T3R College Hoops Style Week 7

1. UCONN Huskies (27-2, 15-2)
60 votes (3 first place votes)
Last week: W vs Notre Dame 72-65
This week: Saturday @ #3 Pitt
Saturday is for all the marbles. A UCONN win gains them another week at #1 in the Rant Rankings, #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Big East regular season title which brings the #1 seed in the Big East Tournament. Pitt exposed them in Hartford; will Calhoun’s whining about the officiating change how the game is played? I hope not, the first game played was the best basketball game I’ve seen this season.

2. North Carolina Tarheels (26-3, 12-3)
57 votes
Last week: W vs Georgia Tech 104-74, W @ Virginia Tech 86-78
This week: Sunday vs #6 Duke
This team is so talented, but they keep playing down to their opponents and squeaking out wins. How long will it take for the national media to remove the crown that was appointed to them at the start of the season?

3. Pitt Panthers (27-3, 14-3)
54 votes
Last week: W @ Seton Hall 89-78, W vs #13 Marquette 90-75
This week: Saturday vs #1 UCONN
This team is a legit national championship team. They have three starters who are arguably the best players in the country at their given position. They also are as deep, if not deeper than any team in the nation. Saturday against UCONN should be a fun one to watch. Maybe we will get Pitt-UCONN III in New York during the Big East Tournament.

4. Louisville Cardinals (24-5, 15-2)
49 votes
Last week: W vs Marquette 62-58, W vs Seton Hall 95-78
This week: Saturday @ West Virginia
This team had some bad losses early on, but can you think of any team that has been playing better in the past month? They have a chance at winning the Big East regular season and the BET. If they do that the Big East might have 3 #1-seeds come Selection Sunday.

4. Memphis Tigers (27-3, 15-0)
49 votes
Last week: W @ UAB 71-60, W vs Southern Miss 58-42, W @ Houston 69-60
This week: Saturday vs Tulane
Memphis replaced their three best players from last years NCAA runner-ups. They have won 57 straight in C-USA. These are both impressive, but they STILL do not play anyone. I give credit to Coach Cal for scheduling non-conference games like Syracuse, Georgetown, Xavier and Tennessee, but when you go 1-3 in those games then run through a terrible conference why should we be impressed? C-USA rankings 10th in conference RPI. That is behind the A-10 Mountain West, and Missouri Valley plus the big 6. Best RPI in the conference (minus Memphis) is UAB at 43. No other team is in the top 60 and eight of the 11 Memphis opponents in the conference are over 100.

6. Duke Blue Devils (25-5, 11-4)
45 votes
Last week: W @ Virginia Tech 72-65, W vs Florida State 84-81
This week: Sunday @ #1 North Carolina
This team might be one of Coach K’s best jobs. They do nothing that is overly impressive. They are not big; they are less athletic than most teams and play without a true point guard, yet they keep winning games.

7. Oklahoma Sooners (26-4, 12-3)
41 votes
Last week: W @ Texas Tech 78-63, L @ #10 Missouri 73-64
This week: Saturday vs Oklahoma State
Yeah, last week Blake Griffin was not at 100% so they got a pass for the two losses, but when Griffin goes for 16 points and 21 rebounds and they still lose someone else has to step up and make some plays to help the team. Then again the six turnovers by Griffin against Mizzou didn’t help causes either.

8. Villanova Wildcats (24-6, 12-5)
36 votes
Last week: L vs Georgetown 56-54, W @ Notre Dame 77-60
This week: Tonight vs Providence
Villanova keeps hanging around in the Big East and national picture. A win tonight gets them a much-needed 2-day bye in the Big East Tournament. This team can score, but not having size or a deep bench will hurt them in both the BET and the NCAA’s.

9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (23-5, 10-5)
34 votes
Last week: W vs NC State 85-78, W @ Virginia 70-60, W @ Maryland 65-63
This week: Sunday vs #14 Clemson
This team is about as bi-polar as Darryl Strawberry.

10. Missouri Tigers (25-5, 12-3)
33 votes
Last week: L @ #12 Kansas 90-65, W vs #7 Oklahoma 73-64
This week: Saturday @ Texas A&M
Live by the press, die by the press. Live by the 3, die by the 3. They did both this week versus Kansas and OU.

11. Michigan State Spartans (22-5, 12-3)
32 votes
Last week: W @ Illinois 74-66, W @ Indiana 64-59
This week: Sunday vs Purdue
Since this is the only Big Ten team ranked this is my only time to rail on the Big Ten. Let’s look at some numbers this season produced by the Big Ten. The Big Ten has exactly one more 80-point game in conference play (4) than 30-point games (3) and one of those 80-point games needed overtime to get there. The Big Ten has also had 18 other games this year in which a team could not reach the 50-point mark. Last night, in a match-up of bubble teams, Wisconsin made FOUR field goals in the first half. FOUR!! And this conference could get 7 or 8 teams into the NCAA’s?! They should be a 1-bid conference; every team minus MSU is a joke!

12. Kansas Jayhawks (24-6, 13-2)
25 votes
Last week: W vs #10 Missouri 90-65, L @ Texas Tech 85-65
This week: Saturday vs Texas
As impressive as the dismantling of Missouri was the loss last night to Texas Tech was that disappointing. Tech had two conference wins before that game, versus (1-14 Colorado and 5-10 Baylor)

13. Marquette Golden Eagles (23-7, 12-5)
20 votes
Last week: L @ #4 Louisville 62-58, L @ #3 Pitt 90-75
This week: Saturday vs Syracuse
Losing Dominic James hurts this team more than I expected. Without him in to shoot the gaps of the defense and penetrate, the teams offense runs completely around the 3-point line and ends with someone chucking up a bad shot. This is not a real good strategy come tournament time.

14. Clemson Tigers (23-6, 9-6)
19 votes
Last week: L @ Florida State 73-66, W vs Virginia 75-57
This week: Sunday @ #9 Wake Forest
So, does Oliver Purnell get a contract extension since the Tigers finally finished over .500 in the ACC after starting conference play undefeated?

15. Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-5, 14-0)
15 votes
Last week: W @ San Diego 58-47, W vs South Carolina Upstate 90-40
This week: Sunday WCC Semifinals
Hats off to Matt Bouldin keeping that ugly hippie style hair a legacy at Gonzaga. First Adam (pornstache) Morrison had it, then Sean Mallon, now Matt Bouldin.

15. Florida State Seminoles (22-8, 9-6)
15 votes
Last week: W vs #14 Clemson 73-66, L @ #6 Duke 84-81
This week: Sunday vs Virginia Tech
This team could be dangerous come tournament time. They have tons of athletes and seem to always get it down when people count them out.

Others receiving votes:
LSU 14, Washington 14, Xavier 10, Syracuse 7, UCLA 6, Arizona State 2, Purdue 2