Who should get the last #1 Seed?

With no school wanting to step up and grab that last number one seed for the NCAA Tournament (I’m looking at you Michigan State, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Connecticut), I’ll take a look at the other schools that should still be considered for the last one seed. First off, the locks in my opinion for the first three #1 seeds are, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. So for that last spot, I think Duke, Connecticut, and Memphis are the schools the selection committee will look at. Let’s take a look at Duke first.

Duke is currently ranked second in the RPI but with a win tomorrow in the ACC title game they should be first. I don’t think any school ranked first in the RPI was not awarded a one seed in the NCAA tournament. They also have a Strength of Schedule (SOS) ranked second, so they have played a difficult schedule. They have however a terrible loss to Clemson which could hurt them. Right now I don’t see them as a one seed but if Duke wins tomorrow, I expect them to get the last one seed.

Memphis is the second team that is being considered. They have won 25 games in a row, and more than 50 straight conference games. Memphis’ RPI is 8 which is good but what hurts them is their SOS of 54, which comes from playing in Conference USA. What also hurts them is the loss to Georgetown. People will make the argument that a team shouldn’t get penalized for the conference they play in, but you shouldn't be able to pad your wins by playing lesser teams. Memphis is a good team but I just don’t see them getting a one seed this season.

Connecticut has an RPI of six and an SOS of 25.What they have going for them is that they play in the Big East, the top conference in the country, and they had a very successful season in that conference. What they have going against them is that they got bounced in the Big East tournament (That Six OT thriller you might remember), and took a loss to a disappointing Georgetown team, and they also lost twice to Pittsburgh this season. I think losing in the Big East Tournament will prevent them for getting the last one seed.