The public has spoken. See ya, Aztecs.
The democratic process of the Cinderella Watch -- some 9,000 voters -- claimed its first casualty, as San Diego State was voted off the Watch. The Aztecs didn't help themselves, either, losing its first two Mountain West Conference games by an average of 16.5 points. Oh well, there's always another upstart waiting to take the fallen's place.
If you want to see the final results from last week's poll, you can find it in the user feedback from the first Watch. And,. as always, we want your thoughts, compliments or gripes about this week's Watch. Click here to submit an e-mail. We'll post the best user responses with each week's Cinderella Watch.
On the flip side, the Watch also lost Fresno State, which made the rare jump from Cinderella status to ESPN.com's Sweet 16 (it must be early). Nevertheless, the Bulldogs ran their record to 15-2 with a pair of victories over SMU and TCU. Tark's group has moved up to No. 14 in the latest RPI rankings -- much too high to be considered a Cinderella in any month.
For those still new to the Watch, here is how it works. ESPN.com picks eight teams each week leading up to the NCAA Tournament. Teams can move off the Watch for two reasons:
1. Promotion: The team moves from being a Cinderella story to a favorite.
2. Demotion: The team plays so poorly its status of making the tourney is in jeopardy. You can't be a Cinderella if you don't go to the dance.
3. The poll: In the spirit of democracy, the lowest vote-getter each week will be removed from the Watch, no questions asked.
There is the latest list of teams we're watching. The RPI rankings are from Jan. 13, while team records are through Sunday, Jan. 12.
The Rockets keep living by the 3-pointer. So far, they haven't died by it in the MAC, posting two more wins last week. Toledo has now hoisted up 301 bombs through 15 games. We did the math -- that's 20 a game. But they're hitting 40 percent from behind the arc. In the Rockets' 76-73 victory over Bowling Green, Greg Stempin was his usual self with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Stempin is third in MAC scoring (17.9), while Terry Reynolds is adding 15 a night. Shouldn't stumble this week with 6-6 Ball State and 2-10 Northern Illinois on the docket.
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BOSTON COLLEGE
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Record
12-1 Overall
3-1 Big East
RPI
No. 21
Marquee Win
UConn, 85-68
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The Eagles didn't let their perfect season end without a fight. And in a Big East full of surprises (see: Providence), BC is still looking down on the rest of the East Division. There's a lot of pressure to take the Eagles off this list because of their success and stature as a major conference player. But we're going to keep 'em here until they do something really shocking, like say beat Duke on Wednesday. For now, beating Miami (Fla) twice in the span of a week is still the stuff of Cinderellas.
Look who's on top of C-USA's National Division. That's right, the Bulls were mighty impressive last week in beating Charlotte on the road, and then Tulane by 15 at home. It's time to introduce B.B Waldon to the nation. Waldon, a 6-foot-8 junior, is a poor-man's Troy Murphy who is third in C-USA scoring (18.7 ppg) and adds 7.2 rebounds a night. He had 28 and 11 against Tulane. Waldon can shoot deep, plays great defense and runs the court. He could run all the way to his first Big Dance.
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UTAH STATE
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Record
14-2 Overall
4-0 Big West
RPI
No. 49
Marquee Win
Utah, 58-57
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If you live on the East Coast and didn't say up past midnight to watch the Aggies throttle Long Beach State on Thursday night, you missed a typical night of Utah State hoops. The Aggies held the Beach to just 39 pecent shooting, outrebounded the 49ers by 17 and shot 53 percent from the field (7 for 15 on 3s). It wasn't exciting basketball, but rather execution at its best. Two night later, the song remained the same against Pacific in a 73-59 victory. In a testing affair that included a bench-clearing shoving match, Pacific wound up shooting just 39 percent and was outrebounded by 18.
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BAYLOR
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Record
13-1 Overall
2-1 Big 12
RPI
No. 105
Marquee Win
Colorado, 61-56
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How soft was the Bears' schedule. Try losing your first game (to Texas Tech) and dropping 33 spots in the RPI rankings. We were ready to send Baylor off into cyberspace when they came back and beat K-State 63-55. OK, the Wildcats are 7-7 and ranked 105th in the RPI. The Bears close out January with OSU, Texas, Iowa State and OU. If the voters don't vote 'em off, they'll likely play their way off the list by the end of the month.
The state of Georgia is full of Cinderella candidates at this point. The Panthers simply fit the role better then Georgia Tech or Georgia. Ironically, two of the Panthers started their college careers at schools that wouldn't fit the role -- one being the Yellow Jackets. Confused? OK, let us explain. Shernard Long leads the team in scoring (18.9 ppg) after joining 'em midway through last season as a transfer from Georgetown. Fellow senior guard Kevin Morris (11.4 ppg, 4.3 apg) was a Yellow Jacket before joining Lefty's lineup last year. Then there is juco transfer Thomas Terrell, who is putting up 16 points a night with 6.3 rebounds. He's already poured in 42 in a game this season. Oh, and Lefty's bunch has continued to excel even with their mentor sidelined after neck surgery. The TAAC's preseason pick to win the league has more than lived up to expectations.
The Governors don't have a player on the roster who's been to the tournament -- the OVC Tournament, that is. And no, none have been to the NCAA Tournament, either. Both, however, could and should change this season. AP is by far the class of the Ohio Valley Conference, but that's no surprise. The Governors are led by Trenton Hassell, a Playboy preseason All-American who is averaging 21.4 ppg. And while you may not have heard of Hassell, NBA scouts sure have. He's a projected first-round pick you may finally get to see on TV outside of Tennessee come March.
The Cougars nearly stumbled at Wofford last week, winning by one on the road. Came back to handle business at home against Appalachian State. Jeff Bolton leads the team in scoring at 16.1 ppg, but the Cougars get the job done with defense. Despite averaging only 67.3 ppg (10th in 12-team Southern Conference), they hold teams to just 59.7 (first in Southern Conference). Defense wins championships and also gets Cinderellas into the ballroom.
Ron Buck is the college basketball editor at ESPN.com.
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ALSO SEE
Cinderella Watch: Jan. 8
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