Selection Sunday is here, and we all are curious who the top seeds will be. It was a crazy start to the conference championships with Oklahoma being upset by Oklahoma State, Pitt being up ended by West Virginia, and Connecticut falling short in the six overtime thriller to Syracuse. Later in the weekend the North Carolina Tar Heels fell to Florida State. It was safe to assume being this weekend that Pitt, Connecticut, and North Carolina would all be number one seeds, but I wouldn’t be so fast on that one. Two teams that have made a strong push for a one seed are Louisville, by winning the Big East championship, and Memphis who has been on a roll. Basic math tells you there are five teams fighting for the one seeds; so someone is going to get left out. Below are my picks for the one seeds in the big dance:
North Carolina: There is no doubt in my mind that when Ty Lawson is healthy that this team is the best in the nation.He has re-aggravated a toe injury and while Coach Roy Williams claims that Lawson would have been out even if it was a Final Four game; I find that hard to believe. Of course it is purely speculation, but I believe Ty Lawson will be healthy and ready to go in the first round. I think the loss to Florida State will really motivate UNC, and with a healthy Ty Lawson they should find their way to the Final Four.
Pittsburgh: Pitt really came up lame against West Virginia. They had a shot at the top overall seed had it not been for their first round exit. This loss may be a good thing for Pitt. The Big East tournament was full of physical play, and with Pitt’s grind it out style the rest should really benefit their players. Pitt is still ranked number one in the RPI and their two wins against Connecticut should put them over the top and help them retain a number one seed.
Louisville: Going into the conference tournament, it was very easy for the Cardinals; win and you are in. They did just that. In the best conference in college basketball, not only did Louisville win the conference tournament; they also won the regular season title. Louisville is likely to move ahead of UCONN in the updated RPI rankings, and the Cardinals have a very impressive 7-1 record against teams in the RPI Top 25. Louisville has a suffocating defense that is hard for anyone to deal with, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them do big things in the NCAA tourney.Memphis: Every year Memphis gets disrespected because they play in a weak conference, but never once do the Tigers slip up. Whether Memphis is a one or two seed, people always pick them to be one of the early exits among the top eight teams. Memphis has won a whopping 61 straight conference games by an average margin of 16.5 points. I don’t care who your competition is, it speaks for the level of consistency and discipline that the Tigers bring. They started off the season slow, but with stud point guard Tyreke Evans, this team is seriously on a role. Don’t count out the Tigers, they may not have Derrick Rose, but they are still a deadly squad.
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