As if it hasn't been said enough: Wow, the country is not good.
Or maybe it is --- for those piling up losses and still praying for their postseason prayers to be answered. Kentucky, Villanova, Saint Joseph's and Maryland all lost yesterday, the latter two after blowing double-digit leads in the second half.
Teams that could have helped their at-large profiles on Saturday and instead trudged away from the wreckage of a loss included Kent State, West Virginia, Florida (at home to Mississippi State), Wake Forest, Ohio State, Southern Illinois (at home against Illinois State) and Syracuse.
(To give some credit, Arkansas, Mississippi, Massachusetts and UAB all won. Bully for them.)
Still, that's a lot of teams losing. If the NCAA tournament was a game of poker, there'd be someone sitting at the table feeling pretty good about having a pair of twos. And that's not good in the slightest.
Not surprisingly, filling out a top 25 ballot was more difficult this week. Coming up with the next 20 teams was even more draining. Thank goodness this exercise will be done only two more times this season.
1. North Carolina (27-2)
2. Tennessee (26-3)
3. Memphis (28-1)
4. UCLA (26-3)
5. Kansas (26-3)
6. Texas (24-5)
7. Duke (25-3)
8. Stanford (24-4)
9. Xavier (25-4)
10. Wisconsin (24-4)
11. Georgetown (24-4)
12. Louisville (24-6)
13. Purdue (23-6)
14. Connecticut (23-6)
15. Butler (27-3)
16. Vanderbilt (24-5)
17. Michigan State (23-6)
18. Indiana (24-5)
19. Notre Dame (22-6)
20. Gonzaga (23-6)
21. Marquette (21-7)
22. South Alabama (25-5)
23. Mississippi State (20-8)
24. Washington State (22-7)
25. Drake (25-4)
26. Davidson (23-6)
27. Clemson (21-7)
28. St. Mary's (24-5)
29. Miami (20-8)
30. Pittsburgh (20-8)
31. Massachusetts (19-9)
32. Southern California (18-10)
33. Brigham Young (23-6)
34. Kansas State (18-10)
35. Baylor (20-8)
36. Virginia Commonwealth (23-6)
37. Texas A&M (21-8)
38. Oklahoma (19-10)
39. Kent State (23-6)
40. Illinois State (22-8)
41. UNLV (22-6)
42. Arkansas (19-9)
43. West Virginia (20-9)
44. Arizona (17-12)
45. Western Kentucky (22-6)
--- Patrick Stevens
Comments (5)
I can't see Maryland on this list. Can you maybe put them in a BOLD RED font, so it's easier to find? Thank you.
-Daggered in DC
PS: I still want a gold #22 jersey.
Posted by Bill OB | March 3, 2008 12:25 PM
Bill OB ---
It will take quite a bit for Maryland to make this list again this season, even with quite a bit of mediocrity near the end of the list.
But no matter what, the reference to the comments from last week are appreciated. It could wind up being tough to bold a team name that might not even be on tomorrow's bracket projection (though, lamentably for the state of teams around the nation, very well might be even after last night's collapse).
Posted by Patrick Stevens | March 3, 2008 12:57 PM
Man alive! Please do not bold any teams, especially Maryland. We all want to read about every team and no local team should be highlighted. This is not a local bracket. This is a national bracket. You want only local coverage, go to Valpo and watch Homer Drew run the picket fence all day long.
Posted by bradley | March 3, 2008 1:29 PM
Rest assured, there will be no bolded teams.
Posted by Patrick Stevens | March 3, 2008 3:07 PM
B-Rad,
If you take a close look at this list, there is no Maryland to bold, make red, italicize, or make all blinky because of the events that transpired last night. I will be sure to note all sarcasm in future posts so there will be no confusion. I am very sorry for this misunderstanding and hope you accept my apology.
-Sorry in Southwest
PS: Maryland will always be bold in my heart
Posted by Bill OB | March 3, 2008 4:44 PM