I swear we were writing this column well before Colin Cowherd started doing it... seriously! I promise...
Anyhow - thanks to the ubiquity of the column, I'll spare the explanation and dive right in.
Duke - BUY
I've written since the fourth week of November, Duke can seriously run the table. I know, I know, but Maryland almost beat them in Durham last night. First, no, they didn't "almost beat them." They played them close for about 38 minutes, which is impressive and not many teams will do, but at no point was Duke a possession away from being beaten. Even when the score was close, one never got the feeling the Devils were in precarious territory.
The ACC is down, they've already mowed through an excellent non-conference schedule that featured at least seven NCAA Tourney teams (unless the bizarre K-State slide gets out of of control). With or without Kyrie Irving, this is the best team in the country. I've gone on record as saying Jared Sullinger is my National POY - but if the voting was today, Nolan Smith is second.
It's hard to "buy" when a team is 16-0 and ranked #1 in the country, but I don't care. Duke is deep, poised, impossible to press and athletic on the interior for the first time in a long time. They have no real discernable weakness other than perhaps the possibility of become a tad too jump shot reliant.
Notre Dame - SELL
I wrote this before the blitzing they took from Marquette tonight, so it seems a bit more obvious now. My point was simply, ignore polls. The Irish are good but nowhere close to the eighth best team in the country. By March, I see them slotting in close to where they did last year; around a #6 seed, and finishing in the top half, but not top quarter, of the Big East. They've been a great story, but objectively are not as good as Syracuse, Villanova or Pitt. Despite Georgetown's struggles I'd put the Hoyas ahead of them talent-wise as well - and in the same bubble with Marquette and St. John's (though ahead of both).
St John's - BUY
Speaking of the Johnnies, they aren't ranked, mainly because of two putrid early losses to Fordham and St. Bonnie. Since then, they have raced out to a 3-1 start in Big East play and can make a viable case for being the fifth or sixth best team in that league. I like St. John's to finish above .500 in conference and make a surprising return to the tourney in Coach Lavin's first year. Plus, isn't it a hoot seeing Gene Keady and the comb-over on the bench as Lav's reverse-role assistant?!?
San Diego State - HOLD
Look, the Aztecs are good. They are really good. Before the season ever tipped I tabbed them as the best team out West, and still believe that. However, I'm struggling to see them go much higher than #5 (where they sit this week). The Mountain West is good. Far more deserving of the Pac-10, and frankly every bit as good overall as the ACC, minus Duke.
Let's see how they handle BYU and UNLV coming up. Tear through them, and we'll talk. Until then, the sting of New Mexico's dismal tourney showing last season still hovers in my mind a bit...
Texas - BUY
The Longhorns are my sleeper Final Four team. Yes, they will suffer some losses in the brutal Big 12, but this team is starting to gel, has nice blend of youthful talent, experience and a legit All-American in Jordan Hamilton. Rick Barnes may care more about getting players to the NBA than winning, but this year they'll show the two ideals are not mutually exclusive.
Five more tomorrow when we examine Purdue, Missouri, Syracuse, Southern Miss and Washington.
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