January 3 Hoops Update

It starts now.

Clemson is for real. They will finish in the top 4 in the ACC and get a Tourney Bid.

Gonzaga is not for real. Virginia killed them tonight. Yes, the same Cavaliers that lost to Appalachian State. The Zags have lost 5 of their last 6. Bye-bye.

UCLA needs some road experience before we can make a judgement. They do not deserve to be number 1 right now.

Duke hangs in the balance. If Paulus or McRoberts get injured then they go down. The number 5 ranking is ONLY because everyone is afraid of Coach K wrath if they are not ranked in the top 10 each year, all year.

North Carolina is arguably the most talented team in the country, but they need to come out of the gates playing defense. Down by 10 to Penn in the mid first half? And at the Dean Dome? ACC teams will eat them alive if they continue to come out slowly, especially on the road. Are they number 2 in the country? Let's give it a week and a couple of road games to make that judgement.

Look what Florida did to Ohio State and you could say they are number 1. At least we think so. Not sporting as much talent or depth as UNC, but VERY dangerous. They really think they can win each game.

Ohio State will be in the Final Four. Greg Oden will be unstoppable by late February. Think Shaq at LSU. Manchild. Will go pro after this year.

Don't let their 9-4 record fool you--Indiana will be a force to be reckoned with.

NC State needs to cancel their season right now.

Kansas is not a top 20 team. They will be lucky to win 50% of their conference games this year.

Oklahoma State is for real.

Air Force will win a lot of games but will fall fast in the NCAA Tourney.

The sleeper this year is Butler. With wins against Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee, and Gonzaga they are scary good. Looking for a Cinderella in March? Bet on Butler.

Why is West Virginia not ranked?

Don't look for NC-Wilmington in the Tourney this year.

Look for our NCAA Tourney predictions next week.

Check out our daily summary tomorrow, and each day until we have a National Champion.