Duke and Connecticut are two teams that can be pencilled in for at least a Sweet 16 berth every single season. Whether their roster is made up of guys like Allen, Hamilton, Brand, and Langdon or Okafor, Gordon, Redick, and Shelden Williams, these teams are always around in late March. But this year, both teams have suffered through what 300+ other Division I schools go through: rebuilding.

I expected both of these teams to drop off a bit. After all, they had 7 guys drafted in the 2006 NBA Draft. But not this much. Connecticut is 4-6 in Big East play and just 15-9 overall, while Duke is 5-6 in ACC play with an 18-7 overall record. As of now, Connecticut would be a 12 seed…in the Big East Tournament. Meanwhile, the Dukies have lost four games in a row for the first time in 11 years.

Unfortunately, it could get worse for both teams. Duke still has road games left against Boston College, NC State, and that team on Tobacco Road, North Carolina. I know Duke is Duke, but a 7-9 ACC season probably won’t get anybody in the dance. Duke was somehow ranked 16th in this week’s AP poll but after two more losses, they might find themselves unranked. UConn is probably screwed either way. They’ve lost eight of their last 11. Pending a great run in the Big East Tournament, they’re done.

It’s not that UConn and Duke don’t have talent anymore. That’s definitely not the case. But at some point, losing so many great players starts to hurt. Both teams have four and five star freshmen but they don’t have many four and five star juniors left because those guys are all in the NBA. If you hate either of these teams, you better get your licks in now. These struggles are only temporary. These teams met in the 2004 Final Four. Will we see them in the 2007 NIT Final? That’d be odd.

Then they’re were four. We’re down to four undefeated teams in college basketball and a couple teams on that list are very surprising. Surprisingly, we don’t have an undefeated mid-major team on the list, partly because those tough small conferences like the Missouri Valley Conference and Mountain West Conference are scheduling tough opponents to start the year and their name out on the national radar.

UCLA: Every time I watch the Bruins play, I’m more impressed with them. Today was no exception, as they teabagged Michigan. They seem to be doing just fine despite the departure of Jordan Farmar. They’ve already beaten three ranked teams, including two in during their Maui Invitational win. They’re getting four guys to average in double digits, including Aaron Afflalo, a guy that could be on some All-American teams when the year is over. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle Washington’s phenom freshman Spencer Hawes. But Luc Richard Mbah a Moute should be up to the test. If he isn’t, they can just have Lorenzo Mata look at him. Mark your calendars for January 20th, when Arizona will visit Pauley Pavillion. Read the rest of this entry »