Kentucky is No. 1 in both college basketball polls this week. No surprise there. Texas was No. 1 last week, but lost to Kansas State on Monday and Connecticut on Saturday. Kentucky was No. 2 last week and the Wildcats are the last undefeated team in the nation.
That’s the way the polls work. Why? Because so many voters are lazy, that’s why. Whether the voter is a media member, a coach, a sports information director voting for his coach, an assistant coach voting for his coach, a secretary representing the coach – or whoever – the easiest thing to do is move No. 2 to No. 1 in that situation.
You could train chimpanzees to do the same thing. But why take the time? Kentucky emerged Monday as the unanimous pick in both The Associated Press and the USA Today/ESPN Top 25. Kentucky got all 65 votes in the AP and all 31 votes from the coaches. Not one original thinker in the bunch. Not one brave soul willing to go against the grain and risk being asked to explain that decision.
So the Wildcats are definitely No. 1, right? Maybe. But are they the best team? Are they playing the best basketball against the toughest opponents? I don’t think so. And I say that fully understanding it may damage my relationship with Ashley Judd. I’d hate for that to happen, but the truth is I’ve never met her. (Note to wife: I really have no interest in meeting her. Honest.)
This has nothing to do with which team has the best player. Kentucky freshman John Wall may be the leading candidate for Player of the Year, but he doesn’t have it wrapped up. It also has nothing to do with which team has provided the most entertaining spurts during games on national television. The Wildcats were sensational for stretches against North Carolina, UConn, Louisville and others. At times, the Wildcats have looked unbeatable. But it takes more than that to be the best.
“They don’t understand that 40-minute thing yet,” Kentucky coach John Calipari told the AP. “There’s games where they’ll play 20-25 minutes and the other 15-20 minutes the other team beats us. We’ve got to learn it before late February, starting into March, we’ve got to be more consistent.”
I realize Calipari has to say something like that in an effort to keep his young players somewhat level headed. Actually it may be too late for that. A few of the Wildcats have been talking since December about going all season without a loss. If they want to talk amongst themselves that way, it’s fine. But don’t go public with that. It only puts a bigger target on your back.
Calipari should understand targets from his days at UMass and Memphis, where he was the hunter more often than the hunted he is at Kentucky. That’s why his comment is a good warning to his players.
It seemed ironic that the polls were released Monday afternoon and then, within hours, the Big Monday schedule showcased No. 4 Syracuse against No. 7 Georgetown and No. 2 Kansas against Missouri, a team receiving votes in both polls. Two great rivalries, so expectations were high for two great games. Both turned out to be snoozers.
With the color orange everywhere in the Carrier Dome, Georgetown jumped to a 14-0 lead on Syracuse. Trouble? Not for the Orange. Jim Boeheim’s team never showed any sign of being rattled and stormed back to win 73-56. Andy Rautins and Kris Joseph each scored 15 for Syracuse, now 20-1 with a loss only to Pittsburgh.
In Lawrence, Kan., center Cole Aldrich had 12 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocked shots as he continued to sharpen his game for March. Marcus Morris (17 points) and Aldrich realized early they had a tremendous advantage inside. The Jayhawks hounded Missouri defensively, dominated the boards and got their transition game going as they moved to 19-1, with only a loss to Tennessee.
Syracuse and Kansas might be the two best transition teams in the country. Both play terrific defense and that ignites their offense. They are efficient and athletic and that led to two surprisingly easy victories.
It appears Bill Self has settled on a starting lineup and it has to include Brady Morningstar, who is playing so well. If Tyshawn Taylor doesn’t become a huge distraction, Kansas should be in good shape.
I’ve been covering Syracuse games since Andy’s dad, Leo Rautins, was playing for Boeheim. Syracuse’s Hall of Fame coach has never had better personnel to execute the 2-3 zone defense. The Orange bench has been very productive too.
After watching both Monday night, it’s hard to say which is better. In my book, they are No. 1 and No. 1A right now. Villanova and Kentucky are the other teams I would reward with top seeds if the NCAA Tournament started right now.
Kentucky has games remaining against Tennessee and Vanderbilt, but the Wildcats are not going to face opponents as good as Georgetown and Missouri in the SEC. According to the RPI released by the NCAA Monday, the Big 12 had eight teams (Kansas, Kansas State, Texas, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Missouri) ranked in the top 50. The Big East also has eight (Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown, UConn, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Cincinnati). The SEC has four (Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi).
Numbers don’t tell you everything, but take a look at where Kansas, Syracuse and Kentucky rank in this week’s NCAA statistics.
Kansas (RPI 2, Strength of Schedule 12): Kansas leads the nation in scoring margin (23.5), is third in scoring offense (84.9), third in field-goal percentage defense (36.3), and fifth in assists per game (18.4).
Syracuse (RPI 1, SOS 5): Syracuse leads the nation in field-goal percentage (53.4) and assists per game (20.3). The Orange is fifth in scoring offense (84.1), fifth in scoring margin (18.9) and fourth in steals per game (11.2).
Kentucky (RPI 7, SOS 85): Kentucky leads the nation in won-lost percentage (100) and rebound margin (10.4). The Wildcats are not in the top five of any other category. They are sixth in field goal percentage (49.8) and sixth in blocked shots per game (6). They are seventh in scoring margin (17.6).
Three excellent teams, each capable of winning the national championship. Don’t count out Villanova, or Texas, or Duke, or maybe four or five others. But don’t put too much stock in the polls. Remember, Syracuse wasn’t even ranked when the season began. And this is college basketball – not football. The championship is determined the right way.
See you in Indianapolis.
Tags: Andy Rautins, Ashley Judd, Bill Self, Brady Morningstar, Cole Aldrich, Connecticut Huskies, Georgetown Hoyas, Jim Boeheim, John Calipari, John Wall, Kansas Jayawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, Kris Joseph, Leo Rautins, Marcus Morris, Massachusetts Minutemen, Memphis Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Syracuse Orange, Tennessee Vols, Texas Longhorns, Tyshawn Taylor, Vanderbilt Commodores, Villanova Wildcats
