O-K State knocks off #2 Mizzou

The teams who have attained the number 1 ranking so far this college basketball season have had trouble avoiding the upset bug. The teams who have been in the top five for the most part have not played all that well against unranked opponents either. Syracuse and UK however have proven to be pretty solid. Syracuse lost a game this past weekend to Notre Dame but did not have Fab Melo. Is that really an excuse to lose to a team who is not ranked? I say no, but I will say that college basketball is a sport that is becoming harder and harder to win on the road. Take for instance Mizzou last night that lost to a Oklahoma State team that has been struggling all season long. When teams go on the road and are not used to being a top ranked team then you also run into the problem of being overwhelmed by a crowd that is out for blood.

So what’s up with Duke?  Duke was a team that many thought would be in the top 5 all year long, but it just hasn’t been the kind of year they were hoping for.  When was the last time Duke put tickets on sale for general public because the students weren’t using all of their seats?  Don’t get me wrong, Duke is a really good basketball team this year and I would be shocked if they don’t make a good run in the NCAA tournament.  Two years ago I don’t know many people who really thought Duke would be there in the end.  Winning the NCAA tournament takes talent but it also takes a lot of luck and Duke just happened to be one of those teams that had the perfect path to a National Championship.

Louisville was another team that found themselves ranked in the top 10 and eventually the top 5 before losing to a good Georgetown team (at home) and then UK.  Following those two losses things have not been that great for Rick Pitino and his Cards.  They have dropped games to Notre Dame at home (which doesn’t look as bad now), Marquette and of course the huge blow out to Providence.  Louisville was one of those teams that came into the season ranked in the top 10 but has had a lot of injuries.  You can be like Rick Pitino and blame injuries but I believe its much more than that.  Peyton Siva is playing with zero confidence which really hurts them.  He is playing that way because Rick Pitino has torn that kid down to nothing.  In the past I have been rough on Siva and Cards fans that say he is a lottery pick.  He is a really good player, but he is not a lottery pick nor was he ever going to be a lottery pick.  However, he is much better than what we have seen this year.

Memphis, well what is there to say?  Memphis has struggled all year long but it has not surprised me at all.  One of my friends was telling me how good Memphis was going to be this year and I responded with “don’t drink the Memphis Kool-Aid”.  It would have really surprised me if Memphis would have remained in the top 10.  Some folks continue to think Memphis can be where they were when Coach Cal was there.  It just isn’t going to happen at least not right now.

UCONN has been one of those teams that has a lot of talent but just can’t seem to get it together.  They have lost games that they never should have lost, but they should make a good run come March.  Calhoun and his troubles may be the reason for his teams struggles this year, or they may not.  Lets face it, when your coach is facing suspension in league play for not following the rules then it is going to have some impact on your team.  If you throw in the Ryan Boatright saga then you just have one more distraction.

Alabama is probably the biggest disappointment in the SEC at this point.  They played a really good game against UK (as most teams do) but then turn around and lose to South Carolina.  If they don’t figure out a way to win some of their remaining road games then they might find themselves playing in the NIT.  Bama has road games against Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss and a loss to Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss could be devastating.  I would not expect them to lose more than one of those games but they clearly are not clicking right now.

Vandy started the season off about as bad as they could have ever wanted to.  Once their big man Festus Ezeli returned for the ‘Dore’s things really started to turn around.  This is the one team that really worried me before the season started and they seem to be finally getting to where I expected them to be.  UK will have their hands full in Nashville and will most likely be the toughest round challenge they will see during SEC play.

Even though the teams listed above have not had the season they were expected you to, you can’t count them out.  UCONN and Duke should both be teams you are keeping an eye on when they start placing teams in brackets.  I don’t think UK should be afraid of any team but UCONN and Duke would make any bracket tough.