RADIO
Week 2 of the college basketball season has come and gone. While it's still mostly buy-game season, we've gotten a couple of tests this past week that have provided some early-season fireworks.
Kentucky survived against #6 Duke after trailing for a majority of the game which gave out the biggest bump of the week at 10 spots (UK is now #9 in the country). The experience of the Cats won out in the end. Purdue took down #2 Alabama at home, which sent them shooting seven spots up the rankings to #6. It might not have been the best idea to give Braden Smith and Matt Painter bulletin board material. Unranked Wisky blitzed #9 Arizona at home, and Marquette got an impressive road win against a formidable Maryland squad. A&M got back on track, taking down #21 Ohio State on the back of a 47-point second half.
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 3 AP Poll released yesterday.
Overrated College Basketball Teams For Week 2
Wisconsin Badgers: Unranked to #19
Besides Kentucky's impressive win over #6 Duke last week, the Badgers had maybe the best victory across the country, absolutely dismantling #9 Arizona 103-88 at the Kohl Center last Friday night. Sixth-year transfer guard John Tonje put up 41 points, including an incredible 21-22 from the free-throw line.
It was the performance of a lifetime from a guy who was not seen as a major pickup by any transfer portal rankings this offseason. Tonje played four seasons at Colorado State, averaging under seven points per game in years 1-3, and then broke out as a senior with 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds. He transferred to Mizzou to take advantage of the extra COVID year but ended up redshirting after dealing with a recurring injury that held him to eight games, only scoring 21 total points.
He has now become a superstar for the Badgers, putting up 22.6 points per game (third in the conference), on a 50% clip from three. It's been a great story to follow through the first few weeks of the season, but I have doubts about the sustainability of Tonje's play. It's of course possible that he just finally found the right system where he can thrive, but given how much evidence is out there that he is not that guy, I think we will start to see his numbers dip quite a bit.
The rest of this roster does not excite me much, and the depth is going to be an issue, especially when we get into conference play. The guard trio of Tonje, Max Klesmit, and John Blackwell can match up against most, but there are some real question marks for this team, especially with their interior defense. If forward Steven Crowl gets into foul trouble, opposing teams could have a field day down low.
This was actually written prior to the Badgers three-point home win against UT Rio Grande Valley yesterday. Wisconsin was favored by 20.5 and Blackwell poured in 30 points but they could still only muster a three-point victory. Not a good sign for the future.
Wisconsin guard John Tonje in an upset win over No. 9 Arizona:
▪️ 41 PTS
▪️ 8-14 FG
▪️ 4-6 3PT
▪️ 21-22 FT
▪️ 6 REB pic.twitter.com/3ytHs5sDzV— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 16, 2024
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: #24 (no change)
The Knights were ranked in the top 25 preseason for two reasons, and two reasons only. Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. The two dynamic freshmen were #2 and #4 respectively in the ESPN 100 national recruiting rankings, and could very well both go in the top five of the NBA draft next summer.
Both freshmen have been about as advertised, especially Harper, who is the fifth-leading scorer in the conference at 21.3 PPG, to go along with 4.7 boards and 3.7 assists. I don't want to take too much away from the Scarlet Knights's 4-0 record, but they have played one cupcake schedule thus far, and only won by 10 to #189th ranked (KenPom) St. Peter's, a game that was close until the last couple of minutes.
Besides their two top freshmen, this team does not have the firepower nor discipline to keep their top-25 ranking for much longer. The offense is a lot of iso-ball which is fun to watch sometimes when Harper and Bailey are hitting, but this is going to catch up to them, starting when the Knights take on Notre Dame next Tuesday.
Well hello Ace Bailey 👀#NBADraft
— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) November 15, 2024
Underrated College Basketball Teams For Week 2
Gonzaga Bulldogs: #4 to #3
It might be crazy to call a team underrated that is currently ranked #3 in the county but I truly believe Kansas and the Zags are a step above the rest, with UConn nipping at their heels. The balance that these teams have not only in talent level at every position but with experience as well is unmatched by anyone else. Mark Few once again has an elite offense (currently #1 in the country), with upperclassmen guards who know how to close out big games.
Ryan Nembhard is averaging a double-double (12.8 points, 10.0 assists) with three in four games, and Nolan Hickman continues to be one of the more reliable guards in the country and a lockdown defender.
If you just started tuning into college basketball this week, then you missed the 101-63 absolute demolition that Zags laid on #8 Baylor in Week 1. While they did have quite the scare with Arizona State almost pulling off a shocker in Week 2 (88-80), Gonzaga then got back on track against UMass Lowell, putting up 113 in a 59-point win, and just beat SDSU on the road by a cool 13 points.
This team can beat their opponents in so many different ways because of their legitimate eight-man rotation that is only matched by Kansas. Mark your calendars for December 7th and 14th and the Zags face #9 Kentucky, and #2 UConn, respectively. That week we will really what this team is made of.
.@Nolanhickman2 got 'em 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/N7VbXMwhGS
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) November 19, 2024
Alabama Crimson Tide: #2 to #8
The Crimson Tide deserved to move down six spots due to their nine-point loss at #13 Purdue this past weekend, but this team is still so incredibly talented and built to win in March. Mackey Arena is one of the hardest places to play in the entire country and Purdue was uber-efficient from deep (9-16), while Braden Smith had another double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. It's early, but the Boilermakers may be proving me wrong.
Preseason First-Team All-American point guard Mark Sears definitely hurt his NPOY chances with a 5-15 performance (including 1-6 from three) in this one, but he remains one of the top guards in the sport and will get a chance to redeem himself when Alabama hosts #25 Illinois tomorrow.
The Crimson Tide have an absolute GAUNTLET coming up, with their next five games against #7 Houston, #24 Rutgers, #10 North Carolina, and #14 Creighton. Even if you don't believe in this team, you can't say they aren't challenging themselves. That is a ridiculously tough non-conference schedule and will be very telling for how good this team truly is. They need to improve on defense, but I am still a firm Bama believer that this is a top-five team in the country.
PURDUE TAKES DOWN NO. 2 ALABAMA 🤯#MFinalFour x 🎥 @NBCSportspic.twitter.com/rmM0cSZFsI
— NCAA Men's Final Four (@MFinalFour) November 16, 2024
