15 in 15: Teams to Watch in College Hoops (Part 2)

Continuing with my 15 in '15, we start back up with number nine:

9. Kansas Jayhawks

The Big 12 conference is always competitive in basketball and with deep teams this season, they could wind up having six teams in the tourney (TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Iowa State). Kansas will definitely be put to the test come conference play on January 7th at very physical Baylor team who does extremely well passing the ball, especially into their big men Deng Deng and Jonathan Motley for points in the paint. The team itself is pretty balanced for only five players average single digit minutes of playing time. It is important, though, that a team can be flexible in case players like Perry Ellis or Frank Mason III get hurt. KU's head coach Bill Self is always one to praise his team for their toughness and defense, and facing competitive Big 12 teams will help shape this 9-2 team into a championship contender.

8. Villanova Wildcats

Andy Katz calls Villanova "winners" and all they have done so far is that; winning. The 12-0 Wildcats have decisive victories over VCU, Michigan, and Syracuse, and decimated both N.J.I.T. and Maryland Eastern Shore. They have held teams under 50 points three times and beaten teams by an average of about 19 points. The concussion Darrun Hilliard suffered in the OT win over 'Cuse only kept him out one game, thankfully, but should be kept in consideration for head coach Jay Wright when determining playing time. A key matchup to watch is when the Wildcats take the court against the Red Storm of Saint John's on the 6th of January at SJU. Like I have said previously, St. John's is a favorite for the Big East tournament, and the winner of this game, in my opinion, will have the upper hand for when the two close out the season on March 7th at Villanova, which will most likely determine a #1 seed in the conference tourney. This team is extremely balanced as well, giving ample time and shots for each player. Having a deep bench and selfless, reliable starters will push the Wildcats to the Elite Eight.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 6: JayVaughn Pinkston #22, Ryan Arcidiacono #15, Darrun Hilliard #4, Kris Jenkins #2, and Dylan Ennis #31 of the Villanova Wildcats react after a made basket in the final minutes of the game against the Saint Joseph's Hawks on December 6, 2014 at the Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Wildcats defeated the Hawks 74-46 (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) [CREDIT ESPN.com]

7. Maryland Terrapins

One of the two newest members of the B1G have been an upper midcard program for the last few years, most notably when Alex Len was their center in 2012. Suffering only one loss to the #3 team in the country, Virginia (who almost lost to Davidson the other night), the Terrapins are looking to face some always competitive B1G opposition especially when they play an up-and-coming Penn State program twice and a dangerous Wisconsin team. As a definite tournament team, Maryland needs to advance in the conference tournament so they can be seeded around an 8 or 9 come March. The key for them, though, is Melo Trimble devouring the offensive boards. He makes just under half of his shots attempted, so being able to grab boards for easy put-backs is extremely important. In the contest against South Carolina Upstate, he compile 12 rebounds in 34 minutes of playing time. The second highest rebounding performance for Trimble was the game after against Oklahoma State with four, so it is not impossible that his awareness on both sides of the ball can be alerted. When Chicago calls for the conference tournament, you may not see Maryland hoisting the trophy, but you will see them in that game.

6. Penn State Nittany Lions

Much like the team previous, Penn State is in a strong B1G, and with that comes the usual suspects of Wisconsin and Ohio State ranked. With that all in place, Penn State has a great chance to snag one or two from both of those teams as they play them both home and away. Having already received some votes for the top 25, a win over the Badgers on New Year's Eve will greatly impact both teams standings nationally and in conference. That alone should add Penn State to the college hoops fan's radar but looking at schedules is just one part of analyzing the 15 in '15: you need to look at what each team has to offer in terms of roster and ability and Penn State has a great squad built around senior D.J. Newbill. Newbill has 278 points, that's good for 4th in the country. 4th! Not one ranked team has a single player on the 100 highest scorers list. D.J. Newbill does a lot of it on his own, too, and that is good and bad out of a starter. You want a productive centerpiece, but you don't want a ball hog, and I think Newbill's role is more like the first where he asserts himself as the leader of the team. An all-around athletic and physical sqaud, I see great potential for the 9-10 seed tournament team. Even though Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com doesn't think Penn State is one of the teams to be in contention to overthrow Wisconsin, don't be surprised if on New Year's Eve, the ball drops for the Badgers.

5. Seton Hall Pirates

Too many times does the Big East get overlooked. As one of the most historic conferences, competition is at a high annually. Seton Hall sits at a great position: they upset two of the best teams in their conference and nation in back to back games, giving them huge momentum going into the rest of conference play, all without their second leading scorer Isaiah Whitehead. It will make for an interesting next few weeks, as the Priates take the court against an underdog Xavier team and a Butler team who actually has a coach now. But Whitehead's health is extremely important for the success of this team. The stress fracture he suffered will put him out about 6-8 weeks, SBNation's South Orange Juice reports. The five-star recruits ability to make plays and lead this team as a freshman a valid skill in the college game and his 12 points that he averages can make or break  some of these Big East games.

Up next will be the final four teams in my 15 in '15 countdown. Surprised by my picks? Tweet me @simon18williams or hit me up @s18w on instagram to discuss! Keep it locked here for the final part of the 15 in '15.