If there ever was a time to say "GO VOLS" it is now,so "GO VOLS"!!!!!!!!! ROCKY TOP YOU WILL ALWAYS BE................... HOME SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET HOME TO....................MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GOOD OLE ROCKY TOP..........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ROCKY TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!TENNESSEEEEEE

yeah the EA interviews were silly. Except Pearl isn't single..he's dating a coed at UT

I think you are giving Louisville not enough credit. Their is not any of those "Big Seven", that want to play the Cards in the tournament. I see the Cards as a 3seed right now. Rick P will have his press in rare mode in the Tournament.

"No defender in the country can keep up with Rose"

I beg to differ. Rose is a great player, but were you watching when UCLA's Russell Westbrook completely dominated OJ Mayo? Mayo had 2 inches on him, but his stat line for the night: 2-8 FG, 4 pts, 10 TO's
Mayo's only 2 buckets came with Westbrook out of the game.

I think Westbrook is the best one on one defender in the nation. He could definately keep up with Rose. Maybe not stop him, but he could at least prevent him from getting into the lane

Are you aware the UW badgers beat texas. If they beat them once they can do it again. dumbass

UCLA has been a #2 seed in the west two years running, with the regional being in Cali both times. I think it is very unfair to the respective one seeds in that situation but the NCAA has shown they will do it so I wouldn't be surprised to see it again.

Unfair advantage in Charlotte? Guarantee that Tennessee fans will go to Charlotte in droves. Knoxville is only 4 hours away. The Vols would paint C-town orange.

Luke is probably right that Memphis will regain the top spot prior to the tournament. The worst part of Memphis' schedule is over whereas the others on his list all face their toughest challenges in their tournaments. It does seem that the mid-majors have an easier road to travel.

Just remember, USC was literally one one Hackett free throw from beating Memphis. USC has as much raw athletic talent as anyone in the country, they're just incredibly inexperienced and inconsistent.

I could have sworn that your #1 Tennessee, with all of their athleticism, had actually played Texas already this year. Oh yeah, they did...it was Texas 97, Tennessee 78...that's 19 points, right?

It's all about Peaking at the Right Time! UW did beat Texas, doesn't mean they would do it again. Texas beat Tennessee, Kansas and UCLA, doesn't mean they'd do it again and doesn't mean they wont'. Tennesse beat Memphis. Go Figure, that's why we have MARCH MADNESS! Need I say more :)

Texas has beaten Tennessee, UCLA and Kansas. When was the last time Texas didn't get the credit they deserved? Oh yeah, Vince Young and Texas vs USC.

Arizona also lost to Memphis without their best player, Bayless.

And from what I saw, I don't think Memphis is a final 4 team. If they can't pressure you defensively and get out on the break, they really have trouble scoring. And there seems to be some problems with maturity on Memphis. All that talking before the game and not a peep afterwards? Cowards, pure and simple. If you are going to talk big before the game, be a man and step up after the game.

carolina has gotten scary good without lawson in the half court set, brin ghim back and add the running game and as dickie v would say its an m & m er baby. hansbrough is a ptper baby!!

LOL, if you think a rematch between Tennessee and Texas would end the same way as the first one, you're kidding yourself. Texas shot an absurd 64% from the field and seemingly could not miss that night - I'd like to see ANYBODY beat them under similar circumstances. In addition, it was the sixth game of the season - much has changed since then. The Vols now have J.P. Prince in the lineup, and they've improved tremendously as a team since late November. Remember that Texas is not immune to playing poorly - they lost by 13 points to a bad Missouri team, nearly giving up 100 points in the process. So yes, Texas did beat Tennessee, but another game between the two would be entirely different.

A good entry overall, Luke. I agree with much of what you said. One thing that struck me as humorous/ironic: you mentioned that Florida was the only team UCLA has shied away from in the past few seasons. The funny part? The team Florida had a lot of trouble with in both of their championship seasons was none other than Tennessee. They were 1-3 against the Vols in 05-06 and 06-07, with their only victory coming in Gainesville last year against a Lofton-less Tennessee team.

I'm always amused by people who say UCLA had an unfair advantage in the NCAA Tournament due to playing "in California." If you look at a map, you'll see that California is far bigger than many of you seem to realize.

Distance and time from UCLA to (per mapquest.com):

2005-2006 1st/2nd Rounds in San Diego: 135 miles (2 hours 15 minutes -- LOL, early on a Sunday morning, maybe!)

2005-2006 Regionals in Oakland: 366.4 miles (5 hours 32 minutes)

2006-2007 1st/2nd Rounds in Sacramento: 380 miles (5 hours 42 minutes)

2006-2007 Regionals in San Jose: 336 miles (5 hours 10 minutes)

Those distances and highly optimistic travel times are FAR greater than many of the other highly seeded schools' fans have to travel to watch their teams.

Check a map before jumping to conclusions.

Name the team that has beaten 3 of the current top 6 teams? If you said "Texas Longhorns" you are correct. Wonder what it takes to get a 1 seed these days? Oh yeah, you have to be Duke. Hook 'em Horns!

If there is a Tennessee-UCLA match-up in the finals, then I have to ask "what happened to Texas"? As the last poster noted, Texas blew out Tennessee earlier in the season on a neutral court and handed UCLA its first loss at home in forever. Texas seems to be hitting its stride after a mid-season slump and has a pointguard in consideration for national player of the year. Who knows...

I watched Tennessee beat Texas in Knoxville AND in Austin. One of those beat downs was by 17 points. Yet, both years, Tennessee was still ranked lower then Texas. Payback is a...

What I cant believe is the number of teams in his top tier that are supposedly so much better than the lower tier. I am not surprised by Memphis's loss at the hands of the Vols. Memphis has not played anyone good away from home. C-USA, SEC, Pac10, Big12 are no where near as strong as the Big East (perhaps the most difficult conference -the basketball analogue of SEC in football). Every teams of a tough conference knows what it means to play quality opponents at home and on the road. Something most of his top tier simnply have not done. How did the Vols do in Ky? How about Louisville?

Texas vs Tennessee was at the start of the season (wasn't it in November?) at the end of a tournment. Also Texas wanted revenge after losing to Tennessee the last couple of years. Texas was the best team that night but to think that makes Texas the better team in March shows a lack of understanding of college basketball. I have a feelling the Vols will lose tomorrow night but I also have a feeling if the Vols face Texas again the outcome would be different.

As someone pointed out, Wisconsin already beat Texas. In Texas. And it was a close game throughout.

They play a great team ball. If Butch is healthy down low he can be one of the best in the country. The guards are hitting threes like it's going out of style, and that's the great equalizer in college ball.

Badgers to make a run into the final four?

Enough of all this babble the VOLS are just better than everyone else right now. Its just that simple.

The Vols did lose to Texas, No.16 at the time by 19. But, Texas also lost to Texas A&M, No.23 at the time, 80-63, which is 17 right?

The VILES suck. Memphis beat themselves Saturday night. Missed shots, poor shot selection, etc. Tigers will win the National Championship. GO TIGERS!

I could see the selection committee doing that. They gave Kansas the #1 seed last year in the west where they had to play UCLA in the elite 8. That wasn't exactly fair.

I don't think UCLA is a lock for the final 4. They past two years they haven't had to leave CA to get there. This year they would.

Talk about no credit! Texas has beaten UCLA, Tennessee and Kansas. I believe teh only team that has knocked of 3 of the Top 5 this season. Any mention of Texas in the Final Four? Noooooo! And the Badgers? Whatever, that was a 1 point game and I don't hink they'd give that away now.

I'm not sure how you can leave Xavier off the list of legit title contenders when they're 24-4 and have won 10 straight. They killed Indiana and K-State and almost beat Tennessee. Is it just because they're in the A-10? Maybe time to start giving them some credit.

Yes, Charlotte would be an unfair edge for UNC. A large portion of the city graduated from UNC and the locals already own most of the tickets.

Too bad Rick Barnes is functionally RETARDED and can't get consistency out of future NBA players. How did the Durant team work out again?

Oh, yeah...the other UT...what has happened to them...ho hum...yesterday's news...the original UT is #1.

It should also be pointed out the Badgers beat Texas WITHOUT Trevon Hughes. What was that about Texas being in the echelon above the Badgers?

Tennessee will be No.1 until Tuesday.

I agree that Tennessee would have a bit of a disadvantage in Charlotte (particularly with UNC as their 2-seed). Despite the fact that Tennessee would be pretty well represented, you must remember that UNC fans bought up a lot of those tickets very early on because they felt the Heels were a virtual lock for the 1-seed in the East (due to their preseason ranking). I wonder, in the event that UNC finishes strong enough to warrant a 1-seed, would the committee give the Heels the 1 in the East, the Vols the 1 in the South, and Memphis the 1 in the midwest (Detroit, I believe). This leaves Kansas, UCLA, Duke, and (perhpaps) Texas to fight it out for the west. Admittedly, UNC has a long way to go to prove themselves worthy of a 1 (Cameron Indoor and the ACC Tourney will go a long way in determining this) however the above may be a reasonable solution rather than sending UNC (or Duke for that matter) out west as a 1-seed. Frankly, as a Heels fan, I'd much rather have the 2 in Charlotte behind UT than the 1 out west ahead of UCLA.

Only thing clear from Tenn. over Memphis is that neither is good enough to win the National Championship.

I can gurantee you, there isn't a "sane" person in the state of Wisconsin that thinks the bagers could beat Texas now. Texas would blow out Wisconsin by 20 points the way Texas is playing now.

If and it's an "IF" this Texas tean continues to play the way they have been playing since the A&M loss, they are a lock for the final 4.

Nothing agains "white" guys, I'm one but the bagers are a bunch of slow "white" guys compared to the top 7 super teams that has a legimate shot at the title.

Texas has proven when they play defense they can beat any team in the country, thank you very much UCLA, Tennessee, Kansas.

Xavier is one of the deepest and most balanced teams in the country with six players averaging over 10ppg. With the way they have been rolling through a decent A10 this year you have to give them some consideration.

Don't forget practically the same team took Ohio State to the buzzer in the tourny last year.

HIGH ON ROCKY TOP! vols are #1 in all the land when the polls come out tn didnt even have jp prince when they got beat by texas and tyler smith was still getting use to the new offense tn would whip texas on their home court jsut liek they did two years ago,remember when lofton hit a 40 footer over kevin durant? i do because it was right in front of me! GO VOLS! SAN AN or bust!

Keep in mind that Texas beat TN the night after TN had to play West Virginia. Texas had also played the night before but the level of competition was definitely not the same.

A lot is being made of Texas' wins over Tennessee and UCLA early in the season. While they are great resume wins, they are hardly a barometer of how those teams would match-up in March. I'll give credit to Texas for going into Pauley Pavilion and beating UCLA, but let's not forget that it was Darren Collison's 2nd game back from a sprained knee and DJ Augustin had a field day against him. Even though the Horns had a great shooting night they still needed Mbah a Moute to miss the front-end of a 1-and-1 and then a last second put-back off an off-balance airball at the buzzer to escape Westwood with a hard-fought win. Texas is a talented team that's as quick as any team in the nation, and it has the guard play for a deep run if they avoid the bad shooting night. Can they get past the Sweet 16 in March without their "A" game? Probably not. The two teams that stick out in my mind that can win on an off-night are UCLA and Kansas. Kansas is more talented while UCLA is more experienced. UCLA has the defensive reputation while Kansas actually has the stats to back up their dominant D. The Bruins got the better of the Jayhawks in last year's Elite 8, but Arron Afflalo had a monster game and is in the NBA now. That said, all the prognostications don't mean much as anything can happen in March.

Wisconsin is the most overrated team in the country.

Texas fans need to get a life. Oh, they've beaten such good teams. They also lost to MSU, Wicsonsin, Missouri (seroously?), and Texan A&M. The Big 10 is never as good as they think they are, nor is the Big 12. Sorry, but get over yourselves.

How about Michigan State included on that list. They beat Texas, came down to the end with UCLA and if they are on they could make a big run in the tournament.

Wisconsin beat Texas on a fluke buzzer beater. No way that happens again.

I dont care who the Badgers were missing that day...noone outside of Cheese Country knows who he is anyway.

It really doesnt matter who beat whom during the regular season. When the bracket is posted and the matchups are solidified, we will have a better idea of who will run the table.

P.S. Don't be afraid to give The Horns a #1 seed. They do have the most impressive resume to date.

Memphis athletic ? No doubt, but when did athleticism win a national title. A solid 2-3 zone with quick perimeter defenders will give Memphis fits. And by the way, don't ever count out the Big East !!!!

As the original poster about Texas way up at the top, I need to point out that I was not saying that Texas is better than Tennessee today; or UCLA or Wisconsin. As others have pointed out, that's why they have the tournament. My point was in response to the statement that no one can match Tennessee's athleticism. TX lacks size, which may do them in at some point, but they DO have the best pt guard in the country and are in excellent condition, as pointed out by the ABC commendator on Saturday. They have changed their style of play in the past couple of weeks both inside and defensively, with excellent results. They are also just getting used to last year's TX player of the year joining the team mid-season after medical issues. Are they No. 1? Probably not; but I'm going enjoy seeing them continue to get better over the next few weeks....

Duke? Really? That team screams early out if they come up against an athletic team that has a quality big. Like say a Pitt. Or anyone not in the ACC.

Texas did beat Tennessee, but they also lost to who.....Missouri, by 13. EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW

I've looked at many of the comments. Can Texas fans spell? I live in Texas and look forward to the tournament. Texas will be a quick exit. It's not hard to out coach Rick. Texas fans keep being ignorant or arrogant--that's what the rest of the country is used to.

if lawson wasnt hurt the first game with Duke the heels would have won.
paulus would not be able to stay with lawson and lawson would lock him up defensively

as for NC proving anything for a 1 seed its a stretch they were number one the majority of the season before losing to maryland
by them winning without lawson is only making them better

when lawson does come back they have a back up who can play 15 minutes a night if needed easily

all american PG and big man
they rebound, they score in the paint and shoot well from the perimeter

i cant wait for them to play the likes of Kansas, Memphis, Tennessee, Texas

To the person who put up the stats on the distance from UCLA to different parts of California: A stat for you-

2007 Tournament:
Kansas: ONE SEED in West Regional
Campus in Lawrence, Kansas
1,451.1 miles from San Jose, California
(Location of West Regional Final)

UCLA: TWO SEED in West Regional
Campus in Los Angeles, California
305.8 miles from San Jose, California
(Location of West Regional Final)

I'm not one to make excuses for my team losing, but it's pretty obvious KU got screwed in this setup. In effect, the committee might as well have switched seeds between the two based on how they were placed. Sure, KU got the 4-seed instead of the 3, but theoretically you're placing seeds assuming the 1 and 2 will play each other. If this is the case, it's ridiculous to allow the 2 what is essentially home court. Now the Tennessee getting a 1-seed with either UNC or Duke in their region as a 2 is almost unavoidable (unless, of course, if Duke manages to continue it's losing of late) and really not all that bad. Yea, it sucks for Tennessee, but it's not like Tennessee is over 1400 miles from Charlotte while UNC or duke are only 300. This would be almost as bad as making UNC the 1-seed in the Midwest with my Jayhawks at #2. Granted the regional game wouldn't be played in western Kansas, (basically the equivalent of the west regional situation last year) rather Michigan, but as much as it would help my 'hawks it is entirely unfair. I think the NCAA needs to look at this much more when deciding seeding arrangements. The ability of students to go to games is very important, (why do you think home court advantage is so much more important in college than in the pros? THE STUDENTS!) so why not give the 1-seed the advantage they deserve?

rocky top you will always be champs of the SEC!!!

if dorsey or dozier call same two on the rebound memphis wins the game with 43 seconds left, what da hell is everyone talking about. Memphis played poorly second half and was one play from winning the game if the travel is not called! go tigers go!!

No way you can dismiss Georgetown so lightly. They play in the toughest division in the country and will rise again like last year.

Final Four Baby!

Hoya Saxa!

Dickie Vee

I know Luke likes to watch the games and make decisions, but this time of year statistics can tell you a lot, especially their rankings in offensive and defensive efficiency (from kenpom.com) and their strength of schedule rank.

Team Off. Def. SOS
Kansas 3 2 28
UCLA 4 4 19
Memphis 27 1 61
Duke 5 7 17
Wisconsin 24 3 20
UNC 2 21 48
Georgetown 22 8 41
Texas 1 34 6
Marquette 19 9 29
Louisville 33 5 26

So, with regard to Luke's "champioin" list, I certainly see the argument for Kansas, UCLA, and Duke, but I'm having considerable difficulty seeing a huge falloff between Memphis, UNC, Texas, and Wisconsin, and the distance from them to Georgetown, Marquette, and Louisville isn't exactly huge.

Given that Luke usually hypes defensive efficiency as the key to long tournament runs, it's particularly difficult to see why UNC and Texas should get an advantage over the others with much better defenses.

As the Memphis-UT game showed, it's hard to make good interconference comparisons during the conference season. So, I agree with anonymous ... bring on MARCH MADNESS.

UCLA is the most overrated team in the country. There's no way they can win 6 straight games in the tourney with their "average" perimeter shooting.

Duke played a team with a quality big. In fact, they played a team with the best big in the country....who happens to be the best player in the country. And they beat them....on the road. Duke is athletic and streaky. If they shoot well it is tough for anyone to beat them. Look for Nolan Smith to play a lot in coming games to get ready for the tournament.

Vandy will beat UT tonight.

CDub... I understand your gripe about Kansas having to play UCLA in California as a #1 seed. A #2 seed in the Midwest might've been a better option, but Kansas was thrust into a #1 seed when UCLA laid an egg and was upset in Pac-10 tourney by Cal. Had UCLA taken care of business, they would have secured the #1 seed in the West with Kansas probably the #2. The tournament selection committee had to decide how much to penalize UCLA who had been in the top 5 for most of the year and held the top spot for a couple weeks. Shipping UCLA completely out of the West was deemed too harsh for a team that had spent time at #1, spent most of the year in the top 5, and was the regular season champion of the nation's toughest conference. If I were a Jayhawk fan, my bigger gripe would be why Florida was placed in the MIDWEST region after winning the SEC. I'm of the opinion that Kansas has certainly earned the right to remain the Midwest if they win their conference.

Sorry Rocky Top... Again, it's all about peaking and building momentum at the right time:)