Why Syracuse and Arizona Are the Two Best Teams in the Country

Normally this time of year, the winter has settled in and locked me in my house until the long awaited signs of spring begin to come. However, since I'm now residing in the beautiful city of Columbia, South Carolina, winter has become a nonexistent concept. As a result, I haven't gotten my normal fill of college basketball Maybe it's because the warmer climate makes it feel like it shouldn't be basketball season, and I don't feel motivation to watch? Maybe it's because college football season was so fun? Maybe it's because the University of South Carolina has a (and this is putting it very, very kindly) less than stellar basketball team? No matter the reason, I forced myself to renew my interest by watching multiple games this week and over Christmas break. For one, I need some new subject material for this blog, so I can avoid doing homework for as long as possible once Netflix gets boring (Also, to any of my professors who stumble on to this- It's syllabus week. Homework isn't acceptable now, okay? The forced procrastination shouldn't have to start until next week). Also, I need to make sure I can win a bracket pool... or two... or eighty nine, so I can make some money once March rolls around. To get our feet back in the water, I've decided to talk about the indisputable top two teams in the country currently: Arizona and Syracuse. If my life depended on predicting a national champion right now, it would definitely be either the Wildcats or the Orange. Granted, I'd be so confused on which one to take, my head would probably explode, so the whole concept doesn't really work. Since I eradicated my own theory, let's just dig and see why these teams are so good. 

Arizona hasn't lost a game yet. They've had impressive wins over Duke, UCLA, and Michigan. They have a balanced lineup who can beat you in a variety of different ways. T.J. McConnell might be the most underrated point guard in the country and plays defense like Aaron Craft. Aaron Gordon is doing what he needs to do, even if he isn't living up to being a member of the best freshman recruiting class of all time like I am. Kaleb Tarczewski is an absolute Greek god in the paint. (See, his name sounds like Zeus, who was like the God of Gods in Greek Mythology, so that's punny). Brandon Ashley is also coming into his own which will only make this team more dangerous. Their coach, Sean Miller, proved he could win in the NCAA tournament at Xavier, and I think this is the year he breaks into the Final Four. Not to mention, the Pac-12's caliber of basketball seems much better than year's past. This will only help the Wildcats prepare for a deep tournament run in March.

As good as Arizona has been, I think Syracuse has been even better. They've had wins over California, Minnesota, Indiana, Villanova, and North Carolina (The Tar Heels have been the single most inconsistent college basketball team this year, so it's debatable how good of a win that one was). The Orange, like Arizona, can have any player on the team beat you on the offensive end, and the 2-3 zone continues to be a black hole for opposing offenses. I'm fully convinced Jim Boeheim could take five students from the student section one game and turn them into elite defensive players in in time for the next one. Hell, for the sake of a challenge, he could probably take the students' moms and make them shut down a solid intramural team with a week or two of practice. The scariest thing about this team? How easily they score, as four players are averaging double figures. First off, there's CJ Fair, a legitimate player of the year candidate, who has blossomed into the Orange's natural leader this year. Then, there's Trevor Cooney, who is the only player in college basketball who could beat you in a drinking contest, beat you in basketball, and then beat you in a brawl, all in the same average, Tuesday night (Do I know if Trevor Cooney is actually Irish, as I strongly stereotyped him to be in that last sentence? No. But if he's not, that would be saddening). On top of that you have Rakeem Christmas. Not only does Syracuse have a player with the last name of Christmas, he wears #25!

"Christmas 25" has to come right behind "Love 69" as the best thing you can have on the back of a basketball jersey (Okay Kevin Love, the ball's in your court now... You make this happen and you'll have the best selling jersey in the NBA, even if it's just a bunch of teenage boys buying it). That alone gives Syracuse more intangibles than just about every team in the country. Finally, the biggest reason Syracuse is playing the best basketball of any team in the country right now is because of Tyler Ennis. Last year, the Orange rode the play of the Michael Carter-Williams to the Final Four, and all the experts expected the point guard position play to drastically fall off. So inevitably, what happened? A Canadian freshman (NOT named Andrew Wiggins!!!) steps in, averages double figures, plays ferocious defense, and proves the power of maple syrup game after game. I didn't even mention Jerami Grant in that entire paragraph, and he just happens to be Syracuse's second leading scorer. If that's not a testament to this team's potential in March, I'm not really sure what to tell you. Barring a serious injury, an Aaron Hernandez-like murder controversy, or Ennis getting caught smoking synthetic marijuana without any pants in a parking lot because he can't find a Boston Market (Oh wait, Kellen Winslow is already of being the only athlete in New York who will do that... Make that the only athlete in the world who will do that), Syracuse looks like a lock for the Final Four right now. 

To conclude this week, I've decided to bring back the Fun Fact of the Week: Over break, I stumbled upon the Xavier basketball team. What stuck out to me about the Xavier basketball team? It wasn't the possibility of them winning the new Big East or being a dark horse team in the tournament. Rather, it was Matt Stainbrook. Before proceeding, I want you to imagine a stereotypical D1 college basketball player in your mind. Now scroll down and behold the Ryan Gosling lookalike, insanely athletic, and future NBA Hall of Famer, Mr. Matt Stainbrook

To make matters worse, Stainbrook had a massive bandage on his face to go with his Rec Specs during the game I watched. On the Xavier website, he's listed at 263, but that might be a little generous, as the guy struggled to get down the court. Don't get me wrong, he had a nasty baby hook. I just still can't figure out how somebody who looks like the nerdy, pale Hulk can be a prominent figure on a good basketball team.

J. Nave