March Madness looms over men's b-ball

By Trey Warren, March 2010
Sports Editor

With March Madness looming over Division I basketball, many teams are fighting for the final spots on the tournament ladder. Others are fighting just to stay in the tournament.

College Basketball fans have had some surprises and shocks this year. Just like any other season, there are Cinderella teams that everyone roots for and teams who everyone goes against because they can’t be beat. One thing’s for sure; some teams weren’t expected to be where they are now.

Remember when Syracuse lost a scrimmage to Division II team Le Moyne? Syracuse was ranked No. 25 in the preseason poll when they were shocked by the tiny Roman-Catholic school. Funny thing is they started the regular season 13-0 before losing to Pittsburgh. The Orange improved to 24-1 before a loss to a struggling Louisville team on Feb. 14. After the embarrassing preseason stunner, Syracuse is now a potential No. 1 seed in the tournament.

The University of Connecticut played Syracuse in the 7-overtime thriller last year in the Big East Tournament and made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to Michigan State. This year has gone up-and-down, dropping to 12-6 before beating once No. 1 Texas. After falling out of the Top 25 with a 14-11 record, they knocked off No. 5 Villanova on President’s Day. The Huskies, although building a resume against top teams, are slowing fading out of the tournament picture.

Now to the ever disappointing North Carolina Tar Heels. Does anyone remember that they beat Michigan State by 17 points in the National Championship last year? It’s hard to believe that the defending champs are unranked and fighting for a tournament spot. For the first time under head coach Roy Williams, the Heels lost three games in a row. After ending the three game skid, they lost four games in a row. Now standing at 14-11, North Carolina stands little chance of making the tournament. They would need to win out the remainder of the regular season and win the ACC tournament; don’t bet on it.

Texas received its first ever No. 1 ranking in school history after Kansas was defeated by Tennessee. The Longhorns began their first reign at No. 1 with close wins over Iowa State and Texas A&M. Following their win against the Aggies, Texas ran into a brick wall, losing their next two games on the road against No. 9 Kansas state and No. 21 UCONN. After a win against Texas Tech, Baylor came to Austin and knocked off Texas in overtime. Texas continued its decent down the polls after beating Oklahoma State, they fell to Oklahoma and No. 1 Kansas. However, Texas might be over all the hype after dropping five of their last eight games by demolishing Nebraska 91-51.

Only two 1-loss teams remain in Division I basketball; Kansas and Kentucky. Kansas began the season ranked No.1 and remained that way till an undermanned Tennessee team snapped their 14-game winning streak. They have remained unscathed since then, winners of their last 10 games. The last team to challenge Kansas before the Big 12 championship is Kansas State, who nearly knocked off Kansas at home Jan. 30, but lost in overtime 81-79.

Kentucky was originally thought to go undefeated with freshman superstar John Wall leading the team. They took over the top spot after Texas was erased from the top of the list. The Wildcats first game as No. 1 was on the road against South Carolina. USC completely dominated the second half and beat a No. 1 team for the first time in school history 66-60. Just like Kansas, however, they haven’t lost since and are now ranked No. 2.

As of right now, it looks like Kansas, Kentucky, Purdue and Syracuse will be the four No. 1 seeds in the tournament. Marquette, Charlotte, St. Mary’s and Oklahoma State have the best chance to be the last four teams in, snatching 12 and 13 seeds. Big powers who will most likely miss out on March Madness are Florida, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. However, MSU can put a big checkmark on their resume with an upset in their upcoming game against No. 2 Kentucky.

Right now, the Big East, ACC and Big 12 conferences will offer the most teams to the tournament with seven. Then again, there is still season left to be played around the country. Remember the last time Kansas was a No. 1 seed in the tournament? They knocked off the undefeated Memphis Tigers in the National Championship two years ago. Kentucky hasn’t won the title since 1998. That was with a first time coach, Tubby Smith. John Calipari is a first year coach with Kentucky.