#8 Kentucky hits a rough patch
In a span of three days, Kentucky lost as many games as last year's team did all season long. The Wildcats got their teeth kicked in by Notre Dame, 64-50, in their first true road game of the season. They followed that up by losing at home for the first time in the John Calipari era, 64-55 to Baylor. This week was a humbling reminder of how desperately inexperienced this team is. On Calipari's two Final Four squads at Kentucky, one-and-done freshmen like Brandon Knight and Anthony Davis got all the attention, but they had critical help from upperclassmen like Darius Miller. No such help exists for these Wildcats. Calipari has an uphill climb ahead.
#7 Florida marches on
With Kentucky struggling, the Gators are the new SEC favorites. It should've been that way all along. All six of Florida's core players are either juniors or seniors, most of whom have been to back-to-back Elite Eights. Kentucky's inexperience stands out like a sore thumb compared to these veterans. They're 7-0 on the season and haven't even been challenged yet, having won all their games by double-digit margins. They pounded Marquette on Saturday, 82-49. The only thing is: they haven't played a road game yet. That makes their next two games--road trips to Florida State and Arizona--somewhat critical.
UCLA implodes
Good god, UCLA. A season that began with such high hopes has snowballed into a nightmare faster than you can say "Shabazz." Last Sunday, the Bruins blew a fourteen-point lead...at home...to Cal Poly...and lost 70-68. Then, talented wing Tyler Lamb and troubled forward Josh Smith both decided to transfer away from the program. To cap it all off, UCLA couldn't take advantage of an opportunity against a ranked foe on Saturday, falling to #23 San Diego State 78-69 on Saturday. A miserable week. The Bruins are awfully reminiscent of last year's dysfunctional Connecticut team. A full season like that one will cost coach Ben Howland his job.
#6 Syracuse finally hits the road
Last year, the Orange got off to a hot start and were ranked #1 in the country at one point. The problem with that was, at the time, the Orange hadn't played or beaten anybody on the road. It was tough to gauge how good they really were. But this year's team? On Friday they traveled to Arkansas, a deadly place to play, and won 91-82. Last year's reserves, like James Southerland (35 points and nine three-pointers in the win), are stepping into larger roles seamlessly. A road win like this one is huge for their credibility.
ACC Surprises: Hokies and Hurricanes
Duke has separated itself atop the ACC; after the Blue Devils, you can make a case for NC State, North Carolina, Florida State, or Maryland as the second-best team in the league. How about Virginia Tech or Miami? VT is off to a 7-0 start, and Saturday's 81-71 win over #15 Oklahoma State was their biggest performance yet. Miami looks even better. They backed up their massive home win over Michigan State by travelling to Massachusetts and winning 75-62. The Hurricanes' only loss in six games came without guard Durand Scott in the lineup; he's back, and scored 15 points with seven rebounds and four assists in the win. The ACC is bound to be a lot more competitive than last year's top-heavy version.
A Set of Subjective Power Rankings
1. Indiana
2. Duke
3. Michigan
4. Florida
5. Louisville
6. Syracuse
7. Kansas
8. Ohio State
9. Arizona
10. Gonzaga
11. Michigan State
12. Kentucky
13. Cincinnati
14. Creighton
15. Missouri
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