Final exams are just about finished up at colleges around the country, so I thought it would be a good time to look back at each preseason Top 25 team and give them a letter grade based on their season so far.
A quick note before I begin: the order of the teams is based on the preseason rankings, not the ones right now. All current rankings are based off of the latest AP Top 25, which came out on December 16.
1. Michigan State:
Now: #15, 8-3
The Spartans, who came into the year as a national title favorite, lost their season-opening game to Kentucky and have not fully figured out themselves yet. It seems like every time they start to get hot, they have a setback in losing a game, as since the Kentucky loss they have lost to Virginia Tech, in Maui, and Duke. Not having Josh Langford, now for the entire season, hurts. They need to find a way to turn it around before it gets too late.
Grade: C
2. Kentucky:
Now: #6, 8-2
Kentucky doesn’t have a lot of problems, but outside of the Michigan State win they don’t have the best resume, mainly because of the lack of quality opponents. The glaring loss to Evansville is there, too, as is a loss to Utah last night, but to a lesser degree. Their next two games, a neutral site game against Ohio State and a home game against Louisville, will be very telling.
Grade: C+
3. Kansas
Now: #1, 9-1
Their lone loss was to Duke in their first game of the year but the Jayhawks have not lost a game since with one of the best offenses in the country. Having Silvio de Sousa back is a win in and of itself, even though he hasn’t had the biggest impact. They won the Maui Invitational including an instant-classic win against Dayton in the championship game. A statement win against Colorado helps their case as a top-five team in the nation right now.
Grade: A
4. Duke
Now: #4, 9-1
The Blue Devils have done almost everything right. They got the win over Kansas and also beat Michigan State, as previously stated. The killer, obviously, is the loss to Stephen F. Austin at home, but that hasn’t affected them too badly, staying consistent at #4 in the country after falling to as low as #10. Duke is still Duke and will be in ACC play.
Grade: B-
5. Louisville
Now: #3, 11-1
Louisville is another team that hasn’t faced many quality opponents yet, but the win against Michigan stands out. However, the loss to Texas Tech, who was depleted at the time, also stands out. Jordan Nwora is a star but we’ll find more about this team as the season wears on.
Grade: B-
6. Florida
Now: not ranked, 7-3
Their 2-2 start to the season knocked them way down. They did get back on track and win the Charleston Classic, which included a win over Xavier as part of a four-game win streak, where if you remember I wrote about them getting better. That streak was snapped with a loss to Butler on December 7, following only beating Marshall by six. The results aren’t there, and the wins aren’t overly convincing with wins over Towson by six and a now 2-9 St. Joseph’s by eight. They need to re-convince everyone that they’re a true contender, because they are not showing it.
Grade: D
7. Maryland
Now: #7, 10-1
Another consistent squad. They suffered their first loss of the year to Penn State on December 7, but it should have been to Illinois three days prior. Other than that, the Terps have won games but I haven’t been overly impressed, or overly critical. They’re consistent and that’s really all there is to them right now.
Grade: C+
8. Gonzaga
Now: #2, 12-1
I think the Bulldogs are the best team in the country. Filip Petrusev, Corey Kispert and Killian Tillie are a three-headed monster that have come early and have given Mark Few’s squad wins over the likes of Oregon, Washington and Arizona, with the latter two coming on the road. The only blunder is a loss to Michigan during the Wolverines’ run in Atlantis, but at this point I’m willing to overlook that for them. They’ve established themselves as the premier program on the west coast.
Grade: A+
9. North Carolina
Now: not ranked, 6-5
Yikes. Right now, we’re staring straight into the possibility of an NCAA Tournament without the Tar Heels. This is not a good team. Cole Anthony is out and will be out for the next 4-6 weeks, Armando Bacot is inconsistent as all hell, Leaky Black is not as advertised, and for some reason K.J. Smith is starting now. When you have to look to Garrison Brooks to be the guy on offense, it’s not good. They lost to Michigan, got blown out by Ohio State, held to 47 by Virginia, lost to Wofford at home, and finally lost to Gonzaga last night by 13 in a game that the Zags led by at least 15 most of the way. This team is a mess and it will take a lot to fix.
Grade: F (Disclaimer: I originally had Florida as an F but I changed it when I got here)
10. Villanova
Now: #18, 8-2
The Wildcats haven’t done anything world-shattering this season, having lost both of their games against ranked opponents, that being Ohio State (by 25) and Baylor. With that, they’ve won all the games they were supposed to. They have a huge chance to close out their non-conference schedule with a bang, facing Kansas in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Grade: C
11. Virginia
Now: #9, 9-1
The defending champions might have a better defense than they did last year, and that’s saying something. They’ve allowed over 50 points just twice this season, that being 55 in a win against Vermont on November 19, and 69 in their lone loss of the season, to Purdue on December 4. My concern with this team is that teams can find a way around it, like Purdue did, and beat them. Otherwise, expect another deep run from the Cavaliers.
Grade: A-
12. Seton Hall
Now: Not ranked, 6-4
Not the best start for the Pirates. Myles Powell has been great, but my concern coming in came to fruition, who can work well around him. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quincy McKnight have potential but it has not come to full. On top of that, Myles Cale has very much regressed. They looked the worst in a 20-point loss to Rutgers last Saturday. They need to turn it around and do it fast, or else this could become a freefall.
Grade: D
13. Texas Tech
Now: #24, 7-3
I thought this was a bit high for the Red Raiders coming in. What I have said is that the voters ranked the program, not the team, because of all the newcomers. They had a tough stretch at one point, losing three straight in late November and early December. Their one saving grace is a win over then-#1 Louisville on December 10, but other than that they haven’t looked overly impressive, which is okay for a young team. They’ll be solid in the Big 12, but don’t expect them to contend for a national title this year.
Grade: C
14. Memphis
Now: #11, 9-1
It’s been a roller coaster season for the Tigers. Having James Wiseman, losing to Oregon, Wiseman getting suspended for NCAA violations, beating Tennessee in Knoxville, and then having Wiseman leave the program after playing in all of three games to prepare for the NBA Draft earlier today, after serving more than half of his suspension. Losing him for good hurts, but they have the pieces to compete in the AAC like they have shown in non-conference, but probably will not have as much success in the NCAA Tournament now.
Grade: B-
15. Oregon
Now: #8, 9-2
The Ducks have done well so far this year. They got key wins against Memphis, Seton Hall and Michigan, but lost to Gonzaga and North Carolina, which was before the true downward spiral. They should be the best team in the Pac-12 heading into conference play and should compete for a conference title.
Grade: A-
16. Baylor
Now: #10, 9-1
Baylor has quietly become one of the better teams in the country. They did have their lone loss to Washington in their second game of the season but have turned it around, picking up wins against Villanova, Arizona and Butler. They have no true bad losses and have done everything they have needed to do to improve and be ready for Big 12 play.
Grade: B+
17. Utah State
Now: Not ranked, 11-2
They were the weird team that as soon as they lost, they were done in the polls. The signature win was on November 22, against LSU in Jamaica and got as high as #15 in the nation, but a loss to St. Mary’s did them in, and they suffered a second loss at the hands of BYU on December 14. They have had their thunder stolen a bit in the Mountain West by San Diego State, who is currently #20 in the nation as one of four remaining unbeaten teams in the land (Auburn, Liberty and Duquesne (???) are the other three). However, the Aggies are still a tournament team to keep an eye on.
Grade: C+
18. Ohio State
Now: #5, 10-1
One of the biggest surprise teams this season, the Buckeyes have transformed themselves into a national title contender with no true star, but a ton of solid role players that blend well. We first got wind of them was when they beat Villanova by 25, and then they just continued to win and win big. They also picked up a 25-point win against North Carolina and beat Penn State by 32. They suffered their first loss on Sunday, to Minnesota, but that can be overlooked. They will be a top Big 10 team and have made a statement so far this season.
Grade: A
19. Xavier
Now: Not ranked, 10-2
Not a bad start for Xavier, but not one good enough to keep them ranked. They have won all of their games against lesser opponents but haven’t done as well against more quality ones, with their losses coming to Florida and Wake Forest. The wins over UConn and Cincinnati were not bad, but they need to do more to get back in the rankings.
Grade: C-
20. St. Mary’s
Now: Not ranked, 11-2
The WCC is strong this year, and the Gaels are one of those strong teams. They have good wins against Wisconsin, Utah State and a 40-point beat-down against Arizona State. They would probably still be ranked if not for a loss to Winthrop on November 11. Their other loss was to Dayton on a neutral floor where they just played a bad first half, which is forgivable. Once they get into WCC play and winning more games, you’ll see them in the polls again.
Grade: B-
21. Arizona
Now: #16, 10-2
The Wildcats don’t have a really good win to this point but have won two Power 5 games, against Illinois and Wake Forest. Both of their losses have come to ranked opponents, one of them on the road (Baylor) so neither of them look too bad. Right now, they’re probably the second-best team in the Pac-12 and have stars like Zeke Nnaji, Nico Mannion and Josh Green that do a lot of things well, and that has benefited Sean Miller’s squad.
Grade: B
22. LSU
Now: Not ranked, 7-3
Skylar Mays and Emmitt Williams are for sure good players, but this team may have been a little over-hyped. They started 3-2 with losses to VCU and Utah State but none of those three wins were impressive. Their best win has been against Rhode Island on a neutral floor, which is nothing to write home about for an SEC squad. They are at their low point right now after a loss to East Tennessee State last night. If they don’t turn it around and struggle in conference play, it’ll be hard to get back into the rankings.
Grade: C-
23. Purdue
Now: Not ranked, 7-4
The Boilermakers are a strange team. They started 1-2 following losses to Texas and Marquette, got a win against VCU, lost to Florida State, became the only team in the country to beat Virginia, then two games later, lose to Nebraska. All in that order. I’m struggling to get a true sense of what this team is about. They have solid pieces in Jahaah Proctor, Matt Haarms, Eric Hunter, Jr. and Sasha Stefanovic (one of my favorite players to watch), but have struggled to put it together cohesively. They have a good test against Butler on Saturday shortly before Big 10 play begins.
Grade: C
24. Auburn
Now: #12, 9-0
Bruce Pearl’s squad is one of four remaining undefeated teams in the country and have jumped up 12 spots in the polls thanks to that. The issue is that they have not really challenged themselves so far, and have been expected to win all of their games so far, but some of their wins have been close: 70-69 against South Alabama, 81-78 against Furman and 67-61 against St. Louis. They are for sure a well above-average team, but I’m not all-in on them yet.
Grade: B+
25. VCU
Now: Not ranked, 9-2
They have done what they were supposed to so far this season, but back-to-back losses to Purdue and Tennessee is what did them in in the rankings after they got as high as #20. The win against LSU is quality, though, and their best win to this point. They are a very solid team, and their games against Dayton are sure to be huge ones.
Grade: C+
AJ Hoops 