The Super Bowl is officially over America. Somehow, we are supposed to survive the monotony of our daily lives for the next seven to eight months without football waiting for us on the weekends. I guess we could spend more times with our wives, girlfriends, families, friends, neighbors, or whatever other people I am leaving out, but I have a better suggestion.
Become consumed by college basketball (I would say pro basketball, but I prefer my athletes to actually try their hardest before the playoffs – silly me).
Sure, it’s never going to replace the thrill of watching your favorite teams on Sunday or singing your school’s fight song on Saturday, but it beats being an actual productive person who lives up to his or her responsibilities. It also beats sitting at your computer screen and constantly pressing the refresh button on the Eagles or Cowboys message boards, anxiously awaiting VickFan36’s 140 character take on the upcoming NFL Combine.
There may even be some things you like.
Become consumed by college basketball (I would say pro basketball, but I prefer my athletes to actually try their hardest before the playoffs – silly me).
Sure, it’s never going to replace the thrill of watching your favorite teams on Sunday or singing your school’s fight song on Saturday, but it beats being an actual productive person who lives up to his or her responsibilities. It also beats sitting at your computer screen and constantly pressing the refresh button on the Eagles or Cowboys message boards, anxiously awaiting VickFan36’s 140 character take on the upcoming NFL Combine.
There may even be some things you like.
For one, there are games on every single night. Instead of watching washed up coaches and players on NFL Live six days a week while waiting for your team’s lone game on Sunday, you can get caught up in actual games every night. Plus, since the majority of games are in the evening, you don’t have to worry about choosing between church and the pregame on Sundays (no, watching Tebow doesn’t count as going to church). Unlike football, which – admit it – takes up the entirety of your waking weekend hours, college basketball games typically last about two hours, leaving more time to go shopping with your honey or actually acknowledge the existence of your kids. Hooray!
So, since I have undoubtedly convinced you to follow college basketball, I say welcome. You are just in time – the tournament starts next month, and the conference championship races are just beginning to heat up. As a welcome to the neighborhood gift, let me provide you with a quick primer to get you caught up. Below is my take on who the nation’s top eleven teams are, as well as three intriguing teams that need to get their act together if they hope to make the tournament. Why eleven? Because everyone does the top ten, so this is wildly original.
The Undisputable Top Eleven (until next week’s games change everything)
1. Kentucky – It may pain me to say this, but for the time being there isn’t really anyone else to consider for the top spot. Granted, the Wildcat schedule is lackluster at best, but they have basically eviscerated everyone in their way. And they have done so with a roster stacked with future NBA prospects. Rumor is, Calipari didn’t even have to fake anyone’s SAT scores this year either, so if they do win the whole thing, it may actually count.
2. Syracuse – There isn’t much to say about the Orange. They beat everyone they play, even if it isn’t always done so impressively. As long as Fab Melo keeps his grades on the same level as his awesome name, the Cuse will be a tough out in March.
3. The Ohio State University – Feel free to call me a homer if you want, but the Buckeyes are the best team in the best conference, so they deserve this spot. After all, that has to count for something. With one of the nation’s top two big men (along with Kansas’ Thomas Robinson) in Jared Sullinger, and Aaron Craft playing shut down defense, Ohio State poses a matchup problem for almost every team they play. Just ask Duke, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, or Wisconsin.
4. North Carolina – Yea, yea they just lost at home to Duke and they got absolutely tomahawked (pun intended) by Florida State, but the Tar Heels are stacked. They lead the nation in points per game and rebounds per game, and are fourth in assists per game. I’d say those are important stats in basketball. Two of North Carolina’s four losses were by one point each to Kentucky and Duke – two teams on this list – and nobody wants to deal with a roster full of future lottery picks in the tournament.
5. Missouri – I don’t know how I feel about Missouri. They are capable of losing to a horrible Oklahoma State team and beating a great Kansas team all in the course of four games. That means the Tigers will probably wreck your office pool bracket no matter how far you pick them to go. Guess you’ll never beat the girl who picks based on how cute the mascot is.
6. Michigan State – Tom Izzo has another roster full of tough nosed players who rebound everything in sight. Nothing to see here.
7. Duke – I hate them. America hates them. Doesn’t mean they aren’t a dangerous team capable of beating anyone when they are hitting on all cylinders. Doesn’t mean it changes the fact that they suck.
8. Kansas – Kansas has Thomas Robinson. Your team doesn’t. Good luck.
9. UNLV – This may be a bit high for the Rebels, but three of their four losses were on the road to good Wisconsin, Wichita State, and San Diego State teams. Plus, they beat North Carolina in a November matchup that you surely missed while eating too much turkey. They have a balanced attack that doesn’t rely on only one scorer and should put a scare in some higher seeds come March.
10. San Diego State – See what I did there? I put the two mid majors right next to each other. That’s cutting edge stuff. The Aztecs get the coveted position in my rankings over Murray State because I simply do not believe a team that loses at home to Tennessee State is a top eleven team. The Aztecs battled Baylor tough, already have 20 wins, and beat UNLV. They are a legitimate threat that nobody seems to be talking about. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
11. Georgetown – The last spot came down to the Hoyas or Baylor, but unless Brittney Griner is switching from the women’s team to the men’s, I would take Georgetown head to head. Georgetown’s three point loss at Syracuse was just as impressive as any of Baylor’s wins, so I’m giving the nod to the Hoyas.
Bubble-licious
Xavier – The Musketeers may be one of the more fascinating teams in all of college basketball this season. They climbed into the top ten in December and appeared to be hitting on all cylinders as they annihilated their cross-town rival Cincinnati Bearcats. However, the two rivals ended their game with a season staining brawl that involved cleared benches, sucker punches, and all out kicks to the face. The post game press conference even involved Xavier’s star players calling themselves gangsters (for the record, I don’t think gangsters lose to Oral Roberts, LaSalle, and Hawaii). In the perfect world, the loser of next year’s game between Xavier and Cincinnati, which is called the Skyline Chili Cross-town Shootout, would have to actually eat Skyline Chili as punishment for this year’s fight. Anyway, ever since the brawl, the Musketeers have not been the same, going 8-8 and losing a number of head scratchers. With a handful of games remaining against weaker Atlantic 10 competition, Xavier needs to rediscover its pre-brawl form.
Long Beach State – Perhaps nobody played an out of conference schedule quite like the 49ers. Long Beach State played at Pittsburgh, at San Diego State, at Louisville, at Kansas, at North Carolina, and against Xavier in Hawaii. While they only went 2-4 in that stretch (with wins against Pittsburgh and Xavier), the 49ers played all of these powerhouse teams tough. But because Long Beach State plays in the incredibly soft Big West, going undefeated in conference play is not enough to guarantee a spot in the bracket. I hope they get in though, because they are certainly capable of pulling off a monumental first round upset (maybe it can be against Duke. Wouldn’t that be nice?)
Northwestern – America’s sweethearts. The little (and smart) engine that could. The Wildcats are the only major conference team to have never made the NCAA Tournament. Plus, they wear purple. All convincing reasons why you should be cheering for them. Northwestern doesn’t have any terrible losses or great wins, outside of its stunning victory over Michigan State. At a middle of the road 15-8, the Wildcats are as bubble-licous as a team can be in mid-February. Hopefully, they will figure out some statistical formula, mastering the complexities of the game, allowing them to win the majority of their remaining matchups (aka beat everyone except Ohio State) and finally make the tournament.
So now you are somewhat caught up to what you have missed during football season. I may do this again, I may not. Guess you’ll just have to keep visiting the blog to find out.
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