Another week is in the books and there were a large number of big risers this week as there were a bunch of upsets on Sunday (Dec. 9) and Saturday (Dec. 15) that shook up the rankings. Which teams benefitted the most? Which are wishing they could go home for the holidays? All the movement is chronicled below.
Top 5 Risers This Week:
- Southern +45 (249)
- Auburn +42 (164)
- LIU Brooklyn +42 (144)
- Southern California +42 (110)
- Florida International +40 (239)
Southern is one of two SWAC favorites and shot up the rankings thanks to a 68-39 win over Louisiana Monroe on Thursday. Auburn blasted a terrible Grambling squad on Tuesday then beat another poor Furman team on Saturday. It’s also worth noting that because I do this with Sunday morning’s numbers, LIU’s blowout win over Manhattan isn’t included in the data. If it was I’d bet the Blackbirds would’ve finished atop the rankings this week and Manhattan would’ve been in the Top 5 Fallers for the season.
Top 5 Fallers This Week:
- Savannah St. -41 (204)
- Southern Methodist -41 (188)
- Cleveland St. -40 (159)
- Rice -40 (300)
- Milwaukee -38 (304)
All of these teams lost games to teams they shouldn’t have, or by extremely large margins. Savannah St., which has an absolutely stifling defense and is the highest rated MEAC team according to Pomeroy, got blown out by Ohio St. (40) and Marquette (20). The non-conference schedule doesn’t get any easier. After an impressive 8-1 start against a bunch of below average teams, SMU lost at Rhode Island by 22. (Dan Hurley is doing work.) Larry Brown can right the ship against Utah and then in the Cable Car Classic on Friday against Hurley’s old school, Wagner. Rice and Milwaukee are just two bad basketball teams right now.
Top 5 Risers This Season:
- UIC +184 (105)
- Canisius +137 (139)
- Utah +120 (189)
- Eastern Kentucky +119 (173)
- Gardner Webb +94 (146)
I’ve talked about all of these teams in this space at some point this season. Illinois and EKU are playing out their battle of the undefeateds right now. How about talking about two teams not on this list. Both Bradley and Southern Illinois just missed the top movers and their improved play is one of the reasons that Creighton, despite its brilliance, is likely to lose a couple conference games and the Missouri Valley has all but one of its teams (Missouri St.) in the top 155 of Pomeroy’s rankings. The Braves and Salukis are two of the worst teams in the league according to Pomeroy, but they’ve beaten George Washington, Fresno St. and Green Bay. That might not sound like much, but they’re solid wins for the bottom half of a mid-major league.
Top 5 Fallers This Season:
- Missouri St. -134 (257)
- Penn St. -113 (180)
- Milwaukee -104 (304)
- Old Dominion -94 (226)
- Lamar -89 (315)
Marist is actually next on the list here. Maine was 12th and after getting absolutely destroyed by the Red Foxes today so they’re likely to fall even further down the rankings.
Conference Update:
A quick look at conference movement shows America East leading the way this season (but the conference had a rough Sunday…), as teams have improved an average of 24 spots. The Pac-12 has also managed to defy Pomeroy’s expectations by an average of 22 spots, mostly thanks to movement from the lower half. On the bottom are the Atlantic Sun (-40 spots on average) and the Ivy League (-30). Rice’s blowout loss to LIU helped Conference USA have the worst week of any conference, losing an average of eight spots.
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