Congrats Ohio State – the nation’s No. 1 college basketball program.
At least, that’s how Northern Arizona head coach Mike Adras feels. Adras was the only coach not to vote for Connecticut in the final Top 25 Coaches Poll, despite the Huskies running through the NCAA tournament to win the program’s third national title.
"They asked me to vote for the No. 1 team based on the body of work of the entire season," Adras told ESPN. "I'm not trying to take anything away from Connecticut ... they deserve to be the champions. I just (voted) based on the entire, overall season."
Perhaps Adras is on to something. UConn did finish with a 9-9 conference record in the Big East and caught fire in the postseason, putting together 11 straights wins through the Big East and NCAA tournament.
Ohio State, on the other hand, finished with a 16-2 record in the Big Ten and lost only three games all season – one on which was versus Kentucky in the Elite Eight.
The Buckeyes, who were the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, got the shit end of the stick when it came to regional draws. They were placed in the East regional along with giants like Kentucky, Syracuse and North Carolina.
"I meant no disrespect to anybody," Adras told reporters. "To be honest with you, I thought others would have voted the same way."
Measuring OSU to UConn, based on a season’s worth of data and analysis, and most smart NCAA followers would say the Buckeyes would win a head-to-head meeting. Ohio State would have put up more of a fight than Butler did in the national title game this Monday, that’s for damn sure.
And, if you ‘re looking at their entire body of work, like Adras did, then shouldn’t the No. 5 Buckeyes at least be above Butler, Kentucky and Kansas, who all sit ahead of them in the final coaches poll?
I think there is too much weight but on the tournament when wrapping up the year. VCU is No. 6? Pitt is No. 12? C’mon…
Do you think Ohio State deserves more credit in the final Top 25 Coaches Poll? Is the NCAA tournament factored in too much into these things? Do programs really give a shit where they rank once the season is said and done?