Underrated

Gonzaga – Sure they are a two seed and ranked #3 but this is a Real Title contender.  If I told you a freshman who’s dad is a Hall of Famer was averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds on 70% shooting while only averaging 20 minutes a game played for Kentucky it would be on the front page of ESPN every day.  What if I told you that player is probably only the 5^th or 6^th best player on his team?  Donatas Sabonis has the makings of a stud player and he comes off the bench for Gonzaga….which is why he gets no press.  The Zags are loaded.  4 year starters at guard(Bell and Pangos), a transfer from USC (Wesley), a true center (Karnowski) plus Sabonis?  That’s a title contender….oh, and I forgot their best player, Kyle Wiltjer.  A stretch forward shooting 44% from behind the arc.  So let’s see….veteran guards, a stretch big, a true center, and a couple scrappy players who fill their roles?  Yeah, that’s a title contender.  BTW, their only loss is to Arizona in overtime.

North Carolina – I know, surprising I have them here but it’s true.  They’ve had their shooting woes but they look to be snapping out of it lately.  The win over Louisville was huge and all 4 of their losses have come against teams currently in the field.  If Marcus Paige brings back even some of last year’s magic they are going to be a force.

VCU – All 3 losses are tournament teams and 2 of them are currently on Joe Lunardi’s top level, Villanova and Virginia.  Their defense is still good but the surprising part is their offense which ranks in the top 15 in KenPom efficiency.  Once again they’ve challenged themselves in the non-conference and will be a tough out in March.

Florida – I’m not just trying to cover myself here since I had high hopes for them going into the season (a 3 seed).  This team is young and on their way up.  If you take out the 11 point loss to top 10 North Carolina and the 6 point loss to #1 Kentucky, their other 4 losses are by a total of 7 points.  They are in the top 50 in offense efficiency and top 20 in defense.  They will continue to rack up wins in the SEC and before you know it that 9-6 record will be 20-8 and they will be right around the 5 seed range.