Men’s College Hoops Review – February 8th

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There was a bit of a shakeup in some of the actual rankings, but for the most part the top 10 remains intact from a week ago. Villanova fell two spots to #4 after a tough 90-103 loss on the road to Georgetown. Despite the win, the Hoyas were unable to gain any ground because of a 64-72 loss to South Florida and remain in the #7 spot.

Michigan State took the biggest tumble, falling from #5 to #10 after losses to Wisconsin (49-67) and Illinois (73-78). Texas fell from #9 to #14 after losing to Oklahoma 71-80.

Teams on the rise include Duke as they moved from #11 to #8 with an 86-67 win over Georgia Tech and a 66-63 win over Boston College. Purdue jumped up two spots to #6 with a 78-75 win over Indiana.

The following is a brief review of this week’s top teams and their current odds to win this year’s NCAA Championship.

Kansas (22-1)                     Current Odds 3/1
In a 72-66 win over Colorado, Marcus Morris’s six points in overtime helped the Jayhawks avoid the upset. Trailing Nebraska by four points early in the second half, they went on a 16-1 run to help pull out a 75-64 win over the Cornhuskers. Through 23 games Sherron Collins is averaging 15.6 points per game and Morris is averaging 13. Cole Aldrich is averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.

Syracuse (23-1)                  Current Odds 12/1
Kris Joseph scored a career high 23 points off the bench to lead the Orange to an 85-68 win over Providence. They followed this up with a 71-54 win over Cincinnati which moved them to 10-1 in the Big East, a ½ game ahead of Villanova. Through 24 games Wesley Johnson is averaging 16.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and Joseph is averaging 11.2 points per game.

Kentucky (22-1)                Current Odds 9/2
Freshman sensation John Wall’s 17 points and seven assists helped the Wildcats to an 85-75 win over Ole Miss. In their next game, they outscored LSU 42-14 in the first half on their way to an 81-55 win. DeMarcus Cousins recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Through 23 games Wall is averaging 16.4 points a game and Cousins is averaging 16.4 points and 10 rebounds.

Villanova (20-2)                 Current Odds 10/1
Antonio Pena scored 16 points and added eight rebounds as the Wildcats held off Seton Hall for an 81-71 win. Against Georgetown, they fell behind by 19 at the half and were never able to close the gap, losing to the Hoyas 90-103. It was Villanova’s first loss in the Big East as they are now 9-1. Through 22 games Scottie Reynolds is averaging 18.7 points per game and Pena is averaging 7.4 rebounds.

West Virginia (19-3)          Current Odds 15/1
The Mountaineers moved into the top 5 with an impressive 70-51 win over Pittsburgh and a 79-60 win over St. Johns. In the game against the Panthers, Da’Sean Butler’s 18 points along with Devin Ebanks 16 rebounds paced the win. Against the Red Storm, Butler had a season high 33 points in the win. Through 22 games Butler is averaging 17.3 points a game and Ebanks is averaging 8.7 rebounds.

• Men’s College Hoops Review — February 15th
• Men’s College Basketball Review – January 25th
• Men’s College Basketball Review – February 1st
• Men’s College Hoops Review – March 1st
• Expert NCAA Basketball Picks: January 12, 2010