The Beginning...

College basketball is off to a good start in conference play.  There have been some surprises and disappointments.  Then there's what everyone expects.  The ESPN Gameday crew was in West Lafayette today, therefore I got to litsten to Dicky V tonight.  Sometimes he is a little difficult to listen to.  I am NOT looking forward to next weekend.  Commentators are supposed to be impartial.  But there are 3 teams that he is very partial to.  Kansas is one of those.  While Kansas will probably wipe the floor with the Wildcats next Saturday, I am not looking forward to hearing Dick Vitale's version of the game.  Tonight he did very well.  Purdue looked very impressive in keeping a good Michigan State team at bay, not letting them get close.  They are headed into a brutal part of their schedule, including @ #1 Ohio State Tuesday night.  Matt Painter was on Dick Vitale's top 6 coaches list.  One thing I didn't know is that most of Purdue's roster came from right here in Indiana.  The only players from out of state are from Toledo, Ohio, and Decatur, Illinois.  He takes local kids and turns them into a national contenders.  How many players on Bill Self's roster are from the state of Kansas??  4, out of 15 players.  I don't think Purdue will win the Big 10.  I think there are 2 teams out of the Big 10 with final four capability, and that's Ohio State and Purdue.  Minnesota could be a sleeper and surprise people.  I have not followed the Big East much, so I don't know a whole lot about them, but from what i know and here, there are probably 3 teams with Final Four capability.  Pittsburgh, Villanova, and Syracuse.  I think UCONN will fall apart in conference play.  My sleeper pick out of the Big East would probably be Georgetown.  Dick Vitale ranked the top 3 conferences in this order:  Big East, Big Ten, then the Big XII.  I truly believe that the Big XII has 4 teams the could easily make the Final Four.  Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas A&M.  My sleeper in this conference could easily be a doormat, just as easy.  But Kansas State has an enormous amount of talent.  If they can get their act together and play to their potential could easily make a run deep into the tournament.  But with a 1-4 start in conference play, they might be lucky to even get into the tournament.  I don't think I would get much argument in saying that K-State is the biggest disappointment of the season so far.  Their schedule is favorable for a respectable finish in the Big XII, but they've got to get their act together first or they won't get out of the basement.  Dick Vitale is partially right if you go by ranked teams, that's a safe way of ranking the conferences.  But if you look at quality teams, you have to go Big XII, Big East, and Big Ten in that order.  But it's only the beginning of conference play and a lot can happen.  Things can go wrong, upsets can happen.  So it's a little early to predict and final four, but I think there are only a few teams that stand out about the rest at this point in the season.  It's going to be an interesting run.  Looking forward to seeing what happens.