Last week, college basketball had four undefeated teams. We are halfway through the season and it is shocking that we still have that many unbeaten. Well, fear not sports fans that don’t enjoy streaks, one of those teams has been conquered.
On January 14, Wisconsin, one of the favorites to challenge for the NCAA Championship, fell at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana took the lead with 7:11 left in the game and never gave it back. They exposed some weaknesses in the Badgers defense, but that is not what this article is about. Today, we will be discussing which of the three remaining undefeated teams could stay that way until the Madness begins in March.
We have said, “Undefeated teams” a few times already but haven’t mentioned who they actually are. The Arizona Wildcats, currently ranked #1 in the country, are 17-0 but are in the difficult Pac-12 conference. The Syracuse Orange, ranked #2 in the country, are also 17-0 in the equally difficult Atlantic Coast Conference. And lastly, we have the Wichita State Shockers, ranked #5 in the country, who are 18-0 and are in the much easier Missouri Valley Conference.
Just by looking at the team’s conferences, you can make an educated guess at which order I am going to put them in: which team has the best chance to finish the season undefeated. Here. We. Go!
3. Arizona
The Wildcats are my pick for the least likely to go undefeated. Yes, they are incredibly talented, have one of the most clutch scorers in the country in Brandon Ashley and have beaten top-ranked teams. The problem is, they have an incredibly difficult schedule ahead of them against more top-ranked teams, as well as teams that haven’t earned the respect they deserve.
Arizona is in the Pac-12, a conference that currently only has three teams ranked but could very well have seven in the Top-25. They have many games they should fear but most notably a road game against Arizona State and home-and-homes against Colorado, Oregon and California. They already won on the road against UCLA, which was a great start to conference play. They played Arizona State on January 16 and dismantled them. This was on their home court so the next time they play, they will be visiting the Sun Devils. Road games are always tough ones, especially against a state rival and especially at Arizona State. Look for a heated battle for the Pac-12 Championship.
2. Syracuse
I know, the Orange have played dominant basketball thus far, defeating California, Baylor and Villanova in non-conference play. The problem is, they are in the ACC, which is always very tough. Even though they are clearly the dominant team in the conference, the other teams are always wildcards.
They have already defeated North Carolina, but UNC is a different team every game so that’s not a great standard to judge them by. Syracuse has games against Clemson, on the road against Florida State and Virginia, as well as home-and-homes with Duke and Pittsburgh. When they host Pittsburgh on January 18 will go a long way in determining whether or not they can go undefeated. Even if they win, anything can happen on the road, especially in the ACC.
1. Wichita State
Holy Rockets, Wichita State has truly shocked us all, pun intended. The fact they are good isn’t the surprise. Heck, the fact they are ranked isn’t even surprising considering they were in the Final Four last year, knocking off Pittsburgh, Gonzaga (a #1 seed), Ohio State before losing to the eventual champion Louisville Cardinals. Not only did they make it to the last weekend, they held their own against the powerhouse Cardinals. What is shocking, ladies and gentleman, is that they are 18-0 with no loss in sight.
They are a veteran team led by the same players that carried them deep last season. That means that these players are experienced and know what it takes to win. Their schedule is not a difficult one leading into March; the Missouri Valley Conference is not stacked like the ACC and the Pac-12.
The Shockers have one team that can push them to the limit and they face them on January 18. They will host the 14-3 Indiana State Sycamores, the only other undefeated team in MVC play. They travel to Indiana State on February 5, which could be more of a challenge. The Shockers will also face Missouri State to end the season on March 1st; they pulled out an overtime win on the road last time they met.
While this may come as a shock, Wichita State could very well end the regular season 31-0. Will that be enough to get them to #1 seed? Only time will tell. Fun Fact: of the Shockers 18 wins, 14 have been by 10 or more points.
There you have it, the three remaining undefeated in college basketball. You can all give me a sticker when the season ends and this proves to be correct. If you think it’ll be a different order, I’d love to hear about it.
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