Last week’s college basketball action was highlighted by a Sunday of crazy upsets. First, unbeaten Duke was knocked off by NC State in Raleigh. Next, Wisconsin – without the services of star big man Frank Kaminsky – was stunned by Rutgers in Piscataway. Last, Arizona experienced defeat at the hands of Oregon State in Corvallis. Winning on the road in conference play is always a tough task, and that was never more on display this year than it was Sunday. A team that was able to grab a crucial conference road victory, though, was Virginia. Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers went into South Bend on Saturday and knocked off Notre Dame in a back-and-forth battle that was not decided until the final minute. If this past week was any indication of how conference season will play out, we are certainly in for two months of surprises and thrilling finishes.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump….
Quick N’ Dirty Analysis.
- Kentucky remains the unanimous #1 for the eighth consecutive week. The Wildcats remain the unanimous #1 in the RTC25, but last week was definitely not the easiest one for John Calipari’s team this season. In Tuesday’s SEC opener in Lexington, Ole Miss took Kentucky to overtime before the Wildcats were able to emerge victorious. Things were even tougher for the Wildcats on Saturday when they had to battle tooth-and-nail for a double-overtime victory at Texas A&M. Kentucky still has the highest ceiling of any team in the country, but last week’s action showed that it still is a young unit that can experience letdowns from time to time just like every other team.
- Kansas and Iowa State rise, while Texas falls. #10 Kansas opened up Big 12 play with a flawless week. The Jayhawks escaped at #23 Baylor on Wednesday with a narrow victory before blowing the doors off Texas Tech on Saturday in Lawrence. #11 Iowa State also had a spotless opening week in conference play, as it scored a two-point home victory over #25 Oklahoma State on Tuesday and an impressive road victory at #17 West Virginia on Saturday. While the Jayhawks and Cyclones both enjoyed great starts to Big 12 play, #22 Texas had a rough go of things. The Longhorns were blown out at home by #16 Oklahoma on Monday and then were knocked off in Stillwater by #25 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
- Arkansas emerges as the second-best team in the SEC. With Florida down so far this season, the Razorbacks have taken advantage of the opportunity to become the SEC’s second-best squad. Throughout his tenure in Fayetteville, Mike Anderson has earned a deserved reputation that his teams struggle on the road in conference games. That was not the case last Tuesday, though, as the Razorbacks went into Athens and knocked off an improved Georgia team. Homecourt was also kind to Arkansas this week, as it moved to 2-0 on Saturday with a victory over Vanderbilt.
Game of the Week. #8 Utah vs. #9 Arizona. The battle for Pac-12 supremacy will take center stage Saturday evening when the Utes and Wildcats meet in Tucson. Utah currently has the advantage in the conference standings, but Arizona is without a doubt among the most talented teams in the country. The individual match-up to keep an eye on in this game will be between Utah star swingman Delon Wright and talented Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson.
Keep Tabs On. #10 Kansas vs. #25 Oklahoma State; #16 Oklahoma vs. #17 West Virginia; #11 Iowa State vs. #23 Baylor; #3 Duke vs. #7 Louisville; #14 Maryland vs. #24 Michigan State; #17 West Virginia vs. #22 Texas; #10 Kansas vs. #11 Iowa State; #16 Oklahoma vs. #25 Oklahoma State.
Conference Call. Big 12 (7), ACC (5), Big Ten (3), Big East (2), Pac-12 (2), SEC (2), Missouri Valley (2), Atlantic 10 (1), WCC (1).