By: William Smythe

Here’s an instruction manual for this year’s college basketball season: when you win an emotionally-charged, ranked game, DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN THE GAME AFTER! How many times have we seen this narrative emerge in 2022, especially after recent losses from no. 20 Iowa State, no. 17 Illinois and no. 13 Maryland.

No one is safe, America, no one. If you cash in that season-defining win one night, prepare for a random disappointment in a middling Big Ten arena the night after. 

Iowa just throttled Iowa State – all without current team MVP Kris Murray – while Maryland succumbed to the Kohl Center’s grasp against Wisconsin. No. 17 Illinois, however, might just take the cake for the most disappointing loss of the week; the Fighting Illini – who defeated no. 2 Texas in a thriller at Madison Square Garden – just lost by 15 to (a surprisingly good) Penn State team at home. Talk about a swing of emotions. 

For some more analysis, let’s look at the rest of this wild, wild slate. 

UConn is quietly rolling the competition

UConn is back…without Jim Calhoun? That’s right, Coach Dan Hurley is treading a path of his own. The no. 5 Huskies have looked phenomenal this season on the shoulders of their two seven-footers – junior Adama Sanogo (18.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and freshman Donovan Clingan (9.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg) – while junior guard Andre Jackson just might be the glue guy for a team with an embarrassing amount of depth.

No one has come within nine points against this team – including now no. 8 Alabama, no. 21 Iowa State and Oregon. Saddle up for the Hurley ride in 2022-23 – a potentially-dominant one for the Huskies. 

TCU has weathered the storm, back in the top-25

Everyone – myself included – thought the Horned Frogs were doomed after a 64-63 loss to N’Western State to start the year. Brutal. Junior guard Mike Miles and senior guard Damion Baugh are officially back from injury, and no. 24 TCU now looks the part of their former no. 14 ranking.

Wins against then no. 25 Iowa and Providence aren’t exactly capstone victories, but they’re good momentum builders for a team that needs some time with its starters all back together. As usual, it’s a balanced scoring attack with a lethal backcourt. Yeah, I’ll admit, the Horned Frogs may be back in form. 

The Big 12 is (over the SEC) the deepest conference in CBB

It’s the year of the Big 12. The ACC? No more? The Big Ten? Too many weird RAC (Jersey Mike’s Arena) upsets and such coming out of that conference. The SEC? Close, but no cigar. The Big 12 currently boasts five teams in the top-25, with no. 2 Texas and no. 6 Kansas topping that list. No. 24 TCU is on the rise, no. 20 Iowa State will hope to right the ship after a loss to Iowa, and Jerome Tang’s Kansas State squad has exceeded expectations after an 8-1 start.

There really aren’t any serious weak links outside of (maybe?) Oklahoma State in this conference, and we could be looking at seven-eight bids in March Madness if all continues to go well. Who will win the Big 12? I don’t really know. What I do know, however, is that Baylor, Kansas and Texas will battle it out in a historic year for the conference. 

Fordham making Kyle Neptune look like the loser of the deal

The Fordham Rams might have taken Neptune’s exit personally. While they haven’t played a ranked opponent besides Arkansas – by whom they were trounced, 74-48 – the current A-10 leaders are in unforeseen territory after a 16-16 finish last season. Will they continue at this pace in conference play? Probably not.

A cupcake-level schedule – unless you consider Tulane, Harvard and Maine to be juggernauts – may be overshadowing the Rams’ early season success. However, a notable turnaround without Neptune could bode poorly for Villanova – who has already struggled in the non-conference slate.

Houston slips up, will now take on no. 1(?) Virginia

They’re still really, really good. No. 8 Alabama got the best of the no. 1 ranked Cougars on Saturday after a heavyweight battle culminated in some poor free-throw shooting and a late stretch from the ‘Tide. Houston now will look to a matchup against what should be a no. 1 ranked Virginia – another SONIC Blockbuster against a ‘Hoos team that desperately needs a fully-healthy Reece Beekman. Get your popcorn folks, this’ll be a good one.