As the halfway point of the season approaches, we’ve begun to get a clearer picture of who the contenders and pretenders are around college basketball. Some of the names under each category are about what we’d expect, especially when considering the current favorites for the National Championship are blue-blood programs.
But what about the most surprising teams in the country? Good thing you asked, because we’re here to break down the five most surprising teams of the year.
1. Texas Christian University: After going 9-22 a year ago, the second of two straight losing seasons, few expected the Horned Frogs and Trent Johnson to be much of a factor in a loaded Big 12 Conference. While they have yet to prove that they can indeed make their mark on that race–though a competitive loss to No. 17 West Virginia certainly looked promising–TCU is still sitting at 13-1 on the year.
Over their next three games, the Horned Frogs face Kansas State, Baylor and Texas Tech, a stretch that needs to see them go at least 2-1 if they hope to keep pace with other conference foes. If they do, it will be because of the balanced attack that Johnson has employed offensively, with seven players averaging at least seven points per game.
2. Seton Hall: When was the last time we legitimately talked about Seton Hall in a positive manner? The start of this process was the recruitment of Brooklyn star recruit Isaiah Whitehead, a consensus top 50 recruit in the high school ranks.
Whitehead, who is averaging 11.9 points per game, works alongside Sterling Gibbs on the perimeter to form a lethal scoring duo (Gibbs averages 16.6 points and 3.7 assists per game). After a brutal 18-point loss at Georgia, Seton Hall has rallied off three straight wins, including a two-game home stand to open conference play against St. John’s and Villanova.
Now, back in the AP Top 25, they hit the road for Xavier and Creighton, two of the tougher environments in the Big East. If they can pull off two wins there, and hold serve at home, the Pirates would be off to a 6-0 start in conference and look poised for a top three finish.
3. Notre Dame: After their 19-point loss to Iowa State two years ago in the NCAA Tournament, and their 15-17 finish a year ago, there was talk about whether or not Mike Brey was going to be able to keep things together in South Bend. Then the Irish were picked to finish seventh in the ACC.
So naturally, they start this year 14-1, ranked No. 14 and third nationally in scoring at 85.9 points per game. Jerian Grant is a dark horse contender for the ACC Player of the Year award (you see why below), and the team has four players averaging over 13 points per game. Things don’t get any easier from here, though, as Notre Dame has yet to play any other ranked ACC squad, and still has trips to Chapel Hill and Durham on the table. We’ll revisit their start in a few weeks.
4. Maryland: How many coaches across the country needed a start like this more than Mark Turgeon? The Terps finally look to be back, though it may lack the same kind of hype and excitement now that we don’t have games against Duke to look forward to. The guard duo of Melo Trimble and Dez Wells has been explosive, combining for 31 points per game.
This Maryland team is top 50 nationally in scoring and field goal percentage, as well as rebounding. This Maryland team was also picked to finish tenth in the conference, an idea that seems absurd now. The big break? The Terps don’t have to go to Madison, Wisc. this year for a matchup against the Badgers. Instead, they get them in College Park with five days to prepare. There’s no doubt that Wisconsin still has to be the conference favorite here, but Maryland looks like a clear No. 2, right now.
5. Colorado State: Outside of The Cauldron’s Andy Glockner, few national writers were talking about the Rams in the preseason. Sure, people respect what Larry Eustachy is doing in Fort Collins but when it came to the Mountain West, everyone focused on San Diego State with a few short breaths saved for Larry Nance in Wyoming.
The Rams jumped out to a 14-0 start before falling in Albuquerque to the Lobos, a run that included wins at Colorado, and at New Mexico State. The Mountain West is a grind, and things start to get real for CSU this week as they host Wyoming, but ultimately, it will come down to matchups with the Cowboys and Aztecs to figure out exactly where this team can finish. As of right now, though, they still need a few marquee wins to feel like their hot start can result in a high seed in March.
