Top 25 of College Basketball
Jordan 4/8/2009
1) North Carolina (32-4)
The national champs started strong and finished stronger, averaging a 20.2-point victory margin against a tough slate of teams.
2) Michigan State (30-6)
The Spartans surprised many while pleasing its home state in a great Final Four run to Detroit.
3) Villanova (30-7)
Jay Wright’s club proved to be ready for primetime, winning in impressive fashion before facing the Tar Heels.
4) Connecticut (31-4)
After looking as good as anyone, the Dyson-less Huskies were outlasted by Michigan State just one game short.
5) Pittsburgh (31-5)
One of the toughest teams found in the tournament, Pitt lost a heartbreaker that came down to missed free throws and a guy named Reynolds.
6) Louisville (31-6)
Pitino’s Cards were an early favorite, but got caught overlooking Sparty and were forced to play at a Big Ten pace.
7) Missouri (31-7)
The surprising Tigers rode the success of their first Big 12 tournament title all the way to the Elite Eight, only to lose a hard-fought battle to UConn.
8) Oklahoma (30-6)
The Sooners made their first three games look effortless, but the supporting cast left Blake Griffin helpless against UNC.
9) Memphis (33-4)
John Calipari’s former team were a hot commodity for many experts in the tournament, but were beat at their own game by an upstart Missouri team, who posted 102 points on the stingy run-and-jump defense of Memphis.
10) Duke (30-7)
The Blue Devils’ five-game winning streak came to a halt as Villanova set the tone early and never let up.
11) Kansas (27-8)
The young Jayhawks squad made a much better effort against the same Michigan State team who had previously beaten them, only to fall short in the closing seconds.
12) Gonzaga (28-6)
One of Mark Few’s most talented teams, the Bulldogs were handled in the third round by a more athletic Tar Heels team.
13) Xavier (27-8)
This well-coached squad represented the Atlantic 10 extremely well all season.
14) Syracuse (28-10)
The gutsiest team in the tourney, Boeheim’s boys caught Tony Crocker at the wrong time.
15) Purdue (27-10)
A team of the future, the Boilermakers had no answer for Hasheem Thabeet, who added four blocks to his 15 points and boards.
16) LSU (27-8)
Trent Johnson did a great job in his first year, and the Bayou Bengals gave the Heels one of their toughest tests of the tournament.
17) Washington (26-9)
The Huskies also have a great future ahead of them, but Purdue proved to be the looking glass for Lorenzo Romar’s crew.
18) UCLA (26-9)
The Bruins were overrated the entire year, but caught a terrible seeding that funneled them right into Villanova in Philadelphia.
19) Arizona State (25-10)
The Sun Devils were a well-balanced squad that found themselves running the gauntlet of orange.
20) Marquette (25-10)
Dominic James’ effort was valiant, but his appearance proved to only hinder his team. The Golden Eagles tripped over a single line in their comeback attempt against Missouri.
21) Texas (23-12)
The Longhorns could only go as far as A.J. Abrams could take them, and his two 3-pointers were no match for Duke.
22) Arizona (21-14)
The most controversial selection of the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats laughed their way into the Sweet 16. I won’t mention Louisv…
23) Wake Forest (24-7)
The Demon Deacons were the biggest disappointment this postseason, for sure. After losing their opening game of the ACC tournament, they followed suit in a disfiguring at the hands of Cleveland State. Arizona’s victory over the Vikings in the next round assured their spot ahead of the Deacs in my final rankings.
24) Butler (26-6)
The Bulldogs faced a more athletic LSU team, almost pulling off a big win.
25) Oklahoma State (23-12)
Travis Ford did a great job keeping his team focused after losing Ibrahima Thomas. The Cowboys had good conference tournament showing, and took Pitt down to the wire.