First, I'm working on a new layout to try to make this place look a little less like every other blog out there.
Second, I think the format is going to change a little. While I will still occasionally write long opinion pieces, I'm going to be posting more often, and in shorter bursts in the hopes that this will keep the blog fresher, and that it will keep me engaged so that it won't fall to the back burner like it did last year.
Alright, without further ado, lets talk some college ball.
For those of you who don't know, I will put my biases out there. I am a Syracuse fan. Have been since I was little and my unfortunately small stature made the 2-3 zone my favorite thing ever. I also liked Duke growing up, i know, i know...ew...but what can ya do. Anyway, that has waned and while I still love Coach K, my abject disgust when forced to watch Greg Paulus play point guard was enough to turn me off them for good. I also have a soft spot for the Memphis Tigers...but, well...maybe next year that will matter a bit more.
This season already has obviously been a lot of fun for me. Cuse is 21-1 and ranked very highly. (#4 ESPN, #3 AP) And while their are plenty of candidates for the best team so far, it is very difficult to pick one that stands out above the rest. Unlike last year when North Carolina looked head and shoulders the best team in the country there is no obvious number 1 this year. Fear not, however, I'm going to break down the top four contenders and let you all know who will be #1 when we enter the tournament in March.
Contender #1 - The Kansas Jayhawks
There are a lot of reasons to like this team. First of all, their coach has a championship, at this school. Second, his star player...was huge in that championship win. I think the thing that separates Kansas is their experience. Unlike the other contenders they have been there before, and not only have gotten close, but have reached the summit.
Kansas has four players averaging double figures. They have a true go to guy in Sherron Collins and a true big man in the middle in Cole Aldrich. They had a great out of conference schedule that included wins against Memphis, UCLA, Cal and a blowout win at Temple. None of these schools are big time final four caliber schools this year, however, and after Kansas' loss to a depleted Tennessee their was legitimate reason to wonder if maybe they weren't quite the team we though they were. But with their hard fought overtime victory this Saturday at Kansas State I think Kansas has shown that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Kansas plays Texas next Monday night in Austin. If they win that game I see no reason to think they wont remain a one loss team through the end of the regular season.
Contender #2 - The Villanova Wildcats
I'm gonna be honest here. I haven't watched a lot of Villanova this year and they are the probably the one of the four I know the least about. But from what I have seen I think they play simmilarly enough to how they have in the previous 19 seasons Scottie Reynolds has been on the team that I can break them down a little.
One thing I really like about Villanova is that they have upperclassmen carrying the load. 5 of their top 6 scorers are Juniors or Seniors. Their best player, Scottie Reynolds has seemingly been their since the University was founded and has played in countless big games whether they be in the Big East or the Tournament. Villanova is deep and of course, as a big east team they play physical tough defense.
Villanova did not have a particularly tough out of conference schedule. Their best early wins came against Dayton and Maryland. Early on their was some voiced concern from analysts that Nova were pretenders. A 10 point loss to Temple and a couple of squeakers with Marquette did nothing to quiet these rumblings. Recent wins at Lousiville and against Georgetown have shown that Nova is the real deal, however, and deserving of their high national ranking.
The telling stretch for Villanova's season is about to begin. Over the course of their next 8 games they play at Georgetown, at West Virginia, at Pitt and at Syracuse. And sprinkled in with those games...home games against a tough Seton Hall team and an always game Connecticut Husky squad. I think by the end of this stretch the nation will know for sure that Nova is one hell of a basketball team, but I don't see them surviving that stretch unscathed. I think they end up dropping two and falling just a little.
Don't count them out come tourny time though.
Contender #3 - The Syracuse Orange
So, who saw this coming...no one. Well, no one other than Jim Boeheim. Syracuse lost more than 40 points from their starting line up last year. Their super star point guard Johnny Flynn is playing for the Timberwolves. They were picked to finish sixth in the Big East. And yet, here they are, on February 1, at 21-1.
Syracuse started the year with low national expectations and a surprisingly tough out f conference schedule. They started the year rattling off 13 consecutive victories. Including wins over Cal, UNC and Florida. They lost their first game to an upstart Pitt team and it looked like some of the luster might be gone. The orange bounced back, however, and currently have won 8 straight including wins over Georgetown and Memphis and a big victory in Morgantown over West Virginia.
Syracuse's success has been keyed by several factors. The most obvious one has been the outstanding season turned in so far by super-transfer Wesley Johnson. Not expected to be much of an impact player at Syracuse, Johnson has not only exceeded expectations, but has vaulted into the talk for Big East player of the year. He leads the team in scoring and rebounding and has been their best three point shooter (percentage wise). In addition to Johnson, the key to Syracuse's has been improvement. Andy Rautins, now two years removed from a serious knee injury looks like an entirely different player from when he entered the Cuse. He has added weight and and with it toughness. Everyone knew he could shoot, but now he is a much more complete player. Rick Jackson has also taken a hug step forward this year, having greatly improved both as a scorer around the basket and also as a shot blocker on the defensive end.
I think what may separate Cuse from the other top teams is their depth. Behind the starting 5 of Triche, Rautins, Johnson, Onuaku, and Jackson sit two true contributors. Scoop Jardine has shown great improvement to his game and has had a big impact on the team in several games where the starters struggled to get it going early. Also coming off the the bench is Kris Joseph, who now gives Cuse an explosive driver off the bench. After some early season jitters he has settled into his role and is now averaging more than 10 points a game for the Orange.
While things seem good for the orange, this past saturday's game where they had to come back from 18 down against the lowly Blue Demons of DePaul shows that this is still a Syracuse team and they can not always be trusted to play their best. Combine that with the murderer's row that is the Big East Schedule and it seems likely at least one more game gets dropped before the season is over.
Contender #4 - The Kentucky Wildcats
I think without a doubt if you were ranking these teams on talent alone Kentucky would be your #1. John Wall is ridiculous. Bledsoe can score like crazy. Cousins is a man child. Oh, and did I forget to mention...PATRICK PATTERSON IS STILL ON THIS TEAM. Add to that, 0 time Final Four coach (technically its true...check the record books) John Calipari and you have a team thats very hard to bet against.
Kentucky has wins over UNC, UConn, Louisville, Florida and Vandy. They were the last team in the country to lose and they have a coach that always seems to get the most out of his players. Some questions, however, remain unanswered.
This is a team of Freshman. Other than the veteran Patterson most of the teams contributions come from unproven players who have yet to experience the pressure of the tournament. While I believe they are the most talented team its still uncertain how they will react to true adversity. John Wall has been sensational at the end of close games, but do the rest of the players rely too heavily on him to get the job done.
Only time will tell. Kentucky still has two games against Tennessee and a trip to Vandy before they finish out their year. I think Vandy clips them in their gym.
Conclusion
So, how does this all shake out. In the end, it doesn't really matter. Unless one of these teams really underachieves in this last month I think you are looking at the four number one seeds in March. If you were to force me to put them in order I would have to say that as we enter the Conference Tournaments the top four will be... 1. Kansas, 2. Syracuse, 3. Kentucky and 4. Villanova.
Regardless of how things actually shake out I think its exciting to have four teams at the top, each with different strengths and flaws. For the first time in a long time, I'm rooting for all the top seeds (assuming these are the four) to meet in Indianapolis to vie for the National Championship.
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