As the young college basketball season entered conference play, it was apparent the intensity of games would pick up. Through about a week, that trend has held up tenfold.
This weekend saw the downfall of two top five teams, both in the ACC. First came No. 5 Louisville, losing on the road in Chapel Hill to No. 18 North Carolina. Yes, the loss stings for Louisville fans. The Cards led by thirteen points in the second half, but were unable to hang on as Marcus Paige buried a dagger with a left-handed layup in the closing minute of the game. No. 2 Duke also fell on Sunday, losing on the road to NC State. Though the loss is their first of the season, it should prove to be a learning experience for the Blue Devils. Losing by 12 to a conference opponent is never a good thing, but one loss shouldn’t hurt the Dukies long term.
With Duke’s loss, we now only have two unbeaten teams in all the land. No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 Virginia (likely to move up to No.2) still stand as the college basketball elite. However, they have had to work to get there. Virginia picked up a hard fought win on the road against a red hot Notre Dame squad. The defending ACC Champions are causing people to second-guess why their absence from the ACC discussion. No. 1 Kentucky survived a major scare in a double OT win against a middle-of-the-pack Texas A&M team. Though they struggled, to me, they are still invincible.
Outside of the top five, there are some teams making some big noise around the country, both for good reasons and other not so good reasons. Using the ever famous stock analogy, let’s take a look at some teams around the country.
Red-Hot Stock: No. 9 Utah – The Utes have a couple great things going for them, but arguably the most important is Delon Wright. Wright is just fractions of points away from averaging 15 points, six assists and five rebounds per game, statistics that are absurdly efficient at the college level. After laying down a pounding against UCLA, winning by 32, the Utes look to continue their hot streak.
Ice-Cold Stock: Washington – After climbing to just outside the top ten in the last few weeks, the Huskies have dropped four in a row, most recently to in-state rival Washington State. Nigel Williams-Goss is still producing NBA-level point guard numbers, but he needs to start leading his team to victory if he wants that level of recognition.
Stock to Watch: Indiana – The Hoosiers have already tallied four losses this season, which is more than you would hope for from your stock to watch. However, the only “blemish” among those four was to Eastern Washington at home. Clearly, the Hoosiers have grown up since then. In their most recent game, the Hoosiers toppled No. 22 Ohio State in a close game. If guards Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon Jr. continue to knock down big shots, the Hoosiers are a threat to win on any given night. Of course, the rigorous conference schedule they have yet to face will give them a chance to really prove that.
Stock That Will Continue to Climb: No. 23 Arkansas – Playing second fiddle to No. 1 Kentucky has been beneficial for the Razorbacks thus far this season. People haven’t been paying them much mind as the second best team in the SEC, but that will have to change soon. Sophomore forward Bobby Portis is turning in absurd stats, averaging 18 points and eight rebounds per game. With junior guard Michael Qualls knocking in another 15 points per contest, the Razorbacks have scoring both inside and out. Being fifth in the nation in assists will help continue to guide this offense to a very successful season.
*Section Photo credit to Ethan Miller, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Chris Nicoll, USA Today Sports
