RADIO
While the fantasy football regular season is coming to an end, the college basketball season is just starting to heat up. We've had our slew of cross-conference challenges, with the SEC stealing the show after a 14-2 domination over the ACC. It's still barely December, but early signs are pointing to the SEC being a historically great conference this season. Teams are a combined 123-18 to start the year. Good luck to all teams in that league. May the odds be ever in your favor.
The poll had some considerable movement this week, with eight teams experiencing at least a four-spot move, including five moving at least seven spots. Kansas and Wisconsin took the biggest tumbles after dropping two games, while UConn and Oklahoma shot up with their undefeated week.
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 6 AP Poll released Monday.
Overrated College Basketball Teams For Week 6
Oklahoma Sooners: No. 21 to No. 13
With an eight-spot bump, you would think Oklahoma had a top-25 win or maybe took down two opponents on the cusp of that range. No? Ok, maybe one opponent somewhere near that. Still no? The Sooners beat a Georgia Tech team at home (-12) and then didn't even come close to covering 30.5 points against an Alcorn State team that is legitimately 0-10.
This is not a bad team by any means but an eight-spot rise from wins over Georgia Tech and Alcorn State? Make it make sense. I'll give the Sooners some credit as they are one of the few teams that are still undefeated and their resume does include wins over No. 24 Arizona and Louisville, but they are nowhere near No. 13 in the country. The SEC with seven teams inside the top 25 and 13 inside the top 50 will not be kind to this team. Fade.
Michigan Wolverines: Unranked to No. 14
The Wolverines were one of my favorite teams coming into the year and I am still a fan, but this ranking is a bit too high for my liking. Michigan has played well thus far, with wins over TCU, No. 22 Xavier, at No. 11 Wisconsin, and Iowa.
That's a list that could match up against a lot of teams across the country but doesn't exactly scream top-15. Still, you can only play the teams on your schedule, and Michigan has mostly taken care of that with the one exception being a two-point loss to Wake Forest a month ago.
This is a great defensive team that's led by a 7-foot point-forward in Danny Wolf, a transfer from Yale. Not enough people are talking about college basketball's Nikola Jokic. Ok, that may be a stretch, but it's truly uncanny how good of a playmaker Wolf is at his size, and the pick-and-roll with fellow 7-footer Vlad Goldin looks unstoppable so far.
Four different players average at least 12 points per game, showing how balanced the attack is for new head coach Dusty May. While this is a fun, well-coached team, the overall talent level is lacking, which will be an issue in conference play and come tournament time. The floor is high, but I have question marks about the ceiling. I like them more in the 20-25 range.
Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf working together is a thing of beauty: one brings high impact as defensive anchor and screener, the other elite mobility and playmaking at 7-feet tall
The result: a dominant two-way display (44 points, 12 stocks) for Michigan in a 67-64 W at Wisconsin pic.twitter.com/EYy1VQWHD9
— CBB Europe (@CBB_Europe) December 4, 2024
Underrated College Basketball Teams For Week 6
St. John's Red Storm: Unranked (11th in "Others Receiving Votes")
While the loss to Georgia in the Bahamas was disappointing, the Johnnies' season has been successful in Rick Pitino's second year at the helm.
They went toe-to-toe with No. 13 Baylor and came up just short after Jeremy Roach buried a buzzer-beating three in double OT. This past week, the Red Storm blitzed a good Kansas State team by 17 (-10.5), and seem to be playing well with conference play starting up soon.
They are a metrics darling of sorts, ranking 15th overall in KenPom, which includes a top-20 defense. Pitino's teams have always been built on that end of the floor, with their disruptive full-court pressure and versatility. This team is no exception. Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond hasn't been as efficient as he was last year, but he's been a force on the defensive end, a perfect anchor for Pitino to rely on.
St. John's is also relentless on the offensive glass, rebounding almost 38% of its misses, which is a top-20 mark in the country. Playing the Johnnies isn't for the faint of heart. They get underneath your skin, and if you aren't tough down low and good at taking care of the ball, they will bury you. This is a tournament team that could surprise some folks come March.
Sharing the sugar as a former coach once said. Another example of how nicely St. John’s moved the ball late in the first half to get easy looks. This wasn’t happening through the first 14 mins of the half which is why K-State was up 10 at one point. #sjubb pic.twitter.com/EUMAzQvZIB
— Dave (@Davee_8) December 8, 2024
UConn Huskies: No. 25 to No. 17
After the worst Maui trip imaginable in which UConn took three straight unranked losses to finish last in the tournament, Dan Hurley and Co. were in dire need of some big wins. They got two this past week, taking down No. 15 Baylor at home (-3.5) without their best player in Alex Karaban, and dismantling a solid Texas team on the road (+1.5).
The Huskies somehow stayed in the AP poll after their horrendous effort at the Maui Invitational, but are now earning back their No. 2 preseason ranking. It's clear that they aren't as good as that lofty position, but this is still a very deep team that is loaded with talent.
Karaban is a virtual lock for the All-Big East first team and has proved he can be the No. 1 offensive threat for a contender after taking a beat seat to countless studs the past few years.
Aidan Mahaney, the highly touted transfer from St. Mary's, has not been the player that UConn has expected thus far, but he came alive against Baylor with three triples. Senior point guard Hassan Diarra has helped pick up the slack with a 23-4 assist-to-turnover ratio during their win streak, and five-star freshman Liam McNeeley has looked the part even with consistency being an issue.
Defense is still a major issue (No. 93 in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom) and UConn is one of the worst teams in the country at preventing teams from getting to the foul line. It is a relatively young squad that has needed some time to gel, and it will still be in the mix for a Big East title come the season's end.
Everyone has already gifted the conference to Marquette with UConn and Creighton's early season struggles, but UConn and the team mentioned above will be right there with it. Up next is a stiff test against No. 8 Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
UConn's Alex Karaban against Texas tonight
- 21 PTS
- 3/5 from 3
- 11 REB
- 4 AST
- 2 BLKBest player on the floor tonight and one of the most well-rounded players in the country pic.twitter.com/zFBF8LRJ6O
— Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) December 9, 2024
