The college basketball season is in full swing and springtime is quickly approaching, which brings April showers, but more importantly, March Madness. As always, many teams have yet again secured their spot in the field of 65 (yes, you heard right, the great minds of the NCAA expanded the field to 65 teams starting this year). As is custom, Duke, Stanford and UNC are making their annual charge to become high seeds in the tourney.
But, as always, some teams have emerged as surprises around the country, while others have been a disappointment and not lived up to expectations. Here is just an abbreviated list of teams on the rise and teams on a downward spiral.
UP-AND-COMERS
Syracuse: The Orangemen have reached the Top 10 again after being left out of the Top 25 during the preseason. Preston Shumpert has been impressive all year for Jim Boeheim’s club, averaging over 20 points a game. Damone Brown has also shined at the Carrier Dome, and he, paired with Shumpert, has led the ‘Cuse to a fast start in the Big East. When the tourney rolls around, the Orangemen very well might be singing their song from their ’96 run, ‘The ‘Cuse is in the house, Oh my God, Oh my God.’
Alabama: The Crimson Tide are known more for their football than their basketball, but ‘Bama has played some quality basketball as of late, despite being the subject of an NCAA investigation. A 5-2 record in the tough SEC has surprised many, with the team eclipsing more established programs in the conference, like Kentucky, Auburn and Mississippi State. Watch out for them come tournament time.
Fresno State: Where did these guys come from? A virtually unknown program before Jerry Tarkanian took over, ‘Tark’ has turned the Bulldogs into a force to be reckoned with. Fresno has reeled off thirteen straight wins and is steamrolling through their early WAC foes. Despite losing Courtney Alexander to the NBA last year, Tark’s crew is getting a balanced attack, with four players averaging double figures in scoring.
Boston College: Admittedly, the Eagles played a horribly weak non-conference schedule. Beating up on teams such as Wofford, Brown and Marist didn’t make believers out of too many people. But after defeating Miami twice and blowing out UConn, the cynics started to believe that BC was for real. Al Skinner’s club has become a legitimate threat to win the Big East as Troy Bell has provided excellent play from the point and Kenny Harley has given the Eagles a rebounding presence and a backup scoring threat.
Massachusetts: Yes, the Minutemen started off with a thud and still have a losing record overall. But strong play as of late from the entire crew, especially Monty Mack and Kitwana Rhymer, has catapulted the Maroon and White into first place in the A-10. If UMass keeps running roughshod over the rest of its conference foes, the team definitely has a shot of gaining even an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.
FALLING FROM THE HEAVENS:
Connecticut: Even the biggest of cynics could not have foreseen the horrendous season the Huskies are enduring. In Massachusetts, UMass fans are smiling, but our neighbor to the South is wondering what has happened to the team that won the national championship two years ago. Sound defeats to BC, Providence, and Villanova have left Jim Calhoun’s troops reeling. Taliek Brown has not stepped up to fill the shoes of Khalid El-Amin at the point, and the young and inexperienced Huskies have not been able to completely take charge of a game at any point of the season.
Dayton: Picked by many to finish first in the Atlantic 10 and holders of a Top 25 spot at the beginning of the season, the Flyers have had their wings cut off after a hot start. Victories over UConn, Maryland, and Louisville gave hope to a dominant season, but since then Dayton has stumbled out to a 3-5 start in conference play, and its bubble soon may pop for an at-large bid if it hasn’t already.
DePaul: The Blue Demons, generally a power in Conference USA, have tumbled all the way into the cellar in conference play and have not been able to get on track so far this season. With a 1-6 conference record, the Demons haven’t been terrifying anyone, and the departure of Quentin Richardson to the NBA hurt the team tremendously. Bobby Simmons has been playing well for Pat Kennedy’s club, but at this point DePaul won’t even get an NIT bid.
Indiana: The Hoosiers were looking for a solid season under new head coach Mike Davis, but have sputtered on the way to a 3-4 start in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers celebrated a win over then No. 1 Michigan State three weeks ago, but since then have dropped contests to Michigan and Minnesota. Then, last Friday, former Hoosier Luke Recker dropped a 27-spot on his former teammates in a loss to Iowa. Indiana still has time to recover in time for a tournament berth, but with Ohio State and a Spartan team looking for revenge coming up, it’s going to be tough.
Tournament time brings a smile to every fan’s face but it also brings frowns to the players of teams that have their bubble burst. Right now, many teams are shaping up to garner an at-large bid, and since there are never enough seeds to distribute, falling teams have to either get their act together or accept a not-so-glorious bid in the NIT.
