The new edition of the college basketball rankings will be released around 1 p.m. ET Monday, and there should be some changes at both the top and bottom of the AP poll and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll. Locally, the No. 24-ranked Seton Hall Pirates will drop out of the top 25 in the AP Poll, as they lost Friday night to the South Florida Bulls, while top-ranked Syracuse Orange will tie a school record for consecutive weeks as the No. 1 program (6), a mark that was set during the 1989-90 season.
UPDATED: Here's the latest AP Poll and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll
Nationally, the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels were blowout Saturday against the Florida. St. Seminoles. 90-57, and the Indiana Hoosiers lost to the Ohio St. Buckeyes, 80-63, Sunday. I don't think the loss drops them out of the top 10, but certainly puts them near the bottom.
In the Big East, the Connecticut Huskies make the biggest jump after earning two victories this past weekend in solid fashion. Meanwhile, I believe that the West Virginia Mountaineers and Cincinnati Bearcats should sneak into the top 25 in the AP poll or USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll.
With out further delay here's my projected top 25 for Jan. 26:
1.) Syracuse Orange (19-0)
2) Kentucky Wildcats (17-1)
3) Baylor Bears (17-0)
4) Ohio St. Buckeyes (16-3)
5) Michigan St. Spartans (15-3)
6) Duke Blue Devils (15-2)
7) Missouri Tigers (16-1)
8) North Carolina Tar Heels (15-3)
9) Kansas Jayhawks (14-3)
10) Indiana Hoosiers (15-3)
11) Connecticut Huskies (14-3)
12) Murray St. Racers (18-0)
13) Florida Gators (14-4)
14) Mississippi St. Bulldogs (15-3)
15) San Diego St. Aztecs (15-2)
16) Virginia Cavaliers (14-2)
17) Marquette Golden Eagles
18) Creighton Bluejays (16-2)
19) West Virginia Mountaineers (13-5)
20) Michigan Wolverines (14-4)
21) Wisconsin Badgers (14-5)
22) Cincinnati Bearcats (14-4)
23) Vanderbilt Commodores (13-4)
24) St. Mary's, Calif. Gaels (17-2)
25) UNLV Runnin' Rebels (16-3)
Out: Seton Hall, Louisville Cardinals, Kansas State Wildcats, Gonzaga Bulldogs
In: St. Mary's, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Wisconsin
As you can see, a lot of teams at the bottom of the poll dropping out and a few new teams getting in. To be honest, after the top 10 its a big crap shoot but that's how I see it for Week 11 of the college basketball rankings.
SB Nation's blog South Orange Juice has everything on the Pirates, while Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician is all about the Orange. For more on Big East basketball, visit the SB Nation blog Big East Coast Bias. If you're a college basketball nut, well, SB Nation's college basketball hub will solve your hoops cravings.