The entire country knew that Kentucky was a national title contender even before the season began, but after they roughed up No. 5 Kansas for a 32-point win in the Champions Classic the reality set in that they could be better than most people even thought. The Wildcats have a talented and deep group with enough star power to once again dominate the SEC en route to the March Madness tournament.
It might still be early but is there a better team out there that could potentially challenge the Wildcats supremacy? Here is a quick look at four teams that might have a chance.
Duke Blue Devils (6-0)
Duke is always in the mix. After convincing wins over Michigan State, Stanford, and Temple, it’s clear the Blue Devils are already in need of a bigger challenge. They will get it next week when they visit No. 3 Wisconsin in a strong early test for both teams. The tandem of freshman Jahlil Okafor and senior Quinn Cook has been excellent out of the gate as Duke has averaged 90 points per game through six contests. How they respond against a tough team like Wisconsin will have a major impact on whether we still think the Blue Devils can challenge Kentucky this season.
Arizona Wildcats (6-0)
The Wildcats certainly have a star player to rally around in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as he continues to bring fans to their feet with his highlight-reel dunks and athleticism. Hollis-Jefferson has averaged a team-high 13.8 points per game and is among the biggest reasons for Arizona opening the year with six straight wins. The Wildcats might not have the level of depth that a team like Kentucky brings to the table but it’s a long season and they have certainly looked good early on.
Louisville Cardinals (5-0)
After five wins to open the season, Louisville has seen four different players average more than 11 points led by Montrezl Harrell at 17.4 points per game. On top of that, they rank third in the country in rebounding. Harrell, Terry Rozier, Chris Jones, and Wayne Blackshear lead a talented group that is capable of putting up big numbers and there is certainly no reason to doubt Rick Pitino will have this group ready to compete by the time the March Madness rolls around.
North Carolina Tar Heels (4-1)
There has been a lot of talk about the potential of Marcus Paige but it might be time to stay looking at Kennedy Meeks and his team-leading 14.3 points per game. Paige has also averaged close to 11 rebounds per game early on and is a big reason why the Tar Heels rank fourth in the country with an average of 47.3 boards per game. Paige, Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson fill out a talented group of players and while North Carolina might have stumbled already with a loss to Butler, it will ultimately serve them better as they go through some bumps along the way. They’re growing game by game – as evidenced by their 78-56 drubbing of No. 22 UCLA on Thursday – and are emerging as one of the top teams in the nation.
