SB Nation - New Mexico Lobos

RPI WATCH: 12/20/09

BracketCat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:00:18 -0000

Well, the Cats did what they needed to do, and survived to fight another day as Upset Saturday claimed numerous other victims.

In a fair world, the AP Top 15 that comes out tomorrow would look something like this:

Texas (10-0)
Kansas (10-0)
Kentucky (11-0)
Purdue (10-0)
Syracuse (11-0)
West Virginia (8-0)
Duke (9-1)
Villanova (10-1)
Michigan State (9-2)
Connecticut (7-2)
Kansas State (10-1)
Georgetown (8-1)
Ohio State (9-2)
New Mexico (12-0)
Ole Miss (10-1)

It will be interesting to see what the pollsters, in all their wisdom, come up with.

P.S. Did I call that Wichita State upset or what? Booyah!

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 17

Current Kansas State Record = 10-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 1

Current Kansas State SOS = 3

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, IUPUI, Xavier, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (7-2, 1-1) | RPI = 45
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146
No. 20 Ole Miss (10-1) | RPI = 24: Win over Centenary (108-64)
Dayton (8-2) | RPI = 31: Win over Presbyterian (71-52)
IUPUI (9-3, 2-0) | RPI = 50: Win over Duquesne (73-64)
No. 14* FHSU (8-1)
Washington State (9-2) | RPI = 83: Win over Portland State (93-69)
Xavier (6-4) | RPI = 47: Loss at No. 21 Butler (69-68)
UNLV (10-1) | RPI = 34: Win over SCUU (88-58)
Alabama (7-4) | RPI = 92: Loss to No. 17 Kansas State (87-74)
UAPB (0-9) | RPI = 260: Loss at Missouri (88-70)
Cleveland State (4-8, 0-2) | RPI = 247: Loss to No. 6 West Virginia (80-78)
South Dakota (6-4) | RPI = 139
Missouri (7-3) | RPI = 179: Win over UAPB (88-70)
No. 23 Texas A&M (9-2) | RPI = 15: Win over The Citadel (71-50)
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (10-0) | RPI = 6: Win over No. 10 North Carolina (103-90)
Oklahoma State (9-1) | RPI = 42
Baylor (8-1) | RPI = 72
No. 1 Kansas (10-0) | RPI = 20: Win over Michigan (75-64)
Nebraska (8-2) | RPI = 163: Win over Jackson State (57-41)
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (8-3) | RPI = 117: Win over Northern Colorado (80-79)
No. 16 Texas Tech (9-1) | RPI = 33: Loss at Wichita State (85-83)

*Division II Top 25

Checking in With the RPI: 12/17/09

Michael Rueckert — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:59:16 -0000

It's now time for our twice a week segment where we take a look at the RPI rankings for the Mountain West Conference teams.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 7th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI. Ratings are after the jump.

Air Force

Record = 5-3

RPI = 226

SOS = 187

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =Northern Colorado

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Washington State

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 9-1

RPI = 65

SOS = 228

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Bradley,

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State, Wagner

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 7-3

RPI = 106

SOS = 209

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco, Colorado, Montana, Denver

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon, Northern Colorado

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 11-0

RPI = 16

SOS = 104

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech, San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, UC Riverside, Northern Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 8-2

RPI = 27

SOS = 72

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = San Diego, Arizona

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Pacific

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's

TCU

Record = 5-5

RPI = 143

SOS = 94

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska, Wichita State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 9-1

RPI = 34

SOS = 74

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada, Arizona, Louisville

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Southern Utah, Weber State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State

Utah

Record = 5-5

RPI = 200

SOS = 138

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Illinois

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 5-5

RPI = 281

SOS = 277

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU, Northern Colorado

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Tennessee

In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)

Evan Pfaff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

View full size photo »

Today the Big Ten conference issued a statement that they are exploring the possibility of expanding.

Every few years we hear the same rumblings and every few years there are articles published about what realignment would look like. But not since Penn State was admitted into the Big Ten has anything official been released. With that, below is the definitive article on the topic.

And even though this is a basketball blog, I will focus on the BCS aspect of realignment to argue my points. I will discuss basketball, though, and all points held for football can loosely translate over to hoops as well.

Currently there are six BCS conferences and those 6 all get automatic BCS-bowl bids. Those conferences are Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC. Of those six, three of the conferences have enough football teams to have a conference championship game (the Big East would have enough if more of their charter schools had D1 football programs).

Part of the BCS issue is that you have some conferences without 12 schools, who don't currently have conference championship games. Adding conference championship games will ultimately help the BCS by crowing, on a field, a true conference champ. This will help with BCS bowl bids, and especially the BCS championship game. (Think of a rule where you have to at least win your division to get a BCS bid.

The other BCS issue is of the non-BCS schools and where they should lie. My realignment program take that into account.

Without further ado, after The Jump is the Big12Hoops.com Realignment plan.

MIZZOU MOVES TO THE BIG 10.

Why is this good for the Big 10? By admitting Mizzou into the Big 10, the Big 10 would secure a coveted TV market, namely St Louis. They would also get a share of the Kansas City TV market. By expanding westward, revenues from the Big 10 Network and apparel sales would grow. The Big 10 would also secure a 12^th team and legitimize a conference championship game. The divisions would be as follow:

Big 10 East: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State

Big 10 West: Mizzou, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

Under this scenario all regional rivalries remain in tact

Why is this good for Mizzou? The Big 12 seems to forget about schools not named Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas (basketball). There is no television network, so Mizzou's games are generally only regionally shown. There is Big Monday for basketball, but that is mainly reserved for Texas and KU. Under this, Mizzou's football games could be carried on the Big 10 Network and basketball games will be tied into the Big 10 ESPN deal. All this leads to a major recruiting advantage in both revenue generating sports.

Mizzou also has a rival in Illinois that would heat up instantly and the heated rivalry with Kansas will replace the Illinois basketball and football games on the schedules. Instead of St Louis, though, the KU games will be played at the Sprint Center and Arrowhead in KC.

But what about... Iowa State? The Cyclones seem to also be a natural fit and could easily add fuel to the rivalry with in-state foe Iowa Hawkeyes. The problem is that the Big 10 gains little from that arrangement. They are already pretty entrenched in the Hawkeye State and the addition of ISU wouldn't help their regional or national reputation.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON JOINS THE BIG XII

Why is this good for the Big 12? The University of Houston is a large campus, in a region of Texas that is currently underdeveloped with college sports. Houston is the 4^th largest city in the country, and by planting a team there, the Big 12 will get even more Texas viewership.

The big question would be on alignment, since there will now be 5 Texas schools. My proposal is for

Big 12 "North": Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big 12 "South": Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Colorado

The division names will have to be rebranded, but adding Colorado to the South is acceptable because Coloradoans joke that there are more Texans in the state than natives.

Why is this good for Houston? Historically, the Cougars have had a good football team, and have won a basketball national championship. Having a Big XII logo on their court will increase their recruiting presence in the city and state and potentially turn them into powerhouse.

But what about... TCU? TCU would be a good choice, if they were bigger. Their 8000 student just wouldn't cut it if the conference wishes to remain the BIG 12. Houston's enrollment is approximately 30,000 students. Commuter school or not, Houston would help retain the "Big" in Big 12.

BYU AND UTAH GO TO THE PAC-10

Why is this good for the Pac-10? By including Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, the conference will have the 12 schools needed for an automatic conference championship games. Both programs have historically legitimate football and basketball programs, and they will bring their rivalry with them. Geographically, they are far enough West to warrant admission into the conference.

The division would be as follows

Pac-10 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Utah

Pac-10 South: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Why is this good for BYU and Utah? Both recruit well from the West, and inclusion into the conference will aid that. And by coming over as a pair (and as rivals) they bring legitimacy to the expansion eastward.

But what about... geography? The state of Utah doesn't border any states of current Pac-10 members, and that may cause some issues, but distance isn't really something the conference has ever regarded. Consider that Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA is 1100 miles, or 400 miles farther than Tucson to Provo, UT.

ADD MORE TEAMS TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST

Why is this good for the Mountain West? As it stands under this scenario, the Mountain West is down to 7 members (the current 9, minus BYU and Utah). To get up with the big boys, the MWC needs to add 5 schools. The 5 that should move to the MWC should be: Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Rice, SMU.

There is already talk of Boise coming over to the MWC, so that is a no brainer. The others are coming over as "rivals" to existing MWC schools. Nevada will face UNLV, New Mexico State will pair with New Mexico, Rice and SMU will pit against TCU is a three-way battle for Texas.

Having 12 schools will allow the conference to host a championship game, matching the winners of each division, which would be as follows:

MWC North: UNLV, Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

MWC South: San Diego State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, Rice, SMU

Why is this good for the 5 programs? The shift from either the C-USA or WAC will legitimize the programs (see the next point). All will also enter the new MWC with a foe. Everyone wins.

But what about... the MWC still remaining relatively minute as compared to their BCS brethren? Why would these schools shift from one conference to another, just for shits and giggles? See next point.

ADMIT THE MOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE BCS

Why is this good for the BCS? Controversy will mainly be avoided. By admitting the redesigned MWC into the BCS you are accepting the current BCS gate crashers. You are bringing in the current at-large schools causing heartache and giving yourself another conference champion that the country can latch onto.

Why is this good for the MWC? Why isn't it good for the MWC?

But what about... the C-USA and WAC? These two conferences are now in shambles. What to do? See next item.

MERGE THE C-USA AND WAC

Why is this good for the two conferences? Because of the success of some of their schools, and regional ability to move, the Conference USA and WAC are currently left in shambles (under this proposal). Essentially afterthoughts as they are, now they are left with 15 schools between them. They could either split them up 8 and 7 or combine forces and form a 15 league mega conference. In terms of basketball, as we have seen with the Big East, and their 16 school hoops conference, too many schools doesn't water down the pool.

But what about... regionality? The C-USA is currently a conglomerate of throw-ins from around the country. Under this plan, that would just increase to a truly national conference. The members of it would be: Fresno St, Hawaii, Idaho, La Tech, San Jose St, Utah St, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Cent Florida, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss

Using the scenario outlined above, 18 schools will change conferences. This sounds like a lot, but as you can see many will be moving as groups and either with or to a rival.

But what about the Big East? Well, the Big East is the one conference I am leaving alone. In their football world, they are lacking the 12 members to create a championship game. But when you include their basketball members, they are a 16-team powerhouse.

One final thought. I reserve the right to claim this entire scenario null and void if Notre Dame ever decides to join the Big 10. If that were to happen, I would still endorse some shifting, but nothing to the extent of this proposal. More on that if a Notre Dame to the Big 10 rumor starts getting some legitimate traction.

Cougars' remaining non-conference schedule breakdown

sroufe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:03:33 -0000

More photos » by Patrick Smith - AP

Get used to this people... BYU forward Brandon Davies (0) is just getting started in Provo... (AP Photo/Patrick Smith)

Browse more photos »

Here's a preview of the next six non-MWC contests facing the Cougars over the holidays and heading into conference play next month...

Remaining Non-Conference Games:

BYU vs. Wagner - Thursday, December 17
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: BYUTV

The Seahawks hail from Staten Island. They are currently 1-7 and their best-known opponent thus far has been Bucknell, who beat Wagner by 24 in New York. Prediction - Cougars 96, Seahawks 60.

BYU vs. Eastern Washington - Saturday, December 19
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: BYUTV

Rodney Stuckey's alma mater is 4-5 but has been competitive in most of their matchups this season. The Eagles most recently lost to Seattle at home in overtime (The same Seattle that beat Utah in Salt Lake and Fresno State in Washington. Their star, Charles Garcia is getting serious NBA attention.). This is a very winnable game for the Cougars at home but senior Brandon Moore could give them problems inside. Prediction - Cougars 89, Eagles 76.

BYU vs. Nevada - Tuesday, December 22
HoopTV Las Vegas Classic - Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)
1 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: BYUTV

This tournament game was originally scheduled for 8:30 pm, but was moved up due to the Cougars contest in the Las Vegas Bowl that evening. BYU has played very well in Orleans Arena in the past - games against Louisville and North Carolina come to mind - but Nevada should have some fans and this is by no means an automatic win. The Cougars have already lost to one WAC opponent and can't afford to lose another. The Wolfpack is currently 4-4 but their losses have all been to quality competition: North Carolina, UOP, UNLV and VCU. The game against EWU will be a good test for the Cougars' post players going against Moore in preparation for Nevada's Luke Babbitt. The sophomore forward is the latest NBA prospect to come out of Reno and has recorded 7 consecutive double-doubles. Prediction - Cougars 74, Wolfpack 71

BYU vs. Nebraska or Tulsa - Wednesday, December 23
HoopTV Las Vegas Classic - Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)
Time - TBA; TV: BYUTV

Nebraska is 7-2 so far and have already knocked off two PAC-10 opponents: USC (in L.A.) and Oregon State. BYU assistant Walter Roese (the surname is pronounced with an 'H' not an 'R) is now coaching in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are winning with some very impressive defense, holding both of the aforementioned schools below 50 points. This could be a scrappy contest should the Cougars draw Nebraska and BYU will need Tavernari or someone other than Fredette and Haws to really step it up offensively. Prediction - Cougars 64, Cornhuskers 58

Tulsa is also a quality program and potentially a tough matchup for BYU. They are 7-1 and crushed Oklahoma State earlier this month in Tulsa. The Hurricane's lone loss came to Missouri State in Springfield. (Missouri State (9-0) will probably be ranked soon as they have also beaten Auburn and Air Force pretty convincingly.) Tulsa has one of the best centers in the country in Jerome Jordan. Jordan might have been a first-round selection had he made himself eligible last June. If the Cougars can't get their perimeter shots to fall it will be very, very difficult to score on Jordan inside. Prediction - Golden Hurricane 78, Cougars 75

BYU vs Arizona - Monday, December 28 at Tucson
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: Fox College Sports (FCS)

This will be an exciting matchup between two of the better point guards in the West. Wildcats' guard Nic Wise remains from last years' Sweet-16 team (with Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill). Arizona has officially begun the post-Lute Olson era however, and Sean Miller is a terrific coach. You should remember him from when he coached Xavier past the Cougars in the 2007 tourney. The Wildcats have been somewhat of a disappointment thus far, as despite it being a rebuilding year in Tucson they have dropped winnable contests to Wisconsin on the road and UNLV at home. Most recently they were destroyed at home by San Diego State. Could Arizona really lose to three MWC opponents in one season? Yes. Prediction - Cougars 70, Wildcats 64.

BYU vs. Eastern New Mexico - Saturday, January 2
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: TBA

ENM is located in Portales and is a small school with about 4,300 students. Interestingly, their men's (Greyhounds) and women's (Zia's) athletic teams have different mascots. The Greyhounds are 4-4 on the season with their marquee win being against the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. This will be a good learning experience for the Greyhounds. Remember that win over Southern? Prediction - Cougars 110, Greyhounds 62

(First conference game scheduled for Wednesday, January 6 vs. UNLV in Provo)

BYU vs. UTEP - Saturday, January 9 at El Paso
6 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: CBS College Sports

The Miners are 5-1 thus far but they haven't really played anyone. Their lone loss was at home to New Mexico State. That had to have been a bummer since they had just beaten the Aggies two weeks earlier by 21 in Las Cruzes. So despite the Cougars going on the road, this should really be the calm before the storm of conference competition. Prediction - Cougars 90, Miners 71

Summary:

Before the season began I asserted that BYU's depth and somewhat weaker schedule this season could permit them to have a quality record headed into MWC competition:

"The Cougars should have a very good record going into conference play. That's 15 games into the season and I see no reason why BYU can't be 13-2 at that point."

The Cougars currently sit at 8-1 and their remaining six non-conference contests are all highly winnable. In fact you could probably assume that the games against Wagner and the Eastern Washington and New Mexico's are automatic despite that being a bit hubristic on my part. I also expect the Cougars to have a good showing in the Las Vegas Classic.

The last two games against Arizona State and Fresno State are a sign of things to come. Opponents are now familiar enough with Fredette that they are going to seal off the lane and force the Cougars wing-players to make their mid-range to outside jumpers. Luckily for BYU Tyler Haws and/or Jackson Emery have done just that. You can't say enough good things about Haws' play so far. We certainly anticipated him being a big-time player and even a contributor to the team this season. However, I wasn't expecting him to be playing over 30 minutes a game, rebounding like a kangaroo on crack and consistently making clutch plays down the stretch of games.

But the best thing about this is Tavernari. He's been abysmal shooting from, well, everywhere but the FT line. That's obviously not what's great. What's wonderful is that he's not going to get any worse. JT is shooting 10% below his season average from last year and easily 7% worse behind the arc than any season he's spent in Provo. His minutes are down, his rebounding is down, his assists are down - but all that is going to change.

These last few non-conference games will provide Tavernari the opportunity to get his confidence back. The games against Wagner and EWU may be just what the doctor ordered - and returning to Orleans Arena where JT has excelled in the past (and where he is familiar having played high school ball in Vegas) could really break him out of this funk. Just in time for conference play.

Additionally, young players like Haws, Davies and others like Abouo and Hartsock are only going to continue to improve. Hartsock has shown that the past couple of games (13 points against the Sun Devils and 11 boards against the Bulldogs) and is now starting at the four. This team is deep. As deep as any I can remember.

If the Cougars do manage to come into MWC play with only one or two losses they will be positioning themselves for a better tournament seed come March. So while UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State have all been impressive, BYU is the three-time defending champs and their future is looking just as bright as their past.

Updated BYU statistics after the jump...

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Jimmer Fredette	9	31.7	5.6	13.0	42.7	1.8	4.2	42.1	5.8	6.2	92.9	1.0	2.3	3.3	5.8	2.7	1.8	0.2	1.0	18.7
Jackson Emery	9	24.0	3.8	7.6	50.0	2.8	5.8	48.1	1.8	2.2	80.0	0.6	3.2	3.8	1.6	1.2	2.7	0.1	3.1	12.1
Jonathan Tavernari	9	25.4	4.0	11.7	34.3	1.7	5.4	30.6	0.9	1.1	80.0	0.6	4.4	5.0	1.2	1.1	1.3	0.2	2.0	10.6
Tyler Haws	9	26.6	3.6	7.3	48.5	0.4	2.0	22.2	2.3	2.8	84.0	1.4	2.7	4.1	1.6	1.1	0.7	0.2	2.0	9.9
Noah Hartsock	9	21.8	2.7	4.0	66.7	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.8	1.0	77.8	1.2	3.9	5.1	0.6	0.3	0.7	1.0	1.6	6.2
Chris Miles	9	15.9	2.1	3.8	55.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.2	81.8	1.3	2.4	3.8	0.8	0.4	0.3	0.6	2.2	5.2
Charles Abouo	9	12.0	1.4	3.4	41.9	0.3	0.8	42.9	1.7	2.1	78.9	1.1	1.3	2.4	0.7	1.0	0.8	0.4	1.7	4.9
Michael Loyd, Jr.	9	13.1	1.7	2.7	62.5	0.8	1.4	53.8	0.2	0.4	50.0	0.0	0.8	0.8	1.1	1.0	0.3	0.0	0.7	4.3
Brandon Davies	9	12.0	1.4	2.1	68.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.8	62.5	1.1	2.0	3.1	0.4	1.2	0.2	0.6	2.3	4.0
Lamont Morgan, Jr.	9	9.7	0.9	1.3	66.7	0.2	0.3	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3	0.4	1.9	0.6	0.3	0.0	0.2	2.0
James Anderson	8	4.1	0.4	0.9	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3	50.0	0.6	0.5	1.1	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	1.1	0.9
Logan Magnusson	7	3.7	0.3	0.9	33.3	0.1	0.3	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	1.3	1.7	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.7
Brock Zylstra	6	2.0	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.7

Poll

What will the Cougars' record be going into conference play?

RPI WATCH: 12/13/09

BracketCat — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:31 -0000

More photos » by Laura Rauch - AP

The circle is complete: By beating the brains out of Lon Kruger's team, perhaps we finally have erased the demons that have plagued K-State basketball for 20 years — roughly ever since he ditched us for Florida. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Browse more photos »

Sorry, guys. I accidentally set this to publish at 11:45 p.m. tonight when I meant for it to go last night. My bad.

Wow, what a Saturday.

I guess I'll start with us. I've adding a ranking indicator, because now that Xavier beat Cincinnati today (likely knocking them out of the Top 25), it's a 99-percent certainty that we will be ranked at this time tomorrow.

Meanwhile, our RPI is an eye-popping TWO. I don't think we're likely to top Duke anytime soon, so this basically is the pinnacle for our resume this year, at least from a numbers standpoint. Kudos to Frank Martin for drawing up a PERFECT non-conference schedule, one that now is ranked fourth, after briefly spiking at second last night.

UNLV was added to the ledger of Top 50 wins, and Wazzu's win over Air Force, coupled with playing us, moved the Cougars into the Top 100. That gives us six quality wins so far, and to that you can add Fort Hays State's movement into the Division II Top 25 last week. We've beaten some damn good teams.

What does all this mean? Barring an absolute collapse in Big 12 play, we're going to be in the NCAA Tournament. And if things keep up like this, we'll have a pretty high seed, too. We almost don't need this feature anymore — the resume speaks for itself. But I'll keep tracking everything, nonetheless.

Here's a little trivia for you: Four teams in the country have three RPI Top 50 wins. Who are they? Answers after the jump. Oh, and be sure to vote in my poll.

Answer: Georgetown, Kansas State, Texas, Villanova

Bonus Answer: Kansas has ZERO Top 50 wins. LOL!

Current Kansas State Ranking = TBD

Current Kansas State Record = 9-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 2

Current Kansas State SOS = 4

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Washington State, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (6-2, 1-1) | RPI = 40: Win over San Francisco (66-63)
Western Illinois (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 320: Loss to Eastern Illinois (44-41)
Boston (4-6) | RPI = 146: Win at Marist (88-72)
No. 25 Ole Miss (8-1) | RPI = 34: Win over McNeese State (83-67)
Dayton (7-2) | RPI = 24
IUPUI (8-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60: Win over Indiana-South Bend (92-56)
No. 22* FHSU (7-1): Win over Missouri Western (67-54)
Washington State (8-2) | RPI = 88: Win over Air Force (75-68)
Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68
No. 18 UNLV (7-1) | RPI = 29: Loss to Kansas State (95-80)
Alabama (6-3) | RPI = 91: Loss to No. 5 Purdue (73-65)
UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273
Cleveland State (4-6, 0-2) | RPI = 232: Win over Wilberforce (113-61)
South Dakota (5-4) | RPI = 119
Missouri (6-3) | RPI = 161: Win over Fairleigh Dickinson (87-36)
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-2) | RPI = 18: Loss to New Mexico (84-81)
Colorado (6-4) | RPI = 229
No. 2 Texas (8-0) | RPI = 5: Win over Texas State (87-54)
Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105
No. 1 Kansas (9-0) | RPI = 21: Win over La Salle (90-65)
Nebraska (7-2) | RPI = 151: Win over Oregon State (50-44)
Iowa State (7-3) | RPI = 155
Oklahoma (7-3) | RPI = 142: Win at Utah (78-73 in overtime)
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

*Division II Top 25

Checking in With the RPI: 12/13/09

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:07:33 -0000

Checking in with the RPI will be twice a week Thursday's and Sunday's. That is because most of the games are on Wednesday and Saturday, so those next days will have the most change in RPI.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 6th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-3

RPI = 200

SOS = 153

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado, Washington State

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 8-1

RPI = 62

SOS = 222

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Bradley,

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 7-3

RPI = 117

SOS = 210

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco, Colorado, Montana, Denver

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 10-0

RPI = 14

SOS = 96

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = UC Riverside, San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, Louisiana Tech

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 8-2

RPI = 37

SOS = 105

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 5-5

RPI = 144

SOS = 109

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska, Wichita State, Louisiana Tech

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 7-1

RPI = 29

SOS = 40

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Louisville, Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State

Utah

Record = 5-5

RPI = 209

SOS = 155

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 5-4

RPI = 294

SOS = 314

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU, Northern Colorado

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Checking in With the RPI: 12/10/09

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:44:03 -0000

This may or may not be a daily feature just depends how things work out, but lets give it a go and try a daily for the rest of the week and see how much change there is. Here we will take a look at the current RPI ratings for the entire Mountain West making notes of good wins, bad wins, and their upcoming schedule for the next few games.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 9th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-2

RPI = 194

SOS = 177

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 7-1

RPI = 85

SOS = 253

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Bradley, Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 4-3

RPI = 134

SOS = 183

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Denver

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 8-0

RPI = 24

SOS = 129

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Riverside, New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 7-2

RPI = 42

SOS = 91

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, San Diego, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 4-4

RPI = 167

SOS = 151

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 6-0

RPI = 12

SOS = 74

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Pittsburgh, Nevada, Louisville, Arizona

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Utah

Record = 5-4

RPI = 215

SOS = 201

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 3-4

RPI = 330

SOS = 335

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

CBKWitness - Cal turns a corner, sings

CBKWit — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:15 -0000

Nice work CaliforniaCMB. Email Cal BBall photoshops to: goldenblogs@gmail.com

Saturday found a scene familiar to long suffering Blues - Cal basketball providing a glimmer of hope as Cal football fizzles out. I went to both the men's and women's basketball games on Saturday, two blowout victories surrounding our predictably unpredictable no show at UW. RemorsefulBruinBabe called it a "losing sandwich on winning bread."

The women's freshmen and the men's backups performing so well would be the lead story here, but RemorsefulBruinBabe just found this, via BearBallCarrier. You may not like basketball, or a capella, but the combination is scintillating. That furd Tiger Woods makes you question humanity, and then Max Zhang and Maestro Randle save the day. Max swaying in the background puts it over the top.

The women were up first on Saturday. They won, big. BearBallCarrier, Calnet, and I sat in the chair-backs three rows behind the Cal bench. I even caught a shirt, from a real, live cheerleader. You could, too! There were plenty of great seats available, for only 12 bucks.

The freshman came in with a lot of hype, and so far it is deserved. They're the difference makers on the team, not our three senior guards. Eliza Pierre dominated the game with her speed and defense. The box score says she only had three steals, but she created plenty more of Cal's twelve steals and Colorado State's 17 turnovers.

Pierre isn't a smooth offensive player yet, but she's improved even since the Baylor game 2 weeks ago. She hit a nifty pull up jumper from 15 feet and looked much more in control handling the ball.

Eliza reminds me of Jorge, in the way she uses her tenacious defense to control the game. Like Monty said of Jorge, it's an absolute pleasure to watch Eliza play defense. But as much as I love Jorge, Pierre may be better, relative to her sport. She's faster and more athletic, and I think she'll turn into a natural point guard with more ease than Jorge. It's really worth the price of admission to watch her, and as a freshman with only 7 career games under her belt, she's going to get much, much better.

Yes, this tiny picture is all I could find.

via grfx.cstv.com

The freshman posts have also impressed so far. I haven't seen Brenna Heater yet, as she's been out with a boot on her foot. I heard she's due to return fairly soon, which should be a huge boost to the team. Right now, Cal has 3 healthy forwards, all of them freshman. Senior Rama N'Diaye, our one experienced post, hasn't played this year and seems likely to redshirt. It's been pretty impressive to watch 3 freshman combine for 80 minutes a game at the two forward spots. Stallworth is ridiculously smooth for a freshman with a very consistent shot. Caldwell has what we call a "rebounder's body" (read: big posterior) and moves well for her size. Brandon is probably the fastest and most athletic of the bunch. They are all more effective and more polished than I anticipated, but the biggest (and most necessary) surprise has been their conditioning. Cal was pushing the pace against Colorado State and our big were keeping up, despite only having one sub.

The big void on this team is shooting. Alexis Gray-Lawson has a nice looking stroke but only hits 25-33% of her outside shots on a given night. Layshia Clarendon is more of a scorer than an outside shooter; this will serve Cal well in the long run, as she looks to take over AGL's points next year, but for this season does not fill a glaring need. Senior Lauren Greif is still struggling from outside, going 0-2 on good looks in the CSU game. Stallworth is probably the best three point shooter on the team right now, as she knocked down two threes from the top of the key. The entire team needs work on free throws - they shot less than 50% in both games this weekend, and it particularly hurt them in the loss to Texas A&M. Stallworth hit the three pointers against CSU but missed both her free throws; Caldwell has an awkward over the head motion on her free throw shooting, barely grazing the rim on her first shot and then air-balling the second. Shooting looks like it will be the achillies heel of this team all year.

Layshia Clarendon

via caltriplethreat.files.wordpress.com

I watched 2/3 of the men's game against New Mexico at the Pit last Wednesday. Cal was pretty close to winning, which is pretty impressive considering Harper Kamp and Theo Robertson missed the game due to injury, Markhuri Sanders-Frison, Omondi Amoke, Jorge Gutierrez, and Patrick Christopher had the flu, and the game was played a mile above sea level. If we have Theo, we win. If Amoke, who has been a terror on the glass lately, doesn't foul out with zero points in nine minutes due to the flu, we win. Hopefully New Mexico keeps winning (they're 8-0) and hopefully the selection committee gives us a pass for all the injuries/vomiting and dehydration.

That said, Cal probably wins this game despite all that if New Mexico doesn't go to a 1-2-2 3/4 court press and some combo zone in the half court. What is a 1-2-2 3/4 court press? Just watch the first 13 seconds of this video:

Cal was up 6, I believe, when New Mexico started employing this trapping press to slow the bears down. It worked. Cal lost its rhythm and turned it over at least once that I can remember, a Boykin travel.

Once Cal got into the half court, New Mexico continued to employ some sort of perimeter oriented zone, though I can't remember if it was a 1-2-2 or an extended 2-3. Earlier in the half, Randle buried three pointers on three consecutive possessions as he ran around screens off the ball, plays we generally ran for Christopher against man defense last year. Once New Mexico went to the zone to stop chasing Randle around the court and giving up open looks, the Bears struggled. It's somewhat strange that New Mexico didn't go to a zone earlier, given how badly we struggled with it against Syracuse and Ohio State.

On the first possession against the zone, Randle penetrated and kicked to an open Jorge, who missed it from the top of the key. Theo, come back soon. Cal's offense never settled down, New Mexico hit some tough shots, the Lobo crowd got into it, ball game.

With Wednesday's loss to New Mexico, Saturday's game against Iowa State gained a lot of importance. Wins over Jacksonville, Murray State, Princeton, etc. are nice, but losing every game to a name opponent (which is what they had done so far) is not going to get Cal a lot of cred. And after the football debacle in Seattle (I guess Cal can't score on usc OR former usc assistants), Cal fans needed an upper. We got one.

The first half gave us three of the biggest highlights of the season thus far. Max put his hand in front of Craig Brackins' (future NBA first rounder) face, prompting Brackins to slap it away, irritated. Max was under his skin, and shortly thereafter Brackins whined to the refs about it.

Number two: Max blocked Brackins' shot. Brackins finished the game with 21 points, but most came before Max showed him who was boss. Brackins wasn't a big factor after that.

via cdn1.sbnation.com

Number three: Jorge dunked. He threw it down with one hand on a fast break, giving Cal a nine point lead. I didn't know he could dunk! I don't think any Cal fans did. Did he grow an inch or two since last year? Did he improve his vertical leap? All I know is that I love Jorge more than I did before, and I didn't know that was possible.

The background of this picture, the forefront of my heart

via cdn1.sbnation.com

Patrick Christopher had 4 points at half. In the first minute of the second half, Randle hit him for an alley-oop. He scored another 14, including a couple threes, in the half to finish the game with 20. It was yet another example of Christopher needing a confidence booster of some sort to insert himself in the game. Hopefully he will be more consistent once our calm, steady senior Theo returns and takes some of the pressure off PChris.

Randle had a terrible shooting night, 7-21 overall and 0-7 from three, but still finished with 18 points. Aside from his awful shooting (especially bad considering he is a really, really good shooter), he was great. He controlled the game from the point, dishing out 9 assists against only 2 turnovers. He held his man, ISU's three point specialist (insert Euro name here) scoreless. Randle has really picked up his defense and he doesn't even need his number one asset, his incredible outside shooting, in order to be a very good player in a game.

Cal may be turning a corner. It would have been great to win one or two of the big games we've lost, and with Theo and without the flu, we probably would have. But the flip side to the injuries and illness has been experience to our backups. Max and Omondi Amoke have been coming on very strong lately, and without the increased playing time they've received due to our temporarily depleted roster, they wouldn't have shown this much improvement. Max played the best game of his career on Saturday, against a first round NBA pick no less. He still has plenty to improve on (rebounding, some semblance of a post move), but he's serviceable and that's a lot more than you could say 6 weeks ago, much less last year.

Max, with newfound ferocity

via cdn3.sbnation.com

Amoke is a menace on the boards, especially at the offensive end. He's also grown more patient and relaxed offensively, leading to greatly increased offensive production. He's been forced to play a lot of minutes at the 4 because of Harper's injury, and with Harper likely out for the year, that will continue. But even though he's undersized playing at power forward (6'7 and pretty skinny), he's been able to collect double digit rebounds in limited minutes. He compensates for his lack of size with superior athleticism and persistence.

The really sweet part is that Theo is returning! He's supposedly playing tonight against the Pacific Tigers. He'll help this team in so many ways: breaking zones with his shooting, improving the perimeter defense, allowing Jorge to come off the bench and get back to his ultra-aggressive defense, allow Amoke to play the three on occassion...the list goes on. And he's returning to a team that has improved since he last played, nearly a month ago. Cal basketball is about to get really exciting, and just in time for the Poinsettia bowl. Praise be Bak Bak.

On a completely unrelated note, this is what I sat behind at The Nutcracker last night:

If you're going to a movie/ballet/concert, maybe the best hairdo isn't all of your hair piled on top of your head. There may actually be someone sitting behind you! And if this is your dad, unlike last week, I am not at all sorry.

Weekly Look at the College Basketball Polls

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:33:37 -0000

The Mountain West has only UNLV in the both polls at 17 in the coaches and 18th in the AP poll. UNLV is currently 7-0 which is their best start in nearly a decade. New Mexico is close to being ranked after beating 21st Cal last week. Had BYU beat Utah State they might be ranked as well. Check the full rankings below.

ESPN/USA Today Poll

1. Kansas (31) 7-0 775

2. Texas 6-0 732

3. Villanova 8-0 699

4. Kentucky 8-0 672

5. Purdue 7-0 650

6. Syracuse 8-0 623

8. West Virginia 5-0 600

8. Duke 7-1 542

9. Tennessee 6-1 483

10. North Carolina 7-2 441

11. Florida 8-0 418

12. Connecticut 6-1 413

13. Georgetown 6-0 393

14. Michigan State 6-2 386

15. Ohio State 7-1 365

16. Washington 6-1 276

17. UNLV 7-0 253

18. Texas A&M 7-1 216

19. Cincinnati 5-1 177

20. Butler 6-2 150

21. Georgia Tech 6-1 128

22. Gonzaga 6-2 126

23. Wisconsin 6-1 104

24. Vanderbilt 6-1 67

24. Clemson 7-2 67

Others Receiving Votes Texas Tech 49, Florida State 37, New Mexico 37, Louisville 36, Mississippi 27, Oklahoma State 17, Kansas State 16, Illinois 12, Memphis 10, California 10, St. John's 9, Notre Dame 8, Wake Forest 7, Charlotte 7, Northwestern 6, Saint Mary's 6, Richmond 5, Tulsa 5, Brigham Young 4, Washington State 3, William & Mary 3, Dayton 2, Seton Hall 2, Baylor 1.

AP Top 25

1. Kansas (62) 7-0 1,621

2. Texas (1) 6-0 1,514

3. Villanova (1) 8-0 1,460

4. Kentucky 8-0 1,417

5. Purdue 7-0 1,409

6. West Virginia 5-0 1,272

7. Syracuse (1) 8-0 1,270

8. Duke 7-1 1,058

9. Tennessee 6-1 1,047

10. Florida 8-0 1,024

11. North Carolina 7-2 985

12. Michigan State 6-2 876

13. Ohio State 7-1 806

14. Connecticut 6-1 787

15. Georgetown 6-0 723

16. Texas A&M 7-1 512

17. Washington 6-1 495

18. UNLV 7-0 429

19. Cincinnati 5-1 334

20. Wisconsin 6-1 298

21. Gonzaga 6-2 279

22. Butler 6-2 221

23. Texas Tech 8-0 219

24. Georgia Tech 6-1 171

25. Mississippi 7-1 127

Others Receiving Votes

Memphis 99, Clemson 96, Vanderbilt 74, Florida State 59, Kansas State 59, Northwestern 48, Miami (FL) 46, Oklahoma State 41, Notre Dame 37, New Mexico 35, Illinois 18, Charlotte 18, Baylor 17, Richmond 17, Louisville 15, St. John's 14, Missouri State 14, Brigham Young 13, Pittsburgh 11, Dayton 8, Seton Hall 6, California 5, Minnesota 5, North Carolina State 3, Cornell 3, Illinois State 3, Tulsa 3, William & Mary 2, UAB 1, Northern Iowa 1.

VIDEO: New Mexico Upsets Cal

Jeremy Mauss — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:59:10 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

Browse more photos »

New Mexico picked up a huge win over #25 Cal Golden Bears by winning by eight. The Pac-10 is still reeling and looking to be one of the worst 'power leagues' this season. The Lobos might sneak into the top 25 after this win which pushed them to 7-0 on the year. The Pit is a tough place to play and even with the renovations the Pit was a tough place to play.

The Lobos used a nice 1-2-2 zone which forced Cal to shoot outside which was something they were unable to last night. Cal shot 45% in the field and only 37% from behind the arc. Check out the post game interviews below.

SB Nation - New Mexico Lobos

RPI WATCH: 12/20/09

Checking in With the RPI: 12/17/09

In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)

Cougars' remaining non-conference schedule breakdown

What will the Cougars' record be going into conference play?

RPI WATCH: 12/13/09

What will K-State be ranked in today's AP poll?

Checking in With the RPI: 12/13/09

Checking in With the RPI: 12/10/09

CBKWitness - Cal turns a corner, sings

Weekly Look at the College Basketball Polls

VIDEO: New Mexico Upsets Cal