1) Pittsburgh (25-2); Connecticut (25-2); Oklahoma (25-2); North Carolina (24-3)
After watching UConn fall to Pitt, it's apparent that losing Jerome Dyson for the season is really going to hurt the Huskies. Dyson was the Huskies' best perimeter scoring threat, and his loss effectively turns UConn's eight-man rotation into a seven-man rotation.
2) Memphis (24-3); Marquette (23-4); Clemson (22-4); Louisville (21-5)
If Memphis receives a two seed, the haters will be in full force come Selection Sunday. However, I wonder just how many of the critics have seen John Calipari's club play in conference. And more importantly, how many have watched the Tigers play since moving Tyreke Evans to the point?
3) Kansas (22-5); Missouri (23-4); Duke (22-5); Wake Forest (20-5)
I'm fully aware that I am giving the defending champion Jayhawks more respect than the average bracketologist. But let me defend Kansas' seeding. Bill Self's squad has won 11 of its last 12. The Jayhawks' last five victories have been by double digits. And they're 11-1 in the Big 12.
4) Michigan State (21-5); Purdue (21-6); Villanova (22-5); Arizona State (21-5)
It's time for people to realize that Arizona State is not simply a one-man show. While James Harden is no doubt a singular talent, the Sun Devils' supporting cast has stepped up this year. Jeff Pendergraph provides scoring in the post. Sophomore Rihards Kuksiks is a deadly three-point shooter (.474 from behind the arc). Point guard Derek Glasser, a high school teammate of Harden's, protects the ball and can hit from three as well (.414 three-point percentage). Unfortunately, the Sun Devils' lack of post depth may be their undoing.
5) Washington (20-7); LSU (23-4); Florida State (21-6); UCLA (20-7)
LSU has compiled a 23-4 record (11-1 in the SEC) but has flown under the radar due to the Tigers' soft non-conference schedule and a down year in the SEC. Well, this is the week we find out what the Bayou Bengals are made of. On Tuesday, LSU welcomes Florida to Baton Rouge, and, on Saturday, LSU travels to Lexington to face Kentucky. If LSU emerges from those games unscathed, the country will have to take notice.
6) Gonzaga (21-5); Xavier (22-5); California (20-7); Dayton (23-4)
I had my doubts about Gonzaga earlier in the season. And they have yet to prove that they can win a physical street fight-type game, but it's impossible to deny the level of talent on Mark Few's roster. Unlike past Gonzaga squads, this one is as athletic and physically imposing as the BCS conference teams (if not more so). While his numbers may be a little down this year, at 6-2 220, Jeremy Pargo still has the ability to impose his will on the floor. Mop-headed junior wing Matt Bouldin provides scoring punch from the perimeter, and, at 6-5 224, he has no trouble getting his shot off. At 6-5 208, sophomore two-guard Steven Gray has a sweet shooting stroke and gives the Bulldogs yet another athletic perimeter option. Amazingly, Gonzaga may be even more talented in the post. Josh Heytvelt (6-11 260) and Austin Daye (6-11 200) have NBA upside but are as soft as butter. The Bulldogs also boast perhaps the most talented bench that Mark Few has assembled during his tenure. To put things in perspective, Micah Downs, a former McDonald's All-American is the team's sixth man. Is this the year Gonzaga puts it all together and makes a run to the Final Four?
7) Butler (23-4); Illinois (22-6); South Carolina (19-6); Texas (18-8)
After praising the Longhorns in last week's Field of 65 for bouncing back from a three-game losing streak, Texas opened the week with a 15-point loss to Texas A&M. However, the week ended on a high note for Rick Barnes' club. Even with Blake Griffin on the bench with an apparent concussion, Saturday's Oklahoma-Texas matchup was one of the season's best games. The Longhorns ultimately prevailed and, despite Griffin's absence, may have gained some much-needed confidence. It's not too late for the extremely talented Horns to turn things around.
8) Syracuse (19-8); West Virginia (19-8); Florida (21-6); Utah (19-7)
After its home loss to Villanova on Sunday, Syracuse fell to .500 in the Big East. With non-conference wins against Florida, Kansas, and Memphis, I don't think Jim Boeheim's club is on the bubble...yet. But look closer at Syracuse's conference performance. While they have beaten Notre Dame and Georgetown, they only have one win against a Big East team projected to make the tournament -- West Virginia.
9) Ohio State (17-8); Utah State (25-3); Minnesota (20-7); Kentucky (19-8)
A week ago Ohio State looked like a Top 25 team. After losses to Northwestern and Illinois, the Buckeyes take a big slide this week. Thad Matta's team has fallen to .500 in Big Ten play, and they've lost twice to both Michigan State and Illinois.
10) Boston College (19-9); Arizona (18-9); Wisconsin (17-10); Penn State (19-8)
Penn State beat Illinois 38-33 this week. And no, that's not a typo. Neither team scored 40 points. And, yes, that's the second time the 22-6 Fighting Illini have failed to score 40 in the past month.
11) Creighton (23-6); UNLV (20-7); Tennessee (16-10); Saint Mary's (22-5)
The halcyon days of the Missouri Valley Conference may be a thing of the (recent) past, but Creighton is a nice team on an eight-game winning streak.
12) Davidson (22-6); BYU (20-6); Maryland (17-9); Temple (17-9)
Like Wisconsin last week and Arizona the week before, Maryland has returned from the grave. The Terrapins pulled off an improbable overtime victory over North Carolina to pull even at 6-6 in the ACC. Maryland still has dates with Duke and Wake Forest on its schedule, but the Terps have an outside chance at an at-large bid. On a related note, they don't make them much more annoying than Greivis Vasquez.
13) VCU (19-9); Siena (22-6); Western Kentucky (19-8); North Dakota State (21-6)
VCU senior point guard Eric Maynor, averaging just over 23 points and 6 assists per game, is quite possibly the nation's best kept secret.
14) Buffalo (17-8); American U (19-7); Weber State (18-8); Stephen F. Austin (17-7)
Buffalo drops a line after losing to Bowling Green and Vermont in the Bulls' BracketBuster matchup this past week.
15) Tennessee-Martin (19-7); Binghamton (19-8); Cornell (18-8); Robert Morris (19-10)
March Madness would certainly be more interesting with Tennessee-Martin in the field. Senior guard Lester Hudson, the nation's second leading scorer, is a NBA-level talent. Sophomore guard Marquis Weddle and junior post player Olajide Hay, a native of the wonderful town of Henderson, Kentucky, support the OVC's finest.
16) Morgan State (18-10); Radford (17-10); Jacksonville (15-11); Alabama State (15-8); Long Beach State (13-12)
Jacksonville maintains the lead in the Atlantic Sun race, but traditional conference power Belmont is on the Dolphins' heels. Dolphins do have heels, don't they?
Posts
I don't know a team in the country that would want to play Davidson in the first round, especially any of the four seeds mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this Davidson team is as talented as last year's version. Still, I think you're right that there probably aren't many teams that would relish the prospect of squaring off against a Steph Curry-led team. After looking at some of the other bracket projections around the interwebs, I was a little surprised that I actually have the Wildcats about a line higher than most. That doesn't sound very significant -- but, in reality, it's the difference between an at-large bid and requiring Davidson to win its conference tournament to get in.
ReplyDeleteI guess I should have made my point a little clearer - I don't know of a team that wants to play against Steph Curry.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Davidson isn't as talented this year. A lot may have to do with Curry's move to a lead guard type role.
But it seems like a lose-lose situation. Even if you win the game, Steph will probably embarass your team and most of your players, thereby, hurting individual confidence going into the 2nd round.