Another great week of college basketball results has just wrapped up! Some teams began conference play, while others had more non-conference opportunities on the schedule. This warranted quite the slate of matchups that led to the below teams standing out above the rest. Check it out!
Teams of the Week!
1. Seton Hall:
What a week for Seton Hall! On Thursday the Pirates defeated Texas 64-60 thanks in large part to Jared Rhoden and the defense. Rhoden scored 18 points and added 5 rebounds, while Seton Hall also held Texas to 1/13 (7.7%) shooting from the three point line! Seton Hall followed up this win with a 14 point victory over fellow in-state foe Rutgers in a game in which defense was key again, holding Rutgers to 22% shooting from three. The Pirates are now 9-1 on the year and look like a real threat in a deep Big East.
2. Texas Southern:
Texas Southern only played one game this past week, but it was a great one. Not only did the Tigers upset Florida on the road, but they did so in dominating fashion! Texas Southern defeated Florida by 15 points, securing its first win on the season! According to ESPN States & Info, Texas Southern is the first SWAC program to beat a ranked SEC team in the AP Poll Era (1936-present). SEC teams that are ranked were previously 51-0 against the SWAC before Texas Southern's win.
3. Alabama:
Similar to Texas Southern, Alabama only played one game this past week, but it was enough of a statement to earn a team of the week spot. Alabama beat Houston 83-82 in a thrilling game to make it consecutive Saturdays with which the Crimson Tide have won big games, (defeated Gonzaga 91-82 last Saturday). Alabama has responded well since losing to Iona in the ESPN Events Invitational, having won their last four contests. Bama clearly looks like a Top-10 team as of December 13th, and may even be Top-5.
4. James Madison:
Schools in Virginia may not want to schedule James Madison any longer. JMU had already defeated Old Dominion and George Mason earlier in the season prior to going 2-0 against teams in Virginia this past week. The Dukes defeated Radford on Saturday, but the highlight of the week was the result from Tuesday. James Madison defeated Virginia 52-49, holding the Cavaliers to 15% shooting from three in the process. JMU had been 0-11 against Virginia prior to this game, which prompted quite the court storm once that streak was ended with a win!
5. Michigan State:
Michigan State is now 9-2 on the year, and is 4-0 in December following the loss to Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game. This past week, the Spartans defeated Minnesota 75-67, resulting in Minnesota's first loss of the season, and beat Penn State by 16 on Saturday. During this winning streak, Michigan State has held every opponent under 70 points, while averaging just over 77 points a game themselves. Keep an eye on MSU as Big Ten play heats up!
6. Arizona:
This Arizona team is fun to watch and can flat out play. The Wildcats are now 9-0 on the year after picking up two more wins this week. On Wednesday, Arizona gave Wyoming its first loss in a 94-65 dominating victory, thanks in large part to the advantage inside. The Wildcats out-rebounded Wyoming 42-27, and shot just over 61% from inside the three point line. Arizona followed up that win with a 83-79 road victory over Illinois. Sophomore Bennedict Mathurin scored 30 against Illinois, and currently leads the team in scoring averaging 18.4 points per game. As of now this looks like a team that can compete for a conference and national title this season.
7. Baylor:
Like a few others listed above, Baylor only played one game this past week. That one game happened to be a 21 point win over #6 Villanova with which the Bears held Nova to just 36 points for the whole game! It appears that despite losing many key pieces from last season's national championship team, this is a program built to last. Baylor is now 9-0 on the year, averaging 84 points per game while giving up just 56 a game. Is Baylor the clear number one team in the country as of December 13th?
8. LSU:
LSU just keeps on winning and is now 9-0 on the year. While some of the wins may not be as flashy as others, 9-0 is 9-0. This week, LSU beat a solid Ohio team 66-51 and followed it up with its first road win on the year, a 69-53 victory over Georgia Tech. LSU's per game numbers look similar to Baylor's, averaging just over 78 points per game, while allowing just under 54. The Tigers have three winnable non-conference games left as they try to enter SEC play 12-0.
9. TCU:
TCU is quietly off to a solid start to the season. The Horned Frogs are now 8-1 after two wins this past week. TCU defeated Utah 76-62 on Wednesday, followed by a 68-64 in-state victory over Texas A&M on Saturday. Since its loss to Santa Clara in November, Texas Christian has not given up more than 64 points in a game (5 games). That defensive level is going to have to continue if TCU wants to keep this momentum going and compete in a loaded Big 12.
10. 10-0 Schools
Our final team of the week will cover four teams that are ahead of the rest from a record standpoint, as they all have 10 wins without a loss yet on the year. Colorado State picked up one win this past week, a 66-63 contest in which the Rams came back from down double digits. CSU's next three games are all on the road. Iowa State earned two more wins over the last seven days, led by a 20 point victory over Iowa on Thursday. The Cyclones schedule is very winnable over the next few weeks prior to a clash with Baylor on New Years Day. San Francisco added another win during the week over Fresno State, and now has an upcoming trip to the state of Arizona to face GCU and ASU to look to continue the winning streak. Lastly, USC beat Eastern Kentucky and Long Beach State to get to 10 wins on the year, and have separated themselves along with Arizona and UCLA from the rest of the Pac-12 at this point.
Honorable Mentions:
-Butler: 2-0 week, upset Oklahoma 66-62 in OT
-Idaho: big upset over South Dakota State, 98-84
-Rutgers: shocked Purdue in a 70-68 win at the buzzer, first win for RU over an AP #1 ranked team
-UCLA: picked up a quality road win over Marquette, 67-56
-Ohio State: 2-0 week, highlighted by a big conference win over Wisconsin, 73-55
-Creighton: upset BYU on a neutral floor in Sioux Falls, 83-71
-West Virginia: 2-0 on the week, defeated Top-20 UConn in a non-conference matchup
-Xavier: 2-0 week, highlighted by 20 point in-state win over Cincinnati
-Texas Tech: statement win over Tennessee in OT early in the week
-Notre Dame: upset Kentucky 66-62 on Saturday
-DePaul: 2-0 week, now 8-1 on the year, beat Louisville 62-55 on Friday
-Bowling Green: upset a solid Oakland team 73-72
Lets keep the hoops momentum going! DM us @TBracketology if there is anyone else worthy of a shoutout! Thanks for reading!
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