A T.O. with T.H.

It is about time we moved away from the Alex Rodriguez drama.

Monday night, Pittsburgh defeated Connecticut, 76-68-the fifth time a team ranked No. 1 in the country lost this season.

So the question arises: Who is the real top team in the nation?

North Carolina: Contender

Argument for: North Carolina could be the deepest team in the nation. The Tar Heels have shown they can go at least nine players deep and have six averaging double-figures. UNC’s top wins include beat downs of Michigan State (in Detroit), Duke (at Cameron Indoor Stadium), at Notre Dame, Clemson and Kentucky. Not only did the Tar Heels win these games, they did not leave any doubt in the process. They have Tyler Hansbrough, who might be the best player in the country, and Ty Lawson, who might be one of the best point guards to ever play in college basketball when all is said and done. UNC not playing in the Final Four would be shocking.

Argument against: At times, the Tar Heels struggle defensively. They allowed 52 points in the first half against Duke, for example. Also, despite their incredible depth, the Tar Heels do not have much big-man depth. Ed Davis is the only low-block player getting significant bench minutes. This could hurt UNC in March. They also had a bad loss to Boston College, which exposed a few of their weaknesses.

Oklahoma: Pretender

Argument for: The Sooners have only one loss on the season. They have Blake Griffin, who is my pick for national player of the year, and is a walking double-double. They also have Willie Warren, who might be the best freshman in the country. Plus, despite how VCU fans feel about him, Jeff Capel can flat out coach.

Argument against: Oklahoma has not had consistent scoring outside of Griffin and Warren. Only one other player averages double-figure scoring. The Sooners also have not played the schedule of a North Carolina or a Big East-type team and the Big 12 might get only three teams into the NCAA tournament. Despite what VCU coach Anthony Grant might say (the Sooners beat our beloved Rams in December), the Sooners do not have the balance or depth to get to the Final Four.

Pittsburgh: Contender

Argument for: Pitt has outstanding inside-outside presence with forwards DeJuan Blair and Sam Young, and guard Levance Fields. The Panthers did not just beat No. 1 UConn, they dominated the Huskies. They also have only one loss in what could be the best conference in America: the Big East. The Panthers have all the tools to make a big run in the Big Dance.

Argument against: Outside of those three aforementioned stars, Pitt does not have any player averaging more than nine points per game. The Panthers could be beat up from playing in the ridiculously hard Big East, even though that is also an argument for why the Panthers are a contender.

Connecticut: Pretender

Argument for: Despite the loss Monday night and a setback at Louisville, UConn has been cruising past everybody on its schedule. The Huskies have Jim Calhoun, who is a legend among men as a coach. They also have an incredible inside presence in the form of 7-3 center Hasheem Thabeet, who averages almost five blocks a game.

Argument against: The Panthers lost star guard Jerome Dyson for the season, and will struggle when it faces teams like Pittsburgh with strong guard play. They might have the best low-block game in the country, but that will not get them far when they need someone to handle the basketball. Also, despite Thabeet’s dominance, he is not a very physical player. Pitt’s DeJuan Blair and Thabeet’s foul trouble made Thabeet a non-factor Monday night. The Huskies lack of physicality and guard play will hurt them in March. By the way, I had the same opinion about their chances before Monday night’s game. This is not a new feeling. They will get to the Elite Eight at best.

I don’t claim to be a bracketologistand I could end up eating some crow on this one. One thing I do know is what types of teams tend to thrive in March. Of course, there will always be the George Masons, Davidsons and Villanovas of the world who screw up all my predictions.