The Confidential

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for February 15, 2012

With over 300 teams in college basketball, the top 25 is just not enough anymore.  Here is the Confidential’s Top 30 for February 15, 2012:

1. Syracuse (26-1).  Syracuse has gotten through a stretch of Georgetown, UConn, and Louisville.  A road trip to Rutgers is next.  Next up: @ Rutgers.
2. Kentucky (25-1).  Kentucky is entrenched at Number 1 in the major polls.  Wins over Florida and Vandy last week did nothing to harm that perception.  Next up: Mississippi.
3. Missouri (23-2).  A big win over Baylor keeps Missouri at the top of the Big XII.  They can take the foot off the gas a bit this week.  Next up: Oklahoma State.
4. Michigan State (20-5).  Michigan State defeated Ohio State by a nice margin.  Tough game against Wisconsin next.  Next up: Wisconsin.
5. Duke (21-4).  All of the sudden, Duke is back in the national picture.  All it took was a buzzer beater over North Carolina.  Next up: North Carolina State.
6. Kansas (21-5).  A convincing win against Baylor on the road.  And then they followed that up with two more wins.  Next up: Texas Tech.
7. Ohio State (22-4).  The Michigan State loss was tough.  But the Breslin Center is always a tough venue.  Next up: @ Michigan.
8. North Carolina (21-4).  The Duke game was everything fans could have wanted, except the result.  The team took out their pain on Virginia.  Next up: @ Miami.
9. Baylor (21-4).  Losing to Kansas and Missouri (again) makes this a very tough week.  But Baylor has yet to be upset.  Next up: Kansas State.
10. Georgetown (19-5).  The Hoyas played an outstanding game against Syracuse, only to fall short in overtime.  This team is starting to come together.  Next up: @ Providence.
11. Wisconsin (19-6).  The Badgers slide up several notches due to losses by other teams.  The win at Minnesota was nice.  Next up: @ Michigan State.
12. Marquette (21-5).  Marquette rebounded from its loss to Notre Dame by defeating both DePaul and Cincinnati.  And that Notre Dame loss is looking better as the Irish are on fire.  Next up: @ Connecticut.
13. Michigan (19-7).  Picked up two wins–at Nebraska and home to Illinois.  Rivarly game is next.  Next up: @ Ohio State.
14. Indiana (19-6).  A nice win over fading Illinois last week.  The Hoosiers continue to stay relevant.  Next up: Northwestern.
15. Louisville (20-6).  Don’t let that loss to Syracuse fool you–this team is going to give someone fits in the Big Dance.  Very good defensive team.  Next up: @ DePaul.
16. UNLV (22-5).  UNLV got the needed win against San Diego State.  But then gave it up in a road loss to TCU.  Next up: @ New Mexico.
17. San Diego State (20-4).  The loss to UNLV stings.  But at least it was a road game.  Next up: New Mexico.
18. Florida (19-6).  Tough week for Florida, losing to both Kentucky and Tennessee.  The latter was the big surprise.  Next up: @ Alabama.
19. Notre Dame (17-8).  The Irish keep winning.  First they knocked off West Virginia, then they returned home to defeat DePaul.  Next up: Rutgers.
20. Florida State (17-7).  That loss @ Boston College was a head scratcher.  The Seminoles are losing to the bad teams.  Next up: Virginia Tech.
21. Virginia (19-6).  Having to play North Carolina after an emotional loss was tough.  Losing at Clemson was a bad sign.  Next up: Maryland.
22. Murray State (24-1).  The loss to Tennessee State was bound to happen.  Is Murray State an at-large team if they lose in their tournament?  Next up: @ Southeast Missouri State.
23. Gonzaga (20-4).  Gonzaga got back into the hunt with a win over St. Mary’s.  A two-game road trip looms.  Next up: @ Santa Clara.
24. St. Mary’s (22-2).  The loss to Gonzaga drops them a bit, but there is plenty of time to keep working on the resume.  Next up: Loyola Marymount.
25. Wichita State (22-4).  The big win over Creighton by 21 points was impressive.  Next up: Missouri State.
26. New Mexico (20-4).  This is the big week for New Mexico.  They have games against San Diego State and UNLV.  Next up: @ San Diego State.
27. Temple (19-5).  The Owls have a bunch of good wins.  And now they are stringing together conference wins.  Next up: @ St. Bonaventure.
28. North Carolina State (18-7).  The Wolfpack have a good record.  This week is a brutal 3 day stretch involving a game at Duke and hosting Florida State.  Next up: @ Duke.
29. Virginia Commonwealth (22-6).  Before the narrow defeat at George Mason, the Rams had won 11 straight.  They deserve some slack here.  Next up: Northern Iowa.
30. Creighton (22-5).  Creighton is reeling now, having lost three in a row.  On the brink of leaving the rankings.  Next up: @ Southern Illinois.

Tell us what you think.  Is anyone unfairly missing?  Anyone too high or too low?