And like that, we’re 1/5 through the college basketball season. While clubs like North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Gonzaga — heck, even a school like Wake Forest, who was expected to be a player — have started strong out of the gate, per usual, some schools sneak up on you. Here’s CHJ’s five most pleasant of surprises.
Ohio State. Doing it with defense. More than eight blocks per game; holding opponents to 50 points per tip-off. And the Buckeyes have knocked off Miami and Notre Dame so far. Still: its only played five games, albeit without a loss. Waiting on B.J. Mullens (averaging 6.5 points and five boards per game) to prove the “He’s better for us than Oden was” crowd correct. Jon Diebler seems to be the player who could come up big in a game or two this season, while Evan Turner is the lanky sophomore who can score and swipe; he leads the team with 15 steals, 7.8 boards/game and is scoring almost 17 per contest. Dallas Lauderdale isn’t so bad, either. The game against Butler this Saturday will be CHJ’s first “Student Section Supports” installment of the season.
Missouri. Throw up nearly 90 a game and you’re likely to win most of the time, unless you’re VMI. I’ve said it on this site before, but we’ll bold this one: Missouri will make The Tournament this year. Additionally, its second in assists this season (to UNC). Quinn Snyder’s precious hair and sketchy recruiting tactics are no longer missed in the Show Me State. The 7-1 cats: Can you name one player on this team? It’s OK: that’s why I’m here. DeMarre Carroll is the leading scoring, putting up nearly 20 per contest. He’s a solid all-around player, but Leo Lyons and J.T. Tiller are very big contributors. Its only loss came to another team on this list. USC and Cal are the two notable wins so far. Georgia and Illinois are the two big non-cons still remaining.
Michigan. Duke learned a lesson. And I can’t believe I’m including two Big Ten teams in this discussion (and I debated putting Minnesota in, too). The 6-2 Wolverines will now be entertaining thoughts of playing in meaningful March basketball games. Then again, it is only Dec. 10. Let’s pump the brakes (when will that phrase be out of style …) on Michigan’s sudden prowess. Its two losses: Maryland (who has looked shaky) and Duke. That damn ACC looming over the Big Ten yet again. Why its for real: free throws. Michigan’s shooting better than 80 percent from the freebie line. Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims make the offense move. Hey, we’re talking Michigan basketball again; it’s been awhile.
Xavier. The first of two A10 teams on this list. It’s undefeated (7-0) and ranked 10th in the AP poll. It plays Ohio tonight, but then Cincinnati, Duke and Butler loom in the next two weeks. Win three of the next four, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine Xavier not making The Dance this season; Memphis, Missouri, Auburn and Virginia Tech all lie in its wake. You remember B.J. Raymond, right? He leads the team in scoring and is a bit of an awkward looking basketball player. Regardless, he’s helping the Musketeers continue to win. Sean Miller has been nothing short of incredible in keeping this team near the elite class of Division-I college basketball. Like last year, Xavier can hurt opponents with its ability to have any player on the floor score the basketball consistently.
Dayton. The Flyers are undefeated and should be ranked right now. Their most notable defeat is a 14-point win on the road against Top-25 sitter Marquette, and they’ve also taken down a Big Six opponent in Auburn. A road game against Creighton tonight could put a “1″ in the loss column, but the Flyers could be a team that makes life a little tougher for Xavier in the A10. If you want to knock the Flyers, you’re going to do it on the premise of weak 3-point shooting — the team is 45 for 153 this year. Even eyeball math tells you that’s a low percentage. Fortunately, the Flyers are fourth in the country in field goal percentage defense, keeping opponents to a 33.6 percentage. They win with a combination of depth and Chris Wright’s intuition around the rim.
