The Five Most Disappointing College Basketball Teams So Far in the 2010-2011 Season
By Jason Lisk
5. Butler Bulldogs (14-8)- After Butler’s magical season in 2010 that ended within a shot of the national championship, many were expecting the Bulldogs to continue to dominate the Horizon League and be a Top 25 team. Sure, Gordon Heyward was gone, but Matt Howard, Shelvin Mack, and Ronald Nored were returning. I don’t think anyone was expecting a return to the title game, but they were expecting a better team than what Butler has shown. The Bulldogs’ only loss after December last year was the national championship game. This week, they lost two overtime games, and are now 6-4 in the Horizon League. Butler will need to win the conference tournament to get back in the field now.
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-8)– Gonzaga has been the closest thing to mid-major royalty over the last decade, and were ranked in the top 20 in most pre-season polls. I talked about Gonzaga last week, and then they lost at home to St. Mary’s in a game they needed to boost their tournament resume’. Like Butler, the other Bulldogs also likely will need to win the conference tournament now to get back in the NCAA field.
3. Baylor Bears (14-6)– After making a run to the Elite 8 last year as a #3 seed, everyone was expecting the Bears to continue to be a force with incoming freshman star Perry Jones joining Lacedarius Dunn and Quincy Acy. The Bears were in many top 10 lists before the season. Ekpe Udoh was a big loss defensively as an intimidator in the Bears’ zone, and Tweety Carter’s absence at point guard has left the team needing a distributor. Baylor’s record doesn’t look bad, but the best win they can claim right now was the victory over Colorado at home this Saturday. The schedule is tough down the stretch (two games against both Texas and Texas A&M and a game at Missouri) and Baylor will need to add some quality wins from that group to get into the tournament field.
2. Michigan State Spartans (13-8)- With six key players returning from teams that appeared in consecutive Final Fours, the Spartans were in everyone’s top 5 at the start of the year. Chris Allen was dismissed from the team and is transferring to Iowa State, and now Korie Lucious has been suspended. Michigan State has really struggled since the start of 2011, and it could be much worse. They barely beat Indiana at home yesterday after losing to Michigan, and the last three wins have all come in overtime. The schedule provides opportunities for them to get in the tournament, but if they play like they have in recent weeks, they will not make it. Quite a fall for a team that was a national championship favorite in November.
1. Kansas State Wildcats (14-8)– Another Elite 8 team from 2010, the Wildcats were a popular top 5 pick and the preseason Big XII pick to win the title. The only loss was point guard Denis Clemente, until Dominique Sutton announced he was transferring in July. Still, the team had Jacob Pullen, Jamar Samuels, Wally Judge, and Curtis Kelly returning. Kelly was in the doghouse early, and then he and Pullen were suspended in December for improper benefits. Kansas State started the year 9-1, but have been playing progressively worse since then, turning the ball over too frequently while also managing to not shoot the ball very well. The second best win since early December is over Texas Tech at home. They just got completely destroyed by Kansas. With Nebraska, Iowa State, and Colorado all improved to at least respectable status, Kansas State could finish near the bottom of the Big XII North. Earlier this month, Jacob Pullen said he wouldn’t play in the NIT. If they continue to play like this, the feeling will be mutual.
[photo via Getty]