Does everybody remember the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes? These con artists pass themselves off as designers and make new robes for the emperor. The bad guys pretend to use special fabric that only the smartest people can see. The Emperor quickly admits that he can see it, and the entire town does the same. Finally, during a procession through the town (or empire I guess), the Emperor walks around in his underwear until finally a little child sees him and says, “But he has nothing on!” The masses realize the kid is right and everybody laughs at the ridiculous Emperor. Meanwhile the Emperor continues his procession.

So class, what does this lesson teach us? There are several morals of the story, but they all basically say, “Think for yourself. Just because a lot of people are saying something doesn’t mean it’s the truth.” This concept applies very well to this season in college basketball, especially after a very interesting past few weeks.

There are a lot of basketball analysts and experts out there who have a lot of influence. If you hear a comment on ESPN, there’s a good chance that NCAA Committee members heard it too. It’s similar to when the people in the land of the Emperor were all talking about how beautiful the fabric was. Many people have been critical of the Hoyas’ play in recent weeks. Don’t listen to the TV personalities; listen to the coaches, the people who extensively watch video and study the trends of their opponents. Here’s what Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin had to say about Georgetown, “They are by far the best defensive team we’ve played all year.”

This simple but accurate description could have the same impact as the little boy in the Emperor story. Maybe the naysayers will say, “Hey, he’s right.” Truth be told, it doesn’t matter. The conversations about if the Hoyas will be a #2 seed or a #1 seed are irrelevant; the arguments about how many at-large bids should the Big East get are pre-mature. People get very focused on making the NCAA Tournament. That is an important goal, but for teams like Georgetown there are other things to focus on.

The Hoyas are still alive for three trophies: the Big East regular season, the Big East tournament, and the National Championship. Those are the things the players and coaches are concentrating on - not rankings, seedings, or pundit opinions. Only three games stand between the Hoyas and a repeat performance as Regular Season Champs. The games they have already played do not factor into what happens in the final three games. People who are hoping the Hoyas will falter will continue to downplay Georgetown’s success and continue to question their ability to keep winning. Those people are like the guys who sold the robes to the king. They can say what they want and earn a living being slimy people peddling misinformation. Just like in the story, the truth will eventually come out, and at that point nobody cares about the salesmen at all.