Trying to peg down college basketball this season is nearly impossible. Of course, since this is the case, we’ll try to do so now.
Here are a few thoughts on the NCAA Tournament and, more specifically, the teams in it.
Wichita State Still Deserves a Ticket to the Dance
Here’s something to think about: there are two teams, team X and team Y. Team X, according to Ken Pomeroy, has a .903 Pythagorean rating, 10th in college basketball; team Y is right behind with a .897 rating. Team X has the number one adjusted defensive rating in the country while neither of team Y’s offensive or defensive ratings is in the top 15. Team X went on a run to the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, as did Team Y.
Here’s the caveat, though: team X is on the tournament bubble while team Y still has a chance at a number one seed. It’s time for the reveal.
Team X is the Wichita State Shockers. Team Y is the Xavier Musketeers.
The previous exercise was not meant to take down Xavier. I think they are one of the teams that have a serious chance to win it all this year and they might be my title pick if the season ended today. That being said, it’s hard to deny Wichita State a tournament berth. But why are the Shockers in this position in the first place?
For one, their loss yesterday to Northern Iowa certainly doesn’t help. When you consider that this is the second time the Shockers have lost to UNI this season, with neither loss coming at home, you can start to put together that their resume might not be the greatest in the world. And it isn’t; the only top-50 RPI (Rating Percentage Index) win Wichita State has on its schedule this season is a home victory over the Utah Utes, a team that could make a run to the Final Four this season. The problem is that that win came on December 12th. Even worse, that’s the team’s only win against a tournament-caliber team this season; they lost to USC, Alabama, Tulsa, Iowa, and Seton Hall in out-of-conference play.
This is why I’m willing to give the Shockers one more chance, though: they have experience. Upperclassmen Evan Wessel, Fred VanVleet, and Ron Baker are back from last year’s Sweet 16 squad. In addition, the team has the best defense in college basketball, both in adjusted rating and points per game.
While their resume doesn’t give them any hope to make the Tournament, they deserve to go because they can play with anybody. Unfortunately, as yesterday showed, they can lose to any team, too.
Appreciating Bill Self
After Roy Williams made the decision to leave Kansas after the 2002-03 season and jump ship to North Carolina, the program was in a brief state of flux. Out went Williams, but who would come in to take his place?
That question was answered in the form of Bill Self, and all he has done in his 13 seasons in Lawrence is make the Jayhawks the most consistent team in the sport. Not bad, huh?
And this year, he might have his best team in his Kansas tenure. The Jayhawks, led by seniors Perry Ellis and Jamari Traylor, won its 12th straight (twelve!) regular season Big 12 Title. Over this time, Kansas has lost exactly nine games at Allen Fieldhouse. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s a 4:3 ratio of conference championships to home losses. If that doesn’t make you think Self is one of the best coaches in college basketball, I have no idea what will.
This year’s team is ranked number one in the country and has run the Big 12 gauntlet basically unscathed. They’ll probably be the team to beat when March Madness comes around in just over a week, and they’ve earned that distinction. Their resume is unparalleled in college basketball, with wins over every good team in the Big 12 and a home win over Kentucky. They’re virtually unbeatable right now, as the team, with a championship in the conference tournament, would be well on its way to a number one overall seed in the field of 68.
And even if they don’t win it all this season, one has to credit Bill Self for building his team to be this consistently incredible year after year. After year. After year.
Sparty Yes: Why Michigan State Should Be a One Seed
The argument against Michigan State being a one seed can be found in a one-week stretch from January 14 to January 20. In that stretch, the Spartans lost three games to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nebraska, and in each game, Michigan State had most of its best players, including the previously-injured Denzel Valentine.
However, the team began their turnaround with a win against Maryland on January 23, and they’ve only lost once since then. That being said, they haven’t received the respect they deserve for their recent, sustained success.
For example, in the latest iteration of Joe Lunardi’s bracketology, he has Michigan State (the second-ranked team in the country) as a two seed behind North Carolina, Virginia, Villanova, and Kansas. While three of those teams belong there, one does not: the Tar Heels. Here’s why.
While Sparty has one more bad loss (meaning: a loss to a team with an RPI of 50 or worse) than Carolina, it’s obvious that Michigan State is playing better than UNC right now. For example, look at last night’s North Carolina-Duke game. The Heels outrebounded Duke 64-29; Duke only used seven players in the contest. Given this information, it’s safe to say Carolina should have won by a wide margin; in real life, they won by four. While Duke-Carolina is a rivalry in which records, rankings, and point margins should be thrown out the window, the fact that North Carolina dominated the game but not the scoreboard is nothing short of concerning as we near tournament time.
Michigan State, on the other hand, has taken care of its last six opponents by at least 12 points in each game, with impressive home wins against Indiana and Wisconsin. During this time, the Tar Heels have had a close call with Syracuse and losses to Duke and Virginia. While this really is splitting hairs and North Carolina is one of the best teams in the country, they probably don’t deserve a one seed.
The team that does is the Michigan State Spartans.