Who's #1?

After catching a vicious stomach virus that lasted from roughly 12:15-1:30 this afternoon, I was forced to miss my British Literature class and watch the Big East Tournament.  I would have much rather discussed the metaphor and rhyme scheme in Ode to the West Wind by Percy B. Shelley, but instead I was forced to watch Georgetown and Syracuse battle in Madison Square Garden.  Ugh.  What an awful afternoon.

Ultimately, Syracuse lost and I was forced to wonder if they just lost one of the #1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.  As of right now, I think there are two locks to be #1 seeds: Kansas and Kentucky.  Beyond that, there are a couple candidates, but none of them have really distinguished themselves.  Let's take a look at the resumes of a couple candidates.

1. Syracuse - (28-4) - (15-3 Big East) - #3 in AP Poll
• Syracuse has been looked at as a lock for one of the #1 seeds, but with losses in their last two games, some have started to doubt their legitimacy as a #1.  Even with those two losses, Syracuse still only has four losses and has been the best team in the bet conference in the nation all year.  It would be hard to give them anything but a #1 seed, but things could get interesting if the injury suffered by Arinze Oniwaku today is serious.
2.  Duke - (26-5) - (13-3 ACC) - #4 in AP Poll
• Duke has a very interesting candidacy this year because typically being the best team in the ACC would nearly automatically get you a #1 seed, but the ACC hasn't been nearly as good this year.  Duke has played a tough non-conference schedule, though, and if they win the ACC Tournament, it would be hard to keep them out of a #1 seed.
3. Ohio State - (24-7) - (14-4 Big Ten) - #5 in AP Poll
• Ohio State is in contention for a #1 seed for one reason and one reason only: Evan Turner.  Sadly, though, Turner is also the reason why they are not in contention.  In December, Turner got injured on a dunk and missed six games.  Ohio State lost three of these six games without him, which means they have only lost 4 games with Turner in the game.  If Ohio State would win the Big Ten Tourney, it would be hard to keep them from receiving a #1 seed.

If you have been keeping track,  that means I think there are three teams that deserve a #1 seed with only two #1 seeds available.  Two of these teams' destinies depend on what they do in their respective conference tournaments, which means the next three days should be a lot of fun.