Sunday, January 14, 2018

Sunday Morning Top 10 Dump

10. Michigan State: Sparty had a terrible week. They got blown out in Columbus and needed overtime to beat Rutger. Michigan got them yesterday in East Lansing in what had to be a satisfying win for John Beilein and his team. Rumblings of them going undefeated in league play have been replaced by what’s wrong with Sparty. That’s too bad.

9. West Virginia: They won a rock fight over Baylor at home and blew a second half double-digit lead on the road to Texas Tech. Not a terrible week in the grand scheme of things but one that could have been great.

8. Clemson: Nice win yesterday over Miami at home. They go to UNC on Tuesday that should be a good test and a chance for them to do something they’ve never done, win in the Dean Dome.

7. Gonzaga: Are they the best team in the West? They very well could be. But other than St. Mary’s, tests will be few and far between in the WCC.

6. Oklahoma: They has two home games this week, winning against two good teams in Texas Tech and TCU. Trae Young continues to be a marvel but he did have quite a few turnovers yesterday. Will the rigors of league play wear him down? His usage rate is insane.

5. Duke: Big jump this week for Duke. They embarrassed Pitt at Pitt and beat Wake at home yesterday. They did so in convincing fashion. It was the kind of week you’d expect. They have a home game against Miami on Big Monday. 

4. Texas Tech: OU handled them early in the week but I was impressed by the toughness they showed yesterday in overcoming Press Virginia. They were sloppy for 30 minutes but even as the Mountaineers built a double-digit lead, did you get a sense the Red Raiders were panicked. I don’t have a feel for their ceiling but that’s a damn good team.

3. Virginia: Barf

2. Purdue: The Boilermakers escaped Ann Arbor and then embarrassed Minnesota on their home court yesterday. When Purdue is clicking on offense, they’re as good as any team in America. This is a Final 4 team and a team that can cut down the nets.

1. Villanova: They ran Xavier out of Philly on Wednesday in a game that was never close. The defense is probably good enough but worth monitoring. Having Phil Booth healthy is such a bonus. This is easily Jay Wright’s most dynamic offensive team

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