As we enter into the conference schedules, where every game is a tough game, it is important to be aware of the teams flying in under the radar.  I try and stay away from the term sleeper because honestly I am just tired of hearing it.  As we have seen in the last few years, the Big East and ACC have been reigning supreme.  The Big East has posted a record-high nine teams in the top 25, while the ACC has three of the top four.  There are a number of teams out there that need to be watched carefully come March.  Counting down from ten, I will take a look at teams out there that may be ranked high or not ranked at all, but are not getting the publicity they deserve.

 

10. Saint Mary’s (CA)- If you have not seen guard Pat Mills play, you are missing out.  Obviously being on the East Coast prevents this side of the country from California basketball.  Mills, who played for the Australian national team, averages just over 20 ppg and could possibly be one of the quickest guards in the country.  Although his assist to turnover ratio as a point guard is not ideal, he still averages just about four assists and has 37 steals.  You may say, well this team is not balanced.  I disagree.  Senior forward Diamon Simpson balances this team by averaging a double double with about 12 ppg and 12 boards. 
Signature Wins: Providence, @ Oregon, Southern Illinois

 

9. Brigham Young University- Another team the East Coast does not get to witness.  Sure, the Cougars do not have that BIG signature win, but their two losses have showed this team’s potential.  The losses occured at Arizona State where they lost by one and at a neutral site to Wake Forest by seven.  This team is so balanced with three guys, Cummard, Tavernari, and Fredette, averaging double figures in points.  Specifically Lee Cummard, an All American a season ago as a Junior, leads this team averaging 16 ppg and 7 rebounds, and second on the team in assists.  Look out for this squad to make a run in the Mountain West Conference.
Signature Wins: @ Utah State, Pepperdine

 

8. Minnesota- The Golden Gophers are ranked but are getting zero pub whatsoever.  They are such a balanced team that really focuses on defense.  Head coach Tubby Smith is in his second year with the club and finally his recruiting tactics are showing up.  The Gophers statistics do not blow you away, but their defense and signature victories are what nobody recognizes.  They allow opponents to 60 ppg and force 17 turnovers.  Their defense is stifling, while averaging nine steals per game, and every player on the roster has tallied at least one steal.  Also, they average 7 blocks per game with only one player on the roster not having a block.  An all around team effort has them on the way up in the rankings.
Signature Wins: Virginia, #9 Louisville, #23 Ohio State

 

7. Florida- The Gators, led by head coach Billy Donovan, may not have the signature wins, but this young team has yet to be tested.  They lost to Florida State and Syracuse; two respectable programs, but handled the rest of their schedule.  Sophomore Nick Calathes leads the team in points (17.1), assists (6.8), and steals (2.8).  You may hear the phrase: “Live and die by the jump shot.”  This statement applies to the Gators roster, but has not hurt them thus far.  They make an average of 8 three pointers a game, and have shot 50% as a team from the field this year.  We will see what the Gators have once they get deep into the SEC schedule.  Never count out Billy Donovan, I mean the guy did win back to back championships two years ago.
Signature Wins:  Washington, North Carolina State, Ole Miss

 

6. California- Former Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery is in his first season at Cal and putting together a solid resume.  Junior Jerome Randle has led the team in scoring in every game except three by averaging just under 20 points a game.  As a team, they only average 11 turnovers a game, proving they can take care of the ball and not lose the game for themselves.  This team will make a serious run at the NCAA tournament not just this year, but in years to come.  Not one senior on the Golden Bears roster.
Signature Wins: @ UNLV, Arizona, @ #14 Arizona State, @ Washington State

 

5. Florida State- The Seminoles have played a tough schedule so far out of conference and are battle tested.  Coming off a loss to Duke in which they showed flashes of brilliance, they will look to jump up to the top of the ACC.  Senior Toney Douglas averages 18 points per game and sometimes can be the most athletic player on any court against any team.  Standing at 6′2″ he gets beat up in the lane but still makes some acrobatic finishes.  The Seminoles have a fair amount of depth with nine players averaging 15 minutes a game.  Coach Leonard Hamilton used his depth in that Duke game, bringing guys in to body Kyle Singler and try to contain Gerald Henderson.  Although this was not successful, the bodies were there.  We will see how they fare once they get deeper in the ACC.
Signature Wins: California, #21 Florida

 

4. Baylor- Good for Baylor.  A team ranked in the AP and ESPN polls, had to overcome a school wide tragedy with the mystery of former Bears forward Patrick Dennehey.  Senior Curtis Jerrells is an athletic guard that any team in the nation woud love to have.  He does it all, averaging 16.5 ppg, 4.5 rebounds, and 6 assists.  Head Coach Scott Drew was given the task of bringing this program back to national prominence.  Boy did he ever.  He brought the school to its first 20 win season since 1987 with a berth in the NCAA tournament a year ago.  A total of five players average in double figures in points.  Sure the Big 12 may be top heavy, but Baylor is supplementing themselves as one of those teams to challenge Texas and Oklahoma at the top.
Signature Wins: # 14 Arizona State, @ Washington State, Texas Tech

 

3. Xavier- The Musketeers are yet again a force to be reckoned with in the competative Atlantic 10 Conference.  They started off the season 9-0 until a loss to an outstanding Duke squad.  A very deep team, and a very solid rebounding team.  They have six players averaging at least 4 rebounds a game, including leading scorer (14.1) Derrick Brown.  Head Coach Sean Miller’s team will not out score you, but will play hard-nosed defense and run efficient offensive sets.  Each team that plays them will be in for a fight.  It won’t always be pretty, but the Musketeers always find a way to win, even the tough games.  I really look for Xavier to make a possible run deep into the NCAA tournament, possibly into the Elite 8.  I know it is early, but not one team wants to play them down the stretch.  They have been battle tested early on, giving this team the toughness to win the Atlantic 10. 
Signature Wins: #12 Memphis, Virginia Tech, @ Virginia

 

2. Marquette: The Golden Eagles are overcoming two early losses to good teams in Dayton and Tennesee both at home.  They have possibly the best starting five in all of college basketball.  A starting backcourt of Seniors between Dominic James and Jerel McNeal, with James averaging 11 ppg and 5 assists a game and McNeal averaging 18.5 ppg.  Not only is this backcourt experienced, but they are explosive in getting to the rim.  In my opinion, the best backcourt in the nation, even better than Lawson and Ellington at Chapel Hill.  I mentioned two athletic guards, but they might not be the best guards on their team.  Another Senior Wesley Matthews plays a hybrid guard/forward position in which he averages 19 ppg, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.  He does it all at both ends of the floor and gets to the rim with ease using his frame of 6′5″ 215 lbs.  Junior Lazar Hayward gives the team an inside presence while averaging 16 ppg and just under 9 rebounds a game.  These guys kicked off their Big East schedule with a 4-0 start, something unthinkable in that conference where every other week your playing a ranked opponent.  Every year since Dwayne Wade’s run in the NCAA tournament have I picked this squad.  The teams’ who are experienced and have several guys who can take the ball to the rack, make it deep in March and April.  This team has that potential.  We will see how the rough Big East treats them, but expect their athleticism to give the top teams some trouble.
Signature Wins: #22 Wisconsin, @ North Carolina State, #13 Villanova, #22 West Virginia

 

1. Wake Forest- The number one team not talked about, or maybe they are now coming off a convincing and impressive victory over North Carolina.  I sat down and watched the entire game between the Demon Deacons and Tar Heels and was beyond impressed with the Deacons.  They are undefeated, and unlike Clemson every year, they actually play good teams during the early part of the season.  Coach Dino Gaudio took over this team after the unfortunate passing of Skip Prossor, and has done an outstanding job.  We talk about Marquette as athletic?  Take a look at Wake.  The difference between Marquette and Wake is that the Deacons are much younger and have the deepest team in the country.  Sophomore Jeff Teague impressed me more than anything.  He is averaging 20 points per game and had a career high 34 points against the Heels.  James Johnson could be the most explosive player on the team.  Although he was not effective against the Heels, that is what happens when Danny Green covers you all night.  He averages 13 points and 8 boards.  The best freshman thus far in the ACC is Al-Farouq Aminu, whose brother plays for Georgia Tech, is averaging 12.7 points and just under 9 rebounds.  I mentioned depth.  They bring the quickest player on the team and possibly the only person who can be effective against Ty Lawson, Ishmael Smith.  Also coming off the bench is Harvey Hale, a deadly three point shooter, Tony Woods, an energy guy with great rebounding skills, and David Weaver.  We will see how the team holds up in a conference known for a tough atmosphere and a very physical style.  We saw them shut down Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, now lets see if they can continue that against the rest of the ACC.  Their youth may hurt them when they start to travel in conference, but their athleticism and depth make them one of my early picks to make the final four in Detroit.
Signature Wins: Baylor, #3 North Carolina

 

Some of the teams listed above won’t make it deep into March or may not even make it to the NCAA tournament, but expect them to be effective in conference with some signature wins or upsets.  There are some teams who may have started well but do not jump on their bandwagon.  Here are a few to look out for:

 

Clemson- They have reached #11 in the rankings, not because of being a great team, but because Coach Oliver Purnell has stuck to the trend of playing cupcake games early in the season.  The same thing happened last year when they started 10-0 and struggled to make the NCAA tournament and ended up losing to Villanova in the first round.  Trevor Booker is a stud down low, but the inconsistent guard play will hurt them.  We will see how they do when they take on Wake Forest and North Carolina in consecutive games.

 

Maryland-Sticking to the ACC, which is incredibly top-heavy with a couple great teams, and the rest are mediocre.  The Terrapins were going into the ACC opener against Georgia Tech with confidence until falling at home to Morgan State, a Baltimore city college.  I was at this game and the atmosphere after the loss was deadly and the Terps are trying to regroup.  They beat Georgia Tech in their conference opener, but their lack of size and outside shooting will hurt.  They could be lucky to win 6 or 7 games in conference.

 

Kansas- The defending champs are struggling and trying to overcome the losses of Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush.  Guard Sherron Collins is averaging 18 points per game, but coach Bill Self is trying to rebuild this young Jayhawks team.  They lossed to some good teams, but got blown out by Michigan State in a game, which really showed their lack of fire power.  They will likely get into the tournament, but their depth and lack of explosion will doom them.  Also, they lossed to a reeling UMASS team and Arizona who cannot seem to find their identity.

 

Memphis- I realize it is hard to overcome the loss of NBA star Derrick Rose, but when your team revolves around a freshman, it is hard to pick you to do well.  I do know they play in Conference USA, which is the boys among men league, but this team is far different from last year.  Tyreke Evans will have a bright future as a Tiger, but the freshman has struggled this year because Memphis depends on his play for success.  They need better play from Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart, which they have not gotten thus far.  They lost to some great teams, but Conference USA is getting tougher with the rise of teams like Houston, UAB, and Tulsa.  Do not jump on the Tigers bandwagon for another year or two.

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