Top 25 Team Celebrates Reaching .500

The 25th ranked Arizona Wildcats held off a late rally by the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks to win 75-66 and improve their record to 3-3. They will next host St. Mary's on Saturday where they will likely win and climb higher in the rankings with a 4-3 record. Meanwhile, the Houston Cougars (3-1), who have beaten Arizona and LSU, are unranked.

I understand that reputation and preseason rankings have a lot to do with the polls at this point. I also realize that the NCAA Selection Committee will be an equalizer in March. But for some programs, a brief stint in the top 25 may very well be the highlight of the season. Bucknell is 5-1 with a win over Syracuse and unranked. Vanderbilt is 5-0 with wins over Oregon and Georgetown- also unranked. Why aren't they given a few weeks in the top 25 while the slow-starting perennial powerhouses are still finding their way?

I have no doubt that Arizona eventually will be worthy of being a top ranked team. Maybe it's just delaying the inevitable, but it would be nice to let some of these smaller programs have their day in the sun.

This post has been brought to you by Stuart Smalley.