Posted: Monday March 10, 2003 12:14 PM
Updated: Monday March 10, 2003 3:23 PM
By Stewart Mandel, SI.com
Call it a cop-out, if you must.
But with the regular season complete, and this being the final power rankings edition of the season, we simply can’t see fit between Arizona and Kentucky to declare one No. 1 and one No. 2.
We’ve said all year long that the Wildcats … wait, that’s not going to work … that Arizona is the most talented team in the country, and they’ve done nothing to disprove that. They are the only team to lose just two games on the season and they enter the Pac-10 tournament on a 10-game winning streak.
But then we witnessed in person Kentucky’s win at Florida last Saturday, one that capped a remarkable 16-0 SEC campaign and 20-game win streak. These Wildcats may not be as talented overall as those Wildcats, but it’s also not as big a gap as everyone’s saying. Kentucky’s offense is every bit as impressive as its defense and the way their guys mesh is undeniable.
If they played tomorrow, we simply would not be able to pick a favorite.
So, sorry to disappoint you but we close out the power rankings with the question of No. 1 unanswered.
But don’t worry; we have a funny feeling this thing might get settled April 7.
Men's College Basketball Power Rankings
Rank
LW
Team
1a.
1
Arizona Wildcats (25-2) How ugly might Thursday’s first-round Arizona-UCLA game be? Well, let’s see; the Wildcats won the first two meetings 87-52 and 106-70. This week: Pac-10 tournament, at Los Angeles.
1b.
2
Kentucky Wildcats (26-3) That 69-67 near-disaster against Florida on Saturday marked the Wildcats’ first win by fewer than seven points since their SEC opener at Tennessee. This week: SEC tournament, at New Orleans.
3
4
Texas Longhorns (22-5) The one team in the country that may be as talented as Arizona laid its claim to a No. 1 seed by rallying from 15 down at Oklahoma. This week: Big 12 tournament, at Dallas.
4
9
Kansas Jayhawks (24-6) What an impressive ending to a Big 12 title season, winning at both Texas Tech and Missouri. KU has now gone 30-2 in the league the past two seasons. This week: Big 12 tournament, at Dallas.
5
7
Marquette Golden Eagles (23-4) The Golden Eagles knocked off Cincinnati to wrap up the C-USA title, the first in eight years won by someone besides the Bearcats. This week: Conference USA tournament, at Louisville.
6
10
Syracuse Orangemen (23-4) Besides Kentucky, the Orangemen have been the most impressive team in the country the past three weeks, winning at Notre Dame last Monday. This week: Big East tournament, at New York.
7
3
Xavier Musketeers (24-4) The Musketeers just keep getting it done, rallying in the final seconds at St. Joe’s, then torching Temple with 56 second-half points. This week: Atlantic 10 tournament, at Dayton.
8
5
Pittsburgh Panthers (23-4) The Panthers clocked Seton Hall, but what was up with that near-loss to Villanova’s J.V. team?? Brandin Knight’s free throws remain a concern. This week: Big East tournament, at New York.
9
3
Florida Gators (24-6) It was a heartbreaking week for the Gators, who upped their season loss total by 50 percent but by one- and two-point margins to two great teams. This week: SEC tournament, at New Orleans.
10
6
Oklahoma Sooners (21-6) It had to hurt for the Sooners to see their home winning streak end at the hands of rival Texas. Oh well, they’ll probably meet again this week. This week: Big 12 tournament, at Dallas.
11
12
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (23-4) Kudos to the Demon Deacons for winning the ACC, but you can’t help but look at the rest of that league and wonder what exactly did they win? This week: ACC tournament, at Greensboro, N.C.
12
15
Wisconsin Badgers (22-6) The Badgers are outright Big Ten champions, and we’re still trying to figure out how it happened. Congrats to head coach Bo Ryan -- two seasons, two titles. This week: Big Ten tournament, at Chicago.
13
--
Georgia Bulldogs (19-8) Strangely, amidst the chaos surrounding them, the Dogs are playing some of their best basketball, highlighted by the thriller over Florida. This week: SEC tournament, at New Orleans.
14
14
Illinois Fighting Illini (21-6) The Illini came within a few seconds of claiming the Big Ten crown for themselves. They’ve got to be the favorite this week at the United Center. This week: Big Ten tournament, at Chicago.
15
11
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (22-8) The Irish have cooled off considerably from their early-to-midseason form, losing on their home court to both Connecticut and Syracuse recently. This week: Big East tournament, at New York.
16
13
Maryland Terrapins (19-8) Lightning couldn’t strike twice for Drew Nicholas, whose last second 3-pointer staved off N.C. State but not Virginia, which somehow swept the Terps. This week: ACC tournament, at Greensboro, N.C.
17
--
Stanford Cardinal (23-7) The Cardinal have been surprisingly consistent all season and finished off strong, battling No. 1 Arizona to the wire and handling third-place Cal. This week: Pac-10 tournament, at Los Angeles.
18
18
Memphis Tigers (22-5) What kind of a conference is this? The Tigers went all year without playing Marquette. Hopefully in Saturday’s title game, we’d like to learn something. This week: Conference USA tournament, at Louisville.
19
16
Louisville Cardinals (21-6) How happy are the Cardinals to have the league tournament on their own floor? It’s about the only thing that’s gone their way lately. This week: Conference USA tournament.
20
17
Duke Blue Devils (21-6) To say the last week has been disappointing for the Blue Devils would be an understatement. The problems with Duke's 3-point shooting accuracy of earlier in the year have come back hard. This week: ACC tournament, at Greensboro, N.C.
