Bulldogs, Wolfpack, and Cowboys Go Unnoticed

With all the talk about the dominance of the Duke Blue Devils, and the undefeated seasons of the Stanford Cardinal and St. Joe's Eagles, no other team has emerged in the media as the possible fourth No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Despite the lack of the national spotlight, however, the Mississippi St. Bulldogs have put together an amazing string of wins and displayed dominance in a tough SEC.

The Bulldogs (20-1) have shown themselves as a possible No. 1 seed. With their only loss being a one-point (67-66) loss to the then No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats, the Bulldogs have quietly risen to No. 4 in the national polls. Junior Lawrence Roberts has become a monster on the inside with his 6'9" frame, averaging 17.2 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game, as the Bulldogs have dominated conference play.

Another team that has steadily moved up in the polls is the North Carolina State Wolfpack (16-5, 9-2 ACC). Coach Herb Sendik's squad has been one of the top three teams in the nation's best conference all season long.

With its win over the formerly No. 1 ranked Duke, the Wolfpack moved within one game of the Blue Devils for first place in the ACC. This was a huge game, because if N.C. State had any hope of catching Duke in the conference race, this was a must win.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys (20-2, 10-1 Big 12) have also had a great year. On Monday night, they completed a season sweep of the Oklahoma Sooners, the team's big brother in terms of fan support. Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton's squad is led by junior point guard John Lucas Jr., son of former NBA coach John Lucas.

Lucas Jr. is averaging over 14 points a night while shooting 46 percent from three point range and dishing out almost five assists a game. This team has gone relatively unnoticed in a conference where the Kansas Jayhawks were expected to blow away the competition in the league.

The Louisville Cardinals have lacked an identity for the last month of the season. Entering February, the Cardinals appeared to be a good choice for the fourth No. 1 seed, but after a string of conference losses and uncharacteristically sloppy play, Louisville has slipped below No. 10 in the national polls. After a 71-46 blowout loss to TCU, the Cardinals now sit in sixth place in Conference USA and will need to win their nationally televised Saturday afternoon game against the Cincinnati Bearcats to have any chance of winning the conference title or receiving a high seed this March.

The Pittsburgh Panthers have also gone unnoticed for much of this season, but this team may have emerged as one of the suitors for the fourth No.1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Sunday's win over the UConn Huskies, Pittsburgh's top-conference rival, is sure to boost the Panthers' national recognition.

Even with Pitt's big win on Sunday, its loss to the Seton Hall Pirates last week confused viewers as to the real identity of this team. Despite the loss, the Panthers remain the top team in the Big East, the conference that produced last year's eventual champion Syracuse Orangemen. The Big East usually produces battle-tested teams that fare well in the stress March Madness presents.