The last few weeks of every college basketball season are always the most dangerous for top level teams. Teams like Syracuse, Kentucky and Missouri have put together excellent resumes and there is no doubt they will be playing in the NCAA Tournament. The only doubt is what seed they will be given. While some teams are playing to get into the tournament other teams are playing for seeding.
The reason the last few weeks are so dangerous is because of the way the rankings usually work. Teams who lose late in the season have their losses remembered more. For example Kentucky could lose two of their final games to finish the season with three losses and Michigan State could win out and finish their season with five loses, but because of when the losses occurred Michigan State could end up being a higher seed than Kentucky. In reality Kentucky probably had, as a whole, a better season than Michigan State, but because of when the losses occurred Michigan State could be given the seeding nod.
I really believe this is the reason you seem some very good teams not playing up to their potential at the end of the regular season. Teams are just trying to get through the last days unscathed and make it to tournament time. At this point in the season there is no difference between a team that wins ugly and a team that runs away with a twenty-five point victory. A win is a win! As a Syracuse fans we should know that better than many fan bases since, in the past, we have had a habit of losing three or four conference games that we should win, at least on paper.
Teams like Kentucky, Syracuse and Missouri are just trying to put in their time and make it to the tournament relatively safe. Sure, the players and coaches want to win the games to secure conference championships, undefeated home records and to send upperclassmen off with a win, but as much as they try to avoid it some of the focus has to be on the big prize, the NCAA Tournament.
As a Syracuse fan I hope we can continue to win, I don’t care if it is by twenty points or a half court buzzer beater; a win is a win! I look forward to playing against teams who never see the 2-3 zone like we play it and coaches who don’t coach against us year in and year out. Syracuse’s style of play gives them an edge over most non-Big East teams. Very few teams play the way Syracuse plays on either offense or defense.
With that being said, many times tournament games come down to matchups just as much as talent. A good matchup of styles can give a team with less talent the advantage over the higher seeded team with more talent. That is why it is important to win late in the season any way possible and get a high seed. In most cases that can delay those possible matchup problems until later in the tournament.
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