No true Number 1

[OneEarWonder]

There have been 6 teams ranked as #1 in the AP poll this year. No team twice (that will change next week) and no team for more than 4 weeks. Crazy up and down year, a very wide open field.

Being the numbers geek I am, I did a quick analysis... No. 1 teams are a combined 22-7 (76% winning percentage)... that has to be one of the lowest in years. If you look at the 6 teams (UNC, UK, MSU, KU, OK, V), their total combined record is 137-30 (82%)... the best is KU & V (24-4) the worst is UK (21-7)... and all except UK are in the Top 10.

What does this mean? Well, first, I am a nerd... secondly, the NCAA should be wide open. You have 7-8 teams as legitimate contenders for #1 Seeds. But every team has weaknesses and has shown their vulnerabilities. I would not be surprised to see a Final Four with no #1 Seeds this year. I don't necessarily expect a 7 or 8 Seed to run it like we saw a few years ago, but it should be very exciting come March.

 

[Cue Card]

I like your post, but at the same time it depresses me. This year the field is as wide open as I've ever seen it. There really are 8 to 10 teams that have a legitimate chance of winning the national championship this year.

This year will be remembered by all Cardinals fans as the year of what could have been.

 

[nccardfan]

Cue,

I completely agree with you about our chances this year, but I think we just need to do what apparently CRP is telling his players. Not "what if" but this is the start of something big next year and maybe the year after. Also there are still some questions outside the ban. If we had been consistently ranked in the top 10 all year and predicted as a 1 or 2 seed then I could say without a doubt, we are a FF team. I also wonder if Mango would have been cleared to play, could Anas finish the season. Could onuaku stay out of foul trouble. What happens when we fail to score for 5 minutes. What happens when we play like we did against VA or are matched up against MSU or UK. Sure as a fan, I would like to see what would happen but you can't control those things and it only hurts to say "what if"

 

[JohnKBA]

I like your post, but at the same time it depresses me. This year the field is as wide open as I've ever seen it. There really are 8 to 10 teams that have a legitimate chance of winning the national championship this year.

This year will be remembered by all Cardinals fans as the year of what could have been.

Honestly Cue, I think you could double those numbers and sell me on it.

 

[nccardfan]

It doesn't help matters but it looks like we could be on the 2 line now with Iowa and Arizona losing. A win against Miami would cement that.

 

[HedleyLamarr]

Is it even thinkable that we could win out, and be ranked number one in the AP poll. I guess some others would need to lose, but we could easily be top ten with a win at Miami. Bear GT and at UVA, and others lose....

 

[n4cer2ad]

That is possible, but would be even sadder for our guys. To be #1 and not get to go to the dance, wow.

 

[BPGhost]

That is possible, but would be even sadder for our guys. To be #1 and not get to go to the dance, wow.

I dunno - with the tourney not on the table regardless, if I was one of the players - i couldn't think of anything that would make me happier than to go out #1.

It's not a banner but with all the injuries and adversity thrown at this team, if they were to hang in there and finish #1? It'd be pretty damn special...

 

[n4cer2ad]

I dunno - with the tourney not on the table regardless, if I was one of the players - i couldn't think of anything that would make me happier than to go out #1.

It's not a banner but with all the injuries and adversity thrown at this team, if they were to hang in there and finish #1? It'd be pretty damn special...

That is very true didn't think of it like that. Great point

 

[OneEarWonder]

Is it even thinkable that we could win out, and be ranked number one in the AP poll. I guess some others would need to lose, but we could easily be top ten with a win at Miami. Bear GT and at UVA, and others lose....

Couldn't ever seeing that happening. Not that the Cards couldn't make a argument, but with polling, it's not just how good you are, it's also where you were ranked previously. Too many teams ahead of UL to leapfrog.

 

[shadow force]

I think we'll see a ton of brackets exploding this year.....well more than usual anyway.

 

[zipp]

Parity is fun to watch in action esp. in the first couple of NCAA rounds. BUT it's not likely to translate to multiple dark horses in the Final Four.

In fact, I'd bet that the Final Four comes from the following ten or so teams: Carolina, Duke, or Virgina from the ACC; Maryland, Iowa, or MSU from the Big Ten; Kansas or Oklahoma from the Big XII; and probably a wild card like Xavier, Nova, or a Pac 12 team.

For those who regret our chance this year in a wide open field, I wouldn't sweat it. My guess is that the tourney looks like this more years than not going forward. NCAA basketball has become a watered down product where a hot team peaking at the right time will have a good shot every year. Our chance again is simply a year out...

 

[L1c4tillidie]

Is it even thinkable that we could win out, and be ranked number one in the AP poll. I guess some others would need to lose, but we could easily be top ten with a win at Miami. Bear GT and at UVA, and others lose....

I don't think the media would do that even though it's deserved. They have an agenda against us

 

[Cue Card]

I don't think the media would do that even though it's deserved. They have an agenda against us

I don't know about any type of agenda, and I'm not much on conspiracy theories but I do think the Cards are treated as the new kid on the block in ACC play especially on the road.

Regarding the polls, the Cards have 3 games left and even if they were to win all 3, they have too many teams to leapfrog to jump to #1. The only thing they can do is win all 3 and HOPE someone beats UNC so they can at least share the regular season title. It's all they have left to play for this year.

 

[JohnKBA]

Could be a year like 2013 or 2014 when you had a bunch of low seeds in the FF. Obviously U of L was a dominant team in 2013 and nothing closely resembles them this year, and it's nothing like last year when you had a few teams that looked a notch better than everyone else. I say you go with the coaches that consistently win in March - Izzo, K, Cal, Self, Williams. Obviously Pitino would be part of that group too. Until I see Virginia do anything in the tourney I won't believe they are any good. Same with Iowa. Jay Wright? Please.

 

[nccardfan]

Or this could be a year like 2011 when a team like UCONN got hot with a new young coach named Ollie.

 

[JohnKBA]

Calhoun was still there in 2011. Ollie was the coach in 2014.

 

[JohnKBA]

2011 was a wild year too. OSU looked like the team to beat but didn't get past the sweet 16, and you had a 3,4,8 and 11 seed in the FF. But even then, 2 of the 4 coaches were HOFers and Stevens was coming off a championship game appearance the prior year.

 

[nccardfan]

John you are correct so it's happened more recently than I remembered. Sucks getting old.

 

[JohnKBA]

Those UConn teams all blend together for me too nccard.