The
regular season is finally done. And this will be my last poll until the
postseason is complete. Some teams finished strong. Some floundered down the
stretch. In fact, the last two weeks have been so screwy that it took me
forever to determine my last five teams in these rankings. What it came down to
was the eye test (my eyes) and what teams were playing well right now to
deserve those last spots. Of course, we’ll see in the conference tourney, which
teams are for real, and the NCAA Tourney will be the biggest factor. I didn’t
ranking Michigan State due to their collapse recently, but now that they are
healthy, they could honestly still win the whole thing! We’ll see…
NCAA Top 25 – 3/10/14 – End of Regular Season
NOTE:
Previous ranking in first parenthesis.
1. (1) Florida Gators (29-2,
18-0)
No
team in the SEC has ever gone undefeated in conference play, until now. Florida
is playing great basketball and is the best team in the country for yet another
week. Assuming they win their conference tourney, they will also be the #1
overall seed in the NCAA Tourney next week.
2. (2) Wichita State
Shockers (34-0, 18-0)
Wichita
State has already completed their regular season and conference tourney. And as
you can see, they still haven’t been beaten. They will enter the NCAA Tourney
as the first unbeaten team since 1991. No team has won the tourney unbeaten
since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. They will be a 1-seed for sure, but can they
finish the job?
3. (4) Arizona Wildcats
(28-3, 15-3)
Despite
losing their last game to Oregon, Arizona continues to finish the season
strong. They have fully recovered since the Ashley injury, which is an
impressive feat. I consider them a strong favorite in the Pac-12 tourney this
week and will likely be the third 1-seed next week.
4. (9) Villanova Wildcats
(28-3, 16-2)
It’s
been an amazing season for Villanova, considering that they’ve only lost to two
teams total this season. Better hope they don’t face Creighton in the Big East
Tourney though, as they have been blown out by them twice. They are great
against all other teams however.
5. (12) Louisville Cardinals
(26-5, 15-3)
Louisville
has been a different team over the last few weeks. After struggling against
ranked teams all season, they beat down SMU and Connecticut to close out the
year. They will enter March Madness hot, just as they did a year ago. Will it
be enough?
6. (6) Virginia Cavaliers
(25-6, 16-2)
Virginia
ended up winning the ACC by two games, despite a loss yesterday to Maryland.
They are the favorites to win the ACC Tourney obviously, and if they do they
may grab that fourth 1-seed. A loss takes them out of the running however.
7. (15) Michigan Wolverines
(23-7, 15-3)
Michigan
ended the season very strong and won the Big Ten by a whopping three games! Due
to a poor non-conference, I’m unsure if they can get to the 1-line in the NCAA
Tourney, but I’d think they’d at least grab a 2-seed.
8. (7) Duke Blue Devils
(24-7, 13-5)
Duke
has ended the season fairly strong, and I consider them a definite Final Four threat.
Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood are a lethal combination, and they are surrounded
by a plethora of shooters and solid role players.
9. (11) Cincinnati Bearcats
(26-5, 15-3)
Cincy
won the new AAC in a tie with Louisville. They’ve played well above what was
expected of them this season, and it starts with a suffocating defense.
Kilpatrick carries them offensively and is a guy that is likely on my
All-American 1st Team.
10. (14) Wisconsin Badgers
(25-6, 12-6)
Despite
a tough loss yesterday at Nebraska, Wisconsin has played well again over the
last month of the season after a mid-season lull. They finished second in the
tough Big Ten, and a Big Ten Championship (tourney) will get them a top 2-seed.
11. (20) San Diego State
Aztecs (27-3, 16-2)
After
the embarrassing loss to New Mexico, San Diego State regrouped and hasn’t lost
since. They got revenge on the Lobos Saturday, and won the Mountain West
outright.
12. (3) Syracuse Orangemen
(27-4, 14-4)
So
after a 25-0 start to the year, Syracuse has now lost 4 of 6 games. Tough
stretches occur with every team, but it’s somewhat concerning when it takes
place at the end of the season like this.
13. (5) Kansas Jayhawks
(23-8, 14-4)
Congrats
to Kansas on another Big 12 title, but what I just said about Syracuse applies
here as well. Granted, the last two games were without Embiid, but they still
don’t embody an elite team. Eight losses is a lot for a team wanting to be a
1-seed. In fact, no team with that many losses has ever been one.
14. (16) North Carolina
(23-8, 13-5)
UNC
ended the year hot despite a loss at Duke Saturday. They are a big wildcard in
March Madness because they’ve proven they can beat and lose to anyone this
season. Marcus Paige could be the most improved player in the country, and he’s
got to be considered for ACC Player of the Year.
15. (8) Creighton Bluejays
(24-6, 14-4)
Creighton
gave away their chance at winning the Big East with some poor losses recently,
but they still finished second and are actually my favorites to win the Big East
Tourney. Doug McDermott recently passed 3,000 career points and is now 7th
all-time.
16. (10) St. Louis Billikens
(26-5, 13-3)
Just
as I moved them into my Top Ten, they drop 3 of 4 games. They were due for a
letdown eventually, so I’m glad they at least closed the year by winning at
UMASS.
17. (19) New Mexico Lobos
(24-6, 15-3)
New
Mexico gave away the game to San Diego State, but this is still a team I love
come March Madness. They won’t be seeded as high as last season (3-seed), but I
actually like them better than that team.
18. (24) Oklahoma Sooners
(23-8, 12-6)
Oklahoma
finished second in the tough Big 12 with a great close to the year. They have a
lot of versatile players that make them tough to defend. How high they are
seeded though depends on the Big 12 Tourney.
19. (NR) Oregon Ducks (22-8,
10-8)
This
was a team ranked in the Top Ten after a 13-0 start to the season. After a
mid-season meltdown, they have now won 7 games in a row including a win over
Arizona to close out the year. They are a lock for the tourney once again, and
can improve their seed with a good Pac-12 Tourney performance.
20. (NR) VCU Rams (24-7,
12-4)
VCU
just missed tying for the A-10 championship and finished one game back. They
did however end the year nicely and once again will be a scary team to face in
the NCAA Tourney.
21. (18) Iowa State Cyclones
(23-7, 11-7)
It’s
been an up and down last month or so for Iowa State, but they at least
responded Saturday with a hard fought win over a surging Oklahoma State squad.
I’ll be interested to see if they can regain their elite form this week.
22. (NR) Nebraska
Cornhuskers (19-11, 11-7)
Don’t
know if any other publications would rank Nebraska, but they deserve it and
pass my eye test. They finished fourth in the Big Ten with an 11-7 record (only
1 game back from second place), and have closed the season winning 8 of 9
games. That stretch included wins against Wisconsin, at Michigan State, and at
Indiana among others. That doesn’t include earlier wins over Ohio State and Minnesota.
This team is a lock for the NCAA Tourney now, and Petteway deserves some
national recognition cause he’s a player.
23. (17) Ohio State Buckeyes
(23-8, 10-8)
Similar
to some other teams, they didn’t end the year playing their best, but at least
they beat Michigan State on Senior Day yesterday. They finished fifth in the
Big Ten and need a good Big Ten Tourney to improve their mediocre seed.
24. (NR) Memphis Tigers (23-8,
12-6)
Memphis
regains a ranking after some good play recently. They swept Louisville this
season, which is awesome, and they ended the season beating a ranked SMU team.
25. (NR) Oklahoma State
Cowboys (20-11, 8-10)
Here
is the most controversial ranked team I have this week. This is a team that you
can see didn’t even finish .500 in their conference. BUT, I’m taking into
account that three of their losses were played without Marcus Smart. And they
also struggled after Cobbins got injured for the year and Stevie Clark was
dismissed from the team. But since Smart returned and they’ve recovered from
the other losses, they ended the year winning 4 of 5, including wins over a
full strength Kansas team and Kansas State. The only loss in those games was an
OT loss at Iowa State, a game Iowa State had to hit a 30-footer in just to force
that overtime. So the have passed my eye test over the last couple weeks to
grab this final spot in the rankings.
Dropped from Previous Top
25: Kentucky
Wildcats, Michigan State, Iowa Hawkeyes, Southern Methodist Mustangs, Texas
Longhorns
Also Considered: Connecticut, Baylor,
George Washington, Massachusetts, Harvard, Kansas State, Pittsburgh, UCLA,
Tennessee, Gonzaga, Stephen F. Austin
By:
The Sports Guys
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