I promised a massive post 2 days ago... 20-some inches of snow, an igloo, and numerous "snow shots" later, I bring you said post. My apologies for the delay.
Listed below are what I believe to be the 25 best teams in the country. My criteria is simply who I believe will make the Sweet 16 + the 9 best teams to lose in the second round. Obviously, between now and March lots can change, but if the tournament were to start today, this is who I expect to make some noise.
1. Kansas - This is an obvious pick. Loaded with talent and proven to be able to handle the pressures of a tight game, this team has to be under consideration for the title game come bracket time. Potential landmine: 3/3 at home against Kansas State. The Wildcats will be looking for revenge after having their first matchup within their grasp in Manhattan.
2. Villanova - A little homerism here? Possibly, but the 'Cats are built for a late March run. Great guard play, a defensive nightmare when they are given the opportunity to swarm, I do not believe we have seen the best Villanova has to offer as of yet. Potential landmine: while a game at Syracuse looms, the 'Cats 2/21 date at Pitt is an extremely tough matchup. Pitt is always a tough place to win.
3. Syracuse - This team is DEEP. 7 players get 20+ minutes and each can take over a game. Having said that, 'Cuse hasn't faced many close calls against good teams. A 1 point win @ WVU is a shining moment, however a 2 point win against Depaul never should have been that close. Potential landmine: 2/18 at G'Town. Sure, a game against Nova is coming up on 2/27, but the Orange first need to get past G'Town on the road. Nova couldn't survive that test, can the Orange?
4. Kentucky - Possibly the most talented team in the nation, the 'Cats lack an unquestioned leader to turn to in trying times. This seems to be a signature of Calipari coached teams, unquestioned talent, questionable leadership. I can tell you one thing, a team with questionable leadership has never hoisted the trophy. Potential landmine: 2/27 @ Tennessee. Kentucky hosts Tennessee this weekend, but playing at Tennessee is obviously a different story as the Vols game against Kansas proved.
5. Purdue - The Big Ten doesn't get much props these days, which is typical for February, however a Big Ten team always seems to make it to the Final Four. This years' threat is Purdue, solid at ever position and extremely physical, no team wants to see the Boilermakers up next on the schedule. Potential landmine: 2/17 @ Ohio State. With Evan Turner healthy, the Buckeyes are a real threat to Purdue.
6. Georgetown - The Hoyas are riding high after knocking off Nova at home last Saturday. A team that is disciplined at both ends of the floor, I cannot imagine them getting rattled come March. Huge concern: depth. The Hoyas rarely play more than 7 or 8 guys a night. Will this come back to haunt them?
7. Kansas State - The Wildcats are fiesty. This team shows as much energy as their coach, Frank Martin, possibly the most animated coach in the country. A tough loss at home against Kansas is really the only thing standing between this team and the top 5. Potential landmine: @ Kansas on 3/3. KSU has a pretty easy remaining schedule aside from this matchup, and with a win, could be looking at a 2 seed.
8. Michigan State - Very few teams can match MSU's physicality and precision. With a healthy Kalin Lucas, I would be hard pressed to bet against the Spartans. Look for this team, as they traditionally do, to come around in the last week of February. Potential landmine: @ Purdue. The Boilermakers already knocked off the Spartans once, but with Kalin Lucas healthy, the Spartans need to win this game to prove themselves to be among the nations elite.
9. West Virginia - Bob Huggins' squad is solid. A loss to Notre Dame is a really ugly blemish on the Mountaineers' record. The question come March is whether this team will fold like so many other of Huggins' teams (see: Cincinnati). Potential landmine: 2/12 @ Pitt. Pitt fans will not be gracious hosts thanks to the well documented trangressions of the Morgantown crowd in these teams' first matchup a week ago. This will be a tough out for WVU.
10. Duke - My dislike of Duke is well documented so, admittedly, this could be a shortsighted ranking, but Duke is what they always are, a fundamentally sound team with great basketball players, but probably not great athletes. I just can't see this team becoming a huge factor come March, but given that they are one of the top teams in a great conference, they deserve their ranking. Potential landmine: 2/28 @ UVA. The Cavaliers will be looking to cement their status as a team to be reckoned with after years of futility. You can bet the Dukies will get their best shot in Charlottesville.
11. Ohio State - Evan Turner is possibly the most underrated player in the country right now. With 2 triple-doubles this season, he is one of the most well-rounded players in the country. If he can remain healthy, OSU will be a tough out come March. Potential landmine: 2/14 @ Illinois. The Illini have been playing solid ball of late and I can guarantee there won't be much love coming the Buckeyes way from the Illini faithful on Valentine's Day.
12. Wisconsin - Bo Ryan always has his team prepped for a late run in March. Wisconsin is traditionally one of the more well-disciplined teams in the country, and this year is no different. While the Badgers record may not be great and they have fallen victim to a letdown game from time to time, this team will not hit its peak until about conference tourney time and you can be sure this team will make some noise in Indianapolis. Wisconsin is capable of earning a 3 or 4 seed in the Big Dance. Potential landmine: 3/6 @ Illinois. The Illini already took it to the Badgers on their home turf. Things will not get any easier in Champaign.
13. Temple - Homerism rears its ugly head again. Temple is a major darkhorse headed into March. The Owls boast one of the best defensive teams in the country, solid senior leadership, and great discipline offensively. Provided they can hit the mid-range and outside jumper, this team will be extremely tough to beat in the March. Potential landmine: 2/13 at home against URI. Rhode Island will be gunning for the Owls in this game that has major A-10 implications. If Temple can overcome this test, only a home date against Dayton stands between them and a possible 4 seed come March.
14. Cornell - Call me crazy but a team whose 3 losses include close games against 2 top-3 teams ('Cuse and Kansas) on the road, needs to be recognized. Their 3rd loss was to a Seton Hall team that can suddenly become an offensive jaugernaut when certain players are clicking. Look for the Bears to run the table in the Ivy League. Potential landmine: 2/19 @ Harvard. The Crimson will be looking for revenge after the spanking Cornell put on them earlier this month.
15. Texas - The Longhorns were #1 at one point this season for a reason.... they are extremely talented. However, much of that talent is extremely young. If Rick Barnes can get this team to run on instinct and play to their full potential, I certainly wouldn't want to see them come March. Potential landmine: 2/17 @ Mizzou. Missouri is a solid team, talented enough to win a couple games come Tourney time. If Texas' youth shows through in this game, it could be a long ride back to Austin.
16. Gonzaga - The quintessential cinderella is a cinderella no more. In what was supposed to be a down year for the Zags, they are again putting together a solid tournament resume. Matt Bouldin is the Mr. Fundamental of college basketball, and the rest of this team follows his lead. A terrible loss to San Francisco is the difference between #16 and #10 for this team, in my opinion. Potential landmine: As I write this, the Zags are beating up on St. Mary's, the only other WCC school with a legitimate shot at the field of 65. Beyond this game, it should be smooth sailing for the Zags until conference tourney time.
17. BYU - Jimmer Fredette is a MONSTER. The kid can score from anywhere on the floor and carry this team on his back without blinking an eye. Aside from an unsightly loss to UNLV, BYU has put together one of the more solid seasons for anyteam this year. Look for this disciplined team to make a run in March. Potential landmine: 2/27 at home against New Mexico, a team that took it to the Cougars in January.
18. New Mexico - The Lobos have been on a tear in 2010. They beat BYU at home this month and have taken care of business against the teams they are supposed to save a loss to up-and-coming UNLV. Potential landmine: 2/27 @ BYU. This game will almost definitely decide the #1 seed in the WAC Tournament.
19. Butler - A perennial cinderella squad, the Bulldogs are back this year. Butler really showed their mettle in a tough loss against Georgetown. History has proven you cannot bet against Butler come Tournament time. Gordon Hayward leads this team and scoring and rebounding. Potential landmine: 2/20 at home against Siena, another phillyphanhood favorite. This BracketBusters matchup will shake out much of the mid-major talk.
20. Siena - Plymouth-Whitemarsh product Ronald Moore has this team clicking on all cylinders as their tops-in-the-nation win streak plows forward. Potential landmine: aforementioned game against Butler on 2/20. Needless to say, I am excited for this matchup.
21. Vanderbilt - The Commodores have been a player these last few years. This years' team is no different as they are poised to be the second best team to come out of the SEC. A.J. Ogilvy is a solid player who has had the international experience to be an automatic leader for this team. Potential landmine: 2/20 at home against Kentucky. A win in this game would solidify the Commodores as a team to be reckoned with going forward in March.
22. Maryland - This is a sort of preemptive ranking. With a win against Duke this Saturday, Maryland can triumphantly announce their return to the top of the college basketball world. Greivis Vasquez is a phillyphanhood phavorite. Potential landmine: Maryland hasn't proven much, but is ranked here based on potential. With a win against Duke on Saturday, they can prove they belong.
23. Wake Forest - The question surrounding this team is the strength of the ACC. I like this team but have I been fooled by a weak ACC? The next few weeks will tell that story. Ishmael Smith is one of the best PGs in the country, if not the fastest, and Al-Farouq Aminu is a surefire lottery pick. Potential landmine: a win Saturday against Georgia Tech would go along way to prove this team has major potential.
24. Pittsburgh - I'm giving a lot of credit to the Big East here given the Panthers recent struggles. Ashton Gibbs has exploded on the national scene this season, and he has his team poised to make a run come March, provided they can survive the next few weeks of conference play. Potential landmine: While WVU comes to town with fans hungry for revenge after the Mountaineers fans raucous welcome last week, the toughest game facing the Panthers will be against Marquette on 2/18. Marquette has lost some extremely tough games this year and is a few breaks from being on this list. The Panthers matchup @ Marquette will most definitely have major Big East Tournament implications.
25. Northern Iowa - UNI seems to be the stylish mid-major pick this year, but I can't get past one thing... a loss to DePaul. DePaul is terrible, thus, this is a terrible, terrible loss. Big wins against Boston College and Siena may prove that the DePaul game was an irregularity, but I'm not convinced. The jury is out on this team in the 'phanhood, and I'm waiting for the conference tournament to decide just how far I'll send them in my bracket. Potential landmine: 2/19 at home against Old Dominion. This is a BracketBusters matchup. By definition it is supposed to be a close game. We shall see.
That's it. Those are the teams that I believe to be the top 25 teams in the country. Obviously, things will change, and I will be on top of it. Thanks for tuning in.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment