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With everything that we have witnessed thus far in the 2013 edition of the regular season, there is one fact that can not be disputed nor ignored: There isn't that one 'great' college basketball team this season.
We've looked. Nothing.
If there was ever a season that could be used in example as to what complete parity from top to bottom looks like in college athletics, this season would be that very one.
Some teams, obviously are better than others. Some teams have used what seems like a slight of hand parlor trick to give the appearance that they are better than what they really are. Michigan has done it. Duke is guilty of it. Louisville has turned it into an act worthy of Vegas, and this is supposed to be Pitino's best team since winning it all in 1996 with Kentucky, only because the better 1997 Kentucky team didn't win the title in a repeat. By far, it's his best team on paper during his entire run in The Commonwealth's second city.
As always, favorable seeding will benefit the top tier teams of this season, and the traditional favoritism some, who we will not name, receive will be more of a blessing than ever come March.
Indiana was supposed to have been some juggernaut that would run rampant through everyone. Granted, the Hoosiers for the most part do look impressive, but even with a strong Big Ten as the opposition, Indiana doesn't look like a hands-down favorite. In fairness though, nobody does.
Michigan has struggled getting over that OT loss to Wisconsin, but they are talented enough to get it together in time for a March run.
Duke's recent loss to Maryland shows only one thing: Kentucky has digressed more than any team I can think of in recent memory. The Cats were not particularly strong coming in to the season, but nobody thought at this point in the season, that the defending champs, in name only, would be licking their wounds and be almost to the point of bleeding out.
Just as lousy as Kentucky has been at times, is North Carolina. UNC, though, almost beat Duke the game before Maryland... and that game was at Cameron Indoor. UK and the Tarheels may be relegated to the NIT this year, as long as both schools don't suffer a further collapse.
Will say this though: I'm not being a homer here, well not completely, but I think Kentucky can turn it around. I have complete faith in my coach, and I have faith in these somewhat frustrating and uncoachable kids. I like our chances of improvement and competing than Roy's and those sissy blue goats down in Chapel Hill.
Besides, I'm a bleeder.
UCLA was touted as being a contender, all thanks to a kid picking them on the same day another kid shaved a logo into his hair-do. Shabazz has been good,at times, but for the most part he has shown me that he is selfish, and a self-serving type of player only playing for himself. No different than most 18-19 year old's though. The Pac 12 is terrible though. Ask Bill Walton he will tell ya' so. Oregon and Arizona really seem to be the only two legit teams in the conference.
UNLV was making some noise out in the desert early on, but they have fizzled out a bit. Still, those Runnin' Rebs could still be a Final Four dark horse, however, it is still very unlikely that they will end up in Atlanta. As this season has played out, San Diego State has once again seemingly established themselves in the Mountain West as the team to beat. I don't care if New Mexico is atop of the conference standings, I wouldn't expect too much out of the pups. Having said that, they will probably cut down a net somewhere now. Oh, and Colorado State is trying to make some noise too. Good for them. The Mountain will send 4 teams into the field known as the Dance.
Speaking of the desert, Arizona seems to be the only thing really with any type of momentum that would suggest that they could make a run at Atlanta glory. Lots of tumbleweed moving about out west, but few teams are causing a stir like 'Zona. And to just clarify, that is 'Zona, not 'Zaga.
Then, you have you're middle of the packers like Michigan State, who it would not be smart to sell Tom Izzo's Spartans short, NC State, Syracuse, Georgetown, Kansas State and regular Kansas, the shoved-down out throats mythical Cinderalla Gonzaga, and the Cinderella who decided to keep on the glass slipper Butler.
In such a down year, people could be suspecting that the Zags could finally get to the big stage. However, I wouldn't count on this either. We are going to have to suffer through enough over-hyping Gonzaga come tournament time as it is, I don't want to join that crowd early and say they could be headed to Atlanta. I get nauseous whenever I hear all this Gonzaga stroking, maybe even more so than the usual ESPN Duke love fest. I don't want to hear it. I want to hear less about St. Mary's, too.
And if you don't want to hear the moronic clams that Ohio State will carpet bag their way down South to the Final Four, stay out of places like Ironton and Columbus. Actually, that is good advice for everyday living, not just as it pertains to crazy basketball prognostications. Ohio State just doesn't have it, and when they do show flashes of having it, they don't sustain it. Thad Motta and his nuts, not those freaks, will have to nestle in to the end of March not punching a ticket to Georgia.
The SEC was supposed to be wide open this season, and have several teams that could be very impressive on the year. Well, sorry, but they only really have 1 real contender, and it is a team that to me, has shown more so than others that they are the best team this year. It's not the Cats. It's not one of the new kids on the block in the Missouri Tigers. That team is the Florida Gators. True they got smacked by Arkansas, but like it has been said time and time again, this season nobody is great.
Ole Miss came out of nowhere on the wings of an F-18 named Marshall Henderson, but ironically after meeting a still Nerlens-powered Kentucky, have crashed and burned. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
The SEC should still salvage enough at the end, and get 4 in, including Kentucky. However if Knoxville was any indication of how we respond to things, don't pack those bags.
Oklahoma State and Travis Ford have given some members of Big Blue Nation a plan B in terms of actually pulling for a team in the field come March, that is if Kentucky can't salvage this season. Another potential object of BBN's affection, for varying reasons on both ends of the love-hate spectrum, is a team who looked to be a real contender early in the Big Ten and was a top 10 team early: Tubby Smith's Minnesota Golden Gophers.
But, in all too familiar fashion, a Tubby Smith team looked legit early, and then hit a rough patch and struggled a bit. We still think Minnesota is a good team, once more by comparison to most teams this year, and are capable of making an impressive tournament run. Some folks might be forced to renew their 'chubby' for Tubby... or have flashbacks to scrub the tub.
Ford's Cowpokes should be one of 5 Big 12 teams going to two-step a little in March, and possibly could see 6 teams shine up their clogs. Joining OSU should be those other Okies from Norman, The two Kansas schools, Iowa State, and possibly Baylor, who yes, came into Rupp and beat us.
Then we have those sentimental in-state hopefuls. Murray State, Morehead State, and EKU and Western Kentucky. However, you can add new to D1 Northern Kentucky to the list of teams to pull for, as long as it doesn't interfere with The Cats agenda, nor the hate in which must be devoted to Louisville.
Murray State has become familiar in March, but this year the OVC seems wide open as several teams have jockeyed for position in the quaint little conference. The Head under Sean Woods infuriated BBN earlier this season, for as it turned out, speaking the truth. They have struggled, been up and down, but they don't look too God awful bad. Murray State has lost a step or two as compared to past examples of T-Bred basketball, and were even upset by a surprisingly game EKU team earlier this season. Like we said though, parity, parity, parity. Besides, Murray State has some issues. You'll have that when your star player tries to commit vehicular homicide.
Even with all the Kentucky representation in the OVC, a non-Bluegrass school could take the OVC bid into the dance. Belmont has been more often than not, the jewel of the OVC this season. But, don't think parking lots are safe just yet, as Murray State will be up to the challenge of ruling the OVC again. Don't look past a very good team in Richmond, either. The 'kernels' are the strongest they have been in years....years. Oh, and if you were holding on to hope that those Norsemen form up Cincinnati way in the form of Northern Kentucky would be there come march out of the Atlantic Sun so you could root on Chad Jackson and Ethan Faulkner, let go of that wish right now.
And yes, expect to get a dose of 'how good' Missouri Valley Conference basketball is from the pundits. Creighton has gotten the old Gonzaga treatment in regards to us being told how good they are and how dangerous they are going to be in March. Don't see it at all. However, there are some good teams who could potentially come out of the Valley, including Creighton, Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores, and Wichita State, who has the brother of Andrew Wiggins on it's roster. He's solid, but if we refered to him as anything at this point other than Andrew's brother, we'd all be living a lie.
Back to Butler real quick. Their Atlantic 10 counterparts are also putting together resumes for consideration to get a letter in the mail form the selection committee. Teams like St. Louis and Shaka Smart's VCU are poised to make themselves visible to said selection process, but also some lesser-knowns like Charlotte and long forgotten LaSalle. The A-10 no longer resembles the conference that WCHS and Gale Catlett made us familiar with those years ago, and aside from that, The Temples, GW's, Xaviers, St. Joes, and Umass's are no longer at the top, but there is still reason to keep at least one eye on the conference. In a bit of a refreshing change of pace, this conference will see about 5 of their brethren get the invites.
And yes, we'd still love to slap Rotnei Clarke. Loved how he beat the Hoosiers, though. I guess my enemy's enemy is my friend.
Sadly, King Rex's son Zeke and David Letterman University, Ball State, will be nowhere near the dance floor in March. Actually, Zeke Chapman packed his bags and left Ball State months ago. Ball State is bad, and the 3rd option, maybe, at shooting guard Chapman would not have helped much anyhow. I have no idea what Chapman's future plans are. For now, it looks like he has just quit basketball all together.
And people seem to think that Stone Cold Stephen F. Austin is getting their feet ready to squeeze into a glass slipper coming out of the Southland Conference. Hey, whatever works for you, I guess.
You know it's coming to; How many teams will the Big East undeservedly get into the field in what may be the conference's curtain call as a power broker? The Catholics lost their Pope, and the Big East is going to lose their catholics. Seems like a balanced game of give and take. Once more, the Big East-bias continues as a time honored tradition, and they get 8 teams in, most likely the last time it will ever happen, though.
The Big Ten, as noted, does look particularly strong, or at least very top-heavy. And if yo are looking for reasons to find ways to excuse rooting for foreign infidels, then you may want to look at Marquette and OJ's little brother, Todd. We won't look that way, but if you want, go ahead. I foresee a big South Point, Ohio bandwagon Marquette fest. IF ANYONE from this side of the river does it, I am done with you. Don't ever forget Brassow's tears or one game against us that gave birth to Dwayne Wade's whole career. They should get about 7 teams in .
The ACC, even with a very bad UNC, looks decent as well. Look, I hate Duke, everybody hates Duke, but you can't say enough for experience and upper-classmen, and unfortunately Duke has it. However, no team has more experience than Miami...literally. The U has an average age of something like 25 years old for it's roster. I can dig any team who has people who are not that much younger than myself making runs into March. It doesn't hurt that they have Barry Larkin's son either. Miami seems to be legit, maybe not in the sense of how Larkin came to Coral Gables, but on the floor, yes. ACC is on par with the SEC, and will get about 4 teams in. We say about because there is a chance that they get 5, depending if UNC can do the same as the Cats and right the ship in Chapel Hill.
Along with Duke, NC State, and The U, Virginia is also near the top of the ACC heap.
In other local flavor, unless the Herd can put together something more miraculous than Kentucky overcoming Noel's absence and Moses parting the Red Sea combined, It's going to be a March full of Pullman Square trips and night's at the V-Club for the Sons of Marshall. Memphis is still the king of Conference USA, and it's closest threat is Southern Miss, led by former Morehead coach Donnie Tyndall, who managed to be over-valued thanks to Kenneth Faried.
So. Miss is not that bad a team, but unfortunately, is on the outside looking in as Memphis should be the only C-USA team that is going to dance this year.
Seems as if we just told a lot of things to expect and not to expect, when at the same time we were telling you that anything goes because of parity and lack of a head and shoulders power this season.
My bad.
Anyways, this is how I currently envision the Final Four looking as of 2/17/2013:
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