For the Duke Blue Devils, things had gotten so bad that head coach Mike Krzyzewski banned the team from its locker room and told the players they were not allowed to wear Duke apparel.
Each week, we like to bring you a collection of stories that caught our eye. From conference title races to national title hopes, think of them as potential talking points as you sit down to watch the best games of the weekend.
Here’s a look at what caught our eye this week.
1. Several teams found bounce back wins
Last week, college basketball reminded us just how difficult it is to win on the road as several top 25 teams fell to throw the polls into chaos. This week, some of the big names — Duke, Florida State and Kansas, in particular — bounced back with impressive wins to get onto the right track.
For the Duke Blue Devils, things had gotten so bad that head coach Mike Krzyzewski banned the team from its locker room and told the players they were not allowed to wear Duke apparel. It was a humorous motivational tactic when the team needed to make changes on the court.
Well, the Blue Devils’ road win over Wake Forest last Saturday helped make it clear that Luke Kennard ought to be the focal point of its offense. Kennard poured in 34 against the Demon Deacons and added 16 in Duke’s road win over Notre Dame to help get Duke back in the win column after a few rough weeks.
Coming off of a pair of road losses, Florida State also picked up a big away win this week, knocking off Miami, 75-57. It was the Seminoles’ first road victory since stunning Virginia on New Year’s Eve. Leonard Hamilton’s squad has the talent to make it to the Final Four, but seems to be going through a transitional phase as it realizes freshman Jonathan Isaac is the team’s best player. If the Seminoles and Isaac recognize his potential, the sky’s the limit.
Kansas, too, rebounded to answer some questions that had arisen after its loss to West Virginia. The Jayhawks continued to mix up their defenses, alternating between man-to-man and zone in a pair of wins over top 10 teams, Kentucky and Baylor. Kansas is now the lone team atop the Big 12 conference standings and looks poised to take home its 13th straight regular season league title on the backs of Frank Mason and Josh Jackson.
2. What do we make of Maryland?
The Maryland Terrapins began the season ranked no. 25 in the AP poll before dropping from the rankings a week later after playing a closer than expected contest against the American Eagles in the season opener. It took a 16-2 record in week 11 to get the Terrapins back to where they started. With four wins in the past two weeks, they have moved up to no. 17 in the latest AP poll as they’ve amassed a 20-2 record, tied with Wisconsin atop the Big Ten.
The problem? It’s still not clear that Maryland is worthy of its ranking. Aggregated metrics are not a fan of the Terrapins. For example, they rank no. 38 on KenPom and no. 33 in the Sagarin Ratings. KenPom also lists Maryland as the 17th “luckiest” team in the country, which means that they’ve outperformed their expected record derived from their adjusted efficiency margin by quite a lot.
Resume-centric metrics like the Terrapins significantly more as they rank no. 18 in RPI and no. 13 in KPI. Maryland is 2-0 against the RPI top 50, but the team lacks a real statement win. The Terrapins will have an opportunity to snag one on Saturday when they host the Purdue Boilermakers in Annapolis.
For now, Maryland remains a complex case. Despite having poor aggregate numbers, the Terrapins continue to win games behind the play of point guard Melo Trimble and an emerging freshmen class. Saturday should help us get a better understanding of where the team stands.
3. Illinois State at Wichita State highlights the best of the Missouri Valley
In a season that hasn’t seen many mid-major programs put together NCAA Tournament worthy resumes, conference meetings between top teams take on even greater importance. On Saturday, the two best teams in the Missouri Valley will clash as the Wichita State Shockers take on the Illinois State Redbirds in a battle between the league’s top offense and its top defense.
The Redbirds won the first meeting in Normal by 14 points behind a hot shooting night and a strong defensive performance that held Wichita State to 0.94 points per possession. The Shockers, meanwhile, will have a chance to exact revenge at Charles Koch Arena, where they haven’t lost since February 2016.
Whether or not either team can make the NCAA Tournament without winning the conference tournament is in question. While neither team owns an RPI top 50 win, both are ranked in the top 50 at KenPom and in the Sagarin Ratings, so they may put the Selection Committee’s consideration of advanced analytics to the test. Whatever the outcome of that deliberation, Saturday will be a good opportunity to tune into some quality mid-major action.
The weekend game to watch: Arizona at Oregon, 4:00 PM ET, ESPN
The battle to be the top team in the Pac-12 is a three-horse race between the Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins. With UCLA already on three losses in league play, though, the Wildcats and the Ducks are best positioned to be the champion of the “Conference of Champions.” Saturday’s matchup between the two in Eugene may help provide some clarity.
Oregon will attempt to slow down Lauri Markkanen and Co. with the Pac-12’s best defense featuring a lengthy frontline that makes it tough to score on the interior. The Wildcats, on the other hand, are a slightly more balanced squad with a slew of high-flying wings to that benefit from Markkanen’s ability to space the floor.
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This will be the lone regular season meeting between the two programs.