Gerbil's College Basketball Top 10

10.) Stanford - This is the best Cardinal team since the Mike Montgomery days. They have won three straight road games within the tough Pac-10 to improve to 16-3 on the season. Since the return of Brook Lopez, Stanford has been on fire. Lopez has averaged about 20 points a game. I would expect Stanford's stay within my top 10 to be brief because of their schedule in the Pac-10, but they have done a nice job bringing the Cardinal back into a national power.

9.) Texas - Even without Kevin Durant this Longhorns team is still loaded. D.J. Augustin and A.J Abrams give Texas one of the best backcourts in the country. They don't have much inside so they will have to win with their speed and outside shooting. The Longhorns can beat anyone in the country on the right night. They already have two wins within my top 10 vs. UCLA and Tennessee. Look for them to have a great chance to get to an Elite 8 with a chance at the Final Four.

8.) Michigan State - The Spartans could be higher on my list if it wasn't for a loss today at Penn State or their uncharacteristic easy pre-conference schedule. However, with Tom Izzo who is a tremendous tournament coach and a great senior leader in Drew Neitzel this team has a chance to do some special things in the tournament. Raymar Morgan has had a great season as well for the Spartans. With all that being said, it will be hard to predict exactly what Michigan State will do in the tournament playing in a relatively weak Big Ten.

7.) Tennessee - Other than the loss at Kentucky, the Vols have rolled through the underrated SEC. Like Texas, Tennessee has one of the best backcourts in the nation with Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith. Bruce Pearl has proven to be a very good tournament coach, so I like this team's chances to do well come March. However, if they have an off shooting night, a team with a good inside game will hurt the Vols. They will be battle tested though because the SEC is quietly an excellent conference with the likes of Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Florida.

6.) Duke - If it wasn't for a Levance Fields circus three, the Blue Devils could very well be undefeated going into their showdown with UNC in Chapel Hill. Senior DeMarcus Nelson has had a hell of a bounce back season in being Duke's best player over the last month. Gerald Henderson has been impressive, and freshman Kyle Singler has given the Blue Devils an all-purpose threat. Duke actually has some depth for once as well. The problem with them is their lack of an inside game. The Blue Devils are clearly on their way back and will most likely be a two seed, but I don't see a very deep tournament run because of their inside game.

5.) Georgetown - Next to UCLA, the Hoyas could be the best defensive team in the nation. They also have the best center in the nation. Roy Hibbert could lead this team, along with a slew of tournament tested players, to another Final Four or possibly beyond. The Hoyas are always working hard and never quit on a game. Their win in West Virginia was indicative of that. My concern is the Hoyas is their ability to keep up in a scoring fest with the North Carolina types of the world. They have a tendency to have extended dry spells from the field.

4.) Kansas - Well, the Jayhawks finally suffered their first loss this week. It was to a very good Kansas State team however, and the Big 12 is perhaps the best top heavy conference in the country. Mario Chalmers is one of my favorite players in the country, and along with Brandon Rush, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Darrell Arthur, and company the Jayhawks are absolutely loaded. The Jayhawks have put up a ton of points this season, but will they be able to score like that in the later rounds of the tournament? That's always been their problem. The Rock Em', Sock Em', Jayhawks will be battle tested and should get a much better draw as a #1 seed this year. Hopefully they won't have to play a #2 like UCLA on the road like they did last year.

3.) UCLA - The Bruins are hand down the best defensive team in the country. They play a style that makes their opponets curl up and cry. They simply tore apart a high octane offense in Arizona tonight. The Bruins also have the best tournament experience of anyone. They were in the last two Final Fours, and with the Florida powerhouse out of the way, this finally might be the year for the Bruins. They are on my short list to win the whole thing. My concern for them is similiar to the Hoyas. If an opponet has a big game from downtown they might be able to beat UCLA as the Bruins won't blugen you to death with points.

2.) North Carolina - Tyler Hansbrough is well on his way to winning the John Wooden and John Naismith awards with his great season. He is averaging a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Hoyas also can run and gun with the best of them with Ty Lawson at the point. Wayne Ellington and Danny Green are excellent players as well. The Heels have the best all-around offense in the nation. However, they aren't as deep as previous years, and their defense leaves a lot to be desired. It would really be interesting to see what kind of game develops should they play UCLA in the tournament. I am torn right now between those two teams with who will win the National Championship

1.) Memphis - The Tigers are the only unbeaten team left in Division I despite a close call vs. UTEP yesterday. As I said in a previous post, Memphis has a great chance to go into the NCAA Tournament undefeated. Their toughest game left is a date with Tennessee in three weeks. Led by Chris Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers return most of their team from last year's Elite 8 appearance. However, they have a great freshman in Derrick Rose this season. Rose could be the difference for the Tigers this year. It could be a serious problem for Memphis not playing in a major conference though. They will not be battle tested as the other teams on this list will be going into March. A couple more close calls like yesterday is not the worst thing that can happen to the Tigers. The blowouts really don't help too much. They need to know how to wins the tight ones going into March.

Pat Morgan