So much for being #1. Coach K's boys just got ran out of their own building by cross-town rival North Carolina. You can't get thrashed by 16 points on your home court (or anywhere else for that matter) and expect to be considered the top team in the country. And it only got worse for the Blue Devils. Star play Zion Williamson, once considered the shoo-in #1 pick in the next NBA draft, went down with a knee injury, severity unknown. If he's out for any length of time, particularly when the NCAA tourney starts, Duke has NO shot. And if the injury is bad enough, who knows what it will do to his draft stock? Not good.
So that would seem to beg the question -- who is #1?
Tennessee was there for a while -- until they got throttled by Kentucky.
Virginia? They're pretty good but they always fold in the tournament.
Tiny little Gonzaga from the great northwest? They've historically been the little engine that stalls on the way up the mountain.
Michigan? Nah. Though they improbably made it to the title game last year, they're not good enough.
Nor is Michigan State.
Kansas always lurks, but they don't appear to be the real deal this year either.
Same with Louisville.
Once perennial powerhouses like UCLA and Arizona haven't made any noise in a long time.
It just goes to show you all this ranking stuff is a bunch of hooey in the first place. It doesn't matter one iota once the tournament field is set. Whoever wins THAT will be #1. Period.
And this year, it's shaping up to be a total crap shoot.
Any number of teams could get hot and pull it off. That's not even considering the injury factor. Ya never know about that stuff. See Duke above.
I'ms still rooting for the Zags (Bulldogs). What an incredible story it would be if a little school like that could become champions.
But do I think it will happen?
Nope.
Fingers crossed, though......
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