There's a perception held by Texas fans and pollsters, most of whom never see the teams they vote for, that Texas (20-3) is playing so well they deserve to be ranked ahead of Pittsburgh (22-2), a team they lost to and has one less loss on the season.
The No. 3 Longhorns have played extremely well since suffering a home loss to UConn eight games ago, but No. 2 Kansas (23-1) was the only team during this stretch that could be considered elite.
No. 20 Missouri has lost their last three of four, and with last night's 17-point loss to Kansas, they could keep falling or drop out of the next poll. No. 22 Texas AM has lost their last three and has dropped seven spots since last week.
Texas had a great win at Kansas where they came back from a 12-point halftime deficit and won by 11 points, but their fans want the polls to disregard Texas' three losses (Pitt, USC and UConn).
And speaking of Kansas: Before last night they only played two teams all season that are currently ranked (they beat No. 16 Arizona and lost to Texas).
Texas Isn't the Only Team Playing Well
Texas isn't the only team playing well. No. 4 Pittsburgh has won 11 of their last 12 and beat No. 9 UConn, No. 11 Georgetown and No. 17 Syracuse while doing so. Yes, they did lose a game to No. 7 Notre Dame by five points.
Jeff Sagarin has it right: In his weekly computer rankings, he has Pitt No. 3 and Texas No. 4.
Things are Different in the Big East
Now things are different in the Big East. There are seven teams with a good shot to win the Big East Tournament. All of these teams (Pitt, ND, UConn, Vill, GTown, Syr, Lou) have three, four and five ranked teams left on their regular season schedules. Six of them are going to lose in the Big East Tournament.
Unless Pitt can play nearly-flawless basketball from here on in, no team out of the Big East is going to have a record that can be compared to BYU, Duke, Texas, Kansas, San Diego State or Utah State.
Pittsburgh, with last night's win over West Virginia, still has to play West Virginia again, No. 11 Villanova twice, No. 15 Louisville, St Johns and the Big East Tournament.
Late Season Losses Could Ruin Ohio State's Chance for a No. 1 Seed
No. 1 Ohio State (23-0), the nation's only undefeated team, has to play four regular season games against ranked teams (No. 14 Wisconsin twice, No. 25 Minnesota and No. 12 Purdue). They also have to play in a tough Big Ten Tournament.
Because the Buckeyes play a tough schedule, they could be in the same predicament the Big East teams find themselves. They may not wow the NCAA selection committee enough if they suffer two or three late season losses and may not get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
It's going to be difficult for the NCAA seeding committee to get the top seeds correct, but unlike college football and their BCS, all 66 teams will get a chance to win it on the court.
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