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| Friday, December 28 Power 16 user comments ESPN.com |
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Want to start a debate? Just create a ranking of college basketball teams, offer users a chance to e-mail their comments about said ranking and post comments on a weekly basis. That is what ESPN.com has done with its Power 16, a weekly ranking of teams leading up to March. Below are some of the best e-mails received in the past week. Here's what users had to say about ESPN.com's Power 16 on Dec. 24: "If you would just look at the University of Kentucky's schedule you would notice that they haven't played a 'road' game yet. So I would put away some of the hype."
"WKU 64 UK 52. That's all that needs to be said. But maybe that's not enough. Now I know that the teams that WKU has been facing lately are not of the strength of UK; but look at the way we are winning those games. A 34-point drilling of Creighton that avenged the loss in double overtime they suffered earlier this season. A 9-2 record with wins over UK, and teams from other strong conferences: C-USA, Atlantic-10, Missouri Valley; I can't find the reasoning behind the Hilltoppers not being ranked. After the team gets back their big man (Chris Marcus) WKU will be a team that could have a long run in the NCAAs come March. I'm not saying they should be one of the Power 16's, but top 25 yes!! Show us a little respect."
"Oklahoma State is right where it belongs, the 2nd No. 1 seed in the country. Most of the fans who think OSU should be lower, have never seen this team play! The fact is the Cowboys are an undefeated team with some of the top guards in the country! Keep them where they belong, and we are ready for Atlanta!"
"Your 1 through 3 seeds all look sound, however, I do believe you are putting too much emphasis on records and not enough on schedules. Teams like MSU (three losses to teams that were ranked when they played them, and two of them Florida and Syracuse were close games on the road) and Arizona (four wins over top 10 teams and a couple close losses to Kansas and MSU, the Oregon game was a fluke) play tough teams and they will play them anywhere. This gives them experience and confidence going into the tournament. Although these teams have more losses then all your 4 seeds combined, they are obviously better teams and will be in the tournament past the first weekend, something I am not sure you can say about any of your predicted four seeds."
"This might be considered by some to be a small quibble, but as far as I am concerned, the Kansas Jayhawks are 7-1, not 9-1. They've played two games against non-Division I opponents (Pittsburg State and North Dakota), which shouldn't even be tolerated for a top-tier school. Last year, everyone was (rightfully so) in an uproar about Georgetown's ridiculously easy non-conference schedule, but I haven't heard a peep about Kansas' cupcakes this year. Bottom line, the RPI doesn't count wins against non-Div. I teams; if the Power 16 is meant to reflect the Top 16 seeds if the tournament started today, then it should be noted that that those 2 'wins' would reflect poorly on Kansas, not favorably. Perhaps poorly enough (at this point in the season, considering that they account for 20 percent of Kansas' games) that Kansas is not yet a legitimate No. 1 seed."
"Finally Kentucky gets some love, but they are still underrated. I really believe that Kentucky will be right behind Duke come March. They can beat Duke, the question is, can they beat Jason Williams. I think we will be seeing those two teams again, and if Kentucky can somehow stop Williams, the game is as good as won for Kentucky."
"The only team with the ability to knock Duke out is Illinois, but people still want to doubt. Duke is the No. 1 team until they lose to Illinois. Illinois and Duke are a mile away from everyone else in college basketball at this point. There waiting for the tournament."
"I think it's time to give the Spartans of Michigan State some credit. Yes, the Spartans have 3 losses -- but 2 of them were early to ranked opponents before the freshmen had a chance to gel and gain confidence. They are now playing tons better and deserve a spot in your Power 16. If they can pull off the victory over Stanford on Saturday I will expect to see them at least in the 4 seed area. GO STATE!!"
"I applaud you for your placement of Virginia this week. I am happy for them to be there, for I have been a Cavalier fan all my life. However, all biases aside, I feel that if you put a team like Kansas as a No. 1 seed, and still have UVa as a 2, it's a little bit unfair. There has been no justification for Kansas to still be a No. 1 seed, especially with a loss to a mediocre team. Virginia is one of the top 4 teams in the country and they will prove that they deserve to be in a No. 1 spot soon. When they go into their ACC schedule, they will prove my point, and furthermore when they defeat Duke, Maryland, and Missouri back-to-back-to-back."
"Not putting Syracuse in the Power 16 is a disgrace. In case you didn't notice, Jim Boeheim was absent those 2 losses, and I guarantee Syracuse wouldn't have lost them if he had been there. The coaches realized what an incredible coach he is, by putting Syracuse at number 11 in the coaches poll, despite their two losses. I guarantee Syracuse will be far above all the No. 4 seeds, at least, by the end of the season."
"Just wanted to comment on your comment regarding UVA beating Georgetown in DC. My wife and I have season tickets to the Hoyas, and I can say without a doubt that the most impressive part of that victory was the sheer number of Wahoos present. There were far more Virginia fans in the building than Hoya backers -- it seemed like the entire city of Charlottesville had made the drive. While Sweetney has been a dominant force against inferior opposition, it remains to be seen how he'll play when the Big East rolls around this year, and I'm concerned that his relatively quiet performance in this game was a harbinger of a long season. Or maybe UVA is just that good. Just my two cents."
"How could Arizona drop out of the Power 16 rankings. Despite their shocking loss to Oregon, one can't overlook the fact that the Wildcats beat three teams in the Power 16 rankings (Florida, Maryland and Illinois) yet only lost to one (Kansas). With the surprising emergence of the freshmen on this team, it doesn't seem unlikely that Arizona could make another trip to the Elite Eight and beyond."
"OSU didn't play like a No. 1 seed for the first 10 minutes of the Arkansas game but they came back from that anyway and won. It was ugly, haphazard even, but they came back. I won't argue that OSU has played a tough schedule, they haven't. But, the win over Arkansas showed what the team is made of -- a NEVER give up attitude. For all those who say that OSU shouldn't be a No. 1 seed in the Power 16 I have one question. Could the team you are rooting for come back from 22 down on an unfriendly court? If they COULD then they would have done what OSU DID."
"Don't forget about the magic Ricky P. is doing at the University of Louisville this year. Yes, they have had a somewhat soft schedule until now, but they look like a different team from last year. They are hustling all over the floor like the teams of the late 70's and the 80's and this is UofL basketball. I am a supporter of Denny Crum, and love what he did for the university, and the piece that was done on national television was not fair and this hurt him in his ability to recruit so it is best that he leave with his record intact. They could not have found a better fit for a person to succeed a Hall of Fame coach than Rick Pitino."
"Earlier today, I voiced my complaint over Gonzaga's exclusion from the Power 16 in favor of Cincinnati, Marquette, Butler and Miami. A rarely tested foursome if there ever was one, but I stand corrected on one point: the RPI's are out and largely support my complaint. In strength-of-schedule rank, it looks like this:
Cincinnati: 19
"Thanks for exercising good judgement by realizing Kentucky deserved to move up despite a close loss. A bounce here and there, and a VERY even game goes to the Cats. But HOW can you justify Florida in a No. 1 slot? UK is CLEARLY the class of the SEC, with both superior depth and coaching compared to the Gators. Who, really, has Florida played pre-conference? High Point? Stetson? Whoopee."
"Well, I was going to take another shot at why Oklahoma State shouldn't be a 1 seed, but I got caught up in browsing through their schedule. As I was looking, I started to notice a trend, and that was that with the exception of a few schools, I've NEVER heard of the schools they've played. Just curious, but down in Stillwater do they make their schedule by throwing at a dart board."
"All you people at ESPN like to talk about how Virginia is a serious contender lurking in the wings to attack the ACC title. Then have some guts and live up to your claim! Kansas got drubbed by Ball State, Florida lost to Arizona, who just experienced a 30-point shellacking at the hands of the Ducks, and Virginia has remained undefeated through a tougher schedule than OK State! Everybody who saw that small Virginia squad outrebound the trees of Georgetown knows that Virginia is for real. Drop anyone but Duke, and keep two ACC teams in the No. 1 spot."
"Great Job with the Power 16 this week. You guys could almost put Duke first, and the next best 15 teams in a hat and draw for seeds. Nobody could really complain because their team has either lost games or not played anybody (Oklahoma State). However, you better start moving the Fighting Illini up. They don't play anybody until January 15, where the Illini will revenge last year's defeat to the Hawkeyes. And then they will be a No. 1 again. But make them win that game first."
"Thanks for keeping Butler in the 16s. They are a very good team and won't get cocky -- they'll just win. They have one of the best defensive schemes in the nation and have players at all positions that can score. They have what it takes to win most if not all of their games. Watch out for the Dawgs on the 29th vs. IU!"
"I am thrilled to see Cincinnati in the power 16. Not only were they not expected to do anything this year, they have better team chemistry than they have had since the Final Four and Elite Eight runs. I'm glad they're being recognized because the polls are still pretty weak."
"I think Alabama is getting to this level. They have had one bad game in 11. I think they have proven that they can play a tough preseason and win."
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