NCAA College Basketball Top 25 Rankings: Updated Feb. 24, 2009

NCAA College Basketball Top 25 Power Rankings courtesy of Alex Smart, an award-winning professional basketball handicapper featured on Touthouse.com. If you are betting on College Basketball this season, be sure to buy Alex’s Expert NCAA Basketball Predictions-Rankings, updated on Feb. 24, 2009.

1. Pittsburgh

The Panthers, after a convincing 80-61 win vs. DePaul, have now solidified their standing as this week's top team.

DeJuan Blair remains the catalyst behind this program going forward. Blair dominated future NBA lottery pick Hasheem Thabeet in their head-to-head meeting Feb. 16, finishing with 22 points and 23 rebounds.

2. Oklahoma

Oklahoma not only lost to Texas this past weekend, ending a 13-game winning streak, but are now without what is arguably College Hoops' top player, Blake Griffin, after he suffered a concussion in the above mentioned loss. The NBA's possible first pick overall has an uncertain health concern going forward.

3. North Carolina 

The Tar Heels, in their last trip to the hardwood, fell asleep at the wheel and blew a 16-point lead vs. Maryland, eventually losing a 88-85 heartbreaker.

Head coach Roy Williams has some troubling trends to deal with going forward, as his team has struggled from the field in its last two away tilts. The Tar Heels shot only 37.7 percent (29-of-77) at Maryland after shooting just 38.8 percent (26-of-67) at Miami six days earlier.

4. Duke

The Blue Devils came out on Sunday with all guns blazing, holding on to a 101-91 win vs. Wake Forest. Defense is the mainstay behind head coach K’s team, but the offense is proving to be one of the most dangerous in the ACC and the nation.

5. Connecticut

With Jerome Dyson out for the season, some concerns are beginning to arise for the Huskies. His replacement, Craig Austrie, is averaging just six points per game on a lowly 27 percent conversion rate from the field.

6.Michigan State

The Spartans get the job done, but it never seems very pretty. There is a great deal of depth here, and despite some recent injuries, a Big 10 Championship is looking more and more like a strong possibility.

7. Memphis

John Calapari and company went into a tough venue at UTEP and came out with an impressive 70-63 win that extended the nation's longest winning streak to 18 games. This young but very talented Tigers team is starting to gel, which is not a good omen for their future NCAA tournament competition.

8. Clemson

The Tigers took out Georgia Tech Sunday for a sweep of the season series. Head coach Trevor Booker thinks his team can still grab an ACC championship. If North Carolina does not stay focused, this is a very distinct possibility.

9. Villanova 

The Wildcats were lucky to get past Syracuse last time out by a score of 89-86, but they did, despite turning the ball over three times in the last three-and-a-half minutes.

With four games left, head coach Jay Wright's team looks like they will secure a top four seed spot in the competitive big East, behind viable conference all-stars Dante Cunningham and Scottie Reynolds.

10. Kansas

The Jayhawks took out Nebraska by a 70-53 count in their last trip the hardwood for their 13th straight win in this series. Sherron Collins' superstar exploits remain one of the reasons why this young team is hurdling toward a Big 12 championship.

11. Utah

The Utes, despite consistently slow starts, have proven to be explosive in the second half of some recent outings.

Utah has been behind at the half in four of their last five games, but have always found ways to ramp up the tempo for wins. Teams like the Utes, who have a capable-enough coaching staff to make second half adjustments, are extremely dangerous adversaries.

Mountain West teams beware: Utes on the rise.

12. Louisville

The Cardinals looked good in a recent 72-63 road victory vs. Cincinnati, which is a positive boost for their psychology, especially after being embarrassed at Notre Dame in their last game by 33 points.

Coach Rick Pitino was very happy with the bounce back, as he claimed, "We made some excellent passes. We executed great against their fullcourt pressure. We just played a terrific game.”

13. West Virginia

The Mountaineers pounded Rutgers by a 74-56 count last time out. West Virginia continued its upward momentum in the power polls, while in the Big East standings, they moved into sixth place on the back of a three-game winning streak.

14. Xavier

George Washington was whipped by the best mid-major team in the nation by a lopsided 71-53 count. I know the Muskies, after a 8-0 start, have lost three of their previous four games (all on the road). But even the best teams go into a funk, just ask North Carolina. Look for Xavier to surge going forward.

15. Missouri

The Tigers took out Colorado by a score of 66-53 last time out for their sixth straight win. The victory pretty much ensures that Missouri will receive their first NCAA tournament berth since the 2003 season.

Head Coach Mike Anderson, in his third year, is quickly making former head man Quin Snyder a distant memory for the campus faithful.

16. Illinois

The Illini were on the wrong end of a 70-68 loss vs. Ohio State in their last tilt, which followed an ugly 33-point offensive output in their previous contest. Illinois will get tested this week in a big way vs. Minnesota and Big 10 leader, Michigan State.

17. Florida State

Toney Douglas scored 24 points and put down the game winner with six seconds remaining to beat Virginia Tech 67-65 on the road this past Saturday. Five wins in their last six outings has the Seminoles looking like viable opponents, and they are now close to being a lock for their first NCAA tournament appearance in 11 seasons.

18. Wake Forest 

Wake Forest remains one of the most explosive offensive teams in college basketball, with the added advantage of owning a solid defense. I know they were blasted on Sunday by Duke in a 101-91 debacle, but previous to that effort, they were still capable defenders, allowing 37.9 percent shooting and 39.8 percent in conference action. Look for this group to rebound defensively going forward.

19. Washington

The Huskies took out the USC Trojans in PAC-10 play in their last effort. Venoy Overton taunted the Trojan faithful throughout the game, making him the most hated player to visit the Southern California venue.

Now Overton will try to make himself one of the most loved players in Husky land by continuing to play top-tier basketball. Conference opponents, the Bears and Bruins, lost this past weekend, which makes a conference championship game a strong possibility for Washington U.

20. Butler

The Bulldogs showed that they are an underrated team that must be feared when they took out Stephen Curry and Davidson by a double digit margin this past weekend. The Horizon League's top team continues its quest for an upset NCAA tournament run.

21. Marquette

With four games left in the season, the Golden Eagles' current status will be tested in a big way, as those above mentioned contests feature three games against top 10 ranked teams. I'm watching intently.

22. Purdue

The Boilermakers lost their first two games of conference play, but are now in top form, as they sit in second place behind Michigan State. With Robbie Hummel on the court and healthy, this team has the tools to excel.

Honorable mention goes to sophomore center JaJuan Johnson who averaged 17.5 points during the Boilermakers’ last six games and now has three double-doubles in the past five games.

23. Syracuse

The Orange looked a little lost at the end of their most recent trip to the hardwood, losing a 89-86 heartbreaker vs. Villanova that they had every chance to win.

Are they going to the Big Dance?

I say yes, though many others would disagree after they lost five straight to ranked opponents.

24. Tennessee

Head coach Bruce Pearl was very upset by his team's recent loss to Kentucky, which he expressed by saying, "I have never been so embarrassed by how I coached, or how my team played."

Will his players respond? The talent is there, but only time will tell.

25. Arizona State

The Sun Devils beat their in-state and PAC-10 rivals, the Arizona Wildcats, by a 70-68 count in their last meeting, which vaulted them one step closer to an NCAA tournament appearance.