Crazy Year Already

[KyCatFan]

It is just a couple weeks in and so many mid majors beating major teams or coming close to it. Here are some of the losses so far. Hopefully I didn't miss any.

Chattanooga beats Georgia
Southern U beats Miss St
Dayton destroys Alabama
Xavier beats Missouri
Akron beats Arkansas
George Mason beats Ole Miss
William & Mary beats NC State
Alabama State beats Virginia Tech
George Washington beats Virginia
Richmond beat Wake Forest
Hofstra beats FSU
North Florida beats illinois
Western Illinois beats Wisconsin
Temple beats Minnesota
Duquesne beats Penn State
Texas Arlington beats Ohio St
George Mason beats Oklahoma St
Sacramento St beats Arizona St
Monmouth beats UCLA
SMU beats Stanford

How much worse will it get over the next 5 weeks before conference play starts? I don't recall ever seeing it this bad.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

This happens every year. The difference is that some of the teams have been higher ranked teams in years past but now this year are way down like UVA and Wisc

 

[DodgerDukie1985]

FWIW I don't consider some of these huge surprises. To lay out a few examples... Xavier over Mizzou (Mizzou is awful right now, Xavier is a solid program), SMU over Stanford (SMU would be a shoo-in tourney team if their coach wasn't caught cheating and Stanford lost a lot of pieces from last year), North Florida over Illinois (UNF did win at Purdue and made the tourney last year and brought most key contributors back, Illinois is young and struggling w/injuries ATM), Temple over Minnesota (Fran Dunphy has a better thing going at Temple than Tubby/Richard Pitino do/did at Minnesota) and even Richmond over Wake Forest (Richmond was a decent A-10 team last year, Wake really struggled down the stretch). A few of those (George Mason over Ole Miss/Okie State, Ohio State and Wisconsin losses) are pretty awful though, can't deny it.

 

[KyCatFan]

A few more.

Northern Iowa over UNC
South Dakota State over TCU

 

[Untouchables22]

You know what this means right? Watch out for UCONN as the #6 seed in the billiards room.

 

[Untouchables22]

FWIW I don't consider some of these huge surprises. To lay out a few examples... Xavier over Mizzou (Mizzou is awful right now, Xavier is a solid program), SMU over Stanford (SMU would be a shoo-in tourney team if their coach wasn't caught cheating and Stanford lost a lot of pieces from last year), North Florida over Illinois (UNF did win at Purdue and made the tourney last year and brought most key contributors back, Illinois is young and struggling w/injuries ATM), Temple over Minnesota (Fran Dunphy has a better thing going at Temple than Tubby/Richard Pitino do/did at Minnesota) and even Richmond over Wake Forest (Richmond was a decent A-10 team last year, Wake really struggled down the stretch). A few of those (George Mason over Ole Miss/Okie State, Ohio State and Wisconsin losses) are pretty awful though, can't deny it.

You're exactly right! The OP listed all the power 5 conference schools as the favorites in these matchups. Basketball is a totally different animal than football. Dayton, Xavier, George Washington, Richmond, Temple, and SMU all have solid consistent basketball programs each year. I dunno what poor Archie Miller has to do to get a top flight basketball job. The man can seriously coach.

 

[Ben101er]

I think it means that there are really no dominant teams, this year. I believe the best teams, at tournament time, will be the ones that have young players, like the Cats, that will keep improving and almost be sophs, in March.

 

[uk78]

How would Kentucky have done at Northern Iowa without Ulis? UNC was upset, no doubt. But, let's not over-react. A number of teams are looking good and then bad.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

Witheach passing year College basketball becomes more watered down

 

[akers65]

This is why I love college bob

Sadly the SEC seems to lose every fall to lower teams, which hurts the conference RPI every spring.

 

[Hoskins21]

Rider almost upset an overrated Maryland team yesterday. A bunch of average teams out there.

 

[KyCatFan]

Chattanooga beats Illinois

They already beat Georgia as well.

 

[bigbluelou]

Chattanooga beats Illinois

They already beat Georgia as well.

"Pardon me boys...ya think the Cats would beat the choo choos?"

 

[NCukcat62]

There really isn't any dominate team including us. Come March, it could be anyone's game. But I think we will be great by then.

 

[docholiday51]

A few more.

Northern Iowa over UNC
South Dakota State over TCU

Get ready for more of the same,I doubt the Cats will be immune this season

 

[CatPhight]

Yep...that's what makes CBB so great.

 

[CastleRubric]

I don't see it as bad as much as it is college basketball being college basketball -- it's good to see the smaller programs win like that

I wish we would see more of it in football but that's not happening anytime soon

Being from East TN I'd love to see UT-Chatt make another Sweet 16 type run -- I recall them doing that back in the 90's at some point -- maybe the '97 season where we went to the finals against 'Zona?

 

[blubo]

xavier beat #24 michigan saturday by 16.

 

[Bkocats]

as much as I enjoyed - greatly, I might add - unc**'s loss yesterday, it bears to keep in mind that unc** also lost early to Santa Clara in 2004-2005 and went on to win the title* that season.

 

[poppycat]

Mid Majors rarely have early entrants to NBA, meaning they are JR/SR dominated each year. The good ones can out play the FR that are still learning the system. Things become more predictable in Jan.

 

[DodgerDukie1985]

I dunno what poor Archie Miller has to do to get a top flight basketball job. The man can seriously coach.

It won't be long for Archie. I'd take him at Duke when it's K's time to retire if he were interested.

 

[ukfan79]

It won't be long for Archie. I'd take him at Duke when it's K's time to retire if he were interested.

he just turned 37 years old. He has plenty of time to get a top flight job. He's probably happy for now at Dayton. Great basketball school with great fans who really care about the game.

He's probably holding out for a really top tier offer and he's got plenty of time to do so.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Get ready for more of the same,I doubt the Cats will be immune this season

I can promise everyone UK won't lose to a mid-major this year. EKU? Boston U? Illinois ST? Don't see it. Losing on the road to a solid SEC Team ala Vandy, A&M, LSU? Yeah, but not the same. At KU? Yeah, but not the same.

 

[DodgerDukie1985]

he just turned 37 years old. He has plenty of time to get a top flight job. He's probably happy for now at Dayton. Great basketball school with great fans who really care about the game.

He's probably holding out for a really top tier offer and he's got plenty of time to do so.

Those are two very good points. Jumping at the first major conference offer isn't always the smartest decision. And yes, Dayton has a terrific fanbase and solid b-ball program.

 

[OHIO COLONEL]

It won't be long for Archie. I'd take him at Duke when it's K's time to retire if he were interested.

They (Duke) should look at someone like Archie, but I would imagine the next Duke coach will be one of K's boys.

 

[DodgerDukie1985]

They (Duke) should look at someone like Archie, but I would imagine the next Duke coach will be one of K's boys.

I'm one Duke fan who will agree with you on this. I'd be very happy with either Miller brother at Duke to take over for Krzyzewski when the time comes. They should seriously look at the history of Krzyzewski assistants before just handing the reigns to one of them. Wojo and Chris Collins, the jury can still be out on them, but when you take them out of the equation, his assistants haven't done that well coaching their own programs. Brey has been the most successful one at Notre Dame and last season was the first time he made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

 

[docholiday51]

I can promise everyone UK won't lose to a mid-major this year. EKU? Boston U? Illinois ST? Don't see it. Losing on the road to a solid SEC Team ala Vandy, A&M, LSU? Yeah, but not the same. At KU? Yeah, but not the same.

Fair point,but at our level an SEC loss to anyone other than the teams you named is close to the same thing.There are also UL and UCLA and Ohio St,we shouldn't lose to any of them but it could happen,
My point is that there are several potential losses out there for everyone in college basketball this year ,Including UK

 

[KyCatFan]

Here are a few more from the past few days. Not all mid majors are equal but still some of these wins came against ranked teams that should have won.

UC-Irvine over Boston College
Northeastern over Miami
San Diego St over California
Richmond over California
George Washington over Tennessee
Monmouth over Notre Dame

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Maryland, though undefeated, has even struggled with mid majors .
This year has been insane from top to bottom.