Riley Saxon
By Riley Saxon
1. Gonzaga – Capable of going on 15-2 runs better than anybody
2. Baylor – Next 3 scheduled games against ranked teams
3. Michigan – Covid pause kept them from red hot Illinois; Will they show rust in their return?
4. Ohio St – Won 4 in a row and 5-1 against ranked teams
5. Villanova – 4 leading scorers last 4 games shows balanced attack in quest for Big East title
6. Illinois – Are they realizing full potential? Team no one wants to play in March
7. Virginia – 12-0 when Sam Hauser scores more than 10 points
8. Texas Tech – 3 straight wins since heartbreaker loss to West VA, chance for revenge tonight before rematch with Baylor Saturday
9. Alabama – Didn’t play their best but still almost completed the comeback
10. West Virginia – Next 5 games are against AP Top 25 teams, including back-to-back tilts vs Baylor next week
11. Missouri – 4-1 against the AP top 25 and only SEC team of the top 6 to not lose last week
12. Oklahoma – Short handed Sooners’ win streak ends against Texas Tech; Baylor game postponed
13. Texas – Rough week but bounce back expected with TCU and Kansas St. up next
14. Iowa – Closest O/D/Adjusted Tempo Comps since 2008? Duke (2014) and Missouri (2012)… uh oh.
15. Houston – avoided Gonzaga but still took a big L
16. Tennessee – Kentucky win usually means more; needs to start separating itself from the second tier SEC group (4 teams tied at 6-4)
17. Wisconsin – Saw the true ferocity of Illinois
18. Oklahoma St – Kansas, then bottom two of Big 12, then big match with Baylor
19. Creighton – Consistently inconsistent
20. Virginia Tech – Rough game at Pittsburg followed by OT win at Miami
21. Florida St. – Need a strong start in return to keep pace with Virginia
22. Loyola Chicago – Drake’s loss moves them to the top of the MVC; teams play each other twice this week
23. Belmont – Love for the little guy: 20-1, won 17 in a row
24. Purdue – Inconsistency everywhere means some team has to be placed here
25. USC – Lead the Pac 12, but prime 5/12 upset material in March
Dropped Out
(21) Kansas – Poor January bleeds into February
(22) UCLA – Won’t win many games without Hill/Riley, but remember the name Mac Etienne
(23) Boise St – “Lose to Steve Alford once, strike one. Lose to him twice, strike three” – Michael Scott
(24) Drake – Undefeated no more
The Saxon Top 25 appears every Monday at JoeTorosian.com
Riley Saxon can be reached at:
Email: rileymsaxon@gmail.com
Twitter: @riley_saxon
