Lack of Great Teams

The common theme of the season to the point has been, where's the great team?The top 10 has been a poison to winning for nearly every team that enters it. Is there a great team? At this moment, no. 

A quick look back at the final KenPom ratings and we see the two title game participants finished 3 & 4. The top 2 teams were Kentucky and Arizona.

Wisconsin had a flaw. They weren't a great defensive team. They were a historically great offensive team that shot Arizona out of the gym and won a coin flip game against Kentucky. Arizona and Kentucky were also the only 2 teams in the nation that finished in the top 10 in defensive and offensive efficiency.

Duke finished last year 3 & 12 in both categories. At times, they were ahead of Wisky in offense and the defense at one point was in the 80s and 90s, so there is always hope.

As of today, no team does. Iowa, 2nd overall is 8 in offense and 12 on defense. Oklahoma, 3rd overall, is 11 & 10. The top team is Villanova, 18 & 4. The defensive efficiency probably surprises some but it's not much different than last season. 

Nearly every other top 20 KP team has a flaw. Here's how they rate with the offensive efficiency number first and defensive number second.

4. Wst Virginia (35,1)

5. Louisville (38,2)

6. UNC (2,66)

7. Virginia (7,40)

8. Purdue (44,4)

9. A&M (26,9)

10. Kansas (13,26)

11. Sparty (9,39)

12. Maryland (23,14)

13. Miami (17,27)

14. SMU don't care

15. X (24,18)

16. Arizona (14,43)

17. Saint Mary's (6,71)

18. Iowa State (3,115)

19. Valpo (122,3)

20. Duke (4,123)

I'd feel comfortable calling Nova, Iowa & Oklahoma the top 3 teams in the land and Final 4 threats. What about the rest of the listed teams?

North Carolina has the 2nd best offense and 66th defense. They're similar to where Duke was at the same time last year. If the defense can move into top 30 range, they'll be a good bet.

Kansas plummeted after last nights laid egg. Was it an anomaly of conference play or a concern?

Texas A&M is worth watching. Top 30 on both sides. Is the offense capable of getting better?

Michigan State has a problem on defense. They can't guard without fouling. Izzo is blaming the officials but watch them play. Unless they clean it up, they're not a threat.

Xavier and Miami both had blips on the radar. I suspect both improve their ratings sooner than later.

The bottom 5 are all pretenders for now. Arizona and Duke are hampered by injuries. Duke is more concerning that the interior defense has completely collapsed. They fixed things midstream in 2015. I'm not as confident about this group.

St. Mary's and Valpo are mid-major darlings both capable of winning games in March but don't confuse them with 2010 Butler. They could be 2011 Butler, though but that's another day. 

Iowa State had a nice win over Oklahoma on Monday but the defensive numbers tell you they will get exposed in March.

There are no great teams right now. There is also no historical performance on one side of the ball from anyone either. Buckle up? For now, yes.