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| Giving the Top 8 Teams in the country. |
There are hundreds of more basketball games per week in the season than there are football games, and regular season losses don't mean nearly as much. It is great to go undefeated, but realistically all you have to do is make the tournament and you have a chance. While reading through these rankings, you will notice there are some really big games this week,
Enough talk, here are, as of December 6th, the top eight teams in the country:
1. Duke: Any surprise here? No, there is no surprise here. Duke won the championship last year, brought back some big pieces from that team, namely Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. They have already knocked off two top six (at the time) teams, plus perennial mid-major powerhouse and last year's national runner-up Butler. They are #1 until they lose, and possibly even after that.
2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes have looked very impressive so far this year. They ran away from a ranked Florida team on the road, and took care of business against a very good defensive team in Florida State. OSU has blown out the cupcakes on their schedule, as expected, and is ready to make a run at the Big Ten (national?) Championship.
3. Connecticut: I might be drinking the UConn kool-aid a little bit, but they beat two top ten teams on a neutral court, and have the early season favorite for Player of the Year in Kemba Walker. How many other teams can say they have those things? None.
4. Kansas: Unlike the first three teams, I haven't had a chance to see the Jayhawks play yet. But they are a team led by juniors and seniors, and have one of the top coaches in the country in Bill Self. Their signature wins include Arizona and UCLA, which don't mean quite what they would used to, but at 7-0 there is no reason this team shouldn't be in the top four. Big Upcoming Game: December 7th vs. #14 Memphis
5. Kansas State: The other team from Kansas might be better than the typical Big 12 powerhouse, with wins over Virginia Tech and Gonzaga so far. Yes, they were blown out by Duke, but I think that is more a reflection on how dominant Duke can be than it is on Kansas State. Big Upcoming Game: December 18th @ #24 Florida
6. Pittsburgh: Pitt routinely blows up my bracket come March, but this is another senior and junior led team with a very good coach. So far, their only signature win is over #22 (at the time) Texas, but this team will have a say in the Big East, and probably the national picture four months from now. Big Upcoming Game: December 11th vs. #13 Tennessee
7. Georgetown: The Hoyas have looked very impressive so far this season, knocking off then-#8 Missouri on the road. Senior guard Austin Freeman leads this team, scoring 20 points per game and shooting 54% from beyond the arc.
8. Michigan State: Tom Izzo's squad has been a bit of a disappointment so far, dropping two games in the first month of the season. Those two games happened to be to the ITS #1 and #3 ranked teams, however. I am giving the Spartans the benefit of the doubt, because they have the second best coach in the country and several returning starters. But if you lose enough games to top ranked teams, eventually you can no longer consider yourself to be a top ranked team. Big Upcoming Game: December 7th @ #8 Syracuse.
