Men’s college basketball delivered a stunner on Saturday afternoon when No. 2 Michigan was upended at home, 91-88, by unranked Wisconsin in a thrilling offensive showcase for both teams.
The Wolverines, who entered the weekend as analytic darlings with an otherworldly margin of victory so far this season, couldn’t survive a second consecutive close game after nearly falling at Penn State earlier in the week — perhaps setting off some alarm bells for a team that had begun generating discussion about finishing the year undefeated.
What did it take to finally fell Michigan? The visiting Badgers needed to shoot 50% from the floor and a staggering 15-for-33 clip (45%) from beyond the arc to spoil the Wolverines’ magical start to the campaign. And on Tuesday night, when No. 2 Iowa State became the second undefeated team to stumble in the span of a few days, the victors — Kansas — had sizzled from the floor (51%) and 3-point range (12-for-24) in an 84-63 romp.
The losses for Michigan and Iowa State leave just three undefeated men’s teams in the power conferences: Arizona, Vanderbilt and Nebraska. Our first men’s college basketball spotlight examines how long each of those undefeated squads will remain unblemished:
Arizona (16-0, 3-0 Big 12)
Ivan Kharchenkov #8 and Koa Peat #10 of the Arizona Wildcats react during the second half against the Connecticut Huskies. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Rankings: No. 1 in AP Poll; No. 2 on KenPom; No. 2 on EvanMiya.com; No. 2 on T-Rank
What makes this team great: The Wildcats are one of the most well-balanced squads in the country, ranking among the top four nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency under fifth-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, whose international recruiting pipeline is blending seamlessly with blue-chip high school talent.
Arizona has seven players averaging at least 8.8 points per game this season, led by stud freshmen Koa Peat (14.8 points) and Brayden Burries (14.6 points), both of whom were five-star prospects. A hulking front line anchored by starting center Motiejus Krivas (7-foot-2, 260 pounds); backup Tobe Awaka (6-foot-8, 255 pounds) and Peat (6-foot-8, 235 pounds) is as physically imposing as any in college basketball. That trio is a big reason why the Wildcats rank third nationally in offensive rebound rate and ninth nationally in 2-point defense at 43.9%.
Arizona has won 11 straight games by double figures dating back to a 71-67 road victory over then-No. 3 UConn on Nov. 19, though the Huskies were missing two starters due to injury. But with five wins over ranked opponents and counting, there’s no question the Wildcats are in pole position for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament and should be viewed as legitimate national championship contenders.
When could this team potentially stumble: A relatively favorable opening stretch in Big 12 play means Arizona, which is already 3-0 against league foes, will only face one ranked opponent between now and a mid-February matchup with No. 15 Texas Tech. It’s a stark contrast from the Wildcats’ finishing kick that should include at least five top-25 matchups in approximately three weeks to end the regular season.
For now, though, all eyes will be on a Jan. 26 trip to No. 11 BYU, a team led by potential top-overall NBA Draft pick A.J. Dybantsa (22.9 points per game). The Cougars have won 12 in a row since falling to then-No. 3 UConn on a neutral floor in mid-November.
[WOMEN’S HOOPS SPOTLIGHT: LSU, Texas Lead SEC’s Dominant Season]
Vanderbilt (16-0, 3-0 SEC)
Tyler Tanner #3 of the Vanderbilt Commodores reacts to a foul within the second half in opposition to LSU. (Photograph by Carly Mackler/Getty Photographs)
Rankings: No. 10 in AP Ballot; No. 5 on KenPom; No. 7 on EvanMiya.com; No. 3 on T-Rank
What makes this staff nice: Few folks across the faculty basketball world, if any, predicted such a exceptional surge at Vanderbilt within the second season underneath head coach Mark Byington, previously of James Madison. The Commodores, who misplaced to Saint Mary’s within the opening spherical of final 12 months’s NCAA match, have been picked eleventh within the Preseason SEC Ballot and didn’t have a single participant chosen to the three preseason all-conference groups. However right here sits undefeated Vanderbilt in mid-January, rubbing elbows with the game’s elite because of an offense that ranks fifth nationally and a protection that ranks eleventh — which makes the Commodores considered one of solely 5 groups within the nation to land among the many prime 12 in each classes.
Vanderbilt has 5 gamers averaging at the least 10.1 factors per recreation this season and two averaging north of 17 per recreation in guards Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner. The previous is a well-traveled veteran with earlier stops at Troy, Excessive Level and Oklahoma, whereas the latter — a sophomore — has blossomed into top-of-the-line level guards within the nation by chipping in 5.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and a couple of.6 steals along with his team-best scoring common of 17.3 factors, up from 5.7 factors per recreation final season. Total, the Commodores rank eighth nationally in scoring at 93 factors per recreation, fifth amongst power-conference groups.
When might this staff probably stumble: As spectacular as Vanderbilt has been — and the underlying metrics recommend this staff can grasp with nearly anybody — the standard of opposition nonetheless leaves one thing to be desired. The Commodores solely have one victory in opposition to a ranked opponent this season (then-No. 13 Alabama) and have been hardly challenged in a non-conference schedule that included the likes of Lipscomb, Japanese Kentucky, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Texas Southern, Western Kentucky and Central Arkansas.
A two-game stretch in opposition to No. 19 Florida (residence) on Jan. 17 and No. 17 Arkansas on Jan. 20 might pose issues for Vandy with each opponents among the many prime 30 in total effectivity and a handful of future NBA prospects between them.
[MEN’S BRACKET: Nebraska Rises, Michigan Falls in New Projection]
Nebraska (17-0, 6-0 Massive Ten)
Rienk Mast #51 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers is defended by Wildens Leveque #10 and Solomon Washington #13 of the Texas A&M Aggies. (Photograph by Justin Ford/Getty Photographs)
Rankings: No. 8 in AP Ballot; No. 15 on KenPom; No. 15 on EvanMiya.com; No. 16 on T-Rank
What makes this staff nice: For the Cornhuskers, every little thing begins with 24-year-old energy ahead Rienk Mast, a seventh-year senior who spent 4 years at Bradley earlier than transferring to Nebraska forward of the 2023-24 marketing campaign. A local of the Netherlands, the place he has represented the senior Dutch nationwide staff in worldwide competitors, Mast is now averaging a career-high 15.5 factors to associate with 6.4 rebounds and a couple of.9 assists per recreation. He’s made at the least 5 3-pointers on three separate events, headlined by a 6-for-13 effort from past the arc in an upset of then-No. 9 Michigan State earlier this month.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg, who guided his staff to victory in final 12 months’s School Basketball Crown, has surrounded Mast with a superb switch crop that features former Iowa guard Pryce Sandfort (16.4 factors per recreation) and former Rhode Island guard Jamarques Lawrence (10.2 factors per recreation), who poured in 27 factors throughout a gritty street win at Indiana over the weekend.
Nebraska, which didn’t have a single participant picked for the Preseason All-Massive Ten Crew, is now 7-0 in video games determined by 10 factors or fewer after ending 8-9 in that class final season. The Cornhuskers really feel like a lock to succeed in the NCAA match for simply the third time since 1998 and the ninth time in program historical past.
When might this staff probably stumble: Analytically talking, Nebraska has the worst profile of the remaining unbeaten groups on this week’s AP Ballot. The Cornhuskers rank twenty eighth nationally in offensive effectivity with a number of warning indicators buried beneath that quantity: They’re 108th in 3-point capturing share (35.2%), 285th in offensive rebounding share and 310th in free-throw charge. Previous to Tuesday evening’s blowout of Oregon, Hoiberg’s staff had gained its earlier three video games by 11 mixed factors.
It actually appears like Nebraska is flirting with hazard, which makes a street journey to Northwestern on Jan. 17 fairly fascinating. Although the Wildcats are simply 8-8 total and 0-5 within the Massive Ten, they pushed then-No. 12 Michigan State to the brink on the Breslin Heart final week. Past that, a visit to No. 4 Michigan on Jan. 27 looms.
Michael Cohen covers faculty soccer and faculty basketball for FOX Sports activities. Observe him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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