Reflections on the young season

Roughly a month into the 2006-2007 college basketball season, there is one glaring, obvious theme: Parity.

Butler wins the preseason NIT over Gonzaga and North Carolina? Notre Dame, after losing to Butler, beats Maryland and Alabama? (Without Chris Quinn and Torin Francis) Virginia beats Arizona, while Arizona proceeds to steamroll every other team in its path? Those are just a few examples of what has happened in this unpredictable month of basketball.

Least we forget Oral Roberts winning at Kansas, North Dakota State winning at Marquette, and Vermont rolling over Boston College. Fluke wins, yes. However, it shows that any team in the NCAA can win on any night. Rankings can essentially be thrown out the window and destroyed like George Bush's presidency.

From what we've seen so far, March is going to be a strange, strange month. Who will win the national championship? Right now, I don't have a clue. Put a gun to my head and I'll say UCLA. Just don't count on me being around in the spring. The NCAA Tournament, while still three months away, can't come soon enough. What a wild ride it will be. If only college football could learn.......

Looking around the NCAA, some teams stand out for a variety of reasons:

Clemson: With a schedule that would make Jim Boeheim blush, the Tigers are off to a 10-0 start. Yes, they have played Minnesota, South Carolina, and Mississippi State, but those teams are at the bottom of their respective conferences. Still, they've taken care of business and deserve credit for that. The real test will come as ACC play begins. Games @ Florida State and vs. Georgia Tech will show us where Clemson is really at.

Boston College: After two brutal losses to Vermont and Providence, the Eagles have hit their stride. Five straight wins, culminating in tonight's dismantling of Maryland, have given Al Skinner's club it's confidence back. Think the return of Sean Williams helps? The "swatta" as a person who posts here likes to call him, has recorded 36 blocks in six games since returning from suspension. Result? BC is 5-1 in those games. A December 23 game at Kansas awaits, and I think BC has an excellent chance to win this game over an inconsistent and hard to figure out Kansas team.

Notre Dame: Defeating Alabama and Maryland might be just what Mike Brey needs. Long been rumored to be on the hot seat, Brey has turned his team into a Big East sleeper. Only a two point loss to Butler keeps the Irish from being undefeated. As much as it pains me to say this, Notre Dame just might make the NCAA Tournament. Much basketball remains though, and I'm hopeful that I'll be wrong.

Kansas: Who knows what to make of this team? They're 8-2 which isn't bad, but who loses at home to Oral Roberts and then beats Florida, only to follow that up with a loss to DePaul? Darrell Arthur is certainly a stud for KU, but Sasha Kaun is a question mark in my opinion, only averaging 3.7 points per game so far this season. They need to get more production out of him in order to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Wichita State: Wow. Perhaps the team with the best resume so far, the Shockers aren't shocking anyone anymore, especially after their run to the Sweet 16 last season. They've started 06-07 off on the right foot, knocking off LSU, Syracuse, George Mason, and Wyoming, all on the road. This team is an elite team and could make a serious run at the final four. Right now, they're sitting atop the college basketball world with a cool RPI of 2. On December 22, they travel to the Pit in New Mexico. A win there will really cement their status as a program to be reckoned with.

My pick for the best team in Kansas? I think you can tell.