Madness on the Horizon



New Orleans will add to it's prominent hosting
resume when the Final Four comes to town

 It seems like it was just here yesterday. It feels as if Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies completed their miracluous run through March only a few weeks ago. Man how time flies! After yet another exciting football season we have seen an equally gratifying NCAA Basketball season as well. Today marks the beginning of the final week of the regular season before conference tournament play begins middle of next week. I have watched a lot of college basketball this season and when I say a lot I mean a whole lot people. Now, I am not claiming to be an expert of college basketball by any means but I like to believe I understand the difference between bad and good basketball as well as which teams can possibly make a run late in March. But, hey they don't call it March Madness for nothing right? Anything can happen! It's why they play the game baby!

Michigan St. and North Carolina faced off in the first ever
Carrier Classic aboard the USS Carl Vinson where UNC
claimed the victory 67-55

This season of college basketball hasn't been as wild as ones in the recent past. We've had some upsets here and there, good ole buzzer beaters to keep us enjoying the season but all in all I think we have just seen some really good basketball. There have been some very high quality basketball games this season. Let's review what has happened this year. Kicking off the season in dramatic fashion was the inaugural Carrier Classic in San Diego, CA on board the USS Carl Vinson. This was a wonderful event to have during the early stages of the season. The armed forces were well represented and the game a was between to powerhouse schools, UNC and Michigian St. The Tar Heels played very well and took a W back to Chapel Hill. A week and a half later a star studded field took the trip to Maui, Hawaii for the annual Maui Invitational. teams invloved were Michigan, Memphis, Tennessee, Duke, Kasas, Georgetown and UCLA. Some great basketball was on display but none better than the championship game between Kansas and Duke. Back and forth they went till a wild 3-point shot by Tyler Thornton sealed the victory for Duke. The early season tournaments and holiday tournaments were in full effect and we saw some great basketball to begin the season.

In early December no. 1 Kentucky took its unblemished record on its first road test of the season in Bloomington, IN to face the up and coming Indiana Hoosiers. This was one of the most well played games of the year on both sides in front of a jam packed standing room only crowd at Assembly Hall. Indiana had a 1 point lead at half and really had to earn a victory over the top ranked Wildcats, enjoy video below:

Throughout the conference play season it has been back in forth. Syracuse and Kentucky have both been more than dominant in their respective conferences. Syracuse holds a 16-1 Big East record while Kentucky boasts an unblemished 14-0 SEC record. Both will claim regulars season conference crowns. In other power conferences things are a little tight. In the Big 12 Kansas and Missouri have played two epic ballgames with wild comebacks by both teams on their homecourts to win. But, Kansas holds a 2 game lead going into the last week with a 14-2 conference record. Up in the Big Ten the Michigan State Spartans have been hot over the last month and more to claim a 2 game lead (13-3) as well over Ohio State and Michigan both at 11-5. The tightest race belongs to the ACC where Duke and North Carolina both hold a 12-2 record going intot he final week. Assuming they both win their early game this week we will have an unofficial regular season conference championship game in Durham this Saturday between the two. Speaking of good finishes thus far this year, Duke-UNC part 1 was epic. The Dukies found themselves down 10 with just over 2 min. remaining and put together a furious rally that ended like this:

Needless, to say it has been quite the season thus far and the best part is that the absolute best is yet to come. Conference tournament week is always vastly overlooked leading up to the Big Dance but it is one of my favorites of the season. Cinderella stories are sometimes written early, see Georgia just a few short seasons ago and UConn just last year who rode their high all the way to a National Championship victory. But, soon it will be Selection Sunday and the field will be set. It's time now for me to list my favorites and other teams that could make a run to the Final Four in New Orleans. So, here we go.

Favorites

Syracuse:  The Syracuse Orange have been ridiculously good this season with their only loss coming at Notre Dame. Led by Kris Joseph, Dion Waiters, Fab Melo and Scoop Jardine the Orange have handled all the competition thrown its way this season. They beat a good Florida team early this season in non conference play and handled several ACC foes as well. Other highlights are wins over Marquette, Louisville, Georgetown and the defending champion UConn Huskies twice. They also get to face Louisville again before the conference tournament. They have been tested and have been brilliant in close games. Jospeh and Waiters lead the team in PPG with 14 and 12 respectively. Fab Melo is their workhorse on the boards averaging 6 a game and is just a dominant inside presence. But Jardine is the one who makes this team go dishing out over 5 dimes a game. They could still get the overall number 1 seed and I'd be shocked to not see them in New Orleans.



Anthony Davis leads the NCAA
with 139 blocks

Kentucky:  John Calipari has once again put together a star studded team led by Freshmen for the majority. Led by monster big man Anthony Davis in the paint, the Wildcats have amassed a 28-1 record with the only blemish being the aforementioned buzzer beater to Indiana. Anthony Davis leads UK in rebounds (9.8), points (14.3), and blocks (4.8) per game. He is in contention for National Player of the Year and could very well get it. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Doron Lamb are excellent options for Marquis Teague to dish to during a ballgame. This team has been pushed this season as well with wins against Kansas, Louisville and North Carolina. The SEC is down for the most part but they have dominated the whole way. The real question is can Calipari finally get a Freshmen-heavy Kentucky team to the title game and win it? He's come close in the past few years but has fallen short. But most would argue, and I will agree, that this is his best team he's had at UK.

Kansas:  The Jayhawks have had a very successful season once again under Bill Self. They have shown yet again that they are the team to beat in the Big 12. At 24-5 Kansas has been solid all season with just a few slip ups. They have beaten both Baylor and Kansas State twice this season and split with highly ranked Missouri. Their non-conference schedule was top notch as well where they beat Georgetwon and Ohio State but suffered losses to North Carolina and Duke. Junior Thomas Robinson and Senior Tyshawn Taylor are the leaders in PPG for them at 17 and 16 respectively. Robinson also leads the team in RPG and Taylor is the assist leader. There is some serious experience on this team and Bill Self, who has won a national championship once before, is an exceptional leader to have in March. This team can compete with the big boys and could make their way to New Orleans.

North Carolina:  Most fans usually would expect to see North Carolina on this list heading into Marchg and I think this year it is deservedly so. After losing Dexter Strickland a little over halfway through the season UNC still finds itself tied atop the ACC standings with its hated rival Duke. At 25-4 on the season the Tar Heels have had a solid year without too many hiccups. This team is filled with talent that can carry them to the title game if everything clicks right. Led by Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, Kendall Marshall and John Henson the Tar Heels have set themselves up to possibly snag a 1 seed for the NCAA tourney. They didnt play the toughest nonconference slate but they did get by Michigan State and Wisconsin. Even with losses to Florida State, Duke and Kentucky on the slate they still have the capability to reach the Final Four. Roy Williams has a solid opportunity to bring another title back to Chapel Hill.

Other Teams to Watch

Frank Haith is still under some scrutiny
from his time at Miami but is
doing well at Mizzou

Missouri:  Frank Haith could very well end up being coach of the year, even with his Tigers slipping some as of late. Missouri has had a great season and could end up in New Orleans if they can get back to their superb play they had not too long ago. Sitting at 25-4 Missouri has played a decently challenging schedule but with little out of conference power. Their best non-conference win was over California. They have wins over Kansas and Baylor twice. Seniors Marcus Denmon and Ricardo Ratliffe lead this team and with some breaks New Orleans isn't out of the question.

Ohio State:  Looking at Ohio State's record you see that they are sitting at 23-6, which is all in all a good season thus far but they have hit a snag recently and endured losing 3 of their last 5. Don't get me wrong this team can still play some serious ball and I think they will. Big man Jared Sullinger is the heart and soul of this team and they go as he goes if they intend on making a national title run. He averages 17 points and 9 rebounds per game and senior William Buford is a more than better option as his wingman. They have wins over Duke and Florida in non-conference play. They have also split with Michigan and Wisconsin. Don't be shocked if Thad Matta gets this team to the elite 8 and further, don't be shocked at all.

Austin Rivers has been the life of
this Duke squad this year with his
late game heroics

Duke: Mike Krzyzewski is at it again, achieving alot with a team that most would not believe could do so well. With only one senior on the team Duke has a ridiculuosly good resume this season. Their non-conference wins include Michigan, Kansas, Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina not to mention the wins over solid teams not in power conferences including Belmont and Davidson. After the wild come frombehind win at UNC they have looked to their Freshmen point guard Austin Rivers for leadership. Rivers has taken it upon himself to keep this team going strong. Sitting at 25-4 the Blue Devils can still win the ACC outright and secure a no. 1 seed in the tournament. If the Blue Devils are hot from begind the arc, watch out, they can beat anybody. Final Four is never out of reach under Coach K.

Michigan State:  Quite possibly the hottest team in basketball right is the Michigate State Spartans. Tom Izzo's squad this year has bounced back from a shaky January to put together a nice winning streak heading into the last week, not having lost since January 31st. Their first two games of the season were no cakewalks either, they played two teams name North Carolina and Duke. Yeah, no fun there losing both and being the victim of Coach K's big night when he passed Bobby Knight in wins. They then went on to not losing till mid-January and beat teams such as Florida State, Gonzaga (road win), Indiana, Wisconsin (2x), Michigan and Ohio State. They still have a shot at a 1 seed and you do not doubt Izzo to reach the Final Four. The man makes a living of it.

Darkhorses to Watch

Marquette (24-5)
Georgetown (21-6)
Murray State (28-1)
Florida (22-7)
Michigan (21-8)
Louisville (22-7)