Musketeer Madness

Who would have predicted that Butler, Xavier and Drake would be in the AP's first 14 teams? Throw in St. Mary's (#21 in the ESPN poll) and the non-Big Six teams are making a bigger statement than in previous years.

Mr. Neutral wrote:Who would have predicted that Butler, Xavier and Drake would be in the AP's first 14 teams? Throw in St. Mary's (#21 in the ESPN poll) and the non-Big Six teams are making a bigger statement than in previous years.

Statements are made in March. Their records notwithstanding, I would be surprised if any of these teams other than Xavier is left standing after the first weekend of the tournament.

If history is any guide, a number of ranked teams won't make it out of the first weekend, not just the non-Big Six teams. If Butler, X and Drake combine for 4-or more-NCAA wins, that (to me) would more than justify their regular season rankings.

Mr. Neutral wrote:If history is any guide, a number of ranked teams won't make it out of the first weekend, not just the non-Big Six teams. If Butler, X and Drake combine for 4-or more-NCAA wins, that (to me) would more than justify their regular season rankings.

4 wins among those 3 teams might be an acceptable result, but I'm not sure how much of a "statement" that would make.