Here are the first five of fifteen teams to look out for in 2015 in the world of college basketball.
15. Louisville Cardinals
Sitting at 11-0 in an ever-so difficult ACC, the Cardinals are up against the consensus #1 team in the country, Kentucky, on Saturday. This is the second to last non conference matchup before ACC play, and if the 3rd best rebounding team can pull out an upset win at home and cruise against Long Beach State three nights later, momentum will definitely be in Louisville's favor before they get started up in conference clashes with Clemson, #21 ranked UNC, and Virginia Tech. It is important to recognize that only three of the eleven wins have been against formidable opponents: the season opener against Minnesota, #14 Ohio State, and Indiana. Part of the convincing wins over the Gophers, Buckeyes, Hoosiers, and other schools that barely get D1 recognition is largely the rebounding stat I mentioned earlier; Montrezl Harrell, the feisty junior forward, averages a double double with 16.7 points and 10 boards and leads the team in both categories (tied for first with Terry Rozier). This matchup on Saturday will chisel out either Kentucky's dominance, or Louisville's legitimacy.
14. Virginia Commonwealth Rams
Having already played three ranked teams and six total early contenders, VCU has shown they are not flawless with an unexpected loss to Old Dominion, and not even hitting sixty points against both Villanova and Virginia. Living in the mid-atlantic region of the United States, and having two area teams in the Atlantic-10 conference, I've seen VCU and can say the nation's steals leader, Briante Weber with 4.2 steals per game, is one of the most exciting players in the country. Regarded as one of the most relentless on-court talents expect him to come off the bench in crucial situations and provide defensively.
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NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 15: Briante Weber #2 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams passes the ball in the second half against the George Washington Colonials during the Semifinals of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 15, 2014. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) [CREDIT ESPN.com]
13. St. John's Red Storm
This surprise team in the Big East this season has provided some really competitive games early. Only losing to #10 Gonzaga so far, St. John's will be put to the test with an extremely deep Big East starting in the new year. Chris Obekpa, the forward from Nigeria, has made his presence known in the post: he ranks second in the land in blocks, only behind Washington's Robert Upshaw. Obekpa's best game so far was against Long Beach State on Monday, where he dropped 16 points, making seven out of the eight shots he took. Even with a post presence that many teams lack, Rysheed Jordan, a Robert Vaux High School product from Philadelphia, has impressed coach Steve Lavin this year who called him "outstanding". Lavin expects a tournament birth from his guys who he has said that he "enjoyed watching develop" in a SportsCenter interview and they frankly deserve a spot in March. 12. Syracuse OrangeNever sleep on Syracuse. As much as it pains me to say it, being a Villanova and Duke fan myself, they just have been too impressive historically. With a slightly different cast from last season, the four losses have been deceiving especially when one of them came against my Villanova Wildcats in Philly. The Orange held a lead for the entire game until the fourth quarter when JayVaughn Pinkston and Darrun Hillyard exploded with key baskets for 'Nova, leading them to a decisive overtime victory. The losses were against an on the rise Cal team, a Michigan squad I'm not sold on yet, and St. John's (who you have already read about). Even though 'Cuse could've won two of their four losses, they have dominated in their victories against smaller schools with one close game at home against Louisiana Tech, 71-69. Rakeem Christmas and Trevor Cooney's play are the two players Syracuse cannot go without. Christmas, another Philadelphian, is averaging 16.5 points this season and is always has some of the highest amounts of minutes on the floor. Cooney, a three point weapon, has dropped 24 of them, but has missed a staggering 44. Last year, 'Cuse fell in the second round to Dayton 55-53, and if Jim Boeheim is anything like he usually is, he will be expecting a big time bounce back postseason, wether I like it or not. 11. Florida Gulf Coast EaglesThe team that stepped up to the plate and hit a home run in the 2013 NCAA tournament: their only appearance, but Brett Comer and co. look to change that this year as they will take the Atlantic Sun by storm. The team's leader in assists, is often the one to lob the ball up at the top of the key to whomever may be ready for the slam, fitting for #DunkCity, right? The team's win at home against Furman, Comer helped seal the win with a couple of successful trips to the charity stripe, adding to his 19-point performance on the night. The following game would be a loss to Iona, the third on the year. Up next for the Eagles before A-Sun play are two away games against Xavier and Pitt, both schools boast a 6-0 home record for the year. Also, being one of two teams (South Carolina Upstate) with winning records in the conference, expect a run-away crown for the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast. 10. Kentucky Wildcats Always one of the most talked about teams, the John Calipari-led Wildcats might just go undefeated. Might. Kentucky seemed ready for another championship run, by stacking their schedule with early-season victories over small schools like Grand Canyon and UT-Arlington. Even though stacking the schedule has been a tradition amongst top 10 teams forever, I'm not a fan. That being said, like Louisville, there needs to be some analytics need to be done on their schedule. SEC opponents don't get the chance to dethrone UK until the New Year, giving Kentucky ample time to play only four top-25 teams and one formidable opponent (two if you count Providence). In terms of the South Eastern Conference opponents Kentucky will face, Arkansas seems like the team able to add that significant 1 to the loss column. Willie Cauley-Stein is poised to be a top-five pick in the NBA Draft after this year and with his tag team partner Aaron Harrison also opening eyes for the second straight year, the Wildcats will be a force to reckon with in March. |
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