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Sizing up college basketball's 5 unbeaten teams
The men's college basketball season has been filled with surprises, but the remaining unbeaten teams were simply not on the preseason plan. All of them have been better than projected to this point.
Of course, running the table is not to be expected, but getting to Christmas without a blemish is still a significant accomplishment.
Here's the breakdown.
Purdue (11-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
Purdue proved it was the team to beat in the Big Ten and one of the best in the country by winning the PK Legacy in Portland. Purdue came off a win over what we now know is a quality Marquette squad and ran through the three most difficult games in Portland for the title. The Boilermakers beat West Virginia by 12 in a physical game and then easily dispatched Gonzaga and Drew Timme 84-66 and then Duke 75-56 in the title game.
Playing at Florida State was a classic trap game loss after this title. Long travel and going to a team not normally known for struggling was the recipe for a defeat. But it didn't happen. Purdue found a way to win by taking down the Seminoles in Tallahassee 76-69.
The Big Ten slate wasn't filled with the toughest duo (opening with Minnesota) but the Boilermakers dealt with adversity in winning at Nebraska in overtime before beating Davidson. The reason for all of this success has to do with a couple things:
Purdue's Zach Edey and Gonzaga's Drew Timme lead Player of the Year tiers
- Zach Edey. He has been the most dominant big and the new favorite to be the national player of the year. The 7-4 Edey is in the best shape of his life, logging an average of 31 minutes a game and posting 22/13 numbers. He's a lock for double figures every night. And while he blocks on average 2.2 a game, he probably alters even more.
- The biggest surprise the Boilermakers are still undefeated has to do with the freshmen guards and the role players. Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith don't play like freshman at all. Loyer is a scorer and is averaging 13 a game while Smith is a rugged, tough playmaker who hasn't gotten rattled. Caleb Furst, Brandon Newman, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Mason Giles and Ethan Morton all know their roles. This team may not be as talented as last season's, but the Boilers are clearly more aligned. A Final Four/title appearance is definitely within reach.
[College Basketball Power Rankings: UCLA, Pac-12 make statement]
UConn (12-0, 1-0 Big East)
The Huskies clearly have shown that they are a title contender and not just in the Big East. UConn has Final Four/national title contending ability. The turning point came in Portland when the Huskies won the PK Invitational by beating Alabama 82-67 in the semifinals and then easily dispatching Iowa State 71-53 after they had knocked off North Carolina.
But the staying power came on the return. A number of teams struggled when they came back home and yet UConn didn't wilt by beating Oklahoma State at home and winning at Florida before disposing Long Island and winning the Big East opener at Butler. Adama Sonogo was a given, and he has delivered with 19/7.
But the difference has been the play of freshman big Donovan Clingan, the MVP of the PK Invitational. His play as another big means the Huskies don't miss much of a beat. The exceptional guard play led by Jordan Hawkins and transfer Tristan Newton has allowed this team to matchup with any other. This team defends at a high level, plays Dan Hurley hard and has its exceptionally tough home courts at Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center back roaring.
Don't be surprised to see a one- or two-loss Big East season.
Are the UConn Huskies the best team in college basketball?
Mississippi State (11-0)
Chris Jans has always been a winner. His teams at New Mexico State in the NCAA tournament were always a tough out. The Aggies should have taken out Auburn in the Tigers' 2019 run to the title game but couldn't close the game. Last March, the Aggies knocked off UConn. So, it's no surprise he's having success in his first season at Mississippi State. But to be 11-0 is significant.
The Bulldogs haven't played the toughest schedule, but they have taken care of business with their defense. They are stingy. Taking out Marquette and Utah, two teams that have had significant wins like beating Baylor and Arizona, respectively, were the turning point wins of the season. They came to Fort Myers in November where the Bulldogs only gave up 55 points to Marquette and a mere 49 to the Utes. Scoring has been a premium at times with the Bulldogs not eclipsing 60 in either game. Still, a road win at struggling Minnesota a few weeks later proved that they simply take care of what is ahead of them.
They are winning the games they should if they are going to be an SEC title contender. Playing Drake and then opening the SEC against Alabama and at Tennessee will set the bar. Western Kentucky transfer Tolu Smith has been a difference-maker. The 6-11 big can control the paint and be disruptive at the defensive end. Memphis transfer D.J. Jeffries seems to have found a second home with the Bulldogs and become the effective scorer he was billed to be when he arrived on the scene. Senior transfers Deshawn Davis (Oregon State) and Will McNair Jr. (New Mexico State) have answered the call by being productive. Jans worked the transfer portal exceptionally well and has a squad that should at the very least be an NCAA tournament team and get a decent seed.
[College basketball tiers: Brandon Miller, Kyle Filipowski among top freshmen]
New Mexico (11-0)
Richard Pitino could coach at Minnesota and recruit high-level talent – that was not the question. But the Gopher job is arguably one of the toughest in the Big Ten. And no Minnesota coach seems to last too long. He knew he needed another basketball-centric opportunity, and he went to Albuquerque where, in Year 2, he has the Lobos rolling.
There is a proud history with this team/program and competing for conference championships has been the norm. The Lobos have proved thus far that they will be in the chase for the Mountain West title with preseason favorite San Diego State and likely UNLV, Utah State and Boise State (Wyoming was supposed to be in this mix, but Graham Ike's injury has contributed to the Cowboys fall).
The Lobos have had a number of significant indicators thus far with road wins over SMU and Saint Mary's as well as a win over San Francisco and then Sunday night over Rick Pitino and Iona. (The two games against rival New Mexico State were canceled after the tragic shooting of a UNM student by a NMSU player.)
The Lobos are pushing the basketball and looking for the hot hand. Big man transfer Morris Udeze (Wichita State) gives the Lobos an inside presence and the guard play of Jaelen House (Arizona State) and Jamal Mashburn Jr. (Minnesota) has been high-level. They are always a threat to score. The mixture of transfers and a few freshmen have made this rotation work.
Sunday night's game against Iona was a strong indicator of how well the Pit will play a role as a home court. It was rocking like the ‘90s again. The Lobos have built an NCAA resume so far, but there is still plenty of work to do for a bid and the long slog of a MWC title. Circle early January as a barometer when the Lobos host UNLV on Jan. 7 before playing at San Diego State on Jan. 14.
Utah State (9-0)
Ryan Odom's move from UMBC fame (remember the 16 over 1 win against Virginia in 2018?) to Utah State was a bit out of left field. Few saw this coming when he replaced Craig Smith. But the move has turned out quite well.
Odom knows how to build a program. The good news is he didn't need to restart much since Smith had the Aggies as a perennial possible postseason team before leaving for Utah. Utah State has had two wins that stand out so far, albeit not NCAA tournament-level just yet. Beating Santa Clara and winning at San Francisco were solid indicators that the Aggies have the goods to be a MWC contender. But the schedule was built to increase confidence and wins.
The Aggies are going to have to get into the NCAA tournament by finishing in the top 2-3 in the MWC regular season and/or winning the conference tournament. Steven Ashworth has been the best baller so far but the additions of Dan Akin (Cal Baptist) and Taylor Funk (Saint Joseph's) have worked well while the steady hand the past two seasons of Utah transfer Rylan Jones has been significant.
It's still too early to determine if the Aggies are going to be tournament-worthy, but the pavement has been put down for a possible runway to a bid.
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Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on the Big Ten Network, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.
