RADIO
One month of the college basketball season is all that's left before March Madness 2024 arrives. I wish the offseason went by as fast as the season did because that is almost unbelieveable. Maybe it's because most of the season runs in tandem with the NFL, but regardless, I'm going to need the season to slow down a bit.
This past Saturday marked one of the best college basketball days in terms of matchups over the past few years. Another UNC-Duke top-10 showdown,#4 Houston at #8 Kansas with the Jayhawks as second-time home underdogs in Bill Self's coaching tenure, and #5 Tennessee at #10 Kentucky that featured almost 200 points. 10 other ranked teams were in action and faced some stiff tests. The top three remained where they were for the third week in a row, but every other team in the rankings experienced some movement besides FAU, who stayed at #20.
It's time for the next article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Basketball Teams after the release of the weekly Associated Press Poll. All rankings listed are based on the Week 14 AP Poll.
Overrated College Basketball Teams For Week 14
Baylor Bears: #18 to #13
Baylor has virtually the same makeup as last year. Elite guard play -- highlighted by five-star shooting guards -- that equates to an efficient offense and high-percentage jump shots. That five-star freshman is leading scorer Ja'Kobe Walter, who has nearly identical numbers to last year's five-star, Keyonte George. Take a look.
Ja'Kobe Walter 2023-24: 14.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.7 APG | 39.5% FG, 35% 3PT, 85% FT
Keyonte George 2022-23: 15.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.8 APG | 37.6% FG, 33.8% 3PT, 79.3% FT
I'm higher on Walter than George, but this style of play is really hard to sustain, especially in a league like the Big 12. Relying on jump shooting only gets you so far -- and while this team has a lot of talent top to bottom, they have too many holes defensively and down low to be a top-15 team. Live and die by the three (#1 in the country in 3PT %) and long twos, and hope they can outscore opponents. It's a similar style to Alabama, except I trust the Crimson Tide slightly more on both ends of the floor.
South Carolina Gamecocks: Unranked to #15
Lamont Paris deserves a TON of credit. The Gamecocks finished 11-21 last year, with an offense and defense that ranked outside the top 200. Right now, the Gamecocks are 19-3 and tied for second in the conference with a 7-2 mark and #44 in KenPom. Even if they lose 75% of their remaining games, applause is warranted for the job he's done in Columbia this year.
I really don't want to call every team that starts to drastically exceed expectations on here overrated, but some of these teams have been put back in their places. A couple that come to mind: Memphis, Oklahoma, FAU, Ole Miss, and Wisconsin are now starting to. I think South Carolina will join this group soon enough.
SC did have one of the most impressive wins of the season this past week, taking down a top-five Tennessee team on the road. Hands up, I genuinely did not see that coming. They were able to avoid an easy letdown spot the next game as well at a scrappy Georgia team to give them five straight conference wins, which also included a beatdown of then #6 Kentucky.
This team plays at a molasses pace (#353/363) and isn't all that efficient on offense (#58) while turning the ball over quite a bit. Junior guard Meechie Johnson has been a fine option on offense but is forced to handle the ball too often. The Gamecocks aren't particularly elite in any one category, but play solid team-oriented basketball and are a cohesive defensive unit.
They can win ugly, which is a redeeming quality in college basketball, but top-15 seems like their absolute ceiling. The ranking is definitely well-deserved based on their victories, but with road games at A&M, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, as well as Florida and Tennessee at home still left, I don't believe this team has what it takes to get out of the SEC gauntlet on top. Fringe top-25 is more apt.
Underrated College Basketball Teams For Week 14
Saint Mary's Gaels: Unranked (second in others receiving votes)
The Gaels were picked to finish at the top of the WCC for the first time in over five years. That prediction couldn't have looked worse after the first five games of the season, with St. Mary's losing three straight to Weber State, SDSU, and Xavier. Those latter two squads are no slouches, but when you factor in that St. Mary's lost those games by a combined 42 points, it looks much worse.
Fast forward a couple of months and Randy Bennett has the Gaels sitting atop the conference with an unblemished record (9-0), having just beat Gonzaga on the road. Sophomore point guard Aidan Mahaney led all scorers with 20 points, including four threes. St. Mary's has still lost six games on the season, which is why they haven't entered the AP Poll again, but this is still a very dangerous team that boasts a top-15 defense in the country. I'm still a believer in this hard-nosed team that can match up with just about anyone. They'll be back in the rankings soon enough.
