By: William Smythe
College football has cast a shadow over the anarchy spreading throughout the college ‘hoops landscape in recent days. We are often quick to assume that each year will bring a March Madness of heightened volatility, but, this season might just take the cake.
Zero teams are now undefeated early into conference play, while the top-five has changed more often than Lincoln Riley’s rosters.
Do we have a no. 1 team that we feel strongly about anymore? Is Purdue still the cream of the crop despite another loss to Purdue and a Matt Painter quote that defies all logic of coaching interviews: “What Rutgers did tonight didn’t shock us. If we were going to war, we’d stop by New Jersey and pick them up.”
Easy coach, have some faith in your team – well, he’s obviously scared of Steve Pikiell now, isn’t he.
What have we learned from the past week in conference play?
Providence has stunned just about everyone with a revamped roster
We will never forget you, Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Friars – who have now held court in the Amica Mutual Pavilion (boo) – are building off of a no. 4 seed in March last season with a 5-0 start in the Big East and marquee wins over no. 4 UConn and no. 24 Marquette.
As for Ed Cooley? He’s making a push for another Naismith Coach of the Year nod after rebuilding his roster from the ground-up – having lost nearly his entire starting lineup after a historic year in Providence.
Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins – alongside former Gator Noah Locke – have added to Cooley’s arsenal as the rare-southern-turned-northern products in America’s favorite conference. Hopkins has made Kentucky’s John Calipari look the part of a fool – posting 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game – willing his Friars to a victory over the Huskies with a 27-point effort.
The ‘Dunk, obviously, was on the brink of collapsing from the palpable buzz created in Providence. Sitting at first in the Big East – just ahead of nationally-ranked Xavier (4-0) – the Friars are in serious position to make a legitimate push for another regular season crown.
Anarchy!
The ACC has torn itself apart, while Pitt and Clemson have taken the reins
It’s hard to begin describing the ACC madhouse. Here’s a quick summary of what to expect day-in and day-out: if you’re a middle-of-the-pack squad, you’re 100% losing on the road. If you’re a top-three team (take UVA, Miami and Duke, for example) – you now have a 90% chance to lose on the road – these are exaggerations, yes, but it’s what most ACC fans have witnessed this season.
It’s unprecedented parity that has taken hold of the conference which has declined most rapidly in the past few seasons. Mighty Pitt and Clemson are now tied for first in the ACC at 4-0, while preseason favorite North Carolina – as well as the Dukies – sit at a measly 2-2.
I don’t predict that either the Panthers or the Tigers will come out of ACC play as the top dogs, but their recent success had bode poorly for the prospects of this conference come March.
Virginia will likely be saved by non-conference wins against Baylor and Illinois in case of an uncharacteristically bad ACC slate, North Carolina and Duke will sit firmly on the bubble, while Miami may be most unscathed after a 4-1 start and a top-15 ranking in the AP Poll. In any event, the ACC is comfortably behind the Big 12 and Big East in the Power Five totem poll – and are most likely below the SEC and Big Ten as well.
Here are some road contests of interest: Miami drops their first ACC game to a previously 0-3 Georgia Tech, Duke falls to both NC State (2-3) and Wake Forest (2-2) away from Cameron, and Virginia loses both of their road contests to begin the year. It’s that kind of year for the ACC.
Defend your home court, steal a couple away on the road and hope that your non-conference resume stands out in March.
Arizona, Gonzaga will benefit the most from their dysfunctional conferences
What a luxury it must be for Gonzaga’s Mark Few and his disciple – Arizona head Tommy Lloyd – to be far from the battlegrounds in the other major conferences. Few’s squad – which has won their last seven games (including a win over no. 4 Alabama) – has finally achieved homeostasis after struggling earlier this season.
Senior forward Drew Timme has averaged 27.2 points during this stretch, as the no. 9 Bulldogs will now turn their attention to a conference slate that the nation’s best would drool over.
The West Coast Conference has never been deep outside of Gonzaga and St. Mary’s – who just beat “the Academy of Art” by 20, if that means anything to anyone. There’s another WCC title in the cards for the Bulldogs – and a respite from non-conference play in store – with their only reasonable foes Randy Bennett’s Gaels and perhaps BYU.
Don’t expect to hear much from the West Coast Conference, with the bloodbath in the Big East and ACC dominating headlines for weeks to come.
No. 5 Arizona is in a similar position, well secluded from the Eastern Time Zone. The ‘Cats are also undefeated in their last seven games with wins over then-no. 6 Tennessee and no. 14 Indiana, while forward Azuolas Tubelis has averaged 20.9 points in this stretch.
Lloyd’s international flair has paid dividends in the Pac-12 – consider their success last season as evidence – and the lack of depth in the conference will once again open the door for a no. 1 seed in March.
Oddly enough, Arizona are 2-1 in conference play after a surprising 15-point loss to a 4-0 Utah – a result which occurred before their seven-game run. The ‘Cats, nonetheless, are poised to repeat as Pac-12 Champions if they can stave off no. 10 UCLA, who seems to be gaining traction after questions surrounded their personnel earlier this year. The Bruins and Wildcats have it easiest out of the AP Poll top-ten – besides Houston and Gonzaga, of course – while being blessed by subpar conference play.
Power Five Press 