2010 NCAA Basketball Rankings, part 5: #5- 1

#5: Arizona

(No wonder Lute Olson hung around as long as he did.)

Points: 71
NCs: 1(1997)
Final Fours: 4(1988, 1994, 1997, 2001)
Made the NCAAs: 96.15%

Lute Olson was the NCAA metronome: put together a solid team, make the tournament every year, & get bounced well before they should. The 71 points here is due in no small part to him recording a couple points a year every single year since 1985, but his teams underachieved more often than not. Their 10 1st round exits is by far the most of any program in the top 10 and speaks to the difference between Arizona and the top 4 teams in this list. The top 4 are in a class by themselves and will be for a few years barring a major collapse.

2010 NCAA Basketball Rankings, part 4: #10 - 6

#10: Louisville

(I don't know what's funnier, the idea that somebody believes Kentucky women look like this or the caption that came with the picture.)

Points: 55
NCs: 1(1986)
Final Fours: 2(1986, 2005)
Made the NCAAs: 73.08%

I've had fun both times I've been to Kentucky; once for a gig in Lexington a decade ago and once to watch an Ironman race in Louisville. The people were friendly...but none of them looked even remotely like the girls above, Ashley Judd, or any of the women in 'Justified'. (Well, maybe Mags Bennett.) I saw a lady ordering food in a White Castle drive-through from the backseat of her mini-van. Why is that notable? Because she was too large to fit in the passenger seat, her husband had to give his order then roll forward 5 feet; she had the sliding door open & gave an order that must have taken 5 minutes to get through. I can only imagine it was hard for the White Castle employee to make out "43 SLIDERS, YES WITH EXTRA CHEESE" through her wheezing & the sounds of the over-burdened minivan shocks groaning every time she re-adjusted her position on that poor, poor middle seat. What does this have to do with the Cardinals? Nothing, but it was this or Rick Pitino adultery jokes.

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.