Forget the No. 1 Ranking in College Basketball, Who Are The No. 1 Seeds?

With the No. 1 ranking changing week-to-week as of late, who really wants the burden?

There have been several teams in the top spot only to lose it just as fast as they get the ranking.

When the preseason poll was announced the Indiana Hoosiers held the first spot as the first No. 1. The Hoosiers held that for six weeks before the Duke Blue Devils took over for four weeks. Then it was the Louisville Cardinals turn  for a single week. Next is was back to Duke for a week, who proceeded to get spanked against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes. Then Michigan Wolverines turn at No. 1 this past week, who lost to the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on Saturday night.

Got it?

So Indiana is back at No. 1, but do they really want to be? It seems like the No. 1 ranking is more of a curse than a reward.

Instead of looking at the No. 1 team according to the Associated Press poll, let’s look at the No. 1 seeds so far.

ESPN Bracketologist, Joe Lunardi announced his No. 1 seeds this evening. At this point in the season and he has the Florida Gators (East), Indiana (Midwest), Duke (South) and Michigan (West) all as No. 1 seeds.

I agree with Lunardi that Florida should be the top seed of the No. 1 seeds, who will play in Washington, D.C in the East regional final. I again agree with Lunardi and would place Indiana as the 2nd ranked No. 1 seed and place them in the Midwest bracket. Indianapolis, In. is the location for the Midwest regional final, which would be a huge advantage for the Hoosiers from travel and fan standpoint.

However, the West and South No. 1 seeds differ for me. I would pick the Wolverines as the 3rd ranked No. 1 seed to go to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas in the South regional final. Lastly, I have the Kansas Jayhawks as the final No. 1 to go out west and play in Los Angeles, Ca. at the Staples Center.

Of course, these seedings are subject to change, but without Ryan Kelly Duke is not the same team it was early on and therefore does not deserve a No. 1 seed. Plus I can only see Kansas’ offense getting better and freshman sensation Ben McLemore improving on a daily basis.

Wins, conference championships, late season momentum, RPI, BPI, strength of schedule, etc. all factor into the seeding process so there is much to be decided with the remaining games on the schedule.

Nevertheless, the way this college basketball season is unfolding, anything is possible on any given night.

TBA is a great way to describe who is the front runner to be national champions right now, so hold on and enjoy the ride…March Madness is fast approaching.

Follow Bert DeSalvo on Twitter @CoachDeSalvo