January means college basketball starts to gain more steam as conference play begins. The first two months are certainly important for resume-building, but the true litmus tests for teams across America begins this week. For the next two months we’ll see rivalries renewed, unexpected upsets, and Kansas winning the Big 12 (hey, not everything is a surprise).
With non-conference play largely over, which leagues made the biggest statement through the first two months of the 2018-19 season?
5) American:
Take your pick for the fifth-best conference in America, because outside of the top-four it’s a crapshoot. The Pac-12 just finished the worst month by a power conference in two decades and has one team that’s even receiving votes (Arizona State). The Big East has about seven good-not-great teams. Heck, the MAC has a semi-legitimate argument, with Buffalo ranked, Kent State beating multiple power teams, and Toledo and Central Michigan a combined 23-3.
Alas, the American gets the nod here. Houston is 13-0, Cincinnati isn’t as good as last year but is a typical Mick Cronin team at 11-2. Temple has solid wins over Georgia, Cal, Missouri and St. Joe’s. UCF has the best defense in the league and was the preseason favorite. And after a few down years there are even signs of life at UConn, where Dan Hurley only has the Huskies at 9-4, but with a win over Syracuse mixed in. Still, that this is the fifth-best league in America speaks volumes for some of the others.
4) Big Ten:
There’s a rather large drop-off between the top four leagues and everybody else. That gap would be even wider were it not for Michigan. The national runner-ups from a year ago have the best resume in college basketball. One of four remaining unbeatens, the Wolverines are 13-0 and doing it in style. They went to Villanova and won by 27, beat North Carolina by 17 and opened Big Ten play with a 19-point win over Purdue. Two games have been decided by single-digits, compared to nine games decided by at least 19.
Outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan State is good once again, Ohio State, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin are solid at-large teams, and the likes of Minnesota, Nebraska and Maryland can make some noise. But outside of Michigan there’s not a whole lot of star power.
3) SEC:
It’s not just a football league! The SEC for the longest time was Kentucky, usually Florida, then everybody else. That’s no longer the case.
Kentucky is still very good, season-opening drubbing to Duke aside. But Tennessee can make a case as being the best team in America, with its only loss coming in overtime to Kansas while also boasting a win over No. 1 Gonzaga. If you haven’t seen Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams, do yourself a favor and do so. Mississippi State and Auburn are both top-25 caliber teams, while the middle-of-the-pack features a good seven teams that could make the NCAA Tournament.
2) Big 12:
After seven teams made the NCAA Tournament last year, the league is down slightly, but it’s still very good. In fact, it’s .781 overall non-conference win percentage is best in the nation. Kansas lost Devonte’ Graham, Svi Mykhailiuk and Malik Newman and is still one of the top-five teams in the nation. Texas Tech is the biggest surprise, losing four seniors (including Keenan Evans) plus Zhaire Smith, yet they are 11-1 and ranked in the top-15 as Jarrett Culver has become a star. Oklahoma and TCU are both 11-1, while Iowa State and Kansas State (even without Dean Wade) are both 10-2.
Usual mainstays West Virginia and Baylor are both a bit down this year, but overall the Big 12 is in very good shape. Of course, no one is beating Kansas, who should still win a 15th straight regular season title.
1) ACC:
The Big 12 is probably better at the bottom, but it’s hard to overlook just how good the top of the ACC looks. Duke and its heralded freshman class dominates most headlines, but the Blue Devils may not even be the favorite. Virginia is 11-0 and inside the top-5, Virginia Tech and Florida State are both 11-1 and inside the top-10, NC State has won six straight and is making a charge. All that and we haven’t even mentioned North Carolina or Syracuse, both of whom had high preseason expectations.
Sure, the Georgia Techs and Wake Forests of the league aren’t very good, but no one can match the top half of the ACC.
