11. Alabama
The Crimson Tide have played the toughest schedule in the nation to this point, and dealt with injuries to four of their five starters. And yet the Tide are 11-3 with no bad losses and well-positioned to contend in the SEC. Nate Oats is inevitable.
12. Illinois
Sure, the influx of European talent got all of the national headlines, but incoming Keaton Wagler has been the most important addition for Illinois this season. He’s been the successor to the Marcus Domask and Kasparas Jakucionus type of player that Illinois has deployed the last 3 seasons.
13. Nebraska
Thanks to their victory in the College Basketball Crown last season, Nebraska actually owns the nation’s longest winning streak. Which seems like it can’t possibly be a true statement, but it is. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts with this team that just may be Fred Hoiberg’s best coaching job.
14. Michigan State
The Spartans are in an interesting spot. They’ve got some good players who are known quantities, such as Jaxon Kohler and Jeremy Fears, but I don’t know if that core on its own is good enough to carry a team to a national championship. They have to get more out of their young talent if they want to go far in March.
15. Louisville
I don’t think it would be dramatic to describe Tuesday’s tilt vs Duke as the biggest Louisville home game of this decade. Pat Kelsey has brought Louisville back to its former level of national prominence, and beating Duke on Tuesday would be a wake-up call to the rest of the ACC that it runs through Louisville.
