By Adam Kiefaber

Marquette falls from No. 9 to No. 16 after its loss to WVU.

Four teams fell out of the CBR Top 25: Clemson, Arizona, Baylor and Massachusetts. Clemson (CBR - No. 14 last week) have lost two in a row. The first loss to UNC didn’t hurt, but the loss to Charlotte (above) knocked the Tigers out. Zona (CBR - No. 17 last week) has already lost five games including two in a row to Oregon and Arizona State. The Wildcats have arguably played the toughest schedule in the nation. Baylor (CBR - No. 23) was ranked for seven straight weeks until its recent loss to Arkansas. UMASS (CBR - No. 24) lost to an underrated St. Joesph’s team last night. That loss knocks the Minutemen out of the Top 25, but a win on Wednesday against Dayton would put them back in.

Four teams enter the CBR Top 25: Butler, Arizona State, Notre Dame and Drake. Butler and Drake have a combined 27-2 record and each could win their respected conferences. Arizona State could be the biggest surprise in college basketball this season. ASU has three PAC-10 wins under its belt and has defeated Xavier, Oregon and Arizona. Notre Dame is another surprise team, at least to me. The Irish have won 10 straight including wins over Kansas St., WVU and UCONN.

This is the tenth edition of the CBR Top 25 this season. To see the list of all my rankings this season click on CBR Top 25 rankings.

1) Memphis 14-0 (last week: No. 1)
The Tigers should coast their conference schedule, but they still have two challenging non-conference games remaining against Gonzaga (Jan. 26) and Tennessee (Feb. 23).
2) Kansas 15-0 (last week: No. 2)
The Jayhawks didn’t have any trouble against Boston College last week, winning 85-60. Kansas will visit Nebraska on Saturday then it has Oklahoma at home on Monday.
3) North Carolina 16-0 (last week: No. 3)
The Tar Heels looked unbeatable until their 90-88 win over Clemson. UNC will play N.C. State on Saturday and Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
4) UCLA 14-1 (last week: No. 4)
UCLA took care of California 70-58 last Saturday. The Bruins will play Washington tonight and then they will face Washington State on Saturday.
5) Michigan State 14-1 (last week: No. 5)
The Spartans beat Purdue by only three points on Tuesday, but the score shouldn’t be that close when they face Iowa this Saturday. This upcoming Tuesday, MSU will play Ohio St., which could be an outstanding game.
6) Washington State 13-0 (last week: No. 6)
The Cougars edged out a 56-52 win over Washington last Saturday. They will play at USC tonight and then UCLA on Saturday.
7) Duke 12-1 (last week: No. 7)
Duke has been taking it easy since its loss to Pitt. On Sunday, the Blue Devils will face Virginia then it will face Florida St. on Wednesday.
8) Georgetown 12-1 (last week: No. 8)
The Hoyas have enjoyed an easy schedule so far, but that has changed as conference play is in full force. On Saturday, GTOWN will play UCONN and then it will play at Pittsburgh on Monday.
9) Texas A&M 14-1 (last week: No. 10)
The Aggies continued their strong play last weekend with a 79-53 win over LSU. Texas A&M will face Colorado this weekend and then Texas Tech on Wednesday.
10) Tennessee 13-1 (last week: No. 11)
UT handed Ole Miss its first loss with a 85-83 win last night. In the two games prior to that, UT had won against Xavier and Gonzaga. UT will play South Carolina this Saturday, but everyone is looking ahead to the game against unbeaten Vanderbilt on Thursday.
11) Indiana 13-1 (last week: No. 12)
The Hooisers have not had that challenging of a schedule so far. However, they still have a talented team should easily win out until its non-conference game against UCONN on Jan. 26.
12) Vanderbilt 16-0 (last week: No. 15)
The Commodores earned their first conference win against South Carolina last night. Next up is Kentucky on Saturday. If they win that, it would set up a big showdown against Tennessee on Thursday.
13) Mississippi 13-1 (last week: No. 13)
The Rebels lost a 83-85 heartbreaker to Tennessee last night. It is obvious that this team will compete for an SEC title. Ole Miss plays LSU on Saturday and Florida on Wednesday.
14) Dayton 13-1 (last week: No. 18)
The Flyers beat a good Rhode Island team 92-83 last night. Dayton fans are always worried when this team plays on the road, like when they visit St. Louis on Saturday. After that, its UMASS at home this upcoming Wednesday. Then they will play rival Xavier on Jan. 24.
15) Texas 13-2 (last week: No. 16)
The Longhorns move up a spot after defeating St. Mary’s 81-62. Texas has wins over powerhouses Tennessee and UCLA. Texas will visit Missouri this Saturday.
16) Marquette 12-2 (last week: No. 9)
The Golden Eagles will be unfairly punished for playing in the BIG-EAST. The loss to WVU hurts a lot since Marquette played a relatively easy non-conference schedule. Marquette will climb a spot or two with a win over a good Notre Dame team this Saturday. Then it will visit Louisville on Thursday.
17) Wisconsin 12-2 (last week: No. 20)
The Badgers got a big boost with their win over Texas. They opened the BIG-10 schedule with easy wins over Michigan and Iowa. Wisconsin will be tested tonight against Illinois. Then the Badgers visit Penn St. on Tuesday.
18) Xavier 13-3 (last week: No. 21)
The Musketeers have been impressive in their last four wins over Kansas St., Virginia, Auburn and St. Bonaventure. XU will likely keep the win streak going through its next three games against Fordham, Temple and George Washington. Fans are looking ahead to that home game against rival Dayton on Jan. 24.
19) Butler 14-1 (last week: not ranked)
The Bulldogs have only one loss and it’s to Wright St., a team that seams to have Butler’s number. This team should easily make the tournament and finish with a very impressive record.
20) Pittsburgh 13-2 (last week: No. 19)
Pitt lost a 63-64 heartbreaker to Villanova on the road this past Sunday. The Panthers beat South Florida on Wednesday and will play Seton Hall this Saturday. A win there and an upset over Georgetown on Monday will move Pitt back into the top 15.
21) Arizona State 13-2 (last week: not ranked)
Currently, the Sun Devils are in first place of the PAC-10. ASU didn’t play well early in the season, as it lost to Illinois and Nebraska. Since then, they have won nine straight including wins over Xavier, Oregon and Arizona. Next up is at California on Thursday (Jan. 17).
22) Rhode Island 14-2 (last week: No. 22)
I’m sure the Rams will drop out of the AP this week, but it is unfair to penalize them for losing to Dayton on the road. URI is a great scrappy team that will make the NCAA tourney. The Rams play an underrated Duquesne team on Sunday.
23) Oklahoma 12-3 (last week: No. 25)
The Sooners have quality wins over Arkansas, Gonzaga and West Virginia. Oklahoma won two easy games this past week and will play Kansas St. on Saturday. Then the Sooners will play at Kansas on Monday.
24) Notre Dame 12-2 (last week: not ranked)
The Irish have won 10 straight including wins over Kansas St., WVU and UCONN. They will play Marquette on Saturday and then Cincinnati on Tuesday.
25) Drake 13-1 (last week: not ranked)
Drake is 13-1 (4-0 in conference) and defeated Southern Illinois, the MVC preseason favorite, by 10 points. It will be hard for the Bulldogs to keep this up in a well-balanced conference.

Dropped Out:
No. 14 Clemson, No. 17 Arizona, No. 23 Baylor, No. 24 Massachusetts

This entry was posted Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm and is filed under CBR's Top 25 rankings. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.