Team of the Week: Notre Dame (14-8)
Few thought Mike Brey’s team would contend in the Big East after losing leading scorer Tim Abromaitis for the season (torn ACL). Instead Brey has done an amazing job instilling a solid defense and creating an efficient offense. The Irish are now tied for third in the league after a huge upset over previously unbeaten Syracuse and a big road win at Connecticut. Brey deserves a ton of credit for putting his team in a position to win night in and night out.
Other Teams that Impressed:
Iowa State (15-6): While they lost to Texas last week, their huge upset over Kansas puts the Cyclones in the mix to earn an at-large bid to the Big Dance.
Wisconsin (17-5): The Badgers are gaining steam in the Big Ten race winning their last five games. Wins over Illinois and Indiana earn them some love this week.
UNLV (20-3): After San Diego State fell to Colorado State, the Runnin’ Rebels moved into a first place tie in the Mountain West Standings. Even though they had to gut out wins against Boise State and Air Force, the still took care of business.
Player of the Week: Doug McDermott, Creighton
The Sophomore continues to make a name for himself in the Naismith race. In wins over Drake and Bradley, McDermott totaled 54 points and 15 rebounds. The big fella has scored in double figures in 30 straight games.
Honorable Mention:
Le’Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State: The true freshman has had his struggles this season. But he came up huge with 27 points in an upset over Missouri.
Mason Plumlee, Duke: Arguably Duke’s best low post threat the’ve had since Sheldon Williams. Plumlee had 38 points and 29 boards combined in wins over Maryland and St. John’s.
Dreymond Green, Michigan State: The Spartan’s Mr. Everything willed his team to a victory over Minnesota with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev. Week |
| 1 | Kentucky | 21-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 19-3 | 2 |
| 3 | Syracuse | 22-1 | 5 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 18-3 | 3 |
| 5 | Baylor | 19-2 | 7 |
| 6 | Kansas | 17-4 | 4 |
| 7 | Duke | 18-3 | 8 |
| 8 | Murray State | 21-0 | 10 |
| 9 | Missouri | 19-2 | 6 |
| 10 | Florida | 17-4 | 11 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 17-4 | 12 |
| 12 | UNLV | 20-3 | 14 |
| 13 | Crieghton | 20-2 | 15 |
| 14 | Georgetown | 16-4 | 9 |
| 15 | Marquette | 18-4 | 18 |
| 16 | San Diego State | 18-3 | 13 |
| 17 | Virginia | 17-3 | 20 |
| 18 | St. Mary’s | 21-2 | 22 |
| 19 | Harvard | 18-2 | 23 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 17-5 | NR |
| 21 | Louisville | 17-5 | NR |
| 22 | Florida State | 14-6 | NR |
| 23 | Mississippi State | 17-5 | 21 |
| 24 | Indiana | 17-5 | 16 |
| 25 | UConn | 14-6 | 17 |
Next Up: Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State, Gonzaga, Seton Hall, Illinois, Alabama, Xavier, New Mexico,
Dropped Out: 19 Michigan, 24 Kansas State, 25 West Virginia
What to Watch For this Week:
Monday
Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
9 Missouri vs. Texas- 9:00 PM EST on ESPN
Tuesday
Tennessee vs. 1 Kentucky- 7:00 PM EST on ESPNU
10 Michigan State vs. Illinois- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
Seton Hall vs. 15 Marquette- 8:00 PM EST on ESPN3/SNY
Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas- 9:00 PM EST on ESPN
Wednesday
24 Indiana vs. Michigan- 6:30 PM EST on Big Ten Network
25 UConn vs. 13 Georgetown- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN2
Oklahoma vs. 6 Kansas- 9:00 PM EST on ESPNU
Boise State vs. 16 San Diego State- 10:00 PM EST on CBS Sports Network
Thursday
7 Duke vs. Virginia Tech- 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
Gonzaga vs. BYU- 11:00 PM EST on ESPN2
Saturday
3 Syracuse vs. St. Johns- 12:00 PM EST on ESPN
Seton Hall vs. 25 Connecticut- 12:00 PM EST on SNY/ESPN3
Vanderbilt vs. 10 Florida- 1:00 PM EST on CBS
15 Marquette vs. Notre Dame- 1:00 PM EST on CBS
2 Ohio State vs. 20 Wisconsin- 2:00 PM EST on ESPN
6 Kansas vs. 9 Missouri- 9:00 PM EST on ESPN
Sunday
Michigan vs. 11 Michigan State- 1:00 PM EST on CBS
This is the best college hoops breakdown ive found in a long time. thanks dude. freaking awesome. Are you on twitter?