Has the world of college basketball completely flipped upside down?
Much like most things these days, the 2020-21 college basketball season is one unlike any other.
From empty arenas to mid-major programs emerging in the AP poll, college basketball has brought us some surprises so far.
With games being played in empty stadiums, it feels like it has sure taken a toll on some teams. Typical top-10 squads have found themselves looking for an identity in this new normal.
Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina all find themselves out of the AP top-25 this week, and all three will struggle to find a spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Kansas is the only blue blood keeping the name afloat, with a national ranking of ninth.
This is the first year since the 1980s that Duke and UNC were out of the top-25 at the same time, and the first since the 1960s that Kentucky has joined that group.
Don’t look back at our preseason top-25 from a few months back. Our guys decided to rank the Kentucky Wildcats at number one, and boy did we mess up.
On the Wildcats squad this year, only two or three guys who get regular minutes have been with John Calipari’s group for more than a year. Despite coming into the year with the nation’s top recruiting class, the lack of experience has certainly taken a massive hit on the normal success coming out of Lexington.
Duke and UNC are in slightly better positions than the Wildcats, but both currently sit outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament field. The Tar Heels, admittedly, have looked drastically better as the season has gone on. Veterans like Leaky Black and Armando Bacot have been able to step up.
Coach K finds himself in a situation that he is definitely not used to. Duke sits at 6-5 on the year and 4-3 in ACC play. The team has just been unable to find an offensive identity without one primary scorer to get the ball to. Matthew Hurt was thought to have taken on that role this year, but it doesn’t seem like he is the guy for it.
It is too early to call it quits on a team run by Krzyzewski, but Duke is running out of time to turn the season around in time for the tournament.
On the other hand, we have seen some lesser known schools find themselves on the national stage and looking scary for opposing teams to face.
Houston has taken the college basketball world by storm so far. Led by Quentin Grimes’ 17 points and seven boards per game, they sit at sixth nationally and look like a championship-caliber team right now.
Still a Power-5 school, Alabama has silenced the “football school” noise and broke into the top-10 in this week’s basketball poll. The Crimson Tide have established themselves as one of, if not the best, shooting teams in the country. With guys like John Petty Jr. and Jaden Shackelford, Bama is a great spacing team with talent in the backcourt and front.
College basketball in 2021 will be a year for the ages, something we can now regularly expect during these unprecedented times.
With almost two months left of the season, who knows what could – and probably will – change.
