I have watched a lot of College Basketball this season and think I am starting to understand who the Top Teams are in the Country. Obviously a team or two could make huge improvements between now and March but I think there are 4 Teams that really standout amongst the rest.

Kansas -- they probably have the deepest team in the country. their starting 5 is really strong and they have a solid bench. kansas has good balance between the guards and low post players. kansas also has two excellent guards (henry and collins) and we all know in the tourney guards can determine a teams fate. their only possible weaknesses is i don't know if they have a "go to" guy on the team and I think their defense seems to dissapear at times. as good as collins and henry are at times i could see both of them getting locked up on the last play if they needed a shot. but i definately think we will see kansas in the final four because very few teams will be able to match their overall talent.

Villanova -- their guard play is off the charts. villanova can score points in bunches and they play 10 guys. villanova might lose a couple games in the big east but i think they are built for the ncaa tourney. their 3 and 4 guard lineups present big matchup problems for a lot of teams. scottie reynolds is a "go to" player and villanova has the ability to turn on the pressure. i think their weakness is if they play a team with size and athletism, villanova could really get exposed in the post by a team with athletic bigs. but at the end of the day I see villanova playing in the final four

Kentucky -- they probably have the most star power in college and has the best player in college (kentucky starts 3 NBA Lottery picks). kentucky is also the biggest team in the country, they average 6"7 and their team is very athletic. the wildcats have excellent guard play and 2 guys in the post that can score points on anyone. kentucky has shown their bench play is pretty solid as well. i think their main weakness is inexperience because their defense dissapears at times and they have shown vulnerability with big leads. but any time the games get close john wall takes over and no one has been able to stop him. kentucky should make it to the final four.

Texas -- whats not to like about this team, they have played a very strong schedule and have absolutely put the beatdown on their opponents. texas can score, score, and keeping scoring. they gets points from every position on the court and their mid range and low post game is impressive. texas plays 9 guys and they play smart basketball. their only weakness is of all the best teams in the country texas probably has the 4th best set of guards. i think some of their blowouts have been do to their opponents missing a lot of open shots (i say open shots because i don't think texas plays in your face defense, they try to control space). of the four teams I listed i think texas is the most vulnerable to be upset because of their guards and defensive play.

Good choices....

It'll also be interesting to see how many mid-majors are selected. Right now, these teams have RPIs in the top 40: Temple, Rhode Island; Butler; Gonzaga; New Mexico; No. Iowa; UNLV; UAB; Cornell; Dayton; St. Mary's; Marshall; Old Dominion; and San Diego St.. The Ivy League could potentially place two with Cornell and Harvard (RPI 53)

I think you are making a mistake leaving Syracuse off this list. This Orange team is one of the better offensive teams in the country (3rd in scoring, 1st in assists) and, unusually for a Syracuse squad, can go 8 deep with confidence. SU consistently leads the country in the effectiveness of its zone, and with guards at 6-3 and 6-4 and a long frontline of 6-7, 6-9, 6-9 they are athletic and very tough to score against. I was wary during the offseason with the loss of Jonny Flynn, but the addition of Wes Johnson has made up for it. I fully anticipate a Final Four run from SU this season.

Overlook my pitt squad, i like they're falling under the radar. The Cuse overlooked them look what happened.

Word...

I don't want to say it, because I can't don't like them, but Duke is very tough this year and as long as they have Coach K, they are a threat to make a deep run in the tourney.

My four would be Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, Texas

UK (not KU), TEX, CUSE, ZAGA are my favorites for the Final 4.

Quote: Originally Posted By ardthomp on 1/15/2010
I don't want to say it, because I can't don't like them, but Duke is very tough this year and as long as they have Coach K, they are a threat to make a deep run in the tourney.

My four would be Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, Texas

I second these choices. Gonzaga doesnt have the depth to make it that far. Villanova, Uconn, and Pitt will also be in the mix and each one could easily replace Duke. I think we have a solid Top 8 with Syracuse in there but Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, and Duke seem to be the frontrunners right now.

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Tier One - clear favorites to win the title (in order): Texas, Kansas, Kentucky

Tier Two - decent chance to make the Elite Eight, with a remote chance to win the tourney if they improve in a key area and/or get hot in late March (not in order ... but by conference): Duke (ACC); Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia (Big East); Purdue, Sparty (Big Ten); Kansas St. (Big 12).

Tier Three - no chance to win the tourney, but could make the Final Four if they make a big impovement in one (or more) areas that can be remedied between now and March (not in order): North Carolina (ACC); Georgetown, Louisville, Pitt (Big East); Ohio State (Big Ten); Missouri (Big 12); Ole Miss, Miss State, Vandy (SEC); Cal (Pac10) ... BYU (MWC), Dayton (A10), Butler (Hor), Gonzaga (WCC).

Quote: Originally Posted By alblack56 on 1/14/2010
Good choices....

It'll also be interesting to see how many mid-majors are selected. Right now, these teams have RPIs in the top 40: Temple, Rhode Island; Butler; Gonzaga; New Mexico; No. Iowa; UNLV; UAB; Cornell; Dayton; St. Mary's; Marshall; Old Dominion; and San Diego St.. The Ivy League could potentially place two with Cornell and Harvard (RPI 53)

The Ivy League has ZERO chance to get two teams in. If Cornell had beaten Kansas (which they were one stop away from doing ... and the pro-KU refs sure didn't help their cause either), then they could "potentially" get two teams in - and then only if Harvard/Cornell split their season series, have no other losses, and then the Crimson win the playoff game. But that didn't happen, so they aren't getting two teams in ... but its a nice story, and those two teams in particular are fun to watch.

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I think any of the Big East Teams can make a run, because all of them will enter the NCAA Tourney as tested teams. The Big East is incredible, there aren't any easy games in that conference. Syracuse, Pitt, Uconn, WVU, Villanova, whats not to like. But like I said previously, Villanova might not win the Big East, I just think they are best suited to win NCAA Tourney games.

One thing is for sure, no one will have to worry about the PAC 10 showing up for the NCAA tourney, what the heck has happened to the PAC 10. This is the worst I have seen the PAC 10 in a long long time.