This will be a weekly post (and maybe expanded to a top 10), but will generally be posted on Sunday night. I am doing the first one tonight because tomorrow will be devoted to Championship Sunday. After tomorrow though it officially becomes college basketball season to me. That's because there is two weeks of utter nonsense leading into the Super Bowl, but here is the first Pat Morgan Top 5!5.) Georgetown Hoyas - Yes, they lost at Pittsburgh this week, but that is far from a bad loss in a building that's almost impossible to win at. They also lost at Memphis, so they really have nothing to be ashamed of so far this season. I absolutely love Roy Hibbert. How many teams in America can say they have a true 7 foot, 2 inch center? Other than Jeff Green, this 2007 Final Four team is intact. I think they roll through the Big East to lets say a first place 13-3 record. They have an excellent starting five, but, however, they do have some depth issues. Because of that, I cannot put them higher on my list.
4.) Tennessee Volunteers - I absolutely love this team! They play the run-and-gun offense for all 40 minutes, and are extremely effective doing it. Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith are the senior leaders with the experience from last year's impressive tournament run when they reached the Sweet 16 where they lost to Ohio State. They will bludgeon you to death with their superior three point shooting. Their downfall is definitely their lack of size. They do not have anyone over 6' 10" on the roster. That really hurt them when they blew a 20-point lead to the Buckeyes and Greg Oden last season. The Vols' style of play definitely gives them a chance to go deep in the tournament because they will simply wear down their opponets with their quick play.
3.) North Carolina Tar Heels - Well, they finally lost today! But don't be shocked if they don't lose again for awhile. This team simply has it all. The Heels are experienced, they have size, they can shoot the three, they are great from the foul line, and they are relatively deep. They are one of maybe three or four teams I really think can win the National Championship. They would have been #2 to Memphis on my list had they not lost today, and could very well be #1 on my future lists soon. If they have a weakness, it's their defense. It isn't where Roy Williams would want it right now. They gave up 81 points to NC Ashville! However, giving up a lot of points is partly because of the way they play. They love to run. If anyone wants to beat them come March, they better make it a half-court game. If you run with the Heels, you will look like the gum on their Heels (sorry, bad joke!).
2.) Kansas Jayhawks - Can the Jayhawks finally backup an impressive regular season and break a long run of bad luck in the NCAA Tournament? That remains to be seen, but this team has been spanking opponets lately in route to a 17-0 record. This team has a pretty balanced package as well. Mario Chamlers, Sherron Collins, and Brandon Rush give the Jayhawks a great backcourt. Then, they have Senior, Shasa Kaun down low. The Rock Em', Sock Em' Jayhawks go eight deep as well. They won't be as tested in an adequate Big 12 as lets say the Tar Heels in the ACC or the Hoyas in the Big East would be, but if they roll through the conference they should be battle tested enough to do good things in March. The big question for the Jayhawks is will they be able to shoot consistently through the NCAA Tournament. They have moments where they do ice cold from the field. They will have to overcome that to win.
1.) Memphis Tigers - The Tigers are absolutely loaded. They can go nine deep, and can win a blood bath against anyone. The Tigers are perhaps the most experienced team in the nation as well. They have been to two straight Elite 8s, and no one other than UCLA with a chance at the National Championship can say anything better. They sport five upperclassmen, and one of their young players is the very talented Derrick Rose. The Tigers might have the best defense in the nation, besides UCLA, as well. They will probably have a couple nights where they don't play very motivated, but I could easily see Memphis going into the NCAA Tournament with a chance at the perfect season. That is because they play in a very weak conference. It is too bad Memphis wasn't taken to the Big East along with the other big boys from the Conference USA. The team with the best chance to stop their run at perfection is the Tennessee Volunteers, as they travel to Memphis on February 23rd. The Tigers' biggest weakness is their overall offense. Yes, they can score on the TCUs of the world, but they will not score toe-to-toe with the Tar Heels or Volunteers if forced into a fast paced game. However, they have the best chance of any to slow those powerhouses down.
Pat Morgan
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