A lot of people think that the non-conference schedule is not very important. The games don’t matter in your division and the tournament committee bases their decisions on the games that are more fresh in their mind.
Those people aren’t true college basketball fans.
Non conference games are where teams can pick up big wins for their resume and get their season started off to the right foot. I will be going over one team from each of the big six conferences that has been playing very well and tell you if they can keep it up for the remainder of the season.
ACC: Virginia (8-1) The Cavaliers were a sleeper in the ACC at the beginning of the season and have been a pleasant surprise. Did anyone think they would have a better record than North Carolina at this point? Virginia has benefitted from taking smart shots as they are 42nd in the nation in field goal percentage at .477. In what has really been a team effort, senior forward Mike Scott has been the key player for the Cavs averaging 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds a game. He has three double-doubles already on this young season. Joe Harris has chipped in with 12.4 points per game. I think that this team is for real. Virginia has beaten both Drexel and George Mason by double-digits, two of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Conference. They also had a huge win over the Michigan Wolverines who were ranked 15th at the time. They may not win the ACC, but if they play their cards right, they could find their way into the NCAA tournament.
Big East: Seton Hall (8-1) Even after losing Jeremy Hazell, the Pirates look better than they did last year. With only one loss to Northwestern, they find themselves tied for fifth in the competitive Big East and have the same record as the defending champion Connecticut Huskies. They may not have the same quality wins that Virginia has, but the inside-outside combination of seniors Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore has been outstanding so far. Pope has been amazing, averaging 21.9 points leading the Big East, and 11.3 rebounds, second in the Big East by only 0.1 to Kevin Jones’ 11.4. Those numbers are good for top ten in the nation in each category and Pope is leading the race for Big East player of the year. Theodore has been great manning the controls with averages of 14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists. Sophomore forward Fuquan Edwin has done nicely with 14 points and 5.9 rebounds a game. Although Seton Hall is not a very deep team, that big three combination makes them able to compete with anyone. I’m not a believer yet, just because the Pirates have not been tested that much so far, but I very well could be soon. The Pirates have three more games against subpar competition before they open up Big East play at the Carrier Dome where they crushed the Orange last year. A win over Syracuse could go a long way for the Hall.
Big 12: Oklahoma Sooners (7-1) The Sooners haven’t made much noise since Blake Griffin was on the team, but they’re back at it with a hot start and their only loss coming against a talented St. Louis team. Oklahoma is 40th and 32nd in the nation in points and rebounds respectively. Junior guard Steven Pledger has been a star with 17.9 points per game and has shot the lights out at a 58% clip. Junior forward Romero Osby has been the top Sooner rebounder with 7.5 a game. Calvin Newell Jr., Andrew Fitzgerald, and Sam Grooms have all chipped in on this team effort that has led to Oklahoma’s success. However, I don’t think they can keep up the pace. Oklahoma has some young and talented players and could be very good in a year or two, but for now, I think the only success they’ll have is against bad teams.
Big Ten: Illinois Fighting Illini (10-0) I really wanted to choose Indiana after the Hoosiers’ amazing buzzer-beating win over #1 Kentucky, but the Fighting Illini are really the bigger story. Illinois is sitting atop the Big Ten at 10-0 and are doing so after losing their three best players from last year: Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale. Many experts thought Illinois would still succeed this year, but no one predicted this. A lot of credit goes to Meyers Leonard, the sophomore center. The big man has been on a tear with 13.4 points and 7.2 rebounds a game and has shot .638 from the field and .816 from the charity stripe, an astounding number for a big man. D. J. Richardson leads the team in scoring with 13.7 points. Will the Fighting Illini keep this torrid pace up? I think so. Like I said, no one expected Illinois to be bad, they’re just overachieving. They already have a win over Gonzaga under their belt, and will be tested with games against UNLV and #8 Missouri before Big Ten play starts. The conference has a lot of strong teams this year, but expect Illinois to be right in the thick of things.
SEC: Ole Miss (8-1) The loss of star Chris Warren was thought to have slowed down the Rebels, but that has clearly not been the case. Mississippi has been rolling on all cylinders and is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. Ladarius White, Murphy Holloway, and Reginald Buckner all average at least 6 rebounds per game. White returned against Mississippi Valley St. to play his first game of the season and accumulated 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Holloway nearly averages a double-double with 11.2 and 9.8 points and rebounds. A 30 point loss is the only blemish on Ole Miss’s record, but it did come against #11 Marquette. Aside from that, they’ve managed to win close games against Miami, DePaul, and Penn St. It’s hard to believe the rebels keeping it up in a loaded SEC this year, so I expect them to drop off a bit. However, they have the talent and rebounding to being competitive in nearly every game.
Pac-12: Stanford (8-1) Wait, Stanford is more than just Andrew Luck? The Cardinal men’s basketball team is now relevant again for the first time since the days of the Lopez twins. Like Mississippi, they’re strong play has come from their rebounding ability. Forwards Josh Huestis and Josh Owens combine to average over 11 rebounds per game for a very balanced Stanford squad. If you haven’t picked it up by now, a lot of these teams’ success is due to the fact that so many players are contributing and they’re playing very good team basketball. Sophomore guard Aaron Bright leads the Cardinal in scoring at 12.2 and has some amazing percentages: 81% from the free throw line, 54% from the field, and 54% from three. The Cardinal’s ability to rebound and shoot the three has been their keys to success. They already have wins over Oklahoma St. and N. C. State, and a very narrow loss against Syracuse. I see no reason not to believe in this Stanford team. They have a great thing going and are a weak division. Can they compete with teams like Arizona and California for the Pac-12 crown? Absolutely. 
Ryan Gaydos
chrismolicki
