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Welcome to the first look at the top 10 NCAA tournament resumes after the selection committee picked its top 16 seeds Feb. 11, and we’re getting into the home stretch. While a couple of teams may be looking at a solid grip on one seeds, no school or even a small group of teams has completely separated from the pack. This list figures to remain pretty fluid over the next month.

When the NCAA selection committee evaluates teams, they want teams to answer four questions:

  • Who did they play?
  • Where did they play them?
  • Who did they beat?
  • And who beat them?

It’s a subjective process guided by objective data (RPI). There are five more computer ranking systems averaged to help inform the committee, but no team gets in or seeded based on any individual or collective computer ranking alone. The closer we get to Selection Sunday, the various rankings tend to converge, though there still will be disagreements and anomalies. For instance, the No. 1 team in RPI, Baylor, is No. 4 when ranking these resumes.

For those of you who follow the football selection committee, note that head-to-head is not necessarily a decisive criterion in basketball. It is not unusual to see a team selected or seeded ahead of a team it lost to during the season.

Here is how things stand as of games through Tuesday’s games (Feb. 14). Say hello to newcomer Florida at No. 10.

10. Florida Gators (21-5, 11-2 SEC) | RPI rank: 9

Last week: Not ranked

Best wins: Kentucky

Losses: vs. Gonzaga, at Florida State, vs. Duke, at South Carolina, vs. Vanderbilt

This one is tough to justify. The committee likes the Gators’ strength of schedule, which does rate highly. They have 13 top 100 wins, but only three against teams in the bracket. I think the decisive head-to-head win over Kentucky, even though it was at home, also has something to do with the Gators being this high also. However, their profile compares more favorably to Purdue than it does to Arizona.

9. Arizona Wildcats (23-3, 12-1 Pac-12) | RPI: 6

Last week: No. 8

Best wins: at UCLA, at USC

Losses: vs. Butler, vs. Gonzaga, at Oregon

The Wildcats have been good away from home (three of their top four wins were outside Tucson). The blowout loss (85-58) at Oregon is the difference between being the Wildcats and the Ducks, and not an unimportant distinction. The top rated Pac-12 team is very likely to be placed in the West Regional in San Jose, which would block any other league team that in the top 16 from that region.

8. Oregon Ducks (22-4, 11-2 Pac-12) | RPI: 7

Last week: No. 7

Best wins: Arizona, UCLA, USC twice

Losses: at Baylor, at UCLA, vs. Georgetown, at Colorado

The Ducks are ahead of Arizona despite having more and worse losses and a worse strength of schedule, again, because they annihilated Arizona in their one head-to-head meeting. I think that would not be the case a month from now. Of course, they could play again in the Pac-12 Tournament.

7. Louisville Cardinals (21-5, 9-4 ACC) | RPI: 4

Last week: No. 10

Best wins: Kentucky, Duke, Purdue

Losses: vs. Baylor, at Florida State, at Notre Dame, Virginia twice

The Cardinals’ have a few pretty good wins, all at home. They also beat Indiana in Indianapolis, a neutral-site game. There isn’t anything resembling a bad loss, and they were competitive in most of their setbacks, but Virginia gives Louisville fits. Louisville also has played one of the toughest overall schedules.

6. Florida State Seminoles (21-5, 9-4 ACC) | RPI: 11

Last week: No. 5

Best Wins: Duke, Florida, Louisville, Notre Dame, at Virginia

Losses: at Georgia Tech, at North Carolina, at Notre Dame, at Syracuse, vs. Temple

Only Villanova has more top 25 wins (six) than the Seminoles (five), and nobody has more wins against the top 50 (nine). Also, no other team has as many wins over the committee’s top 16 (four). While they have not exactly been terrible away from home, only one of their nine top 50 wins has come away from Tallahassee (at Virginia).

5. North Carolina Tar Heels (21-5, 9-3 ACC) | RPI: 8

Last week: No. 6

Best wins: vs. Florida State, vs. Wisconsin, vs. Notre Dame

Losses: at Duke, at Georgia Tech, at Indiana, vs. Kentucky, at Miami

North Carolina was the top-rated two seed by the selection committee, who made it clear that even if the Tar Heels had won at Duke, they still would not have been a one. Carolina was as hot as anyone before that 86-78 loss at Durham. North Carolina’s killer schedule down the stretch (home and home vs. UVA, at Pitt and home vs. Louisville and Duke) gives it a great chance to play itself to the top line.

4. Baylor Bears (22-4, 9-4 B-12) | RPI: 1

Last week: No. 3

Best wins: vs. Louisville, vs. Xavier, vs. Oregon

Losses: at Kansas, at West Virginia, vs. Kansas State at Texas Tech

Baylor’s nine RPI top-50 wins is tied for the most of any team, and all are over teams in the current bracket. The loss at West Virginia was sizeable, but the Mountaineers did the same thing to Kansas. Kansas beat the Bears by five at home in a back-and-forth game, which was why they trailed Kansas in the committee’s bracket. The loss to Texas Tech was another step toward dropping off this line.

3. Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-0, 14-0 WCC) | RPI: 5

Last week: No. 1

Best wins: vs. Florida, vs. Arizona, St. Mary’s twice

Losses: None

Gonzaga, No. 1 in the AP Top 25, has played a decent schedule and has yet to lose, but strength of schedule because of a weak conference (West Coast) schedule hurts. The Zags’ seeding relies largely on how Florida and Arizona finish. They also have a win over Iowa State, currently a bubble team, so a strong finish by the Cyclones also would help. Gonzaga also is dependent on St. Mary’s. They need to beat the Gaels three times, but also need St. Mary’s to avoid bad league losses. I do not think Gonzaga will fall off of the top line if it’s undefeated at the end of the season, but it looks like the committee is reluctant to make them the overall No. 1, at least for now.

2. Kansas Jayhawks (23-3, 11-2 B-12) | RPI: 3

Last week: No. 4

Best wins: Baylor, vs. Duke, at Kentucky, vs. West Virginia

Losses: vs. Indiana, at West Virginia, vs. Iowa State

Kansas needed nothing short of a miracle to rally and beat West Virginia 84-80 in an OT classic Monday. Kansas doesn’t have as many top 50 wins (six) as some teams they are competing with for the top line -- Gonzaga has as many -- but their best wins measure up with most anyone. The Jayhawks are in a good position to finish as the overall No. 1 seed, especially if they can win at Baylor on Saturday.

1. Villanova Wildcats (25-2, 12-2 B-East) | RPI: 2

Last week: No. 2

Best wins: At Creighton, At Purdue, vs. Notre Dame, vs. Virginia, vs. Xavier

Losses: at Butler, vs. Marquette

The defending champions have six RPI top 25 wins, which is more than anyone else. Other than Gonzaga, there has been no more consistent team. They have been about as good on the road as at home, with five of their eight top 50 wins coming away from home. With the schedule the Wildcats have left, it may be difficult to dethrone them from the top spot in the bracket. Villanova is looking to become the first defending champion to be the overall No. 1 seed the following season.