We’re just three weeks into the 2011-12 college basketball season.
And there is no shortage of teams that, so far, appear much better than many in the national media anticipated.
Here are some of the most noteworthy of those:
*Saint Louis (6-0): The Billikens of Coach Rick Majerus were picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 Conference and be in the hunt for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
But even those who follow that conference on a regular basis could not have anticipated the Billikens being so impressive in November. Four of those wins have come against teams from the Pac-12 (Washington), ACC (Boston College), Big East (Villanova) and Big 12 (Oklahoma), by an average margin of 14 points.
There is a reasonable chance that the Billikens will be 13-0 and ranked somewhere in the of most national Top 25s when they visit Albuquerque on Dec. 31.
*UNLV (7-0): Under first-year head coach Dave Rice, the program was expected to challenge New Mexico for the Mountain West Conference title and – should it be needed to be a part of the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament – an at-large bid.
But who could have projected the fashion in which the team so impressively dominated the game at both ends of the floor during an 80-70 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday night?
Seats in Thomas & Mack appear as if they are once again going to be become hot ticket-items in town.
*Missouri (6-0): Frank Haith was hired away when Mike Anderson left for Arkansas, inheriting a group of players that won 23 games last season. The Tigers were a consensus preseason Top 25 club (No. 21 in Lindy’s Magazine).
But the team’s best post player, Laurence Bowers, suffered a torn ACL in October and will miss the season.
However, the Tigers haven’t missed a beat – knocking off their opponents by an average margin of nearly 27 points, including back-to-back whippings of Notre Dame (by 29) and Cal (39) in Kansas City.
*Harvard (6-0): Tommy Amaker’s Crimson – 23-7 last season after an Ivy League playoff loss to Penn and first-round NIT defeat at Oklahoma State – were expected to dominate the league this season and get into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1946.
The team could exceed “just dominating the Ivy League and getting into the tournament”.
After back to back wins over Florida State and Central Florida (which stunned Connecticut the day before) for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship in the Bahamas last week, this has the looks of a squad that can kind the kind of season another Ivy member did two years ago, when Cornell reached the Sweet 16.
*San Diego State (7-1): After losing four starters – including All-American forward and first-round pick Kawhi Leonard – from a 34-3, Sweet 16 season, this was supposed to be a rebuilding campaign for Coach Steve Fisher.
Yeah, right.
The Aztecs already hold narrow victories over two solid mid-major squads (Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara of the Big West), as well as a victory in Tucson against the University of Arizona. The loss was a 10-point decision at Baylor.
Victories – at home – this week over Creighton (Wednesday) and Cal (Sunday) puts Fisher back in the national ratings next week.
Proof here, I think, that talented players are vital but GOOD COACHING makes a huge difference.