With finals across college campuses, college basketball will take a back seat for next 2 weeks. However with one month into the season, we learned what teams emerged and what teams still need prove themselves. Here we will look at the biggest stories from the 1st month of the college basketball season.
1.) Indiana & Duke are head and shoulders above the rest
While Indiana was expected to be here, the Blue Devils were not. Duke have the best resume to date with wins over Louisville, Ohio St., Minnesota, Temple & Kentucky despite Losing 2 NBA first round draft picks. Mason Plumlee has emerged for the Blue Devils and is playing like the best big man not named Cody Zeller. Duke looks to be the clear cut favorites in the ACC. Indiana is proving why its the number 1 team in the country. Zeller along with Christian Watford & Victor Oladipo have formed an unstoppable trio while leading the Hoosiers to a 9-0 start. This team will face their biggest challenge in Big Ten play.
2.) Florida & Syracuse legit contenders
Florida & Syracuse have reloaded to make a run at Atlanta which hosts the Final Four this year. Florida is the top team in the SEC and has the talent and experience to advance past the Elite 8 which they failed to do the past 2 years. Erik Murphy is a matchup nightmare for opposing forwards and if he can continue to be play at an elite level, the Gators should cruise in the SEC. They play at Arizona on Dec 15, and if they can win in Tucson it will solidify their spot among the nation’s elite. Syracuse has looked equally impressive early on. Replacing Dion Waiters has not been a problem as James Southerland has taken over the sixth man and has already erupted for 35 points off the bench in a game against Arkansas earlier this year. Michael Carter-Williams is player to watch as he leads Syracuse with 10.4 APG early on this season.
3.) Illinois is undefeated
Raise your hand if you had Illinois undefeated at this point. What Illinois has done this season is remarkable. The team has been known to under achieve and John Groce has turned this team around. Winning the Maui Invitational was a surprise but the shocker was going to into Spokane and beating Gonzaga. Brandon Paul is playing at All Big Ten level and if he can keep it up along with his running mate D.J. Richardson the Illini could be the surprise team in the Big Ten.
4.) Mid-Majors are still relevant
As of the week of December 6th there are 6 non-BCS schools in the top 25. These schools are not going away. Gonzaga has been doing this for years and this year is no different. Creighton, UNLV, San Diego St., New Mexico, & Wichita State round out the other top 25 teams. With wins over, Connecticut, USC, UCLA, Iowa St, California, Iowa, West Virginia, & Arizona State, these so called mid majors are not going away. Jamaal Franklin, Doug McDermott, Anthony Bennett, & Elias Harris are names to remember come March for their respective teams.
5.) Under the radar teams that will emerge
Miami, St. Johns, & Memphis will all make runs towards the NCAA tournament. Miami has vastly improved in Jim Larranaga’s 2nd year. Shane Larkin & Durand Scott form a dangerous 1-2 combo and with a victory over Michigan State already, this team will quietly emerge in the ACC. St. John’s has a very young but talented roster. Chris Obekpa is a freshman who is anchoring the Red Storm defense with 4.9 BPG. If they can put it together for 40 minutes, they will a dangerous team come February and March. The Tigers have had disappointing seasons considering their talent under Josh Pastner. All he has to show are 2 first round exits in the NCAA tournament despite top recruiting classes. This year it changes, as Tigers will roar into March and into the Sweet 16 with Adonis Thomas and Joe Jackson leading the way.
6.) Catch up time
Kentucky and UCLA both opened the season with high expectations. The Wildcats fresh off a national championship, brought in another top recruiting class. Things haven’t gone as planned as Kentucky dropped games against Notre Dame, Duke, & Baylor. With only 1 quality win against Maryland so far, The Wildcats will look gain ground. Good thing for them is they still have a game against Louisville and the SEC schedule. UCLA has become a mess the last few years under Ben Howland. With a top 5 recruiting class coming to Westwood, these baby Bruins were suppose to save UCLA. So far, it hasn’t happened. With already three losses under their belt and no impressive wins to show for, Ben Howland is feeling the heat. If he doesn’t turn it around this season, he may be looking for a job come April.
7.) Still plenty to go
With only 1/4 to 1/3 of the season completed, there is still plenty to go. There are still a few intriguing non-conference match ups before conference play begins. Come the new year, conference play will begin and the separation between the contenders and pretenders should come to light. Until then, enjoy the games that are going on and if your Georgetown fan, may there be no more 37-36 or 46-40 games. At least they were wins though!
