Rankings & Polls

Now that I've rolled out the last of the Rise & Fall articles, its time to move onto something bigger & better (or at least slightly different).. a state by state ranking of D1 men's basketball programs.

This won't be a ranking based on next year's projected success, but will be a general program ranking based on recent success (the last five years) along with subjective factors of my choosing.

AP

Coaches Poll

Kansas

Memphis

AP/Coaches Polls

Pomeroy

RPI

Sagarin

Other (note below)

Last year I unveiled the Siegel Quality Ranking. The concept is simple: College basketball scheduling is so amazingly uneven, that pure records mean nothing. The only wins that should count in determining a team's stature are "quality" wins against "quality" opponents, and losses should only hurt if they're against bad teams.

A "quality" game is one of three things: A home game against a Top 50 RPI team, a Neutral game against a Top 100 team, and a Road win against a Top 150 team. Such wins are hard to come by and only the real NCAA Tournament contenders are able to win many.

Following last week's High-Major & Mid-Major rankings, here is the complete 73 team BCS Power Ranking. Obviously a lot of potential NCAA Tournament teams in here, perhaps everyone in the Top 50 has a chance. The SEC is off to a very odd start, no one playing Top 10 basketball, yet its worst teams seem substantially better than the worst of the other leagues.

Yes (The Gaels will be Top 25 all year)

Yes (Good enough to be an at-large bid)

No (But they're easily the 2nd best team in the WCC)

No (They've only won home games, and Oregon was a fluke)

Duke (8-0)

Georgetown (5-0)

Kansas (7-0)

Memphis (6-0)

Texas (7-0)

UNC (7-0)

Yes: The 13th ranked team is still 3-0

Yes: Barely, but they better beat OK State

No: They have no talent in the frontcourt

No: Definitely not. They can't even put away Chaminade

UCLA PICKED TO DEFEND PAC-10 TITLE IN 2007-08