This week on the Respect the Hustle Podcast, we take a look at ten teams that have caught our attention as a pleasant surprise or as a major disappointing. Yes indeed, it’s time for Whelan to name his five most surprising and five most disappointing teams in the country.
Things get started as he runs through the mid-major ranks, at least for the most part, and names the teams he’s been most impressed with early on that he didn’t necessarily expect much from. Doesn’t it always seem like these are the teams that catch our eyes? In particularly, he names the Monmouth Hawks, who have four non-conference wins as good as anyone else in the country, including some of the big boys like Kentucky and Kansas. If you’re gearing up for Championship Week, start getting familiar with some teams that you may not have seen all season by checking out Whelan’s list.
Up next though, are the teams worthy of his ire? Do you agree with the choices our host has made on either side of the ledger? Should we count how many times we hear the word ‘bubble’ over the next two weeks?
Whelan goes through his list of several contenders for more disappointing team in the country, including a quick pit stop talking about SMU and Louisville thanks to their postseason bans, but ultimately he settles on a familiar target.
For a program with every advantage possible in the world of college athletics, UCLA can’t seem to get out of their own way under head coach Steve Alford. Sure, they recruit at a high level which will always earn the praise of fan bases increasingly tuned into such a subject, but when it continues to produce mediocre results, questions need to be asked. That’s why the Bruins are Whelan’s most disappointing team in the country.
