The Arizona Wildcats are a dominant team. They have proven this over and over this season through big margins of victory against non power conference teams and one impressive win over Duke. Will this domination last? If so, for how long? If not, who will succeed them at the number one spot?
The Wildcats are in the very difficult Pac-12 conference meaning they have a very tough road ahead of them, one of the toughest in the country. This could be a blessing in disguise as they get prepared for the always difficult and unpredictable March Madness. It is pretty safe to say that Arizona will be in the tournament, either as the Pac-12 champion or as an at-large bid. It is also safe to say they will have a very high seed, somewhere between 1-4 if I had to predict.
Arizona doesn’t have the easiest schedule for the remainder of 2013, with games against un-ranked New Mexico State and a road game against Michigan, both of which will be like cramming for the big exam that is conference play. While the Wildcats can likely hold the top ranking until the year ends, look for them to be passed pretty quickly in the New Year.
Syracuse, currently ranked second in the country, will have the best chances to pass Arizona first. Already 9-0, the Orange have a big matchup against #10 Villanova on December 28 before conference play begins in January. They’ll have an early test against North Carolina on January 11 and Pittsburgh a week later. All of those games are ones they can win and will certainly vault them into the top spot.
Ohio State is another great bet to take the top spot and hold it for a long time. I believe once they capture it, they aren’t likely to relinquish is very easily. The Buckeyes have a big neutral court game against Notre Dame on December 21. They then travel to East Lansing to play a huge rivalry game against Michigan State on January 7. That game will be a big factor in who is number one at the end of that week. With the Big 12 being as wide open as it is, it’s fitting that the Spartans and Buckeyes will end their seasons against each other on March 9.
The 9-0 Wisconsin Badgers are a slightly longer shot to capture number one spot, and it likely won’t happen before one of the previous teams. They are very talented though, already with a big win over Florida and the Cancun Challenge championship. They spread their scoring around with five players averaging over 10 points per game. They have a lot of great teams to face, including Iowa on January 5. The problem is they won’t have a top tier challenger until they face Ohio State on February 1. This is a blessing and a curse as they could very well be 20-0 but they may not be as battle tested.
I believe that Arizona will hold onto that top spot for a little while, and the road trip to Ann Arbor to play Michigan will be a game college basketball fans won’t want to miss. Watch out for Syracuse though as they will likely be your new number one sooner rather than later.
If you think someone else will be number one, let us know in the comments below.
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