Posted by Graham Hays
1. Marist (13-1): Nobody is suggesting the strength of schedule is going to set records, but Marist is perfect against everyone save Oklahoma and played just its fifth home game of the season in Tuesday's win against Iona. What's also impressive is the Red Foxes are doing it while growing on the fly. Rachele Fitz, Julianne Viani and Erica Allenspach account for roughly two out of every three points. If the rest of a rotation laden with freshmen and sophomores keeps learning, Marist could be much better by March.
2. South Dakota State (14-2): Dreams of a one-loss season crashed to terra firma with a decisive 67-51 conference loss at Oakland. That might cost the Jackrabbits their spot in at least the AP poll, but this is still a team with a rock-solid at-large NCAA profile, should it need it. After shooting 37 percent behind the arc last season, SDSU still hasn't found quite that same stroke this season, which hurt dearly in a 15-point first-half at Oakland.
3. Xavier (12-4): Getting wins against Louisville or North Carolina would have been nice, but Xavier is quietly going about the business of building an at-large profile. Wins against fellow potential candidates Georgia, Mississippi State and Michigan State in December certainly help the cause. The Musketeers turn over the ball a lot, but that's not necessarily an enjoyable perk for opponents who find themselves shooting 32 percent.
4. Illinois State (11-3): The Redbirds did themselves no favors getting off to a 2-3 start, but they're back on the radar (and up to No. 69 in the RPI) courtesy of a nine-game winning streak. There was a narrow escape or two in there, but the wins have come by an average margin of 23 points. And if I haven't sold you on Kristi Cirone yet, I don't know what else to say: 18.8 points per game, 5.7 assists per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, 2.5 steals per game, 49 percent on 3-point shooting.
5. Gonzaga (12-4): Stop me if you've heard this one before, as the saying goes. Gonzaga is in much the same position as last year, with a strong record but missed opportunities in marquee games against Marquette, South Dakota State and Tennessee. Heather Bowman and Courtney Vandersloot are a brilliant inside-outside combo, but will it matter without the West Coast Conference's automatic bid?
6. Montana (12-3): The only losses have come against Maryland, South Dakota State and Gonzaga, and none of those were embarrassing efforts on the scoreboard. Mandy Morales and Sonya Rogers have been one of the nation's overlooked backcourts for a couple of years now, and they're at it again. One difference so far this season is a defense slightly stingier and more adept at thievery than even the Lady Griz's impressive track record.
7. Middle Tennessee (11-4): Fresh off of a win at LSU on Nov. 30, Middle Tennessee ran into an ambush early in December, dropping three in a row against Louisville, Western Carolina and Tennessee. But six consecutive wins have the Blue Raiders back atop the Sun Belt. And with junior transfer Alysha Clark second in the nation in scoring at 24.1 ppg, coach Rick Insell has his star to follow Chrissy Givens and Amber Holt.
8. Bowling Green (11-2): Kent State, with one fewer loss, has a claim to this spot at it prepares to host Bowling Green on Wednesday, but the Falcons get the nod with 11 consecutive wins, including victories against Hartford and at Dayton. Leading scorer Lauren Prochaska isn't suffering from a sophomore slump behind the arc (43 percent) and Tracy Pontius and Lindsey Goldsberry have things running smoothly post-Kate Achter.
9. Old Dominion (6-5): It didn't come down to one or the other, but consider the cases of Old Dominion and New Mexico. The former needed a one-point win against VCU to stay above .500; the latter is 11-2 and atop the Mountain West entering conference play. But the Monarchs are holding opponents to 39 percent shooting, even though their opponents have included Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Maryland and Michigan State. New Mexico has only left home three times, including blowout losses at Stanford and Texas A&M.
10. Arkansas-Little Rock (11-3): It hasn't been smooth sailing for the Trojans since last we checked, dropping a pair of December games against Missouri State and Louisiana Tech. But a big win at Western Kentucky on Jan. 3 has Arkansas-Little Rock tied atop the Sun Belt standings with Middle Tennessee. Chastity Reed has been unstoppable early in Sun Belt play, averaging 30.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game through three games.
Women's Basketball
