College Basketball Rankings: Do They Even Mean Anything Anymore?
College basketball fans revolve around preseason rankings but what do those rankings prove throughout the season? Big teams like Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke or Villanova can be ranked #1 but what does that really do for these college athletes and the fans?
Duke has proved in the past two seasons that being ranked number 1 in the preseason doesn't make you unbeatable in the actual season, or tournament time. In the 2016-2017 season Duke was ranked number 1 in the preseason, yet quickly fell to number 6 by week 3. Where North Carolina who was ranked in the preseason ended up taking home the trophy this past season. So, could history repeat itself in this 2017-2018 season? Duke has already dropped down to number 4 after being ranked number 1 for 6 weeks. So the question is, do preseason rankings effect college athletes?
If young athletes come into college, especially top 25 recruits, and are the key factors to whether or not the college they sign with gets ranked high in the preseason, does this effect how these players compete? I don't see why it wouldn't. Everyone knows that if you start becoming too in your head it effects how you play. So how would these rankings not do the same? You find it common in upperclassmen athletes to not check social media or the rankings but it's hard to do.
Since the 2002-2003 season, only 3 teams who were ranked number 1 in the preseasons ended up winning the championship. 3 teams were unranked and won the championship. 4 teams weren't even in the top 5 and won the championship. So what does this prove? Fans rely heavily on preseason rankings and having the number 1 team, but that all means nothing if the team cannot finish in March.
So does this prove that teams strive off of being the underdog? Not quite. Most of the teams that have won the championship in the past 15 years have been ranked and for good reason. There's no doubt that these teams had talent, which played into factor of why they won at the end of the season. But how do these rankings even come into place? Voters. Expert voters are the ones to determine which team is put where every week. But what makes these people in charge of teams rankings?
Ultimately, rankings in college basketball have begun to mean nothing to me. The number 1 team in the preseason can go to not be ranked within 6 weeks. College basketball can no longer rely on rankings to determine who's the best, but rely on the games itself and the statistics provided between key players.
