T3R College Hoops Style Week 8

These are the final regular season rankings that I wanted to get out before the major conferences started their tournaments. The Rant will have two more rankings this hoops season, one next week before the start of the NCAA Tournament and one following the conclusion of the tournament.

1. North Carolina Tarheels (27-3, 13-3)
59 votes (2 first place votes)
Last week: W vs #8 Duke 79-71
This week: ACC Tournament
Winning 13 of 14 in the second best conference in the country is not a bad way to finish out the season. Lawson’s toe injury will be interesting to watch, he makes this team click, if he cannot go neither will the Heels.

2. Pitt Panthers (28-3, 15-3)
58 votes (1 first place vote)
Last week: W vs #3 UCONN 70-60
This week: Big East Tournament
Two wins over UCONN is nice. It will be interesting to see how this team plays out the Big East Tournament. People always complain that they get worn down by playing in the rugged Big East and that is why they get knocked out early in the NCAA’s. WWJDD? What Would Jamie Dixon Do?

3. UCONN Huskies (27-3, 15-3)
53 votes
Last week: L @ #2 Pitt 70-60
This week: Big East Tournament
You wonder what this team would be like with Jerome Dyson. There may have been no stopping the Huskies.

4. Memphis Tigers (28-3, 16-0)
49 votes
Last week: W vs Tulane 74-47
This week: C-USA Tournament
I wish people would stop comparing this years team to last years Memphis team. Last year they have veterans that could step up and play and probably the best freshman in the country. This year they have the leftovers from that team that were not good enough to go pro and another freshman PG. Although Tyreke Evans is pretty fun to watch.

5. Louisville Cardinals (25-5, 16-2)
49 votes
Last week: W @ West Virginia 62-59
This week: Big East Tournament
16 wins in the best conference in basketball is really good. I wish they didn’t have those three terrible losses early on, it would be fun to see 3 Big East teams as 1-seeds, I think those loses will prevent it from happening though.

6. Oklahoma Sooners (27-4, 13-3)
44 votes
Last week: W vs Oklahoma State 82-78
This week: Big XII Tournament
I am sure that I am not the only one that thinks Austin Johnson looks a heck of a lot like Steve Urkel. Lose the headband, throw some glasses on him and pull up his shorts, he is a splitting image of the guy!

7. Michigan State Spartans (25-5, 15-3)
42 votes
Last week: W vs Purdue 62-51
This week: Big Ten Tournament
Double edged sword here, if the Spartans win out should they be rewarded for beating up on a weak Big 6 conference? If they lose, should they be punished for NOT beating up on a weaker Big 6 conference?

8. Duke Blue Devils (25-6, 11-5)
38 votes
Last week: L @ #1 UNC 79-71
This week: ACC Tournament
A lack of bench and scorers will kill this team in the tournament. Against UNC, with Singler and Henderson on the bench with 3 minutes to go, Jon Scheyer was the team’s only option on offense. He cannot create for himself, and they have no one else to control the ball to run him off screens.

9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (24-5, 11-5)
35 votes
Last week: W vs #16 Clemson 96-88
This week: ACC Tournament
Really? The ACC and the NCAA could not come up with a better game to close out the regular season then Wake v Clemson on a terrible FSN broadcast?

10. Villanova Wildcats (25-6, 13-5)
34 votes
Last week: W vs Providence 97-80
This week: Big East Tournament
Jay Wright, the Big East coach of the year, never looks rattled in any situation. He seems to ooze confidence and his team plays with that same confidence.

11. Kansas Jayhawks (25-6, 14-2)
32 votes
Last week: W vs Texas 83-73
This week: Big XII Tournament
Has any coach in America done a better job this season then Bill Self? This guy wins a national championship, loses 4 of 5 starters and by January is playing like this team could contend for the title.

12. Washington Huskies (24-7, 14-4)
25 votes
Last week: W vs Washington State 67-60
This week: PAC-10 Tournament
Isaiah Thomas (no not that one), Justin Dentmon and Jon Brockman are a tough threesome to match-up against. They could surprise some teams in the middle rounds of the tournament.

13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-5, 14-0)
22 votes
Last week: W vs Santa Clara 94-59, W vs St. Mary’s 83-58
This week: NO GAMES SCHEDULED
I would still love to see Patty Mills and St. Mary’s play this team at full strength. When they matched up in February, Mills and the Gaels were up big and Mills had 18 in the 1st half before he broke his hand and missed 6 weeks.

14. Missouri Tigers (25-6, 12-4)
18 votes
Last week: L @ Texas A&M 96-86
This week: Big XII Tournament
Can Mizzou beat anyone, and I do mean ANYONE after a big win? This team is the Virginia Tech of the Midwest. They are capable of beating any top level team one game and laying an egg against a glorified C-USA team the next game.

14. Syracuse Orange (23-8, 11-7)
18 votes
Last week: W @ Marquette 86-79
This week: Big East Tournament
I think this team could be a scary team that makes a run. They are playing good basketball right now, and when they get out against teams not as familiar with them, they will cause problems. This could be another Big East team capable of making the Elite 8 or maybe further.

16. Clemson Tigers (23-7, 9-7)
19 votes
Last week: L @ #9 Wake Forest 96-88
This week: ACC Tournament
What will Clemson have more of, non-conference loses or NCAA Tournament wins?

Others receiving votes:
Florida State 12, UCLA 10, Marquette 7, LSU 4, Butler 3, Xavier 2