With a month remaining in the regular season, it has become clearer who will be the favorites when the NCAA Tournament tips off in March. Courtside takes an early look at who might be the top seeds and who could be looking at a trip to Indianapolis for the Final Four:
No. 1 seeds
No. 1 UConn (20-1, 7-1) survived its test on the road at Indiana, and while Rudy Gay hasn't been able to keep up with J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison in the Player of the Year battle, he could have the last laugh when it comes to the NCAA Tournament in March. It will be difficult to get through the Big East without another loss, but UConn should still end up a No. 1 seed.
No. 2 Duke (20-1, 9-0) may have been given a couple of gifts to help hold off Florida State at home on Saturday, and the struggle at home raised some questions. J.J. Redick and the Blue Devils should be a lock for a No. 1 seed, but its close contests against Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgetown have resulted in some doubters for a team that always seems to find a way to lose in the tournament.
No. 4 Villanova (17-2, 8-1) should be put ahead of Memphis for a No. 1 seed because its success has come in the Big East, where such programs like Louisville (a Final Four team last season) and Notre Dame might not even make the conference's postseason tournament. The team's unique four guard offense should confuse coaches and push them far into the tournament.
No. 3 Memphis (21-2, 7-0) has played tough all year, including against Duke, but Conference USA is down after losing Cincinnati, Louisville, DePaul and Marquette to the Big East. It's weaker conference schedule could hurt the team when it has to go back to playing tougher teams in March, but it deserves the advantage of a No. 1 seed.
No. 2 seeds
No. 6 Florida (20-2, 5-2) rebounded completely from its back-to-back losses to Tennessee and South Carolina by defeating Kentucky soundly at home last Saturday, with all the hype from ESPN's College Gameday coming to Gainesville, Fla. Billy Donovan, arguably the most underrated coach in college basketball, has gotten his program to the Final Four before and has the right squad to do it again this season.
No. 5 Gonzaga (19-3, 9-0) no doubt has the best squad they have had in their short eight-year history of being a respectable college basketball program. The Zags, however, seem to always fall apart in the tournament. That can be accredited to their weak conference schedule they play in the two months leading up to March. The team's scare Monday night against lowly St. Mary's proved they still have some problems when junior guard Adam Morrison has an off-night, but Gonzaga should be a lock for a No. 2 seed.
No. 10 West Virginia (17-4, 8-0) had some struggles early in the season, but has returned to the form that brought them to the Elite Eight last season. Any team that is 8-0 in the Big East deserves to be ranked higher than No. 10, but the Mountaineers will still have a lot to prove as the team plays its next three games on the road at No. 13 Pittsburgh, No. 16 Georgetown and Seton Hall. Even if it drops one of them, West Virginia could steal the conference title. With a run in the Big East Tournament, Kevin Pittsnogle and the Mountaineers could jump even higher.
No. 7 Texas (20-3, 8-1) is doing exactly what it should be doing in the weak Big 12 this season, but it has had an up-and-down season. While the team has knocked off West Virginia, Iowa, Villanova and Memphis, the Longhorns have also lost to Duke, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Yet, all seven of those teams are in the Top 25 and that experience should help Texas in the tournament.
