Well, conference play is here and Kentucky is still undefeated – just barely. As folks everywhere wonder if they can go undefeated, it must be pointed out how incredible of a job John Calipari has done to get all these players who are superstars to buy in to a platoon-type system. They are all sacrificing for Big Blue Nation. Nothing less than a national title will be considered successful, but that is what Coach Cal signed up for and he looks forward to that opportunity.
Who Can Beat Blue?
Who can beat Kentucky prior to the SEC Tournament? Common sense says they’re not losing at home, though last night’s overtime tussle with Ole Miss shows you that anything’s possible. The ‘Cats have eight home games left and I think they win them all, so it’s only the nine road games as possible roadblocks to regular season perfection. I can see Texas A&M, Alabama, Frank Martin’s South Carolina squad, and LSU all giving Kentucky a battle at the half in their own gyms. Kentucky does not play at Arkansas, and the two worst teams in the league, Missouri and Mississippi State, Big Blue Nation travels to, so that was a nice break in their pursuit of perfection. We can’t count out road trips to well-coached teams like Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. But let’s be honest… Kentucky will be a double-digit favorite in most of their games and I don’t see anyone beating them. A road trip to Arkansas would have been intriguing, but that doesn’t happen this year.
Fun in December
I know everyone loves those December upsets, and with schools like Texas Southern and NJIT winning on the road, nothing is ever easy. There are too many good coaches and good players. At some point the ultimate upset is coming, when a No. 16 seed beats at No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Remember that Wright State beat Michigan State in 1999, and the Spartans went on to win the NCAA title that year. UCLA lost to Cal Poly in 2012-13, but won the Pac-12 title. Heck my 1994-95 Sweet Sixteen team won 24 games, beat Arizona and Maryland and won the 1994 Maui Invitational, but lost at home to Texas-San Antonio. Having 18-22-year-old kids ready to play every night 30-some games is not easy, and that is what makes December basketball fun.
Welcome Back, The Hall
Seton Hall hadn’t been ranked since but January 2012, but the Pirates’ two-year wait for a spot in the Top 25 is over. The 19th-ranked Hall now has everyone’s attention with a 12-2 start, including wins over St. John’s and Villanova to open the Big East season. Important to remember Seton Hall only protected its home court, but that is what you have to do to get momentum started. The Pirates are trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 and they haven’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2004, but Kevin Willard’s group has a nice non-conference win over George Washington. Isaiah Whitehead has been sidelined for three games with a foot injury, but that hasn’t stopped junior guard Sterling Gibbs and freshman Desi Rodriguez. They take their act on the road for four of the next six – starting tonight at Xavier – so that is where shall see if they are indeed a Big East contender.
Frog Rock
One more team to talk about that has really done a nice job of building some momentum is Trent Johnson’s TCU squad. Now, on the surface, its 13-0 start might be clouded with one of the worst non-conference schedules in the nation, but if you are a TCU fan, who cares? The last time TCU made the NCAA Tournament was 1998, and right now it is in national conversation. Kyan Anderson and Kenrich Williams are both Texas products and if Coach Johnson can keep some Dallas kids in the area, then he will be in good shape. TCU will never be known as a basketball school, but it can be a school that has good basketball.
What To Watch
I look forward to Virginia at Notre Dame, Louisville at North Carolina and Iowa State at West Virginia this weekend. Yes, those are all conference games. Wouldn’t have been a few years ago, but who’s complaining? Should be a great weekend on the hardwood.
– Bill Frieder
Former Michigan and Arizona State head coach Bill Frieder is an analyst for Westwood One’s coverage of NCAA Basketball. In his weekly blog Boxed Out, Bill scours the box scores to bring you interesting stories from the world of college basketball.
