While we showed you the surprises of the college basketball season earlier, now it’s time to break down who the most disappointing teams of the year have been. Of course, some of these teams weren’t exactly national title contenders to begin with, but many were expected to make things very interesting in their respective conference races.
So who’s underperforming? Yet again, I’m quite glad that you asked.
1. UCLA: Sticking with the Pac-12, the Bruins (8-7, 0-2) have now lost five games in a row with tests against Stanford and Cal coming up next. It’s not inconceivable that Steve Alford and company could start conference play with four straight losses, and push their overall winless streak to seven games before taking on crosstown rival USC. With former four and five star recruits littering the roster, it seems ridiculous that UCLA is truly this bad. They were dismantled in Salt Lake City by the Utes, and couldn’t fend off a Colorado team missing their starting center two days before that. This team is in disarray, despite starting the year as the media’s pick to finish fourth in conference.
The problems start with Bryce Alford, Steve’s son and the Bruins’ leading scorer. When your leading scorer is your point guard who shoots under 40-percent from the field, under 40-percent from the three point line and seems to have a genuine distaste for involving his stud big men, there’s a problem. The whispers have already started in Los Angeles about whether or not Alford can win with his son at point guard, and it’s not a situation that looks to have a quick fix in store.
2. Colorado: Not only were the Buffaloes (9-5, 2-0) supposed to be true contenders for the Pac-12 crown–or at least to push Arizona enough to make them sweat–but Tad Boyle’s group was seen by many as a possible threat to make a deep run into March. Senior guard Askia Booker, and his electric yet inconsistent way, was going to anchor a backcourt that was supposed to be served by two upperclassmen. Junior Josh Scott was set to take the crown as the Pac-12’s best big man, and junior Xavier Johnson was ready to take the next step and become a consistent threat offensively. So, what’s happened in Boulder?
First, the team’s chemistry came under question when they sputtered offensively in a blow out loss to Wyoming, and followed that with underwhelming performances against Georgia and Colorado State before falling flat on the beaches of Hawai’i. Coming into conference play at 7-5, without a single notable win and resume duds like Hawai’i wasn’t exactly the plan for this group. Now, they’ve started 2-0 in Pac-12 play despite the absence of Josh Scott due to back spasms, so there’s still time for them to turn things around. However, if Boyle wants to make his fourth straight NCAA Tournament, he’ll need a weak bubble to compliment a hefty conference run.
3. Florida: Somehow, the Gators started the year ranked in the top ten. They’d reward such belief in them by starting 2-4. While things looked like they might be back on track thanks to a four game winning streak, such optimism was immediately dispelled thanks to losses at Florida State and at home against UConn. Simply put, Billy Donovan doesn’t have a very good team, in any sense. Kasey Hill and Chris Walker have been ordinary in every sense of the word. Two players average nine or more points per game and the Gators have only scored more than 70 points three times this season.
Can Florida turn things around? In a down SEC, other than Kentucky and Arkansas, it certainly seems possible. After a tough test visiting South Carolina, a program that’s finally where many thought it’d get to under head coach Frank Martin, the Gators host Mississippi State and Auburn for a chance to gain some confidence. Should they drop either of those two, we may be looking at one of Donovan’s worst years in Gainesville.
4. Michigan: A program that has enjoyed such explosive and consistent guard play as Michigan has to expect a drop off at some point. However, the Wolverines still have one of the better one-two punches in the Big Ten, capable of lighting you up any given night. What they don’t have is size, and depth is certainly a concern here as well. We’re a week into 2015 and UM has yet to win a true road game, which has to be a concern.
What’s even more concerning is that this team, despite a backcourt averaging nearly 30 points per game, can’t score the basketball. They cannot rebound the basketball. The one thing they have going for them is that defensively, they’re respectable enough, allowing 70 points or more just twice on the year. If there’s any hope for this team, games against Minnesota and Ohio State, both arriving after a meeting with Penn State, will be must-wins.
5. San Diego State: The Aztecs have become the darlings of western media. SDSU was once again picked to win the Mountain West, and once again talked about as a team that could make a surprise run to the Final Four. They’re talented, as talented as any team out West besides Arizona. They defend, generally at elite levels. They are well coached, with Steve Fisher running the show. And yet, they’ve looked strangely pedestrian. At 11-4, 1-1 Pac-12, the season is far from lost. They’re still in position to win the conference should they improve and still have a shot at a respectable seed in the Big Dance.
What plagues this team is that their group of highly ranked and highly touted players can’t share the ball, and even when they do, they cannot score. The Aztecs are near the bottom of the country in almost every offensive statistical category. Their leading scorer, Winston Shepard, averages 10.8 points per game. Arizona transfer Angelo Chol has scored in double figures just once. Freshman Trey Kell seems to have hit a wall after a strong start. Simply put, SDSU’s tenacity and potency on defense is only matched by it’s incompetence on offense.
