The unbeatens are down to just two as Kansas slaughtered Baylor on Monday night. There is no question that even though Scott Drew’s team has more talent, the Jayhawks are the better team as they play with much more intensity and have a superior inside game. Personally, I think Baylor has to develop toughness and work on scoring points in the paint if they want to make the Final Four.
Now, speaking about a team that can get there and win it, congratulations to Syracuse who are 20-0 for the first time in school history. Congrats also to my buddy Steve Fisher for his team’s great win over UNLV last Saturday. The Aztecs controlled the game from start to finish as they beat the Rebels for the 9th time in their last 10 games. And here’s another number you might not know: San Diego State has the the best winning percentage of all West Coast teams over the last four years (100-24 for 80.6%).
Bubbles About to Burst?
Which team has made the most consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances? How about the Baylor-slayers from Lawrence, who have made 22 straight Big Dances. Obviously they will keep the streak alive this season, but other notables are in jeopardy. Pitt (10 straight) won’t be there and Texas (13 in a row) has some work to do. The Longhorns are 12-5 and have big games this week with Kansas State on Wednesday and Kansas on Saturday. With an RPI in the 60s and only one good win (vs. Temple), Texas needs a win this week to keep their chances alive. They are only 1-5 on the road, and following this week , they have Iowa St., Baylor and Missouri. Come February 1st, we will have a pretty good idea if they are in or out.
Other notables in trouble this year are Butler and Villanova. Brad Stevens’ Bulldogs, on the heels of back-to-back Championship Game losses, are currently 10-9, so they will have to win their conference tourney to get in. Villanova is 1-5 in the Big East and has tons of work to do. Remember, they were just in the Final Four (2009) and have a streak of 7 straight tournament trips on the line. Consider these examples as a bump in the road as Brad Stevens and Jay Wright are excellent coaches who will bring their teams back soon.
Racing to 18-0
Murray State continues to roll (18-0), beating up on weak teams with low RPIs. Their next 3 opponents – Morehead State, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois – have a combined 16 wins. While their Ohio Valley Conference schedule might be weak, the Racers did beat Memphis and Dayton in non-conference action. So where will they be seeded? Right now, I smell a 5 or 6 seed for the kids from Murray, Kentucky (population 17,741).
Leaving on a Jet Plane
I’m off to Austin to watch Kansas at Texas. It’ll be interesting to see if Texas can get its season going on its home floor–make sure you tune in on the Westwood One/Westwood One Radio Network Saturday at 3:45 PM Eastern.
– Bill Frieder
Former Michigan and Arizona State head coach Bill Frieder is an analyst for Westwood One’s coverage of NCAA Basketball. In his weekly blog Boxed Out, Bill scours the box scores to bring you interesting stories from the world of college basketball.
