sportsjabber.net

Can you hear it? It’s yet another thunderous thud. No. 1 Connecticut is dropped by Pitt, and it’s quickly followed by No. 5 Michigan State getting smacked by Purdue. The college basketball season is a noisy one, especially for programs hovering near the top. But listen again, can you hear that? That’s southern silence. Those are your Memphis Tigers quietly dodging the falling trees and creeping closer to becoming one of the top tournament seeds.

The Tigers may not be equipped with the same noisemakers as other programs, since losing to Kansas in last year’s title game, then losing freshman Derrick Rose to the Chicago Bulls. They’re also not facing juggernaut combatants in Conference USA, so it leaves little to report or applaud. But even after the departure of their top playmaker, and being swept under the C-USA rug, Memphis (AP No. 5, Coaches’ No. 6) is in a great position to make a run towards the top. And in making the slow climb, they continue to move without a peep.

If second ranked Oklahoma survives the week, they’re likely Monday’s new top dog. The Tar Heels won’t be far behind, and Thabeet conquering Pittsburgh will join the log jam near the top. But all 3 of those programs have season obstacles remaining, before they head into an even more challenging conference tournament. Memphis travels on a smooth surface, with greater odds of completing their season and conference tournament unscathed.

The current RPI rankings place Memphis 7th, at .643. The 3 programs I project to top the rankings next week have the highest marks, but that isn’t likely to hold through the end of the season and preliminary tournaments. If all 3 were to stumble somewhere between now and then, the Tigers could easily snag one of the top tournament seeds. But the hopes aren’t even that extreme, because all it may take is for one tree to fall in the Hardwood Forest and Memphis will be eyeing the light at the top of the seeding hill.

Shhh.