990WBOB
 Is it official? No. Scientific? Heck no. The University of Rhode Island Rams men's basketball team has been named among the Top 25 teams in college hoops, according at least to ESPN's Eamonn Brennan in his self-proclaimed "No-Longer-Way-Too-Early Top 25" ranking released on Thursday. In the ranking, Duke takes the top spot, followed by Kentucky, Kansas, and Villanova - all stalwarts of March Madness. In fact, outside of URI, the list exclusively includes perpetually ranked teams, mainly from power conferences. The Rams find themselves at the #20 position - one behind West Virginia, and just ahead of New England powerhouse, Connecticut - and represent the sole admission from the Atlantic 10. The Rams have not been ranked in the Top 25 since the 2007-08 season (ranked 22), and have not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1998. After a season-long injury recovery, E.C. Matthews is back. He was the primary piece of Rhode Island's 23-10 2014-15 season, when they finished with a top-15 adjusted efficiency defense," Brennan writes of the Rams. "That's the top reason to be excited about Dan Hurley's team, but there are others, namely the continuity of the starting lineup. Will Dayton make this pick look silly come February? Maybe! We'll let the Rams have their fun in the meantime." Brennan's Top 25 1. Duke Blue Devils 2. Kentucky Wildcats 3. Kansas Jayhawks 4. Villanova Wildcats 5. Virginia Cavaliers 6. North Carolina Tar Heels 7. Oregon Ducks 8. Wisconsin Badgers 9. Xavier Musketeers 10. Michigan State Spartans 11. Gonzaga Bulldogs 12. Indiana Hoosiers 13. Arizona Wildcats 14. Louisville Cardinals 15. Purdue Boilermakers 16. Saint Mary's Gaels 17. Syracuse Orange 18. Creighton Bluejays 19. West Virginia Mountaineers 20. Rhode Island Rams 21. Connecticut Huskies 22. Maryland Terrapins 23. Iowa State Cyclones 24. UCLA Bruins 25. Florida State Seminoles Honorable mention: Wichita State Shockers, Texas Longhorns, California Golden Bears, Cincinnati Bearcats, USC Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies, Dayton Flyers, Seton Hall Pirates, SMU Mustangs, San Diego State Aztecs, Virginia Tech Hokies Read More WBOB |
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