Tyler Hansbrough has UNC looking good

But before we get down there, let’s take a look at the top of the ladder. The AP Top 25 ranks North Carolina above UCLA, while ESPN places UCLA above North Carolina. Experts believe that the two teams are evenly matched. Though the Bruins did finish with one less first place vote, they had the edge with four more total points. Talent wise, it appears that both teams have emerging superstars. UNC’s junior Tyler Hansbrough shined in the Las Vegas Invitational Championship in which UNC defeated Brigham Young by a score of 73 to 63. In addition, the team hopes to receive significant contributions from junior Danny Green. The Tar Heels are off to their first 5-0 start since coach Roy Williams took over in 2003.

On the other hand, the UCLA Bruins are expecting much production from Kevin Love. It is clear that this young athlete has a devout passion for the game, as was seen in his performance against Yale last Friday. After suffering an ankle injury after a tip in, Love sprinted back into the gym and took his seat right on the bench with just 3:45 left to play in regulation.

"He wanted me to put him back in," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.

The Bruins are also hoping that their star guard Russell Westbrook has a break-through season. After posting a career-high 15 points against the Bulldogs, Westbrook demonstrated that he is ready to excel on the perimeter. He is known for his ability to contribute in all aspects of the game, as he is currently averaging 12.3 points/game, 6 assists/game, and 3.2 rebounds/game. After securing the win against the Yale Bulldogs, UCLA increased its home winning streak to 24 games.

But enough about the top two teams. As mentioned earlier, the tournament served as a roller coaster ride for some teams at the lower end of the bracket. According to the Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll, 13 ranked teams lost at least once last week. As a result, 5 schools were removed from the Top 25 while certain sleeper teams experienced significant leaps and bounds. These teams that made it in include Wisconsin, BYU, NC State, and Xavier. It is a shame that Southern Illinois, Villanova, Syracuse, Virginia, and Florida all lost their spots in the rankings, but the way things are going, it would not be surprising to see at least one of them climb back up the ladder soon. After all, who would have thought that the returning NCAA Champion Florida Gators would be struggling to reach the top 25? Evidently, there are several reasons to look forward to this year’s match ups. Come March, we may see a few surprises in the NCAA Tournament brackets.