The Pill’s Bracket 2/22

Things have changed considerably in the past week. Bracketbuster weekend is over which has made the picture a bit more clear for us. Unfortunately for the Siena's, Northeastern's, and Louisiana Tech's of the world, they must win their conference tourney's. I've added a First Four Out category just for a bit of motivation for those institutions. Here are the bracket rankings:

 

Rank	Seed	Team
1	1	Kansas
2	1	Kentucky
3	1	Syracuse
4	1	Purdue
5	2	Duke
6	2	Kansas State
7	2	Villanova
8	2	West Virginia
9	3	New Mexico
10	3	Ohio State
11	3	Georgetown
12	3	Pittsburgh
13	4	Vanderbilt
14	4	Michigan State
15	4	Wisconsin
16	4	Brigham Young
17	5	Butler
18	5	Temple
19	5	Tennessee
20	5	Gonzaga
21	6	Texas A&M
22	6	Northern Iowa
23	6	Wake Forest
24	6	Texas
25	7	Richmond
26	7	Xavier
27	7	Baylor
28	7	Maryland
29	8	UNLV
30	8	Missouri
31	8	Clemson
32	8	UAB
33	9	Rhode Island
34	9	Saint Mary's
35	9	Virginia Tech
36	9	Utah State
37	10	Florida State
38	10	Oklahoma State
39	10	Georgia Tech
40	10	UTEP
41	11	California
42	11	Old Dominion
43	11	Louisville
44	11	Cornell
45	12	Siena
46	12	Florida
47	12	Connecticut
48	12	Illinois
49	13	Rhode Island
50	13	Saint Mary's
51	13	Marquette
52	13	Northeastern
53	14	Kent State
54	14	Murray State
55	14	Oakland
56	14	Weber State
57	15	Sam Houston State
58	15	Wofford
59	15	UC Santa Barbara
60	15	Morgan State
61	16	Jacksonville
62	16	Coastal Carolina
63	16	North Texas
64	16	Stony Brook
65	16	Robert Morris

 

Last Four In: Marquette, Saint Mary's, Rhode Island, Illinois

Last Four Out: San Diego State, Dayton, Wichita State, William & Mary

Next Four Out: Charlotte, Arizona State, Memphis, Mississippi State

First Four Out: Alcorn State, Marist, Bryant University, Chicago State

 

The Perfect Bracket, Part 1: The Champion

So I decided to do a little research about picking teams as I decide which bandwagons to hop on to for the tourney (since my Heels are busted).

So who wins titles? It's certainly not teams that are one-dimensional or rely on one star player. Consider the past 5 national champions: 08-09 UNC, 07-08 Kansas, 05-06, 06-07 Florida, and 04-05 UNC. Each of those teams had at least 4 players taken in the NBA draft and at least 2 of those players went in the 1st round. The 04-05 Heels sent 4 in the first round and another in the 2nd, Florida had the same (4 in the 1st, 1 in the 2nd), Kansas had 2 go in the first, but 3 go in the 2nd. The most recent champs went 3 and 1. Whats most amazing is that on none of these teams did they have the number one overall pick.

So which teams boast lineups full of NBA draftees, I think of 3 right away: Kentucky, Michigan State, and Kansas.

Kentucky definitely fits the bill. Young, electric, and young. Perhaps the most talented team, however I can't pick them as champion. John Wall is the consensus number one pick and prone to tunnel vision. Do you trust his jump shot to win tight games? I don't.

Michigan State has a depth of talent and experience, this team will sneak under the radar, enter the tourney as a 2 seed and will be a dangerous team like last year. I wouldn't be surprised to watch them roll through the tourney

But, I'm calling my shot early and I'm taking Kansas. Unless theres an injury or something else unforeseen, you have to like the Jayhawks chances. Sharon Collins runs the show and is nails during crunch time and tournament time. Cole Aldrich is solid inside. Mo Morris and Xavier Henry are long and can score and they have good complimentary players in Ty Taylor and Morningstar. Kansas definitely appears to look the part of the eventual champion.

The Quest for 65: 2010

We've had some queries for when The Quest for 65 will begin for the 2010 season. As teams begin to solidify their positions in conference play, the initial analysis can begin. Look for the initial 2010 Quest for 65 bracket to be released in mid-February. In the meantime, we will post pre-season bracketology goals and predictions.

This looks to be the biggest challenge yet in a year where no team or group has separated from the pack. With that being said, let's do this!!