Sunday Sound Off 2/21

College Hoops Hysteria
Roadblock week sure didn't disappoint when it came down to it. Lesser opponents proved to be the definition of failure for the top 4 teams in the country this week. Kansas, Texas, Ohio State, and Pittsburgh all suffered tough road losses throughout the course of the week, setting up a wide open poll coming into President's Day Monday. As the top teams surely stumbled this week, the college basketball seems to get more interesting each day, as more and more teams make their case for a tournament bid or play themselves off the bubble. There are also a few things we can take away from the struggles of top teams this week: It is extremely difficult to win road games in conference play and even dominant teams find trouble down the stretch. This harsh trend unfortunately doesn't stop with the top 4 teams in the nation, because 7 of the AP top 10 teams lost at some point this week. Many thought that after Saturday, Ohio State would come out on Sunday afternoon and take a tight grasp of the top ranking, but they faltered in one of the toughest atmospheres anywhere in Mackey Arena. I myself find it hard to believe that there are any great teams in college hoops this year, even after witnessing the Buckeyes first hand at the Barn. It may be that no matter how well a team has played and looked during most of the year, in conference road games prove to be a fitting kryptonite. For now, we can happily say that a cluster of top teams exists right now, and only time will separate them. The coming weeks should prove important for all top teams, due to the fact that there are likely to be 6 legitimate teams vying for 4 top seeds in the tournament. The seeding remains a mystery, but one thing is sure, we just don't know. The thing about great college basketball teams is that they aren't made at the beginning of the season, they are developed throughout the season, which is what makes collegiate basketball so unique.