Who’s number one? Who cares?

Tyler Hansbrough and the Tarheels are headed for another number one seed in March Madness, but does it really give them an advantage?

It’s the eve of Selection Sunday. The conference tournaments are winding down and after tomorrow’s finals, only 65 teams in the entire nation will extend their seasons. But of those 65 teams, only four will earn the coveted number one seeds in their brackets.

Teams like North Carolina and Pittsburgh are virtual locks for the spot, but for teams like Memphis, UConn, Louisville or maybe the out-of-nowhere pick by the committee, number one is less of a guarantee. And so the inevitable question arises: “Who’s number one?”

Who cares?

What benefits come with being the number one seed? An easier path to the Final Four? Well, I would hope a number one team would find it easy to play a number 16 team. But by the same token, I would hope they find it easy to play a number seven team.

I actually tend to believe that the team with the best path to the Final Four would be the teams just below the number one spot (note the use of the word “best” rather than “easiest”). I’ll give up the contention that number one has the easiest path, but easiest is not always best. Pittsburgh slamming past pushover opponents won’t do them much good once they run into UCLA. And although the opponents faced by the teams right underneath aren’t exactly dynamos themselves, tuning up against better competition makes a team’s game better.

Regardless of the seeding, though, the good teams will find a way to win no matter who the opponent is. If Memphis is truly the best team, they can beat CSUN or North Carolina. If Louisville deserves the title, they can take out Akron or Pittsburgh. Maybe none of them deserve the title. Maybe it belongs to Syracuse. They won’t be a number one seed, but that’s why you play the tournament.

That’s why we’re here. That’s why it’s March Madness. There’s a certain unpredicatbility about this month and nothing is guaranteed.

If the shoe fits

Dwight Lewis (21) and DeMar DeRozan (10) celebrate a thromping.

By guest blogger, Rachie McRoth

Mark my words, the USC Trojans are the most dangerous team going into The Tournament. It all comes down to one factor, really. The reason USC is so dangerous is simple. They believe they can win.

When I mentioned this to my friend, PG, he, an unabashed ‘SC fan btw, said that they were the least deserving team to get in. He cited their February melt-down and mediocre PAC-10 record as reasons his team wouldn’t be wearing the glass slipper.

But the truth is, none of those things matter. It doesn’t matter that they went 2-5 against ranked teams, or that they lost to Stanford and Oregon State. They won the Pac-10 title. And they did it as a sixth seed, something no team has ever done.

They had to fend off CAL, #14/15 (depending on who you ask) UCLA and #23 Arizona State.

They beat these teams soundly, too. The final score of the ASU game was 66-63, but the Sun Devils led by as many as 15 in the second half, and were up by five with two minutes left in the game. Furthermore, USC thromped — when I get excited I invent new words — UCLA and never trailed against CAL.

Another reason the Trojans are so dangerous? DeMar DeRozan, newly anointed Most Outstanding Player of the tourney. You know he’s dying to do what O.J. couldn’t. He led all-scorers in the games vs. Arizona State and UCLA, annnnd led the Trojans in assists against Arizona State, rebounds against UCLA and blocks vs. CAL.

Plus, he looked pretty doing it.

Everything for the Trojans seems to be working in their favor. In addition to DeRozan,  Taj Gibson is absolutely filthy. Their depth and the seniority of guys like Daniel Hackett, Keith Wilkinson, Marcus Johnson and Dwight Lewis only make the prospect of paying them more unnatractive.

USC also has that intangible element — one all Cinderella teams share — momentum. Momentum is a dangerous thing — those who have it thrive off of it, while those who don’t, fear it.

The way USC handled the PAC-10 Tournament proved to the world that they plan to be dancing long past midnight this year.

You’ve been warned.