On Tuesday, I put out a list of my one seeds, but with the way that this season has gone, the number beside a team’s name has no impact on who wins the game. We have seen a record number of losses from top five team’s this season. There has been no dominant team, and no team yet has shown they are ready to become that team. The difference between the one seeds and the two seeds this year is so slim, that it makes the argument hard for every team to make. With that being said, Kansas, Villanova, Virginia, and Michigan State are my one seeds, but these are my two seeds.
Top two seed- North Carolina (24-6)
Best Win- 96-71 win vs Miami
Worst loss- 71-67 loss at Northern Iowa
Case for a two seed- Like I said earlier, all the two seeds have a genuine argument for a one seed, and UNC has the best of those teams. UNC has wins over Maryland, Miami, and UCLA. The Heels are in the driver’s seat in the ACC, and with a win over Duke on Saturday can clinch their first regular season ACC championship since 2012. The Heels losses have not been terrible, except for the Northern Iowa loss, which was of course without Marcus Paige. The only home loss they have is against Duke the first game. If the Heels can beat Duke and advance to the championship in the ACC tournament, they will have a great resume to put on the table on selection Sunday.
2nd two seed- Oklahoma (23-6)
Best win- 78-55 win vs Villanova (In Hawaii)
Worst loss- 80-69 loss at Kansas State
Case for a two seed- Oklahoma has struggled much as of late. In their last 13 games they are 8-5, after being the best team in the Country until February. While Oklahoma has slowed down, their star has not. Buddy Hield is still showing why he is the widely considered favorite for player of the year. Oklahoma was primed to end the 11 year streak of Kansas winning the Big 12 championship, but they hit the rough stretch and fell to teams like Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas, and they hit a low point when they lost to Texas by thirteen points. Oklahoma is by no means out of this. They still have one more game at TCU to get right before having to turn to what is looking like the gauntlet in the Big 12 tournament. They have great wins over Villanova, Iowa State, and West Virginia. The wins that Oklahoma have stockpiled would challenge almost any team in the Country.
3rd two seed- Miami (24-5)
Best win- 64-61 vs Virginia
Worst loss- 85-69 loss at NC State
Case for a two seed- Miami has one of the best records in the Country. They only have five losses, and two of those coming at the hands of Virginia, which they avenged later in the year, and a loss to UNC. But what is keeping Miami potentially off the one seed line, is the terrible losses to Northeastern, and NC State. Miami shot themselves in the foot in those games, but they have proved to be a much different team since then. Led by Angel Rodriguez, and Sheldon McClellan, Miami has turned into a mirror image of the 2013 team, which was led by Shane Larkin, and Kenny Kadji. Miami has some great wins, they beat Virginia, Duke, and a blowout win over a surging Utah team. If the good Miami shows up, which did when they played Virginia the second time, they can compete with any team in the Country.
4th two seed- Xavier (25-4)
Best win- 90-83 win vs Villanova
Worst loss- 81-72 loss vs Georgetown
Case for a two seed- Xavier is another team that has a stellar record, but their losses are what hold them down. Xavier has losses to Georgetown, at home, Creighton, and Seton Hall. The loss to Villanova is forgivable, but those three losses are hard to swallow. Xavier has the big win over Villanova the second time around, and blowout wins over Michigan, and Missouri. Xavier is a team that many people do not buy, because their lack of big wins, but they play in a weaker conference. They cannot help who they play in conference, but they can help who they play in non-conference, and they did not play many good teams. The jury is still out on Xavier, but if they can beat Villanova one more time in the Big East tournament, they can get that second signature win, that I believe can put them over Villanova in the race for a one seed.