MY TOP 25

The college basketball season is well underway and it’s time to keep track of my top 25 teams.  This week’s poll:

1. DUKE.  Taking last week off, the Blue Devils should be well rested to defend their newly found #1 spot.
2. SYRACUSE. Syracuse had a slow start against Canisius, but pulled away in the second half. Win 900 coming on Monday.
3. MICHIGAN.  From start to finish Michigan had the upper hand over WVU. This week they'll go for win 12 against EMU.
4. INDIANA. The Hoosiers lost their first game of the season to in-state rival Butler in a thrilling overtime game.
5. ARIZONA. The Wildcats played their first ranked opponent and sent Florida home with a heartbreaking loss.
6. OHIO STATE.  The Buckeyes have won four in a row since their loss at Duke. This Saturday they play against Kansas.
7. FLORIDA. The Gators played very well on a tough road trip to Tucson, but they could not hang on in the end.
8. LOUISVILLE. After Louisville's loss to Duke, they had a close call against Illinois State. Now they are back on track.
9. KANSAS. KU avoided an upset against an always fiesty Belmont squad. Richmond has a history of beating big guys too.
10. NOTRE DAME. Notre Dame is playing very well right now and that won't end any time soon with their upcoming schedule.
11. MISSOURI. Missouri had last week off to prepare for this week's games against SCSU and Illinois…and maybe study a tad.
12. CINCINNATI. The Bearcats are now 11-0 after beating Marshall on Saturday. This week they host Xavier, which is always interesting.
13. CREIGHTON. Creighton picked up what may be their best win of the season when they went to Cal and won 74-64.
14. MINNESOTA. The Golden Gophers have just one game in 20 days, which is coming up this weekend against Lafayette.
15. ILLINOIS. Illinois survived the battle of the unbeatens against EKU. This weekend they head to Mizzou for a bigger game.
16. MICHIGAN STATE. It took a little while for the Spartans to get used to Jenison Field House, but they won. Next it is off to BGSU.
17. GONZAGA. Gonzaga rebounded nicely from their home loss to Illinois by beating up on Kansas State 68-52.
18. NORTH CAROLINA. The Tar Heels had to hang on to beat East Carolina on Saturday. This week begins with a trip to Texas.
19. SAN DIEGO STATE. San Diego State had no trouble with crosstown rival San Diego on Saturday night. The big game this week is at USF.
20. GEORGETOWN. Georgetown is scoring points again, tallying 89 against Longwood and 81 against Western Carolina last week.
21. KENTUCKY. Kentucky added another win to their tally. They'll need a few of those wins to be quality wins sooner or later.
22. NEW MEXICO. Though NMSU is not sporting a great team, this rivalry is tough. UNM came away with a win to remain undefeated.
23. UNLV. UNLV was not tested last week, but now they play UTEP, Northern Iowa and Canisius in a six day stretch.
24. NC STATE. The Wolfpack took care of business against Norfolk State last week. Next up is Stanford and St. Bonaventure.
25. OKLAHOMA STATE. Oklahoma State topped the 90 point mark for the first time this season when the played against Central Arkansas.

The AP poll comes out later Monday.