2010 NCAA Basketball Rankings, part 2: #16 - 20

#20: Villanova

(According to Google, she's from Villanova. According to my penis, I don't care if she's from Mars. Look at that thing. )

Points: 43
NCs: 1(1985)
Final Fours: 2(1985, 2009)
Made the NCAAs: 57.69%

I gotta be honest, I expected Nova to be a little higher on this list. '98 - '04 were lean years for one of the few programs with a title in the last 25 years, and it's dragged down the rankings for a program that's been much better the last 6 years. Did you know that Jay Wright is a dynamic steward? It says so in his bio, so it must be true. I wonder if that's what he tells the recruits when they ask why he doesn't have any rings.



#19: Michigan

(I was tempted to make an Jalen Rose/Uncle Tom joke here, but I didn't feel like dealing with the emails.)

Points: 44
NCs: 1(1989)
Final Fours: 3(1989, 1992, 1993)
Made the NCAAs: 50%

Ahh, Michigan. If you had done this ranking in the mid-90s they'd be at least 10 spots higher; alas, the last 15 years haven't been so kind to them. It could be even worse if I followed the NCAA's rules & didn't count vacated wins, but I'm kinda lazy so I'm just sticking with the wins that show up in the brackets. John Calipari & Kentucky fans will thank me for that in a few years. You know, assuming they read this blog, which they probably won't. Michigan's only made the tournament twice since 1997(not counting 2011 for reasons listed previously) which means in the past 13 years they've been succeeding with the likes of Kansas State & Providence. A program of this reputation shouldn't be enduring this kind of slide. Look on the bright side, you're still ahead of the Buckeyes.


#17(tie): Illinois

 (Seriously, that's adorable. And I don't even like kids.)

Points: 48
NCs: 0
Final Fours: 2(1989, 2005)
Made the NCAAs: 76.92%

This is the point in the rankings where you start to see a little more consistent appearances in the post-season. Illinois has only missed the tournament in consecutive years once since '85, 1991-1992. Since the '05 Final Four run - or when most of Bill Self's recruits left/graduated - Illinois hasn't been faring quite as well, never making it further than the 2nd round. They're trending down, which is the difference between them and the team they're tied with...


#17(tie): Texas

(Oh Longhorn Girl, we miss you. Please come back & teach us math.) 

Points: 48
NCs: 0
Final Fours: 1(2003)
Made the NCAAs: 76.92%

While Illinois is trending down, the Longhorns are definitely trending up. Other than a couple of decent years under Tom Penders, the 'Horns' post-season success is entirely on Rick Barnes. If this list is done since Barnes stepped on the 40 Acres, Texas is #10. He's brought a level of consistency to this football school that they've never seen before; however he's not made the final push to get a NC & some are wondering if his teams will ever win it all. The seasons in Austin are no longer Football, Winter, & Spring Football; they're now Football, Winter, & Spring Football(and basketball).

Hey, where's #16? There isn't one. There's a tie for #15, so you'll see it in the next post. I know, it's heartbreaking & you can hardly wait to see the climax of this magnificent opus. Me either, but I can't blow my load all at once. Trust me, you'll end up disappointed if I do. That's what they keep telling me, over and over again. "Jeez, that was so disappointing. It was 48 seconds of furious action followed by 15 minutes of crying. You really should learn to slow down if you're ever going to get your money's worth."

I hate preachy prostitutes.

#15(both of them) - #11 on Monday... 

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