Don't Sleep On Memphis as a No. 1 Seed

Once again the most wonderful time of the year has returned.  Basketball is on nearly 24 hours a day and courts are being rushed with no regard for human life.  Ology and Ologist are being applied to the word bracket and everyone becomes an expert with a system.

I am no exception.
                   
While I am no expert I do have at least one very strong opinion on this year’s NCAA Tournament that appears to be in the minority.  To make it clear I’ll write it in loud and annoying capital letters.

DO NOT SLEEP ON MEMPHIS.

Memphis is an absolute clear one seed to me.  Obviously Memphis plays in a weaker conference, there is no getting around that, and for some people it is simply too much to overcome when thinking about Memphis as an elite team. 

But I ask you this, does Memphis ever slip?  If Memphis were not a strong team and lacked championship level focus wouldn’t they eventually lose one of these Conference USA games? They’ve won 61 consecutive conference games.  61!

It is what Memphis does against their weak schedule that impresses me.  Since moving Tyreke Evans to the point the Tigers have an average margin of victory of 17 points per game.  That includes an 18 point win at Gonzaga during the conference season.

When I compare Memphis to a team like Duke—who could be in the running for a one seed if they win the ACC Tournament—I think they stack up favorably. Duke average margin of victory is 12, but when their 41 point blasting of Maryland is removed it falls to nine. 

Yes, Duke plays in a tougher conference, but they let bad teams hang around—a blueprint on how to lose in the NCAAs. 

St. John’s clawed back within five against them after being down as much as 16 in the second half at Duke in mid-February.  The same St. John’s team that scored ten points in the first half of a Big East tourny game.

While I would never insinuate that this year’s Memphis team is superior to the Final Four team of a year ago, they have improved on last year’s fatal flaw: free throw shooting.  Memphis is up to 69 percent as a team this year compared to 61 percent last year. 

Notably guard Antonio Anderson has improved from 57 percent last year to 76 percent this year.

Memphis has the guard play and size necessary to make a deep run in the NCAA’s.  If they are not a one seed I guess I don’t know exactly what a one seed is then.  They’ve taken care of their end of the bargain on the road, at home and now in the conference tournament.  They have as much momentum as any team heading into the big dance.

I just hope the selection committee recognizes their killer instinct with a No. 1 seed.