I wrote previously in an older column, “I don’t think there is a dominant team out there this year.” It appears that I was right and that remains right.
This week’s AP number one was the Villanova, who immediately proceeded to lose to number five Xavier. Just another top team to fall in a year where no one seems to want the top spot.
But did anyone actually think Villanova was the best team? They play in the Big East, for goodness sakes!
Let’s be honest. There isn’t a best team. The winner of March Madness will be whoever draws the best matchups and gets hot. But every team is beatable and has been many times.
UNC can’t shoot, Kansas doesn’t have the depth or good enough big men, Oklahoma hasn’t made a deep run under Lon Kruger, and every collegiate fan knows it’s a coaches’ game.
Sometimes dominance can be fun. Kentucky’s recent near undefeated season was exciting. The Golden State Warriors are the best show on TV.
But March Madness is a different story.
We don’t watch the NCAA tournament to watch a team breeze and do what is expected. That’s boring. What’s exciting about the tournament is the unknown and the upsets. Watching Duke, UNC, Kansas, Kentucky, and Sparty make runs year after year gets old. It’s time the Villanovas, Xaviers, Oklahomas of the world make their run. And this may very be the year that happens considering the balance of power and unpredictability.
Or maybe all of those constantly dominant teams will just keep doing what they do? It’s impossible to know in this crazy year.
Final note: How about the Big East? Supposedly decimated by conference realignment, they have two of the top five teams.