#BIAHRoadTrip The Diary Part XII: I get lost in an arena, hot breakfast buffets and why we missed shootaround

5:15 pm Day 16
Somewhere on the highway
Oklahoma?
Total Miles: 2554

Road Trip Part-I
Road Trip Part-II
Road Trip Part-III
Road Trip Part-IV
Road Trip Part-V
Road Trip Part-VI
Road Trip Part-VII
Road Trip Part-VIII
Road Trip Part-IX
Road Trip Part-X
Road Trip Part-XI

This post is brought to you by the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, MO.

On Wednesday morning, we were scheduled to go to the Creighton shootaround.
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Why did Kyle Weems, a native Kansan, turn down a chance to play for Kansas?

This post is brought to you by the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, MO.

You can find the rest of the features from the #BIAHRoadTrip here

SPRINGFIELD, MO - No one would have blamed Kyle Weems if he had decided to leave Missouri State after last season.

Weems redshirted as a freshman, meaning that he finished his undergraduate degree this summer with a year of eligibility left in his back pocket. The new trend for high-major programs looking for a one-year stop gap is to recruit players like Weems. Thanks to an NCAA rule that allows a player to apply for a waiver to avoid sitting out a season if he transfers to a school to pursue a graduate degree that isn't offered at his previous school, Illinois found their point guard in Bradley's Sam Maniscalco and Michigan State found a shooting guard in Valparaiso's Brandon Wood.

The recruiters came after Weems as well.
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Pics/Vids: Game 9: Missouri State vs. Creighton

Wednesday, January 18th
JQH Arena, Missouri State University
Creighton 66, Missouri State 65

Game 8 - Missouri vs. Texas A&M
Game 7 - Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
Game 6 - Marquette vs. Pittsburgh
Game 5 - Butler vs. Cleveland State
Game 4 - Indiana vs. Minnesota
Game 3 - Xavier vs. Duquesne
Game 2 - Kentucky vs. South Carolina
Game 1 - Belmont vs. Lipscomb

This post is brought to you by the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, MO.

(A Missouri State player takes in the scene prior to their Wednesday night game against Creighton. The Bears handed the Bluejays their first and only conference loss a month ago in Omaha.)

(Ahh, the indoor blimp, such a lost art. We have only seen two blimps thus far, and both of them have been at mid-major schools.)

(Missouri State players get a good stretch in before the game.)

(Missouri State players go through pregame layup lines.)

(The Bear's student section was rockin' out the entire game. Wait, is that Jeff Borzello on the bottom left? Dude, why didn't you tell us you were going to be in Springfield?!?)

(Even "the green man" made an appearance at the game.)

(The Missouri State mascot visits with the student section.)

(Creighton's Gregory Echenique was rocking some bright pink Nikes for the game.)

(This family got the best seat in the house.)

(Grant Gibbs takes a jump shot during warm-ups. Gibbs had a big game, especially in the second half. He was 4-6 from the field and chipped in with three rebounds and two assists.)

(Jahenns Manigat gets a good stretch in before the game.)

(Oh crap, I've been spotted.)

(The Bears huddle up for the final time before introductions.)

(The scene at the JQH Arena right before tip-off.)

(The Bluejays huddle up for the final time before tip-off.)

(A mixture of crowd shots from throughout the game. The environment at the JQH Arena was terrific. Every Missouri Valley Conference game is important, and the fans provide a high level of intensity.)

(Rutgers-transfer Gregory Echenique sets a pick for Doug McDermott in the first half. Echenique led all scorers with 16 points.)

(Missouri State attempts a first half foul shot.)

(Grant Gibbs watches the play develop after passing the ball to Echenique on the low block.)

(Coach McDermott gets ready for a media-timeout.)

(Missouri State has two mascots. In fact, all the mid-major schools we've visited (Missouri State, Xavier and Belmont) had two mascots. I don't get it.)

(Jamar Gulley had to be helped off the floor after injuring his right ankle. He would eventually return, but was not the same.)

(The Missouri State "danceleaders". I think they were called "The Sugar Bears".)

(As if Echenique didn't already standout enough, his pink shoes certainly helped.)

(Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk directs his team from the sidelines.)

(Anthony Downing battles Gregory Echenique for a rebound. Downing is 5-foot-11 and weights 180-lbs. Echenique stands 6-foot-7 and weights 270-lbs. Just s slight mismatch.)

(After a double-foul was called in the second half, Coach Lusk had some questions for the referee. They went unanswered.)

(Grant Gibbs had some questions for the referee as well.)

(Echenique takes a foul shot. The big man finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.)

(Creighton had possession and a one point lead before turning the ball over. The Bears had 21.8 seconds to get a shot. Kyle Weems had a good look but it was off the mark. Doug McDermott grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 6.2 second left. He missed the front-end of a 1-and-1, and the Bears had one more chance to win the game.

(The Missouri State student section was on their feet for a majority of the second half.)

(Guard Anthony Downing waits on the perimeter to receive the ball. He finished with 14 points.)

(Missouri State sets up to defend a Creighton in-bounds play.)

(The entire arena was on their feet for the final few possessions.)

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Missouri State upsets No. 19 Creighton in the Valley opener

You want an idea of why the Missouri Valley is always going to be one of the most entertaining conferences to follow?

Just take a look at what happened last night.

Missouri State, a team that lost literally everyone from the program outside of Kyle Weems last season -- six of their seven rotational player were seniors, head coach Cuonzo Martin took over at Tennessee -- and had fairly low expectations coming into the year, went into Omaha, NE, and knocked off league favorite Creighton 77-65. Throw in the fact that Drake beat Indiana State, who was expected to finish in the top four of that conference race, by 15 points and the Valley doors have swung wide open.
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Indiana State downs Missouri State at the buzzer

For the second consecutive game, Indiana won at the buzzer at home to knock off a fellow Valley contender.

Down 69-67 with just 4.9 seconds left on the clock, Jake Kelly took the inbounds pass and drove through the Missouri State defense, scoring and drawing a foul:



The officials went back and looked at the clock, determining that 0.6 seconds should be put back on. Kelly stepped to the line and knocked down the game-winning free throw as the Bears ensuing inbounds pass was stolen away.

With the win, Indiana State moves into a tie with Missouri State atop the Valley standing at 7-1. Wichita State, who lose at home to Northern Iowa tonight, is alone in second at 6-2 while UNI and Creighton are both 5-3.

If you remember, the Sycamores won on Saturday when Carl Richard tipped in a miss as time expired to beat Creighton.

There is still some concern about Indiana State. Four of their seven wins have come against the bottom three teams in the conference, they lost on the road to Evansville, and their other three wins -- UNI, Creighton, and Missouri State -- were all at home. Keep in mind, this team has also lost to Loyola IL, Eastern Kentucky, Ball State, and Wyoming. Its not exactly the kind of non-conference resume you expect out of a MVC contender.

The bad news is that Indiana State is just two games into a brutal seven game stretch in which they have to face Creighton, Missouri State, and Wichita State twice, with all three road trips still to come.

The good news?

They are 2-0 in those two games and in first place.

You can't really ask for much more than that.
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1/10 - College Hoops Week in Review: Aaaand we're going to overtiiiiime

Game of the Week: UConn 82, Texas 81 OT

With all due respect to Georgetown and Missouri, I think we have a new favorite for Game of the Year. This one was wild. Kemba Walker didn't score until there was 2:32 left in the first half. He had just five points at the break, but despite that the Huskies were only down 37-32 at intermission. Walker was still cold in the second half, but Texas couldn't put the Huskies away. Down 48-41 with with 15 minutes left, UConn went on a 27-11 run sparked by Shabazz Napier and Roscoe Smith. Once again, UConn did it without much help from Walker, who had five points during that stretch.


Texas had an answer, however. Tristan Thompson sparked a 12-2 run with six points, and with 1:33 left in the game, a short jumper by J'Covan Brown gave Texas the lead. (The Longhorns would have been ahead earlier if it wasn't for this blunder by Jordan Hamilton, which wasn't even the dumbest play of the game.) At the other end, Walker came through in the clutch -- something that would become a familiar theme here -- with a gorgeous, and-one, reverse layup to put UConn up 73-71. After two J'Covan Brown free throws and a missed Walker jumper, Texas had a chance to win it it in regulation. Johnson had his shot blocked with 14 seconds left. Smith gathered the ball and threw it 85 feet at the basket with 10 seconds left in the game.

Texas had another shot to win it, but Brown missed a short jumper in the lane. In overtime, UConn took the lead on three separate occasions, the third of which was a 40 foot prayer by Kemba Walker to beat the shot clock. Texas had an answer every time, and after Walker's 40 footer, Cory Joseph and Hamilton both knocked down midrange jumpers to give Texas the lead with under a minute left. After both teams had empty possessions, UConn ended up with the ball with time winding down, setting up these heroics from Walker:



Triple Overtimes: We had three of them this weekend. Believe it or not, both St. Bonaventure and Ohio -- who played a four overtime game earlier in the season -- were involved in one.

• UAB 100, UTEP 97: Randy Culpepper scored 30 of his 34 points in regulation, but it was a Christian Polk three as time expired that forced the first overtime. In the first extra frame, it was Culpepper's turn for some heroics, and he drained a three -- his second attempt in the last five seconds -- from the corner to force a second overtime. Claude Britton, who scored all of his 14 points after regulation, scored to give UTEP a 97-94 lead with over a minute left, but a three from Preston Purifoy followed by a three from deep in the corner by Cameron Moore (who had 29 points and 14 boards, 26 coming after halftime) with five seconds left gave the Blazers the win. Culpepper missed a 35 foot prayer that would have forced a fourth OT. Of note -- Aaron Johnson had 26 points, 14 assists, and 7 boards in the win.
  


• St. Bonaventure 92, Charlotte 88: Andrew Nicholson had 34 points for the Bonnies, who took a 40-28 lead at the half. Charlotte would storm back to take a 68-66 lead, but Da'Quan Cook hit two free throws with 12 seconds left to force overtime. In the first and second overtimes, both teams had a multiple chances to win the game late, missing each time. Then in the third OT, the Bonnies finally built a lead, hitting nine of their 10 free throws to knock off Canisius.


• Miami OH 92, Ohio 88: One of the most underrated rivalries in the country had a wild second half. After the game was tied at the break, Miami went on a run to take a 47-39 lead. Ohio answered with a 19-7 run, and Miami answered that by scoring nine of the next 11 points. The end of regulation was anti-climatic, but after DJ Cooper had given Ohio a three point lead to start overtime, he had to hit a three with 39 seconds left to tie the game and force a second OT. The Redhawks eventually pulled away in the third overtime, as 26 points and 12 boards from Ivo Baltic was more than Cooper's 27 points and 11 assists could overcome.
  

Player of the Week: Jimmer Fredette, BYU

BYU went 2-0 this week, beating UNLV and a better-than-expected Air Force team to start MWC play. Against UNLV, Fredette had one of the most dominant individual performances of the season. BYU was down 25-15 with under six minutes to go in the first half when Fredette finally caught fire, sparking a 37-13 run over a 12 minutes span. When the run started, Fredette was just 1-7 from the floor and 0-3 from three with three points. By the time the night was over, Fredette had 39 points on 12-25 shooting and 7-13 from three and BYU had won 89-77 in a game that wasn't that close. You want a sense of how hot Fredette was? Check out where he hit this three from:



That kid of game had to feel very good for Fredette considering some of the comments made by Tre'Von Willis during the week. It is because of performances like the one he had against UNLV that when Fredette had 22 points against Air Force it seems pedestrian. Think about that for a second. You can legitimately say that Air Force played well because they "held" Fredette to 22 points.

The All-they-were-good-too team

• G: Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame: Hansbrough was fantastic in a 2-0 week for the Irish. He had 21 points and played 40 minutes chasing around Kemba Walker in a 73-70 win over the Huskies. He then went out and dropped 26 as Notre Dame beat St. John's.
• G: Charles Jenkins, Hofstra: If you haven't seen this kid play yet this year, its about time you started to tune into the CAA. The Pride went 3-0 this week, winning at Drexel and Northeastern and also knocking off George Mason, to move into first place in the conference at 4-0. Jenkins was fantastic, averaging 25.0 ppg and 6.3 apg while turning the ball over just five times.
• F: Alec Burks, Colorado: Burks averaged 28.0 ppg for the week, but it was his 36-point, eight-rebound performance in an upset of No. 8 Missouri that got him on this list.
• F: Sam Muldrow, South Carolina: If you are in a college basketball fantasy league, I suggest you pick up Muldrow. He averaged 15.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, and 8.0 bpg this week, including notching a triple double -- 16 points, 14 boards, 10 blocks -- as the Gamecocks upset Vanderbilt in overtime.
• C: Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stephenson, USC: The Trojans starting front court combined for 33 points and 20 boards in a win over UCLA.
• Bench: Justin Harper, Richmond; Casey Mitchell, West Virginia; Mike James, Lamar; Cameron Moore, UAB
  

Team of the Week: Missouri State Bears

After a 3-0 week in the Valley, Missouri State is now sitting all alone atop the MVC standings at 5-0. Making that record all the more impressive is that the Bears have already made their three toughest road trips of the season, going to Northern Iowa, Creighton, and Wichita State (the latter two both coming this past week and both now sitting at 4-1 in the league) and coming out with wins. The Bears likely won't be getting an at-large bid this season -- not with a non-conference schedule that features losses to Tennessee, Tulsa, and Oklahoma State and their best non-conference win coming against Oral Roberts -- but that doesn't mean this isn't a good basketball team. Anyone that can go into Northern Iowa, Creighton, and Wichita State in the span of 10 days and come out unscathed is a good basketball team. Kyle Weems (14.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Jermaine Mallet (10.3 ppg) led the way this week.


Teams that deserve a shoutout

• UConn: Ranking teams is difficult to do, especially in the case of a team like UConn. After beating Texas on the road, UConn now has just two losses on the season -- both to top 15 clubs on the road -- and has beaten Kentucky, Texas, and Michigan State. But according to the all-encompassing eye test, this is not an elite team. Regardless of how you feel about UConn's program, the one thing that their win at Texas does is but them the benefit of the doubt. They beat a top-15 team on the road a month and a half after they one the Maui, and they did it with Kemba Walker struggling most of the night. I still have my doubts, but until they prove otherwise, they deserve all the credit they get.


• Austin Peay: Do we have a new favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference? The Governors went to Murray State on Saturday and knocked off the Racers, snapping a 25 game home winning streak. They are now 5-0 in conference play and hold a two game lead over both Morehead State and Murray State with a win against both. Did Fly Williams make a comeback?


• Colorado: The Buffaloes were supposed to be a sleeper in the Big XII this season. When you have two talents like Alec Burks and Cory Higgins on your roster, that's pretty much what is expected of you. But with losses to San Francisco and Harvard in non-conference play, it looked like this Colorado team would be reverting back to their old ways. That was until they knocked off Missouri on Saturday afternoon. Burks and Higgins combined for 54 points and 18 boards in the win. They are not going to be able to keep that up all season long, but the win is the confidence booster that this team needed. They will be an interesting team to keep an eye on.

• Georgia: Like the Buffaloes, the Bulldogs were predicted by many to be a sleeper in the SEC. After starting the season off slowly -- they only have two losses (both with Trey Thompkins slowed with an ankle injury) but their wins have been far from impressive against less than impressive competition -- Georgia made a statement on Saturday by knocking off the visiting Kentucky Wildcats, who are ranked in the top 15. Trey Thompkins had 25 points in the win and finally looks like he is healthy. Expect quite a bit of noise to be made by the Bulldogs in SEC play.


• USC: Its pretty obvious that Washington and Arizona are the two best teams in the Pac-10. After that, things get a little bit sticky. Washington State, UCLA, Cal, Arizona State, and USC are all in the mix, but two weeks into the season, it looks as if USC is the frontrunner for that gig. They are 2-1 in conference play after beating UCLA at home on Sunday night and look like a different team with Jio Fontan running the point. The problem? Those three games were at home. USC doesn't play a real conference road game until Jan. 27th, and ends the season at Washington State and Washington.


• Virginia Tech: I feel bad for Seth Greenberg, I really do. The year he finally puts together a brutish schedule for his team in non-conference play, he loses half of his team to injury and loses every big game he plays. Count me as one of the people pulling for this team to do well in ACC play. A win over Florida State on Saturday is a good place to start.

Matchups of the Week

• 1/10 - 7:00 pm: Notre Dame @ Marquette
• 1/11 - 7:00 pm: Wisconsin @ Michigan State
• 1/11 - 9:00 pm: Florida @ Tennessee
• 1/12 - 7:00 pm: Pitt @ Georgetown
• 1/12 - 7:00 pm: Louisville @ Villanova
• 1/12 - 7:00 pm: Syracuse @ St. John's
• 1/12 - 8:05 pm: Wichita State @ Creighton
• 1/12 - 10:00 pm: UNLV @ San Diego State
• 1/13 - 7:00 pm: Purdue @ Minnesota
• 1/13 - 7:00 pm: Old Dominion @ Drexel
• 1/14 - 11:00 am: Marquette @ Louisville
• 1/14 - 12:00 pm: Vanderbilt @ Tennessee
  
• 1/14 - 1:00 pm: Maryland @ Villanova
• 1/14 - 3:00 pm: Illinois @ Wisconsin
  
• 1/14 - 6:00 pm: San Diego State @ New Mexico
• 1/14 - 8:00 pm: Dayton @ Xavier
• 1/15 - 12:00 pm: Notre Dame @ St. John's
• 1/15 - 1:30 pm: Purdue @ West Virginia
  

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Early Season Surprises

USC Trojans: After starting the season 2-4, the Trojans have reeled off six straight wins, four of them with transfer Mike Gerrity running the show. Three of the four wins Gerrity has been a part of: 77-55 over Tennessee, 60-49 over St. Mary's, and a 67-56 win over UNLV on Christmas Day. USC has done it with defense, allowing just 50 ppg and 34% shooting from the field over the six win. No team out west in playing as well as the Trojans right now. Could this team win the Pac-10?


Wichita State Shockers and Missouri State Bears: In the preseason, just about everyone pegged Northern Iowa as the favorite in the MVC. In fact, neither the Shockers or the Bears were voted into the top four of the MVC preseason poll, but both could very well give the Panthers a run in a competitive Valley this season. Wichita State is 11-1 on the year, with their lone loss coming to Pitt, while Missouri State is 10-1 coming off of a loss at Arkansas. While neither team has much of a resume at this point, Missouri State has beaten Tulsa while Wichita State notched a win over Texas Tech a week and a half ago.


Syracuse: The rise of the Orange has been well documented this season. They began the year with blow out wins over UNC and Cal in NYC during the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, notched wins over Cornell and Florida, and now head into Big East play at 12-0 on the season. All this after the Orange lost to Le Moyne, a DII team, in their last preseason game and coming off of an off-season where Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, and Paul Harris all jumped ship and went pro. I doubt that even the most die-hard, disillusioned Syracuse fan could have hoped for this good of a start to the season.


William & Mary: The Tribe lost their first two games of the season, but they have bounced back nicely, winning eight in a row. They haven't just beaten cupcakes either; that eight game winning streak includes victories over Richmond and VCU, at Wake Forest, and best of all, they beat my alma mater Vassar College. The two losses to start the season aren't too shabby either - they lost road dates with UConn (by nine) and Harvard (in triple overtime on a half court prayer). The CAA looks to be pretty good this season, and William & Mary may very well be the best team in the league.


New Mexico: The Lobos are now 12-1 are losing on the road to a tough Oral Roberts team, but that shouldn't diminish how good New Mexico's start to the season has been. The Lobos won their first 12 games, which included wins over Texas A&M, Cal, and Creighton, while climbing to 12th in the polls. The combination of Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez up front is one of the best out west.


UAB: The Blazers have bounced back nicely from an early season loss to Kent State. They've won 10 straight games, which includes impressive victories over Cincinnati and Butler. UAB's best player early in the season has been Elijan Millsaps, a 6'6" guard nearly averaging a double double (15.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg). C-USA is wide open this season, with UTEP, Tulsa, and Houston all being mentioned as possible successors to Memphis. But thus far in the season, the Blazers may be the favorite to win the league.


Temple: The Owls returned to the top 25 for the first time since 2001 after beating both Villanova and Seton Hall, who were at the time undefeated. Temple has two losses on the season- a one point setback in DC to Georgetown and a seven point loss to St. John's. The Owls have done it with defense, holding their opponents to 37.3% shooting from the field and 23.9% shooting from deep.


St. John's: St. John's basketball has fallen far from their glory days, but Norm Roberts has led the Johnnies to a bit of a resurgence this season. The Red Storm is sitting at 10-2 on the season, with their only losses coming to Duke and Cornell while having beaten Temple, Siena, and Georgia already this season. DJ Kennedy (16.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) is playing as well as anyone in the conference, and Dwight Hardy has caught fire in the last couple of week, averaging 17.3 ppg in the last three games. The most impressive part: St. John's is still waiting for Justin Burrell and Anthony Mason, Jr., to get healthy.


Kevin Jones, West Virginia: West Virginia has started the season out 10-0, and the biggest reason may be Jones. The athletic, 6'8" forward has averaged 15.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 10-29 from three. West Virginia bases their team around stingy defense and aggression on the offensive glass, and Jones is perfect for that system.


Jacob Pullen, Kansas State: The Wildcats have shot up the rankings the last few weeks, and the biggest reason for that has been Pullen. In KSU's 11-1 start, Pullen is averaging 20.0 ppg and 3.5 apg while shooting 43.6% from deep. KSU has had some impressive wins this year, beating Dayton, Washington State, Xavier, UNLV, and Alabama. In those five games, Pullen averaged 24.2 ppg. He looks to be the early season favorite for Big XII player of the year.


Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame: Many people wrote Notre Dame off this season after Scott Martin tore his acl, but Abromaitis has more than filled that void. Abromaitis is averaging 15.8 ppg while shooting a ridiculous 50.7% from beyond the arc. His emergence alongside Luke Harangody as a second scoring option has been a big reason the Fighting Irish have a shot at reaching the dance this season.


Quincy Pondexter, Washington: Pondexter was a top 50 player coming out of high school, but was overshadowed by the likes of Jon Brockman and Isaiah Thomas during his first three seasons. But this year, it has been Pondexter's team. Pondexter has averaged 21.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg, and is one of the bright spots for a Washington team still not playing up to its potential.


Ekpe Udoh, Baylor: Udoh had two mediocre seasons playing in Ann Arbor before deciding to transfer to Baylor. After sitting out a season, Udoh has had a phenomenal start to the '09-'10 season, especially on the offensive end. His scoring (14.6 from 6.0), rebounding (9.8 from 5.0), and assist (2.8 from 0.9) numbers have all made marked improvements, while he is also averaging 3.9 bpg and shooting 60.2% from the floor.


Antonio Pena, Villanova: The biggest question mark for Villanova coming into the season was how they would fill the void Dante Cunningham left inside, which became a much bigger issue when Mouph Yarou was diagnosed with Hepatitis. But Pena has done his best to answer those questions, averaging 13.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg thus far in the season.

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Who will be the last remaining unbeaten team in the country?

There are currently 11 teams in the country that have yet to lose - four in the Big East, three in the Big XII, and one each in the Big Ten, SEC, MVC, and MWC.

Of those 11 teams, who will be the first to lose? The last? Can any of them run the table?

Read along to find out:

SETON HALL: 8-0

• RPI (all RPI numbers via RealTimeRPI): 52
  
• KenPom: 49
  
• Early season schedule: Seton Hall has played a very easy schedule thus far (ranked 255th) in the season. They do have a nice road win at Cornell, but that's about it. The Pirates have a talent laden roster and look good on paper, but until we see results, we will be skeptical of their record.
  
• Next five games: Temple, Navy, West Virginia, UConn, @ Virginia Tech
• First loss: I don't see them beating West Virginia on the 26th, but the Pirates better not over look a Temple team that lost to Georgetown by one and beat Villanova. In fact, SHU could easily have four losses by the end of this stretch.
  

GEORGETOWN: 8-0

• RPI: 11
  
• KenPom: 19
  
• Early season schedule: There three wins over Temple, Butler, and Washington are all quality wins, but after that Georgetown has played a whole lot of nothin'. Their schedule strength is 86th.
  
• Next five games: Old Dominion, Harvard, St. John's, @ DePaul, @ Marquette
  
• First loss: Games against St. John's, at Marquette, and against UConn will be tough, but if they get through unscathed, I don't see the Hoyas beating Villanova on the road.
  

WEST VIRGINIA: 7-0

• RPI: 3
  
• KenPom: 4
  
• Early season schedule: The Mountaineers have breezed through the 25th rated schedule so far this season, including wins over Texas A&M and Portland in the 76 Classic and a dismantling of Duquesne. They are still not playing at full strength as Devin Ebanks has yet to come to life.
  
• Next five games: @ Cleveland State, Ole Miss, @ Seton Hall, Marquette, @ Purdue
  
• First loss: The game against Cleveland State game could be a trap game on the road as the Mountaineers have a tough slate coming up. Ole Miss is good as well, but I see WVU losing their first game to Purdue on New Years Day.
  

SYRACUSE: 10-0

• RPI: 7
  
• KenPom: 5
  
• Early season schedule: Tough to believe the Orange have the 61st toughest schedule, as they can claim victories over UNC, Cal, Florida, and Cornell.
  
• Next five games: St. Bonaventure, Oakland, @ Seton Hall, Pitt, Memphis
  
• First loss: Seton Hall could be a tough game as the Pirates have the shooters to force Syracuse to extend their zone, but I think the Orange will be undefeated when they head to Morgantown on January 17th.
  

KANSAS: 9-0

• RPI: 15
  
• KenPom: 2
  
• Early season schedule: Kansas really hasn't beaten anyone this season (101st rated schedule). The Memphis win was solid, but the Tigers are not the same Tigers this season. The win at UCLA isn't what a win at UCLA usually is, either.
  
• Next five games: Michigan, Cal, Belmont, @ Temple, Cornell
  
• First loss: Winning at Tennessee on the 10th is going to be difficult, as will their date at Kansas State on January 30th. But wouldn't it be cool if both Kansas and Texas were undefeated come their matchup in Austin on February 8th?
  

TEXAS: 9-0

• RPI: 13
  
• KenPom: 1
  
• Early season schedule: The Longhorns have beaten Iowa, Pitt, and USC this season, but am I the only one that thinks their win over Western Carolina, who just beat Louisville, is their most impressive thus far? Their schedule ranks 91st.
  
• Next five games: vs. UNC, Michigan State, Gardner-Webb, Texas A&M-CC, @ Arkansas
  
• First loss: We will know a lot more about the Longhorns if they can make it past both the Heels and the Spartans. If they do, I don't think they can make it through a four game stretch when they play Texas A&M, @ Kansas State, @ UConn, and Texas Tech in an 11 day stretch.
  

TEXAS TECH: 9-0

• RPI: 30
  
• KenPom: 50
  
• Early season schedule: Beating Washingotn in OT lent some credibility to their undefeated record, but Tech is still largely unproved as their schedule (176th) has been far from impressive.
  
• Next five games: @ Wichita State, Stanford, @ New Mexico, McNeese State, UTEP
  
• First loss: I don't think the Red Raiders will be able to go into the Pit and beat an undefeated New Mexico team.
  

KENTUCKY: 10-0

• RPI: 24
  
• KenPom: 45
  
• Early season schedule: Kentucky has wins over UNC, UConn, and an improved Indiana squad, but they have still played a schedule ranked 148th. Combine that with some unimpressive performances against teams like Stanford and Miami OH, and their computer numbers have suffered a bit too.
  
• Next five games: Austin Peay, Drexel, Long Beach State, Hartford, Louisville
  
• First loss: Louisville isn't quite on Kentucky's level this year, but we've learned the hard way records don't matter in rivalry games. Going into the Swamp on the 12th will be a tall task as well, especially as they play a road game against good competition for the first time.
  

PURDUE: 9-0

• RPI: 6
  
• KenPom: 6
  
• Early season schedule: Purdue has played the 54th toughest schedule this season, and wins against Wake Forest, Tennessee, and at Alabama back that up.
  
• Next five games: Ball State, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, @ Iowa, West Virginia, Minnesota
  
• First loss: WVU and Minnesota will both be tough, especially playing without Lewis Jackson to handle the point against physical defense, but I think Purdue loses their first game when they have to head to the Kohl Center and play Wisconsin.
  

NEW MEXICO: 11-0

• RPI: 16
  
• KenPom: 20
  
• Early season schedule: New Mexico hasn't played a great schedule (104th), but wins over Cal and Texas A&M are quite impressive. But we know they are good at home, can they win on the road?
  
• Next five games: Creighton, @ Oral Roberts, Texas Tech, Dayton, @ San Diego State
  
• First loss: That's a pretty tough five game stretch. Remember, Oral Roberts beat Missouri at home. If UNM gets through this stretch (and that's a big if), I don't think they beat UNLV.
  

MISSOURI STATE: 9-0

• RPI: 21
  
• KenPom: 47
  
• Early season schedule: Missouri State has a win over an SEC team (Auburn) and an NCAA Tournament team (Tulsa) at home, but hasn't played much else beyond that (134th rated schedule).
  
• Next five games: @ St. Louis, @ Arkansas, @ Evansville, Illinois State, @ Northern Iowa
  
• First loss: If the Bears can make it through that three game road stretch, I don't see them getting past UNI on the road.
  

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