tS' Weekly Top Five & Quick Thoughts on the Field of 65

Before I get to my final Top Five, here are my quick thoughts on the work done by the selection committee this year:

-Wisconsin should have been a #2 seed. At the very least, they shouldn't have been scheduled for a Thursday game. Winning the Conference Tourney obviously did not help them at all when it came to seeding, except for being placed in the Midwest Region (though I'm not sure how great of an advantage it will be playing in Omaha, especially if they end up playing Kansas St. in the second round). The four #1 seeds all won their conference tournaments. None of the four #2 seeds won their conference tournaments. The Badgers won their conference tournament, and are rewarded with a #3 seed and a Thursday game (which better be at least a night game!).

-The only other problem I had with the seedings, was Pittsburgh as a #4 seed (I thought they deserved a #3 seed), and Xavier as a #3 seed (I thought they could have been a #4).

-The East Region is probably the toughest, but Memphis will also have some potentially tough matchups in the South. They could face Mississippi St., Pittsburgh, and Stanford or Texas.

-Kansas in the Midwest Region seems to have the easiest road to the Elite Eight.

-Arizona St. and Virginia Tech got snubbed. Teams that I wouldn't have had a problem if they missed the cut include Miami, Kentucky, Villanova, St. Mary's, Arizona, and St. Joe's.

Here now is my final Top Five:

5. (tie) Texas - Played really well throughout the Big 12 Tourney, and just came short of another victory over Kansas in the championship game (in what was essentially a home game for the Jayhawks.

(tie) Wisconsin - The Badgers won their conference title outright and then backed it up with a Big Ten Tourney title as well. The comeback victory over Michigan St. was a great display of Coach Ryan's brilliance and his team's ability to execute calmly and efficiently.

4. Memphis - The Tigers finished the season with one loss. They are an experienced bunch, and have made it to the Elite Eight the past two seasons.

3. UCLA - The Bruins keep finding a way to win, even when key players go down with injuries. Three things I like about this team are their toughness on defense, the play of Darren Collison, and the way they don't panic at the end of close games.

2. North Carolina - The Tar Heels looked a little vulnerable in the ACC Tourney. Defense continues to be an issue at times for this team, but UNC still possesses the nation's best player, Tyler Hansbrough.

1. Kansas - Kansas rolled into the Big 12 Tourney Championship game, and then played one of the most impressive games by any team all year. This is an unselfish team with multiple scoring threats and a tenacious defense. They look like a focused team and seem poised to make a deep run in the Tournament.