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Let's just get this out of the way right now. Polls are stupid. They make no logical sense. They're based on who won or lost around you that given week. But...the fact that UC drops four spots in this week's AP Poll after losing by ONE POINT to the now 7th ranked team in the country on a last second shot makes no sense at all.
As for the Coaches Poll, they dropped UC 3 spots to #12. Again, polls are stupid. Otherwise Syracuse would have dropped a lot more than they did (3 spots in AP and 4 in Coaches) for losing twice, including once at home to a team that entered the game with just six wins all season.
Now let's look at some better gauges for where UC is really sitting today. If you still like the RPI, UC currently sits at #21. Shockingly they dropped 7 spots after losing to Louisville Saturday. Probably because Louisville, even after beating UC, still sits at #27.
If you like the BPI from ESPN, it's a little different. While it has UC at #22, they have Louisville all the way up at #5. I personally don't like the RPI as much as I like the BPI or even KenPom which has UC at #21 and Louisville at #2. Not that anyone here really cares about Louisville, but it's an analysis of the all-so-important computer rankings which the NCAA Selection Committee claims to pay more attention to than the voter polls. Wisely so I'd say. Also, I'd say it gives UC fans an idea where they stack up. If Louisville really is that good, UC took them to the wire twice and only proves that much more that the Bearcats can play with anyone.
Now, let's look at the new bracket projections for this week. I personally look at just two. First, let's look at Jerry Palm's bracket on CBS. Currently, he has UC a 2 seed playing Boston U (again) in the first round facing the winner of UMass and California. The 1 in that region is Wichita State, 3 being Duke, and the 4 is Michigan. These polls are never that accurate so all of this is just speculation and there's no reason to get all worked up. I would take a 2 seed though.
The other bracket I like is Joe Lunardi's on ESPN. His bracket was just updated this morning and he has UC as a 4 seed. Shockingly he has Louisville as a 5 seed, which leads me to believe he doesn't put as much stock into the BPI as he does the actual RPI. I can't see Louisville being that low, but I think UC will be a 3 or 4 unless they win the AAC or the conference tournament.
All of this, obviously, is meaningless right now. There are three HUGE games left for the Bearcats and anything can happen. Some call it fun to debate these rankings and projections. Sometimes I feel like putting my head through a wall.
