College Basketball (cont.)

Yesterday, I commented rather extensively on the Big 5. If you can't tell, I absolutely love the Big 5. However, there are over 300 other teams in the country and if you want to seem in the least bit knowledgeable on college basketball, it helps to get familiar with some of these. I'll do my best to help. Listed below are teams that I feel you should keep an eye on, for one reason or another.

Kentucky - UK has been getting a whole lotta love these days. While their stay at No. 1 was short lived, they are a team with breathtaking talent. Having said that, I am not picking these guys to win it all in March, no matter what transpires between now and then. Why, you may ask? The reasons are numerable but for the sake of time, I will keep it short. First, this team is loaded with freshman. In their loss against South Carolina, you could sense these young guns panic. Taking bad shots, turning the ball over, missed free throws, all signs of youth and, in my opinion, all signs of a John Calipari coached team when the going gets tough. Trust me... do NOT pick Kentucky to win the National Championship. It's only February 2nd and I am that confident. John Wall is nasty though.

Kansas - KU is a team to fear for the exact opposite reasons I cited in my breakdown of Kentucky. With a solid core of senior leadership in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, this team has been nearly unflappable this season. In their incredible win at Kansas St. this past weekend, the traits of a team with great leadership shone through. They battled hard down the stretch and pulled out a win in an environment that was way more intense than the one in which Kentucky floundered. Philly's own Morris twins are another reason this team is so good. Their size and athleticism is tough to find elsewhere in the college game this year. With one season and postseason already under their belts, these guys should know what it takes to help push their team to the top, and if they don't, Collins and Aldrich are sure to remind them

North Carolina - I know there are a lot of UNC haters out there, and this team is not on this list for what they might accomplish this year, but instead for what they possibly won't accomplish, make the NCAA Tournament. When was the last time a defending national champion didn't make the Tournament the following year? (A little research shows that it was not that long ago, 2008, when both teams from 07's championship game, Florida and Ohio State, failed to reach the Tournament). This is a perfect example of how these schools that load up on McDonald's All-Americans and one-and-done guys are ripe for collapse. Do not get it twisted, however, UNC will be back. Soon.

Duke - Duke is on here just because it brings me great joy to watch them fall apart in the Tournament year after year after year after year. Rest assured, I will be smiling when Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler walk off the court crying after their second round loss.

Siena - Who??? Yes, Siena. This team knocked off a solid Ohio State team last year in the tournament, brought back almost everyone from that team, and they find themselves holding the longest current winning streak in all of Division 1. Senior-laden with great guard play, this has been the recipe for success come Tournament time for decades. This year will be no different. Look out for Philly product Ronnie Moore and Co. Their Bracket Busters game against Butler, another team to watch, is a must-see for any basketball fan and will serve as a great barometer for both teams heading into conference tournaments. Should Siena win that game, I think they will have locked up an at-large bid, provided they avoid any terrible losses in the rest of the regular season and get upset in the MAAC tournament (speaking of the MAAC, La Salle used to be in the MAAC, I did not know this. You have to wonder what could have been for them had they stayed).

Cornell - At some point, this team has to be respected for what they are, a good basketball team, and not for being a novelty, a good basketball team from the Ivy League. Cornell nearly pulled a monumental upset at Kansas and absolutely demolished another Ivy team, Harvard, that many, including Sports Illustrated, were very high on. Unfortunately, due to the Ivy League's terrible TV licensing deals, I have yet to see this team play live. From what I can gather from highlights and articles, they sound like a fundamentally sound basketball team with surprising athleticism. This is the type of team that can easily pull an upset or 2 in the first weekend of the tournament. A bunch of nerdy white dudes with zero flash is not intimidating in the least bit, and they give their opponents a false sense of security before absolutely blowing their minds with backdoor cuts, good box outs, and perfect defensive rotations. Much like the Penn teams of the 90's, this team is a good team, regardless of conference.

Other Teams To Watch:
Gonzaga
Michigan State
Baylor
Seton Hall
West Virginia
South Carolina
Northern Iowa

Stay tuned as the season progresses as, for the most part, I will be turning a significant portion of my attention to college basketball.