In the past couple of weeks, two teams have really proved that they are the frontrunners for winning the national championship. #1 Kentucky is 8-0 and has victories over Top 10 teams Kansas and North Carolina. The Wildcats are one of the youngest teams not just in the nation, but in the Top 25. Out of their 13-man roster, only four players are seniors or juniors. #2 Ohio State is also 8-0 and has wins against Florida and Duke. They are lead by one of the best players in the country, Jared Sullinger. #3 Syracuse is 8-0 but their only real test has been against Florida. They don’t play another team ranked in the Top 25 until January, so we won’t know how good this team really is for awhile.
Now, onto my Indiana teams power rankings.
Indiana Hoosiers (8-0)
Best wins: Evansville, Butler, at NC State
Worst losses: None
The Hoosiers are 8-0 for the first time in a long time. They have six players that are averaging more than 9 points a game. The best of these is freshman Cody Zeller. Zeller is about the only thing that’s different from last year’s roster, but it’s obvious what can kind of a difference he’s making. The Hoosiers aren’t going to win the Big 10 this year, but they won’t be bottom-dwellers anymore. Indiana hosts the #1 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday in a game that could put the Hoosiers program back on the national scene.
Purdue Boilermakers (8-2)
Best wins: Iona, Temple, Miami (Fl.)
Worst losses: #15 Alabama, #8 Xavier
No Boilermakers fan wants to believe this, but Purdue has really struggled this year and are not the team they were expected to be. They beat powerhouse programs (sarcasm) High Point and Iona by only one point. If that news wasn’t bad enough, Robbie Hummel went down in the game against Xavier with leg cramps. Hummel is one of the best players in the country, but nearly every season has been cut short because of injuries. Purdue is a one-man team that relies on Hummel. If he endures another season-ending injury this team is doomed. They are only going as far as Hummel carries them.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-4)
Best wins: Sam Houston State, Detroit, Bryant
Worst losses: #10 Missouri, Georgia, Maryland
I don’t where to begin with the team. The Irish got off to a 4-0 start by playing cupcake teams like Sam Houston State and Bryan. In their first real game of the season, they get demolished by Missouri and lost by 29 points. Then their best player, Tim Abromitis, went down with a season-ending injury in the game against Georgia. Since then, the Irish have looked awful. They lost to #22 Gonzaga by 30 points and lost to Maryland by 7 points. There are still some winnable games before conference play starts, but I don’t see the Irish even making it to the NCAA Tournament this year.
Valparaiso Crusaders (6-2)
Best wins: Akron, Duquesne, Butler
Worst losses: Arizona, #2 Ohio State, IPFW
The Crusaders are lead by juniors Kevin Van Wijk, Ryan Broekhoff, Matt Kenney, and sophomore Jay Harris. Those four have combined for 65% of the team’s points and 60% of rebounds. Their goal of winning the conference championship took a big step forward when Valpo beat Butler last week in overtime. They still have four very winnable games before conference play starts.
Indiana State Sycamores (6-2)
Best wins: Eastern Illinois, Ball State, Texas Tech
Worst losses: Minnesota, Boise State
Unlike some of the other teams in Indiana and America, the Sycamores are lead by experienced, senior players. Their three highest scorers, all seniors, are Jordan Printy, Dwayne Lathan, and Carl Richard. The Sycamores don’t rank in the top 100 of any significant statistical category, but they don’t have to when they play a weak schedule. The Sycamores only real test before conference play is a home bout against mediocre Vanderbilt.
Butler Bulldogs (4-5)
Best wins: Chattanooga, Savannah State, Gardner-Webb
Worst losses: Indiana, Valpo, Evansville
It is obvious that this is not the same Bulldogs team we have become accustomed to over the last two years. These Bulldogs are struggling on both sides of the ball, especially offense. They rank 212th nationally in points scored per game. Coach Brad Stevens has a heck of a challenge getting his team to perform better by the time conference play starts. If anybody can do that though, it’s Stevens.
IPFW Mastodons (4-3)
Best wins: Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota Coyotes, Valparaiso
Worst losses: #8 Xavier, Iowa, UMKC,
Even though this team beat Valpo, I’m not ready to put them ahead of the Crusaders (That sounds crazy, I know, but let’s see how the season plays out). The Mastodons are playing good basketball though. They rank 47th in points per game nationally, and 2nd in their conference. Their leading scorers are junior Frank Gaines and senior Trey McCorkle. McCorkle is also averaging 7.3 rebounds a game and has a free throw percentage of 81.
Ball State Cardinals (5-2)
Best wins: IUPUI, Texas Southern, Tennessee-Martin
Worst losses: Arizona, Indiana State
I have heard a couple announcers on ESPN say the Cardinals are a good team and they have a decent chance of beating Butler on Saturday. I don’t what games these announcers are watching but the Cardinals have done nothing to impress me. Those three best wins I listed came against teams that have a combined record of 4-16. Ball State’s only opponent of note the rest of the season is Butler. Nobody in their conference is currently ranked.
Evansville Purple Aces (3-4)
Best wins: Butler, Oakland City, Alabama State
Worst losses: Indiana, Illinois-Chicago, Texas-Christian
I have a friend that attends Evansville, and it seems like the school treated the Butler game like the Super Bowl. So if you throw out that game, the Purple Aces have beaten nobody of significance. Luckily for them, they have no tough opponents until conference play starts on Dec. 29th.
IUPUI Jaguars (2-8
Best wins: Anderson (IN), Texas Southern
Worst losses: Arkansas-Little Rock, Eastern Michigan, Ball State
I said before the season that the Jaguars have really struggled the past few seasons. It appears this year will be no different.
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