College 67-51
This Week: at Clemson (Sat.)
The Seminoles didn't play the greatest game in Coral Gables on Wednesday, but they grabbed a key road win to move into a first-place tie in the ACC. They cemented their position, and boosted their seeding, with a big home win over BC. On Saturday, they'll look to sweep Clemson, which would further damage the Tigers' slim chances.
9. Cincinnati Bearcats (Big East at-large)
Last Week: 10
Record: 17-3 overall; 4-3 conference; 2-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 3-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 10-0 vs. RPI 150+; 4-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 184 Loss: 9
RPI: 38
SOS: 138
RPI 1-50 Wins: at St. John's, Xavier
RPI 51-100 Wins: Dayton, at Miami (OH), Wright State
Losses: at Villanova (No. 7), at Syracuse (No. 8), at Notre Dame (No. 12)
Last Week: lost at Notre Dame 66-58, won at St. John's 53-51
This Week: Rutgers (Wed.), West Virginia (Sat.)
After losing in South Bend, the Bearcats finally picked up a meaningful Big East road win in Queens, solidifying their position for the moment. They'll be even better shape if they can claim a sweep this week, as they'd pick up a quality home win over former coach Bob Huggins' Mountaineers.
Denver Pod
5. Vanderbilt Commodores (SEC at-large)
Last Week: 8
Record: 14-4 overall; 2-2 conference; 3-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 3-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 7-0 vs. RPI 150+; 4-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 141 Loss: 35
RPI: 18
SOS: 26
RPI 1-50 Wins: North Carolina (N), St. Mary's, Georgia
RPI 51-100 Wins: Marquette, Mississippi, Belmont
Losses: West Virginia (N) (No. 14), at Tennessee (No. 17), at Missouri (No. 29), at South Carolina (No. 81)
Last Week: def. Mississippi 84-74, def. St. Mary's 89-70
This Week: at Mississippi State (Thu.), Arkansas (Sat.)
Vanderbilt got themselves back to .500 in the SEC by topping Mississippi on Wednesday, then picked up a good resume win by using some hot shooting to topple St. Mary's Saturday. The Commodores can help themselves out by picking up two more West Division wins this week.
12. Gonzaga Bulldogs (West Coast at-large)
Last Week: 7
Record: 12-7 overall; 3-2 conference; 2-4 vs. RPI Top 50; 3-2 vs. RPI 51-100; 6-1 vs. RPI 150+; 3-6 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 159 Loss: 61
RPI: 67
SOS: 43
RPI 1-50 Wins: Xavier, Oklahoma State
RPI 51-100 Wins: Portland, Marquette (N), Baylor (N)
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: at Santa Clara
Other Losses: San Diego State (No. 3), at Notre Dame (No. 12), Illinois (N) (No. 28), Kansas State (N) (No. 50), at Washington State (No. 68), at San Francisco (No. 97)
Last Week: lost at Santa Clara 85-71, lost at San Francisco 96-91 (OT)
This Week: St. Mary's (Thu.), San Diego (Sat.)
The Bulldogs' two games with St. Mary's, with the first coming Thursday in Spokane, took on more importance when they got swept in the Bay Area this week--their first consecutive WCC losses since 2000. Gonzaga's early struggles are coming back to haunt their profile, but it's likely this team simply isn't as good as projected in the preseason.
4. Washington Huskies (Pac-10 auto)
Last Week: 6
Record: 15-4 overall; 7-1 conference; 2-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 4-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 6-0 vs. RPI 150+; 4-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 137 Loss: 40
RPI: 22
SOS: 38
RPI 1-50 Wins: at Arizona, UCLA
RPI 51-100 Wins: at California, Portland, at USC, San Francisco
Losses: Kentucky (N) (No. 13), at Texas A&M (No. 16), Michigan State (N) (No. 21), at Stanford (No. 111)
Last Week: def. Arizona 85-68, def. Arizona State 88-75
This Week: at Washington State (Sun.)
The Huskies took control of the Pac-10 race with a 17-point win over Arizona on Thursday night, which they followed with an at-times unconvincing win over Arizona State. With continued dominance, Washington should earn a spot on the top four lines. Washington State will look to hamper those chances with a win in game one of the basketball Apple Cup.
13. Belmont Bruins (Atlantic Sun auto)
Record: 18-3 overall; 10-0 conference; 0-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 1-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 13-0 vs. RPI 150+; 8-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 222 Loss: 17
RPI: 73
SOS: 294
Last Week: won at USC Upstate 67-62, won at East Tennessee State 72-62
This Week: at Lipscomb (Tue.), Florida Gulf Coast (Fri.), Stetson (Sun.)
The Bruins' run nearly came to an end in Spartanburg of all places, where the Spartans gave Belmont their closest game of the A-Sun season, but they followed that close call with a 10-point win over ETSU in Johnson City, which gives them a two-game lead on the Bucs. Up next, a chance to sweep this season's Boulevard Series.
Tucson Pod
6. West Virginia Mountaineers (Big East at-large)
Last Week: 5
Record: 13-5 overall; 4-2 conference; 4-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 3-2 vs. RPI 51-100; 3-0 vs. RPI 150+; 5-4 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 102 Loss: 47
RPI: 14
SOS: 5
RPI 1-50 Wins: at Georgetown, Purdue, Vanderbilt (N), Cleveland State
RPI 51-100 Wins: Oakland, at Duquesne, American
Losses: Minnesota (N) (No. 23), St. John's (No. 24), at Miami (No. 48), at Marquette (No. 66), Marshall (N) (No. 74)
Last Week: lost to Marshall (N) 75-71, def. USF 56-46
This Week: at Louisville (Wed.), at Cincinnati (Sat.)
The Mountaineers slip a bit after falling to Marshall in Charleston on Wednesday, unable to close a 23-point gap. Some of those struggles continued Sunday, as WVU picked up an ugly win against USF. Two tough road games (aren't they all in the Big East) are on the slate for this week, and it looks like scorer Casey Mitchell may be suspended for both of them.
11. Oklahoma St. Cowboys (Big 12 at-large)
Last Week: 9
Record: 14-5 overall; 2-3 conference; 2-1 vs. RPI Top 50; 1-4 vs. RPI 51-100; 7-0 vs. RPI 150+; 4-5 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 168 Loss: 63
RPI: 40
SOS: 66
RPI 1-50 Wins: Missouri State, Kansas State
RPI 51-100 Wins: Iowa State
Losses: at Texas A&M (No. 16), Virginia Tech (N) (No. 62), at Gonzaga (No. 67), at Colorado (No. 84), at Baylor (No. 87)
Last Week: def. Iowa State 96-87 (OT), lost at Baylor 76-57
This Week: Texas (Wed.), at Texas Tech (Sat.)
The Cowboys needed OT to get by a decent Iowa State team in Stillwater, then fell at Baylor, which drops them out. A home win over Texas on Wednesday would be a major resume boost for a team in desperate need of one.
3. San Diego St. Aztecs (MWC auto)
Last Week: 2
Record: 18-0 overall; 5-0 conference; 3-0 vs. RPI Top 50; 5-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 3-0 vs. RPI 150+; 11-0 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 102 Loss: 0
RPI: 3
SOS: 41
RPI 1-50 Wins: UNLV, St. Mary's, Wichita State
RPI 51-100 Wins: at California, at Gonzaga, at New Mexico, at Miami (OH), San Francisco (N)
Last Week: def. Air Force 68-55
This Week: at BYU (Wed.), Wyoming (Sat.)
The Aztecs won their only game this week to set up a titanic clash in Provo on Wednesday night. However, they fell down to a three seed because of Texas' win over Kansas. SDSU simply doesn't have the quality of win that the teams on the two line do, but they can change that on Wednesday night. Plus, the winner of the BYU-SDSU series is in the driver's seat for a high West Regional seed.
14. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (Summit auto)
Last Week: 13
Record: 13-8 overall; 9-0 conference; 1-6 vs. RPI Top 50; 0-2 vs. RPI 51-100; 10-0 vs. RPI 150+; 9-7 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 196 Loss: 39
RPI: 59
SOS: 79
Last Week: won at South Dakota State 97-88, won at North Dakota State 83-76
This Week: Oral Roberts (Thu.), Centenary (Sat.)
Oakland swept the Dakota schools to extend their Summit League win streak to a record 17-games. Next up, they'll host Oral Roberts, who's 6-3 in the league, and Centenary, who hasn't won a game in their final D1 season.
Charlotte Pod
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten at-large)
Natural 6 seed
Record: 15-4 overall; 4-3 conference; 3-3 vs. RPI Top 50; 1-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 8-0 vs. RPI 150+; 5-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 150 Loss: 46
RPI: 23
SOS: 39
RPI 1-50 Wins: Purdue, West Virginia (N), North Carolina (N)
RPI 51-100 Wins: at Michigan
Losses: at Ohio State (No. 6), at Michigan State (No. 21), at Wisconsin (No. 33), Virginia (No. 124)
Last Week: won at Michigan 69-64
This Week: Northwestern (Wed.), at Purdue (Sat.)
It wasn't easy, but the Gophers won at Michigan on Saturday, though Al Nolen left in the first half with what turned out to be a season-ending foot injury. His absence means Minnesota could be in trouble, particularly with desperate Northwestern visiting at midweek and a trip to tough Purdue to follow.
10. Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC at-large)
Last Week: 11
Record: 13-5 overall; 3-2 conference; 2-4 vs. RPI Top 50; 2-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 8-0 vs. RPI 150+; 6-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 187 Loss: 47
RPI: 62
SOS: 82
RPI 1-50 Wins: Oklahoma State (N), Florida State
RPI 51-100 Wins: Penn State, at Maryland
Losses: Purdue (No. 11), at North Carolina (No. 20), UNLV (N) (No. 31), at Kansas State (No. 50), Virginia (No. 124)
Last Week: won at Maryland 74-57, def. Longwood 70-52
This Week: at Georgia Tech (Tue.), Miami (Sun.)
The Hokies earned a bit more breathing room with a resounding win in College Park on Thursday night, which they followed up with a non-conference win over Independent Longwood. However, the next week will provide a pair of tests, as Georgia Tech can be tough at home (ask UNC) and Miami is in need of a quality road win.
2. Villanova Wildcats (Big East at-large)
Record: 17-2 overall; 5-1 conference; 5-2 vs. RPI Top 50; 2-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 7-0 vs. RPI 150+; 6-2 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 134 Loss: 11
RPI: 7
SOS: 28
RPI 1-50 Wins: at Syracuse, Temple, Cincinnati, Louisville, UCLA (N)
RPI 51-100 Wins: Maryland, Bucknell
Losses: at Connecticut (No. 4), Tennessee (N) (No. 17)
Last Week: won at Syracuse 83-72
This Week: at Providence (Wed.), Georgetown (Sat.)
The Wildcats used the three-ball to win at the Carrier Dome for the third time in four years and jump the Orange on the S-curve. This week, Nova will look to exorcise the ghosts of the Dunk, where they lost in Round Two of the NCAAs last year, and handle Georgetown at home.
15. Maine Black Bears (America East auto)
Last Week: 16
Record: 11-7 overall; 6-1 conference; 0-1 vs. RPI Top 50; 2-1 vs. RPI 51-100; 8-5 vs. RPI 150+; 6-3 Road/Neutral
Average RPI win: 200 Loss: 158
RPI: 156
SOS: 233
Last Week: won at Vermont 72-58, def. Stony Brook 70-59
This Week: New Hampshire (Tue.), at Binghamton (Sat.)
The Black Bears solidified their place in the bracket by dominating Vermont in Burlington on Tuesday night, then handling Stony Brook back at home over the weekend.
Southeast Region Breakdown
East Region Breakdown
West Region Breakdown
Outside Looking In Breakdown