Nine men’s teams unbeaten
ACC leads way with Duke, Miami, FSU
Nine unbeaten college men’s basketball teams were left going into Thursday after Washington’s stunning upset of Kansas. Which one falls next? Which one is the last one standing? Here’s a guess at how and when each unbeaten team can fall next.
No. 1 Duke (11-0): After surviving against Michigan State, Florida and Texas, the Blue Devils have proved they can win playing bad and turn it on when it counts. Usually an overabundance of talent leads to some chemistry issues, but the veteran leadership of Grayson Allen (yes, the same guy suspended for tripping defenders last season) has been instrumental in the success. So has the outstanding play of freshman superstar Marvin Bagley II, a national player of the year candidate. Don’t expect Coach K’s team to lose in 2017. It will likely take an Atlantic Coast Conference road game to set this team off course.
❚ Loss projection: Jan. 15 — at Miami (Fla.) No. 4 Villanova (9-0): The Wildcats’ dismantling of Gonzaga awakened the college basketball world to how legit this squad is. Despite losing leading scorer Josh Hart to graduation, Jay Wright’s group hasn’t skipped a beat. All-American point guard Jalen Brunson is playing extremely well, as is Mikal Bridges. With a not-so-dangerous non-conference string of games left, it’ll likely take a determined effort from a Big East team to impede Villanova’s momentum.
❚ Loss projection: Dec. 30 — at Butler No. 11 Miami (Fla.) (8-0): The Hurricanes just haven’t had that difficult of a non-conference slate. That doesn’t mean they aren’t a strong team. Coach Jim Larrañaga has plenty of talent, but keep in mind it’s youthful talent. There’s a good chance that inexperience will show once the schedule heats up in ACC play.
❚ Loss projection: Jan. 3 — at Georgia Tech No. 17 Arizona State (7-0): Tra Holder has been on an absolute tear in carrying Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils to a huge start to 2017-18, including scoring 40 in an impressive win against Xavier. The question at the beginning of the season was whether this team was ready to reach the NCAA tournament. Now it’s whether it can contend in a seemingly wide-open Pac-12.
❚ Loss projection: Sunday — at Kansas No. 20 TCU (9-0): Jamie Dixon returned the core of his roster from last season’s NIT champion, and that experience has shown in the early stages of 2017-18. Will the Horned Frogs stay undefeated through a rigorous Big 12 schedule? Definitely not, but there’s enough to challenge the league’s elite teams, including 13-time defending champ Kansas. Kenrich Williams averages a double-double and can be a nightmare matchup for Big 12 foes.
❚ Loss projection: Saturday — at Nevada Florida State (8-0): A surprise victory against in-state rival Florida highlights the Seminoles’ hot start. FSU has a balanced scoring attack, led by Terance Mann. A test against Oklahoma State is the toughest of the remaining non-conference games on FSU’s schedule, and then the first strand of ACC games are far from kind — against Duke, North Carolina and Miami.
❚ Loss projection: Dec. 30 — at Duke Georgetown (6-0): First-year coach Patrick Ewing has one of the softest non-conference schedules in the country, which included backing out of the talent-loaded Phil Knight Invitational. But that early-season confidence boost is sure to end quickly, if not against archrival Syracuse than certainly early on in Big East play.
❚ Loss projection Dec. 16 — vs. Syracuse Mississippi State (7-0): Who would have thought the Bulldogs would be the last Southeastern Conference team without a loss? Not many. Will they be able to sustain it once conference season begins?
❚ Loss projection: Tuesday — at Cincinnati Valparaiso (8-0): The lone midmajor on this list, the Crusaders didn’t play in a top-notch holiday tournament, which has helped. Two non-conference clashes against Big Ten foes Northwestern and Purdue are looming, and their first year in the Missouri Valley Conference won’t be easy, either.
❚ Loss projection Thursday — at Purdue