At a little over the halfway point in
the regular season for college basketball there is a cluster of teams
that can lay claim to being one of the top five in the country. If
this was a top seven it would be easy, but it's not. That being said,
here's my top five teams as of 1/19/13 in college basketball.
1) Louisville
2) Michigan
3) Kansas
4) Duke
5) Florida
Honorable Mention
Arizona
Syracuse
Louisville- This one is obvious. The
Cardinals have lost two games so far, to Duke, without their star
center, Gorgui Dieng, on a neutral floor, and to Syracuse at the Yum
Center (turnovers in the final 30 seconds doom a team). Louisville
has beaten Missouri and Kentucky. The pressure their defense exerts
on an opposing offense through full-court press and the zone defense
around their basket causes turnovers and a shift in the game flow.
When that happens, Peyton Siva and Russ Smith take over with the bulk
of the scoring. Russ Smith has risen from where he was last year,
while Siva has embraced the leaders role on the team and succeeded in
it (Smith is averaging 18.9PPG, Siva 11.8PPG). Louisville is the best
team in the country until another injury occurs to their starting
lineup, or Siva or Smith cool off.
Michigan- The young and feisty Michigan
Wolverines were hyped before the season, and with good reason. Trey
Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. both returned to the team, while they
plugged holes in their team with freshmen Glenn Robinson III, Nik
Stauskas, and Mitch McGary. Burke, Hardaway Jr., Robinson III and
Stauskas are all shooting over 48% from the field and are all in
double figures. Nick Stauskas filled the void of a 3-point shooter on
the team, left by the graduation of Zac Novak. Glenn Ronbinson III
adds a defensive and rebounding aspect to the team, while McGary is a
key player coming off the bench and contributing to one of the
nations most explosive offensive teams. Their sole loss was at Ohio
State. The Wolverines followed that up with a win at #8 Minnesota.
Michigan's success is linked to how often heir offense can score.
Their defense isn't the best, but it works for their team strategy.
With four players that can score, Michigan is a dangerous team.
Kansas- Without Thomas Robinson and
Tyshawn Taylor, Bill Self has rebuilt his team somewhat through
recruiting and have them rolling about halfway through the season.
The Jayhawks only loss came to Michigan State on a neutral court,
while they have notched wins against a good St. Louis team, Temple,
and at Ohio State. Jeff Withey and Travis Releford have stepped up as
seniors, while Ben McLemore has become the teams number one scorer as
a freshmen. Averaging 16.4PPG, his true coming out game was against
Ohio State when he dropped 22 points. Self's teams are disciplined
and consistent, which translate to a good team consistently.
Duke- The Blue Devils were pegged as a
top five team when Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry both intended on
returning to the team, and they haven't disappointed. Plumlee has
averaged 17.4PPG and 11.5RPG. Plumlee in double figures on average
was what Duke needed, while Curry is averaging 16.9PPG and is looking
to be playing more focused basketball than before, shooting his best
field goal percentage in his four years at Duke (47.8%). Duke has
beaten Louisville (minus Dieng), and has won games against Kentucky,
Minnesota, VCU, Temple, and Davidson. Their only loss troubles me
though. North Carolina State is a good team, and C.J. Leslie is an
NBA first-round pick, but it was the first game Duke had to play
without Ryan Kelly. Kelly averages 28.3 minutes, 13.4PPG, 5.4RPG, and
was shooting 47.1%. The 6-11 senior is a key component of the Blue
Devils team, and they need him if they want the NCAA Championship.
Florida- Billy Donovan has the Gators playing their best defensive
basketball since their back-to-back championships. With only two
loses on the year, both away games against Kansas State and Arizona,
and both single-digit loses, Florida hasn't faltered much this season
so far. Florida has wins against Wisconsin, Marquette, and Missouri
all at the “O Dome” and all in dominating fashion. The Gators are
third in the NCAA in lowest points allowed (51.7PPG) and fifth in the
country in opponents field goal percentage (36.3%). Kenny Boyton
leads an offense with four players in double-figures, averaging
13.2PPG. With a lock-down defense that turns turnovers into points,
and balanced scoring on offense, watch out for Florida come
tournament time.
