Bracketeering - Dec 14th

An exciting weekend of college hoops, capped with an "upset" win by Arizona over Gonzaga in Phoenix. I say "upset" simply as an ironic tip-of-the-cap to the mighty Zags. Who would have ever thought a near-home win over Big West Gonzaga would be a storm-the-floor type win for the mighty Wildcats.

Despite all the upheaval in Tuscon, expect the Wildcats to extend the longest NCAA Tourney streak in Div. I come March.

That said, let's digg into Week 4 of Bracketeering!

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FINAL FOUR:

1. UNC - Not much else to say at this point, but kudos in advance to Tyler Hansbrough, who should pass Phil Ford as UNC's all time leading scorer Thursday night in Chapel Hill.

2. Oklahoma - A solid win over Utah continues to build an impressive resume for the Sooners. Could they be the first program in NCAA history to have the player of the year in football and basketball?

3. UConn- They had the week off. Hopefully to stew on the poor performance at Buffalo. A big date on the 20th in Seattle versus the Zags should be enough to keep them focused.

4. Texas- I know, I know, why does Pitt drop? Because poles are for strippers. We use the eye-test herr (for rankings, not for strippers...well...) Texas has been electric and tested. The win over Villanova in the Garden was impressive enough to overlook the closer-than expected win over Texas State.

ELITE EIGHT:

5. Pitt - Call me when Pitt laces 'em up in January. I think they are very good, but we will have to wait and find out for sure. I know when LaVance Fields is in the lineup, they rarely lose. Then again over the past three weeks, they tackled heavyweights like Vermont (Tyler Coppenrath is two years gone, fellow junkies) and UMBC. Way to stretch yourself Panthers.

6. Duke - What an incredible rare treat looming next Saturday when Duke and Xavier team up in the Meadowlands. A win positions the Dukies to creep back into the Top 5 and stay in the #1 seed dscussion.

7. Xavier - Deep, balanced and incredibly well coached. Have the Muskies reached the point where this could be a destination for Sean Miller rather than a stepping stone? X fans sure hope so.

8. Gonzaga - The gauntlet finally got them. It is probably too stiff a penalty dropping the Zags all the way to #8, but they get a chance to bounce way back up when they meet the #2 Huskies in Key Arena Saturday at 4PM.

Sweet and lurking: The next tier (in order)

9. Louisville - probably still one of the top 5 teams in the nation. That loss to Western Kentucky could be a distant memory in a few more weeks.

10. Ohio St - forget the national polls. This team has consecutive victories over Miami (FL), Notre Dame and Butler. And is undefeated.

11. Syracuse - Can't penalize them for the Devendorf uncertainty (yet). Unblemishe and an uncharacteristically solid schedule.

12. Wake Forest - Is the ACC the Big 3? Wake Forest and lead guard stud Jeff Teague think so. We are starting to believe them.

13. Georgetown - A good RPI-resume builder with Saturday's OT win over Memphis. However, the game showed me some weaknesses that might prove costly when Big East play begins.

14. Davidson - Another reason polls are for strippers, not real basketball fans. If they were in a power conference with their early season resume they'd be no lower than 12th. Instead, they lag behind Notre Dame, UCLA, Arizona St, Michigan St, and several other teams that haven't earned it on the floor yet.

15. Purdue - The Duke game still stings the memory, but this is still a good ballclub that will contend in the better-than-people-realize Big 10 (expect 5, and as many as 7 bids come March).

16. Michigan - I came real close to moving UCLA back in - then thought of WHO their losses were too... oh yeah, MICHIGAN. The Wolverines remain for another week.


Bracket Busts: Some early season disappointments
Michigan St, Memphis, Wichita St, Western Kentucky (look at the losses other than the LVille win), Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and I keep on piling on the SEC....

Half Court Heaves: Long shots worth keeping an eye on
Clemson, Missouri, Illinois, Butler, VMI, Illinois-Chicago, Evansville, East Carolina,

Intriguing...Now Come Out and Play! (Nice starts, but play someone already!)

Minnesota (10-0) - Georgia St, Virginia, Bowling Green (yes, those are their "best" wins)

Stanford (5-0) - Air Force, Colorado, Colorado St. (that's right, you're my bitch Colorado!)

LSU (7-0) - This list is simply awesome, I shall post it in it's entirety: Troy, Centenary, CSU Fullerton, Jackson St, Alcorn St, Grambling St, Northwestern St. (3-0 vs. the SWAC!!)

Don't Laugh - It'd be the toughest game on their schedule!