College Hoops: blogpoll

by Barking Carnival Staff on Feb 23, 2009 12:36 PM CST in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball

Here's this week's basketball blogpoll. Give me your thoughts. March Madness is just around the corner.

Rank	Team

1	Pittsburgh
2	Connecticut
3	North Carolina
4	Oklahoma
5	Memphis
6	Marquette
7	Duke
8	Michigan St.
9	Wake Forest
10	Missouri
11	Louisville
12	Arizona St.
13	Clemson
14	Villanova
15	Kansas
16	Purdue
17	Washington
18	Louisiana St.
19	Gonzaga
20	UCLA
21	Illinois
22	Xavier
23	Texas
24	Butler
25	Florida St.

1)Pitt: Dominant player at each level of the squad. Fields is an elite PG, Sam Young a versatile SF, and a dominant big man in Blair.

2)UCONN: Size is unreal, they have the most underrated player in the nation in Jeff Adrien. Guard play was elite before the Dyson injury. Can they recover?

3)UNC: They'd be a shoe in final four team if they could consistently guard people. They're second half against Duke proves they can be good defensively when they need to be.

4)Oklahoma: Talent with Griffin and Warren is unquestioned. Their supporting cast has stepped up big, but honestly, who have they beaten? The Sooners may be high at 4 especially if Griffin can't get healthy.

5)Memphis: Tyreke Evans continues to mature in his role as the lead guard. Length, size, and experience surrounding the young star is top notch. I love how they defend. May be the best defensive team in the nation.

6)Marquette: Perfectly built for a deep tourney run with Matthews, McNeal, and James. Won a huge game at Georgetown when the Hoyas had their backs against the wall. Marquette's for real folks.

7)Duke: Another team that is built for a tourney run. Gerald Henderson is becoming a superstar and the Dukies have built depth in their quest to find some chemistry midway through the year. If they show up and guard people they're going to be tough to beat.

8)Michigan State: If Memphis isn't the best defensive squad in the nation, then State is. Izzo's boys will straight up guard you and that means they'll be in every game they play.

9)Wake Forest: Had them penciled in as a dark horse final four team, but alas, the Deacs are just too young. Guard play is elite, frontcourt is big and athletic. They have a go to guy in Teague, but they're probably a year away.

10)Missouri: Unlike the Deacs, the Tigers are experienced and could give teams matchup fits with the play of super forward tandem Lyons and Carroll. If they face a guard-centric team that can defeat pressure, the Tigers may be in trouble.

11)Louisville: Unmatched athleticism, but they struggle against good defensive teams that don't turn the ball over. If Louisville had a creator opposite Terrance Williams they'd be higher on my list, but right now they're too dependent on forcing turnovers for buckets.

12)Arizona State: James Harden is a beast at the hybrid 3 and Pendergraph gives them athletic size inside. Not a deep team. The Devis are susceptible to an opponent that has an athetic defensive forward that can slow Harden down.

13)Clemson: These Tigers win if they get any kind of play from guards like Stint. Booker is a beast.

14)Villanova: I'm not sold on their size, but Jay Wright's kids defend. If they can avoid facing the dominant big man they can make a run.

15)Kansas: They've pretty much handled all comers, but again, who have they played. We should find out an awful lot about the Hawks tonight. I reserve the right to shoot them up the list.

16)Purdue: Another team that will defend you, but they're just not dynamic enough on offense.

17)Washington: Romar's boys are the surprise of the year in the PAC 10 leading the conference by a game. The Huskies get balanced scoring but there's no real go to guy.

18)LSU: Marcus Thornton and Tasmin Mitchell are a terrific combo. Is LSU the class of a weak SEC?

19)Gonzaga: The class of their league, but the Bulldogs better thank their lucky stars that St. Mary's Patrick Mills was injured otherwise they might be looking up in the standings.

20)UCLA: The Bruins are going to ruin somebody's bracket as a 4 or 5 seed. They've got final 4 talent and a penchant for guarding folks. They just look bored right now.

21)Illinois: Tough to take a team that was held to 33 points on their home floor seriously. They guard, but they're in a woeful shooting slump. Potential 5 vs. 12 upset victim.

22)Xavier: Another team that just looks bored with conference play. Get 'em a change of scenery and they're going to ruin a 1 seeds tourney.

23)Texas: As Dogus Balbay goes, so go the Horns. So Texas' beta is huge. They're much to athletic to be straight up zoned, but the Horns need to find an answer to all the junk defenses designed to stop AJ Abrams.

24)Butler: The Davidson win shows what these cats are about when they're interested. Again, Butler strikes me as a team counting the days until conference play is over.

25)Florida State: This team's simple. If they don't turn the ball over and allow their dominance on the glass to win the possession battle they're tough to beat.

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Comments

Marquette will be fortunate to split their last four games.

From a tourney perspective, I’m selling OU, LSU, Xavier & Missouri short.

The latest Bracketology.

has UT as a 6 seed. It would be great to avoid the 8/9.

by Scipio Tex on Feb 23, 2009 12:54 PM CST reply actions

who have the ’hawks played or whom have they beaten? they cut their teeth on a decent (albeit not great) non-con schedule, even though their only win out of all that was against a struggling tennessee squad. in the long run, the losses may have done them more good than squeaking out some wins…

i still refuse to believe that mizzou is a top ten team.

agree that pitt and unconn are probably the best, most consistent teams. but i’d say 2/3 of the top 15 (not necessarily the top ten) could make a deep run this march.

no way i’d place any money in vegas this year though; after seeing the first year will all #1 seeds advancing, i wouldn’t be surprised if none advance this year…

my 2 pesos

by kuelguapo on Feb 23, 2009 1:08 PM CST reply actions

How times have changed. It seems like Penders would always get Texas to the 10/11 range and live for the upset in the first round.

Since Barnes arrived, we appear to live north of the Equator come tourney time.

A quick review of Pender Years:

1989: seed #11 Beat Ga. Tech#6
Lost Missouri#3

1990: seed #10 Beat Ga. #7,Purdue #2,Xavier #6
Lost Ark. #4

1991: seed #5 Beat St. Peters #12
Lost St. John #4

1992: seed #8 Lost to Iowa #9

1994: seed #6 beat W. Kentucky #11
Lost Michigan #3

1995: seed #11 beat Oregon #6
Lost Maryland #3

1996: seed #10 beat Michigan #7
Lost Wake Forest #2

1997: seed #10 beat Wisconsin#7,Coppin St. #15
Lost Louisville #6

by DonGato on Feb 23, 2009 2:53 PM CST reply actions

KU beat Washington at KC in November. That’s probably the best win they have right now.

by Bob in Houston on Feb 23, 2009 3:06 PM CST reply actions

Bob – Very much agree, especially because they hammered them. Although given the circumstances, I really liked the win in Manhattan as well.

by hiphopopotamus on Feb 23, 2009 3:14 PM CST reply actions

I’ll feel a lot better after UT wins on Wednesday.

by Nervous Nelly on Feb 23, 2009 3:35 PM CST reply actions

OU has beaten Purdue away from home and Texas in Norman (both in that Top 25). If they can beat Kansas tonight without Blake, there’s no doubt their ranking is legit.

by ponderos on Feb 23, 2009 4:23 PM CST reply actions

Props for writing that with a straight face. We ain’t shit and Purdue doesn’t impress me.

by Scipio Tex on Feb 23, 2009 4:33 PM CST reply actions

“1)Pitt: Dominant player at each level of the squad. Fields is an elite PG, Sam Young a versatile SF, and a dominant big man in Blair.”

I hope they do. They sucker punch me in the bracket every year. I consistently overrate this team.

“2)UCONN: Size is unreal, they have the most underrated player in the nation in Jeff Adrien. Guard play was elite before the Dyson injury. Can they recover?”

Hasheem Thabeet is the most overrated player in the country. He is the equivalent of a high school bully that beats up on 7th grade girls and claims a Golden Gloves title.

I am selling short the entire field. Their are some teams that I love that lose games inexplicably (Wake, Louisville) and teams that I think are massively overrated that don’t lose very often (Oklahoma, Uconn)

I think that Pitt and UNC do their best thing better than the rest of the field does their best thing, so I will probably be riding that horse. I’d pencil them in to my final four regardless of draw right now.

Duke, Memphis, Wake, Louisville, Marquette,and Michigan State’s applications are still being processed.

by The General on Feb 23, 2009 6:32 PM CST reply actions

Does it trouble you that when Louisville loses, it’s usually getting blown out?

by Scipio Tex on Feb 23, 2009 11:30 PM CST reply actions

If UNC let’s Ty Lawson be The Guy, they’re the best team in the country. When he’s forced or chooses to play second fiddle to the great white hope, UNC’s beatable.

I can’t stand Pitt either, but this year they’re different. They can win games in the 80’s now.

Louisville relies so much on their press that they’re a bad match up away from being 2 and done. UCONN’s guards dismantled them.

I’m telling you guys, Marquette’s going to make a deep run. They play beautiful basketball.

No one is really talking about Memphis or Michigan State. They’re the two best defensive teams in the country.

by Trips Right on Feb 24, 2009 8:43 AM CST reply actions

If Blake “no más” Griffin recovers then I think the top 8 above are your 1-2 seeds. It’s early but I’ll take UNC to cut down the nets, and Mich St. to make final four.

by Art Vandelay on Feb 24, 2009 9:17 AM CST reply actions

Now that it has been determined that Griffin’s concussion was caused by an inadvertant elbow by Balbay, rather than the “mauling” by Pittman, are the Griffin’s going to apologize to the officiating crew for their assertion on national TV last night that they missed the call.

Of course, it surprises me that the “sideline” reporter for the national network had not done her homework about what really happened, therefore the “leading” question.

by Hawkman on Feb 24, 2009 1:06 PM CST reply actions