The Case for No. 1

The top four teams in the country all lost this week. All four of them received votes for No. 1 in last week's polls. The three teams behind them all have an argument to move up. There could very well be seven teams that draw first place votes in this week's poll. Here's how I would rank them, and why they have an argument to be No. 1.


1. Ohio State Buckeyes: Ohio State was the consensus No. 1 team in the country before last Saturday's loss to Jordan Taylor and Wisconsin. It wasn't just because they were the last undefeated team in the country, its because they were, in fact, the best team in the country. Just because they lost at Wisconsin and at Purdue doesn't change that fact. The Badgers and the Boilermakers are a combined 30-0 at home this season. No one wins at Mackey Arena or the Kohl Center, not even the best team in the country.


2. Kansas Jayhawks: There may not be a more talented team in the country that the Jayhawks. They are deep, they are balanced, and they have one of the most efficient star tandems in the country in The Morrii. Like OSU, Kansas has just two losses on the season -- to Texas on the day after the death of Thomas Robinson's mother, and at Kansas State on Monday in a game that the Wildcats just dominated the Jayhawks. The problem? This team keeps showing flashes of maturity issues (technical fouls, intentional elbows) and they have actually only beaten three teams that are NCAA Tournament locks -- Missouri, Arizona, and UCLA.

3. Pitt Panthers: I don't think people give the Panthers enough credit for what they proved without Ashton Gibbs two weeks ago, beating both West Virginia and Villanova on the road. How important is Gibbs? He had 26 of their 59 points in the loss at St. John's. Don't confuse that with a bad loss, either. The Johnnies have now dispensed of five top 15 teams at home, and three of the other four (Notre Dame, UConn, and Duke) were blowouts. Pitt lost on a ridiculous reverse layup by Dwight Hardy.

4. Texas Longhorns: Defensively, the Longhorns are scary. They've completely shut down some very good opponents for ridiculously long stretches this season. The issue I have with Texas is on the offensive end of the floor. Rick Barnes has always had the reputation of being a guy who rolled the ball out and let his kids play. That works when you have Kevin Durant and DJ Augustin. But, like against Nebraska, what happens when Texas runs into an opponent that makes it difficult for them to score?

5. Duke Blue Devils: I know the theory is supposed to be win and you drop, but I'm still not ready to say that Duke is a better team than Texas. Why? Because of the body of work. Duke has, for better or worse, one quality win this season -- unless you consider disappointments like Butler, Michigan State, and Kansas State quality wins -- in UNC. Texas can also claim a victory over UNC, and has many more impressive wins, including one at Kansas. Duke may go farther in the NCAA Tournament, but they cannot be ranked ahead of the 'Horns right now.

6. San Diego State Aztecs: The Aztecs have just one loss on the season which came to BYU at the Marriott Center when The Jimmer went for 43 points. Just like Ohio State losses at Purdue and Wisconsin, no one was beating BYU on that night. The problem is that the Aztecs just don't have enough depth on their resume. They've beaten all the good teams out west -- Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Long Beach State, Wichita State, Cal -- but none of those teams are a lock to go to the NCAA Tournament. That's what makes this Saturday's matchup with BYU so important.

7. BYU Cougars: BYU actually has a fairly solid resume. They beat teams like Arizona, Utah State, St. Mary's, and, of course, SDSU. The issue with BYU? Those pesky road losses to New Mexico and UCLA and the thought that this team is too reliant on Jimmer.