First off, if you like LeBron James and stats (and I am huge fan of the former and at least pretty comfortable with the latter), here is a link to an article about how awesome of a season he is having: LBJ. I am sure I will write a post about him soon enough, but for now onto my rankings of the remaining NCAA teams (with apologies to Bret Michaels, as I am forced to kick a few of these skanks off the bus).
16. Arizona: Made a good showing after barely making the tournament, and knocked out the Cleveland State Vikings when they couldn’t buy a bucket. Unfortunately, I think the tour ends here.
15. Xavier: Don’t know much about these guys, but they always have a solid team. If Pitt comes to play, they should take care of them.
14. Villanova: Squeaked through some early round games while basically playing at home. Now go to Boston to play Duke.
13. Michigan State: A Tom Izzo coached team is always going to have a shot, and this team is talented. However, I believe (and hope for my bracket) that they will have a hard time with reigning champs, Kansas.
12. Gonzaga: Very talented team, and the only mid-major left (if they can still be called that with their consistent success), but again, your tour ends here.
11. Missouri: Gutted out a great win against Marquette, but do they have another victory in them against the defending champs?
10. Pittsburgh: Even though I believe they will get past Xavier, they failed to pull away in the first 2 rounds against highly inferior teams. Unless they focus, I don’t see them going deep.
9. Purdue: I’ve been a fan of this team most of the season, and while I think this is where they belong on this list (and I have them beating UConn in my bracket), and I am not sure they will be able to handle them.
8. Kansas: They are the reigning champs, and while they don’t have the talent they did last year, they keep finding a way to win.
7. Duke: In what was meant to be a re-tooling year for the Blue Devils, they continue to overachieve. Will their luck run out soon, or can they give Coach K an 11th Final Four appearance?
6. Oklahoma: I am not particularly high on this team as a whole, but when you have the best player in college basketball, looking at you Mr. Blake Griffin, you always have a chance.
5. Connecticut: Create matchup problems for just about everyone, especially because of Hasheem Thabeet.
4. Memphis: My pick for tourney runner-up, John Calipari always has his team ready to play. Had a scare in the 1st round, which could be a sign of weakness, or exactly what this team need.
3. Syracuse: I really thought this team would be tired after essentially playing 4 games in the 3 days during the Big East tournament. They looked great in first 2 Rds though and should be even better rested this week. Johnny Flynn is a machine.
2. Louisville: Well-coached and talented team, have the ability to beat just about anyone when the step on the court except….
1. North Carolina: Man, this hurts to write. As a Duke fan, I hate to say anything nice about the Tar Heels. Therefore, I will write only in short statements. Hansborough. Coach Williams. Healthy Ty Lawson. 2009 Champs.
No comments:
Post a Comment