21. Dayton
22. Wake Forest
23. Michigan State
24. St. John’s
25. Texas
It’s tough to be Rick Pitino right now. His Red Storm are the 24th-most efficient team since Jan. 1 … and are 5-7 since the start of the new year. Texas is just one game better, at 6-6. If those two teams just had easier conference slates over that time …
Dayton, on the other hand, is 10-2, thanks to the 15th-best defense since the new year, while Wake Forest has used the No. 28 defense to sit at 7-5. Is Michigan State starting to play more like the top team the Spartans came into the season projected as? Michigan State is 7-4 since Jan. 1, but ranks in the top 25 in efficiency.
