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KU still on top at LVSC
February 20, 2008
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
L as Vegas Sports Consultants has released this week's version of its Top 30, a poll based on LVSC's power ratings and certainly one that varies greatly with the national rankings you see. Despite losing to Texas last week, Kansas occupies the top slot.
The Jayhawks are followed by UCLA, North Carolina, Memphis and Duke.
A number of teams in LVSC's rankings are nowhere to be found in the AP and/or Coaches' polls, but gamblers should look to LVSC as having (much) more expertise than those who vote in those other rankings.
Vanderbilt is a team ranked 20th in the AP, but the Commodores are unranked at LVSC.
"Vandy is a team that keeps winning, but the SEC as a whole is real weak this year," LVSC oddsmaker John "The Coach" Harper told VegasInsider.com. "I have Vandy's power rating four points lower than I had it back in November."
For the record, Harper, whose ballot is one of five from oddsmakers in the LVSC office, had UCLA at No. 1 rather than KU.
Other ranked teams that LVSC considers overrated are Drake and Saint Mary's. Butler is 30th at LVSC, but the oddsmakers consider the Bulldogs overrated.
On the flip side, LVSC thinks schools such as Louisville, Clemson, West Virginia, Arkansas and USC are underrated. LVSC President Kenny White went so far as to call the Mountaineers a "major sleeper" for the NCAA Tournament.
Bob Huggins' team is barley "receiving votes" in other polls, but the 'Neers are 17th at LVSC.
| 1 |
KANSAS (4) |
144.1 |
1 |
| 2 |
UCLA (6) |
143.0 |
2 |
| 3 |
NO CAROLINA (3) |
142.6 |
4 |
| 4 |
MEMPHIS (1) |
141.2 |
3 |
| 5 |
DUKE (5) |
139.7 |
5 |
| 6 |
TENNESSEE (2) |
139.6 |
7 |
| 7 |
LOUISVILLE (18) |
138.9 |
9 |
| 8 |
GEORGETOWN (12) |
137.4 |
6 |
| 9 |
STANFORD (9) |
136.5 |
8 |
| 10 |
WASHINGTON STATE (17) |
135.8 |
15 |
| 10 |
INDIANA (15) |
135.8 |
11 |
| 12 |
CLEMSON (28) |
135.4 |
18 |
| 13 |
WISCONSIN (11) |
135.0 |
16 |
| 14 |
CONNECTICUT (13) |
134.6 |
16 |
| 15 |
TEXAS (7) |
134.5 |
13 |
| 16 |
TEXAS A&M (22) |
134.4 |
10 |
| 17 |
WEST VIRGINIA (37+) |
134.2 |
19 |
| 17 |
XAVIER (10) |
134.2 |
14 |
| 17 |
MARQUETTE (25) |
134.2 |
24 |
| 20 |
MICHIGAN STATE (19) |
134.0 |
11 |
| 21 |
KANSAS STATE (24) |
133.8 |
27 |
| 21 |
GONZAGA (28) |
133.8 |
21 |
| 23 |
NOTRE DAME (21) |
133.7 |
19 |
| 24 |
ARIZONA (30) |
133.3 |
23 |
| 25 |
PITTSBURGH (26) |
133.1 |
25 |
| 26 |
MISSISSIPPI STATE (31) |
132.9 |
25 |
| 27 |
ARKANSAS (37+) |
132.6 |
21 |
| 28 |
PURDUE (14) |
132.5 |
29 |
| 29 |
USC (37+) |
132.1 |
NR |
| 30 |
BUTLER (8) |
132.1 |
28 |
| The next five: Oregon (37+), Davidson (37+), Syracuse (37+), Villanova (37+), Drake (16)… |
| Dropped out: #29 Drake… |
| AP Teams not in the LVSC Top 30 (AP Rank): Drake (16), Vanderbilt (20), Saint Mary’s (23)… | |
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