[dave11486]

Alright I know most people hate these questions, but who do you think the top 5 best teams are? Just want to get a feel for what some people think...

1. Florida
2. G'Town
3. Texas A&M
4. UCLA
5. Wisconsin (Very unsure about this 5th spot)

[BuddyBear]

1) UCLA
2) TX A&M
3) Florida
4) G'Town
5) Kansas

[dave11486]

I wish I got to see Kansas more lately. Last I saw them they were not impressive, but I have heard they have changed a lot during the season. I don't know why I have Wisky in there if I don't think they can go far in the tourny, but to be truthful I have trouble finding quality in most of these teams.

[BuddyBear]

Dave...what did u think of OSU's performance today?

[rjt721]

1-Florida
2-Texas A&M (NCAA champs)
3-UCLA
4-Georgetown
5-UNC

[dave11486]

OSU played just how I thought they would. They continued to play sloppy basketball with no flow. I don't know if it is the constant substitutions or what, but they look fairly flat every time out. Hence why they got stomped by a quality squad like Florida. Wisky was the surprise. They didn't do anything special like I thought they might. Cameron Taylor and Alando Tucker showed up too late and they really didn't impress me much. That being said, both these teams are not contenders IMO.

[dave11486]

1-Florida
2-Texas A&M (NCAA champs)
3-UCLA
4-Georgetown
5-UNC

I too like Texas A&M, but some of their road losses stand out to me.

[BuddyBear]

OSU played just how I thought they would. They continued to play sloppy basketball with no flow. I don't know if it is the constant substitutions or what, but they look fairly flat every time out. Hence why they got stomped by a quality squad like Florida. Wisky was the surprise. They didn't do anything special like I thought they might. Cameron Taylor and Alando Tucker showed up too late and they really didn't impress me much. That being said, both these teams are not contenders IMO.

Good points Dave. Neither team got in any sort of offensive rhythm...i was lucky i had OSU on the ML...really really lucky. I was surprised how OSU couldn't take advantage of Butch's absence and how they got dominated on the glass at home no less and how careless they were at times with the ball.

That being the case, both teams are well coached and for UW they have experience and could make run. OSU too has some veteran players but they have to get more out of Oden than they did today. Oden should have dominated...not held in check like he was. I would say UW could beat OSU on a neutral court. Either way, i agree...it's unlikely either of these teams will be in Atlanta.

[rjt721]

I too like Texas A&M, but some of their road losses stand out to me.

That LSU loss looks terrible now, but that was very early in the season when the Tigers were still considered an elite team. As they showed over the weekend, LSU is still a talented team and capable of beating anyone. I actually think they are better off without Big Baby, who is way overrated.

Florida is still the best team and their starting five is great, but I think someone will beat them. It's too difficult to repeat, and they come out flat and not ready to play far too often.

After the Gators, A&M is the most complete team in the country. They play great defense, and have four guys capable of putting up 20 pts. Also, in a close game, I just don't think Law will let them lose. He is clearly the best clutch player around.

[Razz]

1. UCLA
2. GT
3. Kansas
4. A&M
5. Florida

[Wheell]

1. Florida
2. UNC
3. UCLA
4. Kansas
5. Ohio St.
6. Texas A&M
7. Georgetown
8. Wisconsin
9. Memphis

Kansas and UCLA can be swapped. Apart from that, these are the 9 teams that I can see winning it all. Kansas, UNC, Ohio St., and Florida have the highest ceilings but all have struggled with consistency and any of them could be knocked out in the second round without shocking me. Georgetown, UCLA, Wisconsin, and Texas A&M are making do with less talent, but are incredibly unfun to play against. Memphis is hard to read due to the lack of opposition. Teams that don't seem to have a chance despite being liked by polls/computers:

Duke- A team with a shut down defender at guard can destroy them. Also, they can struggle against athletic teams.

Pittsburgh- They are a consistent team, but simply aren't as talented or even as good as the team listed above.

Arizona- They can score but their defense is awful.

Nevada/Southern Illinois- Similar to Memphis but Southern Ill. can't score and Nevada can't play defense. You don't need to trust me on this, watch them yourself.

Winthrop- The hardest team in the country to judge, even more so than Memphis, Nevada, or Southern Ill. Check out the Sagarin ratings by conference and you'll see that no team has a larger drop from it to the next best team in its conference. I'll give them this: They are balanced. I wouldn't want them in my bracket.

Teams I like but don't love:

Michigan St.- Similar to Pittsburgh but without the publicity.

Maryland- Inconsistent, but they can play defense and they can score on anybody.

[dave11486]

Anyone else?

[rjt721]

I agree with Wheell--Memphis is the darkhorse. It's tough to estimate how good they really are when they play in a horrible conference. They are one of the most athletic teams in the country and have a great coach in Calipari. I could see them getting upset in the second round, or getting all the way to the Final Four. The one thing I don't like about them is they are terrible at the foul line. That will come back to kill them in the tourney.

[babaoriley]

1) UNC
2)Texas A&M
3)Ohio St.
4) Florida
5) Georgetown-dangerous in the touney.
6) Memphis
7)UCLA
8) Kansas
9)University of Texas at Austin... (sleeper)

[rjt721]

1) UNC
2)Texas A&M
3)Ohio St.
4) Florida
5) Georgetown-dangerous in the touney.
6) Memphis
7)UCLA
8) Kansas
9)University of Texas at Austin... (sleeper)

Texas will definitely be dangerous with Durant and I think Augustin, along with Law, is one of the 2 best PG's in the country.

Have to disagree with UCLA at 7. Can't see how they could not be in everyone's top 3.