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