RADIO
In my eyes, this AP ranking was maybe the most spot-on we've seen all year, so congrats to the college basketball reporters this week. You did well. That is why I only have one team for each category for this week's AP Poll.
UConn and Purdue remained at one and two respectively for the fifth consecutive week, solidifying themselves as the clear two best teams in the country. The rest of the top 10 all experienced some shake-up besides Duke, who stayed at nine after easily handling some lower-tier ACC teams. South Carolina at 11 is still too high for me, but all they did was win and cover yet another game, so it's hard to have them lower than where they are. I'll let the SEC do its thing over the next few weeks.
It's time for the next article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Basketball Teams after the release of the weekly Associated Press Poll. All rankings listed are based on the Week 15 AP Poll.
Overrated College Basketball Teams For Week 15
Marquette Golden Eagles: #7 to #4
Shaka and Co. have risen back to top-five status, one spot ahead of where they were when the season tipped off. The Golden Eagles have ripped off seven straight conference wins after dropping a head-scratcher at home to Butler, a game in which they lead by seven at the half. Preseason first-team All-American point guard Tyler Kolek is back to dominating games, averaging 19.7 points, and 10 assists per game in that stretch. They've had four different players drop 19 or more points during this winning streak. Marquette is in fact, good.
With that said, I am not buying their top-five status for a couple of reasons. I think the loss of reserve guard Sean Jones (torn ACL) is going to be bigger than most expect, especially come tournament time. Jones was a defensive ace who brought so much energy and spark when he came into the game. Also, as highly touted as this team was offensively coming in, they have definitely been a letdown on that end of the floor.
Currently 21st in AdjO per KenPom (worse than the team noted below), Marquette is also #125 in three-point percentage and 47th in turnover percentage. They haven't been nearly as fluid as last year, and while they did lose one of the more versatile players in the country in Oliver-Maxence Prosper who was primed for a monster senior season, every other player of note returned. The Golden Eagles feel more like a borderline top-10 team to me and are not in the same class as UConn, which is where they are currently ranked. Mark your calendars for this Saturday at 3 p.m. EST when Marquette travels to No. 1 UConn. If they can pull that one off, I'll dial back the hate.
Underrated College Basketball Teams For Week 15
Texas Longhorns: Unranked (16th in others receiving votes)
If I had to make a list of the most disappointing teams for 2023-24 thus far, the Longhorns wouldn't be at the top but they would have a spot somewhere on there. Rodney Terry has had a relatively tough first (full) season in Austin, taking a #18 preseason ranking all the way up to #12 in Week 5, but currently sitting behind almost every other team that is receiving votes.
This team has lost eight games, which is tied for the most losses by any top-25 team, but five of these losses came to teams ranked #12 or greater (KenPom). I don't want to make excuses because ultimately you have to win regardless of how stiff the competition is, but conference play has been brutal for the Longhorns. Their impressive road wins over TCU and Oklahoma have been overshadowed by losses to West Virginia (who also beat Kansas by the way) and Texas Tech at home.
This is a really good offensive team that moves the ball well and has multiple guys that can fill it up. Forward Dylan Disu is a matchup nightmare and one of the more underrated players in the conference. Defense has not come nearly as easily as it did last year (#58 in KenPom AdjD). Perhaps the significant roster turnover is the primary reason, but Terry needs his team to shore up that end for them to compete in the Big Dance. This team is the Kentucky of the Big 12. They are a top-20 offense that struggles on the defensive side. However, unlike Kentucky, they usually don't drop games purely because of defensive lapses. Don't be surprised if this team is in the Big 12 title game in March.
