Andrew's March Talk

We are getting to the time of year where teams are starting to think about March. I’ve been doing that also. So below is look at where teams currently are sitting in my opinion for the NCAA Tourney.

NOTE: These are not team rankings, but seeding’s based upon each team’s resume up to this point in the year.

NOTE: I only seeded up to the 8’s. I’ll rank more as we approach March.

1 Seeds

1. Syracuse – Still unbeaten and beating Duke gave them another quality win.

2. Arizona – Suffered a loss to Cal on Saturday, but they are still in good shape for a top seed. Of course, Brandon Ashley is out for the year, so that’s a major concern.

3. Florida – This team hasn’t lost in nearly two months, and those losses were with an incomplete team (injuries, suspensions, etc.). Plenty of good wins on the resume too.

4. Wichita State – Honestly, this team is a placeholder until the real fourth team steps up. Any losses in the regular season will hurt badly, and their wins won’t help much. A team like Kansas or Michigan State are more likely going to end up here.

2 Seeds

Michigan State – A loss to Georgetown over the weekend was bad, but that was without two starters. Both are expected back in next month, so they’ll be fine.

Villanova – Good RPI and only one loss in conference play. Non-conference wins will come in handy.

Kansas – Have played great basketball in conference play. If they win the Big 12 regular season and tourney, it will be hard to not give them a 1-seed.

Cincinnati – Unbeaten in the AAC, and that includes wins at Memphis and Louisville. The non-conference schedule will hurt however, which is why they have a low RPI.

3 Seeds

Creighton – #8 in RPI helps, as does the fact they’ve only lost once in the last two months. Their biggest win was a blowout at Villanova, whom they lead in the Big East standings.

Michigan – Undefeated in conference play until Saturday, but still have a number of great wins. That loss was also the first since McGary went down, which is the team that will be representing them in March.

San Diego State – This is a one-loss team, but it was a “good” loss to Arizona. I think they could easily be ranked higher. Like Wichita State though, they will fall victim to a small conference bias.

Duke – Their resume includes Top Ten RPI, solid wins, slim to none bad losses, and the fact they’ve played better throughout the year.

4 Seeds

Iowa – What hurts them is the computer numbers, but the eye test tells you this is a very good team. They have no bad losses whatsoever and do have some quality wins. Third in the Big Ten is an accomplishment too.

Iowa State – Good computer numbers, good wins, but they are 2-4 in their last six games. If they get back on track, this is a team that could be ranked as high as 2.

Texas – This is a team on the serious rise. Last five games: Won at West Virginia, Won against Iowa State, Won against Kansas State, Won at Baylor, and Won against Kansas. That’s simply impressive.

Kentucky – Tough call on the final 4-seed, but Kentucky’s win over Louisville ultimately pushed them into this spot. They do struggle on the road though.

5 Seeds

Louisville – What kills Louisville is a lack of resume wins. But, they don’t lose to bad teams either. Classic case of better record than computer numbers.

Virginia – They were a little shaky during the non-conference, but they’ve hit their stride in ACC play and are second in the conference standings.

Wisconsin – Opposite of Virginia, they were great in the non-conference and were considered a 1-seed in mid-January easy. Now they’ve lost 5 out of 6 in the rugged Big Ten. Tough to seed them due to that.

Oklahoma State – Inconsistency and injury have kept this team from a top seed. A game against Iowa State tonight will determine a lot.

6 Seeds

St. Louis – Lots of wins here, but against a lot of nobodies. They still have VCU twice, GW once, and at UMASS to end the season.

Connecticut – They have some good wins, weird losses, and then a lot of fluff. Game at Cincy this week will tell us something.

Ohio State – Just like Wisconsin above, they have some great wins, but they’ve played poorly of late losing 5 of 7 Big Ten games. The conference is tough, but it makes them tough to seed.

Memphis – Confusing team that can look great and horrible. They should be proud of their win at Louisville, and another against Oklahoma State.

7 Seeds

Pittsburgh – Top 25 RPI but they haven’t beaten many (any?) good teams. They lost both games this week when they had a chance.

Gonzaga – What I said about Pitt applies here. They don’t have many wins to hang their hat on, just a lot of mediocre wins. Game at Memphis Saturday can give them a win they need.

UCLA – Could have been much higher if they hadn’t just lost at Oregon State over the weekend. Still have some nice wins, including some on the road. Top 20 RPI helps.

Massachusetts – Seeded this team at 7, just above conference mates VCU and GW. Reason is due to a non-conference schedule that brought good wins and led to a Top Ten RPI (currently 10).

8 Seeds

VCU – Have good wins but also bad losses. They’ve played better recently, but against lesser competition. Games against GW, UMASS, and St. Louis are key.

George Washington – Solid resume but an injury to one of their best players has hurt in conference play slightly. Need to finish strong.

New Mexico – Their win over Cincy looks better and better, but that’s really all they have. Two matchups with SD State are still to come.

Southern Miss – This is another typical year for Southern Miss… Lots of wins but not any that matter. Due to that, tough to seed. They’ll stay here until they lose, or a team below gets another quality win.

Also Considered: North Carolina, Kansas State, LSU, Oregon, Colorado, Missouri, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Tennessee

By: The Sports Guys