Saturday Notes

The AAC is that deep.  Wichita State is still an elite, top 16/25 team, as is Cinci.  Houston and and SMU should easily fit within the field.  Certainly better than 5th best teams in the Big 10 and PAC 12.

St. Bonaventure may have two of the best players in the conference, but with 4 league losses, they are outbid or bust, and I can’t see them winning 3 straight non-home games to do that. Opens a spot for… 

Based on Emmert’s toothless statement, the NCAA isn’t doing anything about the teams mixed up with Dawkins.  Which is sad, because he is one guys, and that shit is EVERYWHERE in the NCAA.  No action condones it.

… Louisville is off the bench.  As long as they don’t lose to BC tomorrow.

Injuries are the story again this week.  Creighton is devastated for a second straight season.  TCU was already struggling in the Big 12; no Fisher will hamstring them further.

Mountain West needs to be taken seriously.  Nevada is strong and well coached.  Boise should be in the field, and San Diego State and Fresno State are certainly capable.  Wyoming and UNLV are NIT bound.

St. John’s is the worst team in the Big East.  Congrats DePaul!

Seriously folks.  St. Mary’s was in the field prior to stealing the WCC lead in Spokane.  Pepperdine and Portland give the conference a false bottom, which really weighs down their numbers, but this is also a Top 25, Top 8 seed team.  Stop deluding yourself that the WCC, MWC, C-USA, and A-10 are one-bid leagues.  There is enough parity in the 10-60 team range that the only conference looking like they can get a sub-.500 league team in is the Big 12.

Villanova… wow.  They played careless and sloppy in the second half.  Turnovers, fouling jump shooters… yet they are so efficient shooting it doesn’t matter.

Arizona State has regressed.  They need to be blowing the doors off Cal, not squeaking out a single point win, even on the road.  Not sure how February will treat them, but i see them finishing much closer to the bubble than a top 4 seed.