College Basketball Mid-Major Top 25 for Nov. 22, 2010: WCC Holds Top 2 Spots

This is the first week where I am using RPI, key wins and key losses. I am not factoring these categories as strongly into my rankings as I will later in the season.

Because of easy or hard starts, the RPI does not really match how good a team actually is at this point in the season.

For key wins and key losses, not everybody has had the chance to get big wins or very hurtful losses. 

Rank. Team (Previous Rank)

1. St. Mary's Gaels (7)

Record: 4-0

RPI: 26

St. Mary's moved to 4-0 with a win over Mississippi Valley State on Sunday night. The Gaels will play Chicago State before going on a fairly tough road trip with games against Texas Tech and San Diego State.

Key Wins: St. John's (Home)

Key Losses: None

2. Gonzaga Bulldogs (2)

Record: 2-1

RPI: 234

Gonzaga lost a tough game at home to San Diego State, 69-66. The Bulldogs will have a chance to make up for that loss with a game against Kansas State on Monday night. 

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

3. Butler Bulldogs (1)

Record: 2-1

RPI: 25

The Bulldogs were handled easily by Louisville last week. The Bulldogs were able to respond with an easy win over Ball State. They now prepare to travel to upstate New York to play the Siena Saints.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

4. Wichita State Shockers (5)

Record: 1-0

RPI: 159

Wichita State defeated Texas Southern in its season opener. The Shockers now travel to Hawaii to play in the Maui Invitational, where they have a first-round matchup with the Connecticut Huskies.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

5. Old Dominion Monarchs (3)

Record: 3-1

RPI: 116

Old Dominion is now riding a three-game winning streak. After a win over High Point, the Monarchs won their first two games against Saint Peter's and Clemson in the Paradise Jam.

Key Wins: Clemson (Neutral)

Key Losses: None

6. Virginia Commonwealth Rams (9)

Record: 3-0

RPI: 134

Virginia Commonwealth defeated Winthrop and Wake Forest to advance in the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Rams will play Tennessee in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

7. Murray State Racers (4)

Record: 2-1

RPI: 166

Murray State picked up its first loss of the year against Mississippi. The Racers will play Stanford in the 76 Classic.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

8. Cleveland State Vikings (23)

Record: 5-0

RPI: 67

Cleveland State has looked great so far this season. On Friday, the Vikings picked up their first road win of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Key Wins: Kent State (Home)

Key Losses: None

9. Pacific Tigers (17)

Record: 3-1

RPI: 29

After a win over Nevada, Pacific lost a tough game against UCLA. The Tigers then rebounded with a win over William Jessup. 

Key Wins: UTEP (Road)

Key Losses: None

10. George Mason Patriots (13)

Record: 2-2

RPI: 140

After wins in their first two games, the Patriots have dropped to 2-2. George Mason looks to rebound with a five-game home stand.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

11. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (15)

Record: 1-2

RPI: 33

Oakland has paid the price of playing top teams on the road to start the season. The Golden Grizzlies pulled out a win at Ohio, a solid mid-major, but could not complete the upset at Purdue. The Golden Grizzlies will complete their road trip on Tuesday at Wright State.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: Ohio (Road)

12. North Texas Mean Green (12)

Record: 2-1

RPI: 23

North Texas defeated Texas Tech in overtime last Monday. However, the Mean Green was no match for the Kansas Jayhawks. North Texas looks to rebound from the loss to the Jayhawks against Rice on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Texas Tech (Home)

Key Losses: None

13. Ohio Bobcats (8)

Record: 2-1

RPI: 272

Ohio rebounded from a loss to Oakland with a win over Texas A&M-CC. The Bobcats will play Valparaiso on Tuesday.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

14. Loyola (IL) Ramblers (Not Ranked)

Record: 5-0

RPI: 139

Loyola (IL) remains undefeated through its first five games. The Ramblers opened the season with four wins at home, all with double-digit margins of victory, and then traveled to Western Michigan to win their fifth game, also by double digits.

The Ramblers' somewhat easy schedule continues through the end of the month, but they have December dates with Butler and Kansas State. A win in just one of those games would be key for Loyola (IL).

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

15. Princeton Tigers (14)

Record: 1-1

RPI: 18

Princeton opened up the season with a big win against Rutgers, but the Tigers were no match for the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils. The Tigers play at James Madison on Monday.

Key Wins: Rutgers (Home)

Key Losses: None

16. Lipscomb Bisons (16)

Record: 2-1

RPI: 77

The Bisons came back in the final minute against Austin Peay to defeat the Governors in overtime on Wednesday. Both Adnan Hodzic and Josh Slater are averaging more than 20 points per game. The Bisons will play at No. 17 Baylor on Monday night.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

17. Rider Broncs (Not Ranked)

Record: 4-1

RPI: 51

Rider is now riding a four-game winning streak. After a loss to Massachusetts to start the season, the Broncs defeated Lafayette and USC. In the Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Rider defeated Texas Christian and Loyola Marymount.

Key Wins: USC (Road)

Key Losses: None

18. Kent State Golden Flashes (Not Ranked)

Record: 4-1

RPI: 22

Kent State rebounded from a loss to Cleveland State with wins over Robert Morris and Furman. The Golden Flashes currently have the best record in the MAC.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

19. Missouri State Tigers (6)

Record: 2-2

RPI: 210

After a 2-0 start to the season, Missouri State dropped games to Tennessee and Tulsa.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

20. North Dakota State Bison (Not Ranked)

Record: 3-1

RPI: 183

North Dakota State stretched its winning streak to three games. The Bison will play at Minnesota on Tuesday. 

Key Wins: UC Santa Barbara (Neutral)

Key Losses: None

21. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (Not Ranked)

Record: 5-1

RPI: 93

Louisiana Tech has won five straight games after losing its season opener to Texas. The Bulldogs look to continue their streak on Friday at Arkansas-Little Rock.

Key Wins: None

Key Losses: None

22. Portland Pilots (Not Ranked)

Record: 4-1

RPI: 104

Portland rebounded from its first loss of the season with a win at Idaho. The Pilots play a tough game at Washington State on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Florida Atlantic (Home)

Key Losses: None

23. American Eagles (Not Ranked)

Record: 4-0

RPI: 100

American defeated Florida Atlantic on Saturday to give the Eagles their first 4-0 start since the 1985-86 season. The Eagles play Howard and Columbia before they enter a tough stretch where they will face West Virginia and Florida.

Key Wins: Florida Atlantic (Road)

Key Losses: None

24. Charleston Cougars (25)

Record: 4-2

RPI: 129

Charleston has not been able to get any big wins, although the Cougars have come close twice. The Cougars play a big game at UNC on Sunday. 

Key Wins: Coastal Carolina (Home)

Key Losses: None

25. Wofford Terriers (10)

Record: 2-3

RPI: 88

Wofford just barely keeps itself in the Top 25 with a win over George Mason in the Charleston Classic. The Terriers have struggled against some of the better teams in the country due to lack of size.

Key Wins: George Mason (Neutral)

Key Losses: Clemson (Road)

Added: American, Loyola (IL), Louisiana Tech, Kent State, North Dakota State, Portland, Rider

Dropped: Fairfield, Iona, Long Beach State, Morehead State, Morgan State, Northern Iowa, Siena

Considered: Appalachian State, Bradley, Creighton, Morehead State, Northeastern, Long Island, Siena, Vermont

Teams by Conference

CAA: 3

Horizon: 3

MVC: 3

WCC: 3

MAC: 2

SoCon: 2

Summit: 2

A-Sun: 1

Big West: 1

Ivy: 1

MAAC: 1

OVC: 1

Patriot: 1

WAC: 1

*RPI ratings from realtimerpi.com as of November 22, 2010.