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A Look at 5 of College Basketball’s Early Sleepers

By Mike Ferguson

Nov 18, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Terran Petteway (5) claps during the game against Central Arkansas Bears in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Terran Petteway (5) claps during the game against Central Arkansas Bears in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Five teams to watch as non-conference play ends and league play begins

We’re about a month into the 2014-15 college basketball season and the start of league play for a number of major conferences is right around the corner. It comes as little surprise that schools like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Louisville and Arizona are off to good starts, but a number of teams that have struggled in recent years are showing potential early on. Here is a look at five of college basketball’s early sleepers from major conferences:

Georgia Tech

Record: 6-1
Best Win: Northwestern
Since reaching the final of the NCAA Tournament in 2004, Georgia Tech has made just three appearances in the big dance. The season is young, but early on, a fourth is looking like a possibility. Leading scorer Marcus Georges-Hunt continues to do just about everything while transfers Demarco Cox and Charles Mitchell have served as offensive compliments Georges-Hunt has not had in the past. The Yellow Jackets are also as deep as they’ve been in quite some time with eight players averaging at least 5 points-per-game.

Nebraska

Dec 1, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Terran Petteway (5) dribbles the ball in the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 1, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Terran Petteway (5) dribbles the ball in the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports /

Record: 5-1
Best Win: Florida State
The Nebraska Cornhuskers reached the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in 16 years, but the program coached by Tim Miles may be on the verge of establishing itself as a mainstay in the big dance. Nebraska has yet to notch a real impressive win and lost to Rhode Island, but talent-wise, Nebraska can compete with anyone in what’s a very deep Big Ten. Though he’s been overlooked nationally, Terran Petteway has always been able to light it up offensively and is averaging 21 points-per-game this season. Guard Shavon Shields has become a very capable sidekick and may be one of the nation’s more improved players. Shields is averaging 20 points and over seven rebounds while shooting a stellar 61 percent from the field. The combination of Petteway and Shields account for 41 of Nebraska’s 75 points-per-game and is among the nation’s most underrated duos.

Purdue

Record: 6-1
Best Win: BYU
After a sub-par season last year, Purdue is shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with in what looks to be a very deep Big Ten conference. The Boilermakers are scoring nearly 80 points each time out and much of their success is due to a very young frontcourt. Freshman forward Vince Edwards is averaging 13 points and seven rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. 7’0″ freshman Isaac Haas is shooting at a 72 percent clip while scoring 12 points-per-game and ranking second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per contest. Haas is one of two 7-footers that see significant playing time as junior A.J. Hammons is adding nine points and nearly three blocks-per-game. Sophomore guard Kendall Stephens’ ability to stretch the floor has proven big for Purdue as well. The Boilermakers have eight players that average at least five points and impressive early season wins over Missouri, BYU and N.C. State.

Texas A&M

Record: 5-1
Best Win: New Mexico
With a very difficult non-conference slate, Texas A&M has been very impressive early on. The Aggies have neutral court victories over New Mexico and the College of Charleston. Early on this season, Texas A&M has utilized is length to its advantage. The Aggies have two very capable 6’7″ slashers in Jalen Jones and Danuel House. Jones is averaging better than 12 points and nearly seven rebounds while House has been fantastic since missing the first three games of the season. Against New Mexico, House poured in 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field. Guard Alex Caruso is averaging better than six assists with better than a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Texas A&M may not be done making noise in the non-conference as the Aggies still have to face Arizona State, Kansas State and Baylor this month.

TCU

Record: 7-0
Best Win: Mississippi State
While the TCU football team may be making a run at a spot in college football’s first playoff, the men’s basketball team has nearly equaled its win total from a season ago. The Horned Frogs won just nine games last season after losing their final 19, but early on in the 2014-15 campaign, TCU is unblemished at 7-0. 5’11” senior guard Kyan Anderson leads the team with 12.7 points and 3.7 assists-per-game while shooting a solid 52 percent from the field. Lean sophomore Kenrich Williams is scoring nine points and grabbing nearly seven rebounds for what has been a very efficient team early on. Williams is shooting 60 percent from the field and as a team, the Horned Frogs are making 49 percent of their shots. TCU will play its first true road game Thursday night against Ole Miss. TCU has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 1998.

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