CBB Stock Market: January 18th-19th

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading. 

BUY BUY BUY 

Kansas Jayhawks - What a week for Kansas. They look like the second best team in the country. They beat
Iowa State and Oklahoma State led by a big time performance on Saturday afternoon with Joel Embiid going for 13 points, eleven rebounds and eight blocks. This is a national broadcast where everyone's eyes are on him. Andrew Wiggins struggled against Oklahoma State, but he dominated against the Cyclones on Monday night. This team is coming together in a tough Big 12. Naadir Tharpe is another big reason why Kansas is playing well. In the last two games, Tharpe is averaging 22 points a game with five assists. That's important to the Jayhawks' success in the short and long term.

Texas Longhorns - People love to pick on Rick Barnes. He did not have a good 2012, and people believed him to be on the hot seat. With a new athletic director in town, people thought Texas might move Barnes like they did Mack Brown. But Barnes figured out to win with this team, and they are back in the top 25 for the first time in over a year. Texas has NO seniors, and they are still winning games in a tough Big 12. I feel like Barnes no matter what happens in the coming weeks, he has a job for a couple more years. Incredible effort with this squad.

Syracuse Orange - We gave Arizona some credit with last week's Stock Market and it is time to give Syracuse some love as they are one of the last unbeatens. Pittsburgh gave them their best shot. Lamar Patterson drilled four 3-pointers in the second half and Panthers had the lead at certain points coming back from being down double-digits. Tyler Ennis, the freshman no one talks about, had two monster layups to push the Orange ahead for another win. This season is really setting up perfectly for Syracuse to get an ACC crown in their first year. They do not have a difficult road game until February 12th against Pittsburgh, but it really looks like there are only three to five losses at most on their schedule. I loved nothing more than Boeheim's comments after the game calling it an 'old Big East game.'

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Creighton Bluejays - Fair to say the Jays look ahead to this one with Villanova on the slate tonight? They were beat pretty good by Providence as Doug McDermott received no help as he was the only player in double-digits. People do say the knock on the Jays is their lack of defense, and it showed in this game. If they are not getting a supporting cast with McDermott, they will suffer losses like this one.

Iowa State Cyclones - Even though they have lost three straight, I really do not think it is time to push the panic button here. They were too high at number eight without any question. Iowa State is not a top ten team rather a solid team with a great deal of talent. They need to find some scoring that is not shooting the 3-pointer. You can only live and die by it for so long.

SELL SELL SELL 

Georgetown Hoyas - I am going to trend very lightly with this one because my team plays Georgetown tonight so I am in no position to throw stones yet this Hoya team is struggling to score points. They had a double-digit home loss to Seton Hall something virtually unheard of, and just another dent in a rough year thus far for the Hoyas. Georgetown this week also had a 17-point lead with 15 minutes left only to have Xavier go on a 44-14 run to close out of the game beating them by 13 points. 

Indiana Hoosiers - This team beats Wisconsin at home only to lose on Saturday to Northwestern AT HOME. Indiana is an average team at best. 47 points to a weak Wildcat team. This is a team that should not be considered on the bubble right now. If you are not beating teams you are supposed to at home, there is no room for you in the tournament.

Arkansas Razorbacks - It felt like maybe the SEC was finally getting off the ground with Arkansas beating Kentucky at home maybe showing the Hogs were a better team than expected. Yet they lose on the road to Georgia in overtime. Bulldogs are not a bad team per say, but if Arkansas wants to be a tournament team, they win these type of ball games. Razorbacks needs to start getting some wins away from Bud Walton Arena. .

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Monday: Creighton at 4. Villanova 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1, 24. Baylor at 8. Kansas 8:00 pm ESPN

Tuesday: 22. Texas at Kansas State 6:00 pm ESPN2

Wednesday: 10. Iowa at 21. Michigan 6:00 pm Big Ten Network, 18. Duke at Miami 6:30 pm ESPN2,
                    9. Wisconsin at Minnesota 8:00 pm Big Ten Network

Thursday: Colorado at 1. Arizona 8:00 pm ESPN2