Football's Over -- Welcome to College Basketball Season
- Luke Loew
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
The Super Bowl was played this past Sunday, officially putting an end to football season for a long 6+ months of offseason. And if you're a sports fan, your options are limited over the next couple months.
Sure, you can partake in the Winter Olympics for the next month or so. I can get down with some Curling or Snowboarding -- but the Winter games just don't do it for me like the Summer Games do.
You can dive into the NBA -- but in typical NBA fashion, aka them being incredibly stupid -- this week they'll be going on All-Star break and will display a new, horrible format for their game and weekend as a whole. Plus, their trade deadline was last week as everyone prepared for the Super Bowl -- bad planning all around.
And you can't even turn to NHL Hockey -- because they're on break for the Olympics. I'll definitely be watching some USA hockey -- but those games will be few and far between, and even when NHL comes back in a few weeks -- the Blues are in dead last in their Division -- and 2nd to last in the Western Conference. Yucky.
That leaves College Basketball -- my personal favorite sport, which if you read any blogs or see any Instagram posts from my page, you're aware of already. This is the primo stretch of the year for College Hoops -- peak of Conference play, Conference Tournaments approaching, then March Madness before you know it. Now is the time to lock in -- and Bean's Blog is here to help you do just that.
I'm going to help paint the picture of the current landscape of College Hoops -- what teams are dominating, what players are crushing it, what games you should tune into the next month or so. Conference breakdowns, what players you should watch that'll help you get into CBB -- and so much more. Whether you're just starting to watch or if you've been here a few months -- this blog has plenty for you.
The Juggernauts -- Michigan, Arizona, Duke
These to me are the clear-cut top 3 teams in the country at this point in the season. That doesn't mean they're without fault -- we just saw Duke lose to UNC, Zona lose to KU, and Michigan has a loss on their resume. But these 3 teams have size, shooting, star-power, defense -- and will be very tough outs in March.
The Freshman Class is INSANE
You could make an argument that out of the best 10 players in all of College Basketball -- that over half of them are Freshman. Cameron Boozer (odds on favorite for NPOY), Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybansta, Caleb Wilson, Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff -- 7 players that I think are FIRMLY in the conversation for Top 10 -- and plenty more on the cusp.
The Big 12 is as Good as They've Ever Been
We mentioned Arizona, the #1 team coming into the week -- but the Big 12 as a whole has solidified themselves as the best conference to me. 4 Top 10 teams -- #1 Zona, #3 Houston, #5 Iowa State, and #9 Kansas (who just beat Zona). #16 Texas Tech has shown they can beat anyone, #22 BYU has firepower, and the middle teams of the B12 have won big games as well.
SEC in a Down Year -- but Still Dangerous in March
After last year when the SEC had a record-breaking 14 teams make March Madness -- it was inevitable a down year would follow. They'll still be looking at roughly 9-10 teams making the dance this year, but they lack the elite teams other conferences have. Still, with #14 Florida and #25 Kentucky rounding into shape, #21 Arkansas looking good, teams like #19 Vandy, Auburn, A&M, Tennessee all lurking -- I think the SEC could wind up with a few Sweet 16 teams.
The Big East is Dying
5 Big East Teams made the dance last year -- but they'll be lucky to get 3 this year. #6 UConn is still great (but to me, not a Title Team), #17 St. John's is coming around, and Villanova should be solid enough to make the tourney. Outside of them -- this conference is a dumpster fire. Creighton struck out, Georgetown too, Marquette is awful, Butler/Xavier/Providence are mid, and Seton Hall is returning to Earth after a hot start. Let SLU join the Big East!
The Dangerous Mid-Majors
Speaking of SLU, at 23-1, they're the #1 team in the nation outside of the Power 5 -- ranked #18 nationally, and dynamic on both ends. #23 Miami OH (24-0) is the only unbeaten team in America left -- but I have questions about their ability against better comp. Really think Utah State has deep-run potential with their guards, I love Tulsa and South Florida out of the American, Santa Clara has looked awesome from the WCC.
Some other lower-majors that I'd keep an eye out for if they make the Tourney: Liberty, Akron, Stephen F. Austin, High Point, Belmont, Winthrop, Hawaii and Cal Baptist.
The ACC is Much Improved
Last season was one of the worst in memory for the ACC -- with only 4 teams making March Madness (should've been only 3 -- UNC didn't deserve to make it). But this year, the ACC has improved vastly, and they have a handful of teams capable of deep runs. #4 Duke is a perennial Final 4 team, #11 UNC could get hot, #15 Virginia is very talented, #24 Louisville has a VERY high ceiling, #20 Clemson's been awesome, NC State and Miami are very strong.
The Big 10 is Top-Heavy with Title Contenders
We mentioned Michigan already, who is the odds-on favorite to win the National Championship at right around +400. They'll likely claim #1 spot in next week's AP Poll. But the B10 has a handful of teams that could win it all -- #8 Illinois has been very dangerous, #7 Nebraska is one of the biggest surprises of the season, #10 Michigan State is always a team to be wary of in March, and #13 Purdue is always capable with a Top-3 player in the country Braden Smith.
"All-Beans" Teams
This is like All-American Rosters, but for my favorite players to watch in College Basketball. Most of them will probably also find themselves on the All-American lists as well -- both because they're studs, and they're fun to watch. And in typical Beans-fashion, what started as 3 teams became 4 + 2 sets of honorable mentions.
Watching these guys and their teams are a good entry point for CBB if you aren't a huge fan -- find their games (on the list below this section) and see if you agree!
1st Team All-Beans
1: Darius Acuff (Arkansas)
2: Bennett Stirtz (Iowa)
3: Kingston Flemings (Houston)
4: Caleb Wilson (UNC)
5: Robbie Avila (Saint Louis) ((SLU's entire starting 5 could be 1st team, go watch SLU))
2nd Team All-Beans
1: Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt)
2: Darryn Peterson (Kansas) ((demoted to 2nd team cause he doesn't always play))
3: Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
4: AJ Dybansta (BYU)
5: Florida's Entire Frontcourt -- Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon
3rd Team All-Beans
1: Boopie Miller (SMU)
2: Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
3: Mason Falslev (Utah State)
4: Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State)
5: Zuby Ejiofor (St. John's)
All-Beans-Obscure-Team
1: Money Williams (Montana)
2: Nolan Minnessale (St. Thomas MN)
3: Stefan Vaaks (Providence)
4: Zach Cleveland (Liberty)
5: Frank Mitchell Jr. (St. Bonaventure)
Guys from random/smaller schools that I tune into just to see them play.
Honorable Mentions
JT Toppin (Texas Tech)
Mikel Brown Jr (Louisville)
Brayden Burries (Arizona)
Pryce Sandfort (Nebraska)
Silas Demary (UConn)
Guys I love watching that just missed the cut.
Dishonorable Mentions:
Cameron Boozer (Duke)
Braden Smith (Purdue)
Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State)
LaBaron Philon (Alabama)
Very good players that are undeniably fun to watch -- but I either hate them, or their team, or both (Booze). But worth checking out if you're unfamiliar with their game.
Biggest Games to Mark Your Calendar for ROS
And to conclude today's blog -- I'm going to give you a list of the biggest games remaining on the schedule before Conference Tournaments get going. If you're interested in catching games between teams that will be playing in March Madness -- or match-ups between teams likely fighting for spots in The Tourney -- these are the ones you need eyes on. Tried to have a game for every day before Conference Tourneys (excluding the next couple days -- peep our IG story for those!).
Friday 2/13
#10 Michigan State @ Wisconsin
Saturday 2/14
Monday 2/16
Tuesday 2/17
Wednesday 2/18
Friday 2/20 (Mid-Major Watch)
Saturday 2/21
Monday 2/23
Tuesday 2/24
Wednesday 2/25
Thursday 2/26
Friday 2/27
Saturday 2/28
Sunday 3/1
Monday 3/2
Tuesday 3/3
Wednesday 3/4
Texas @ #21 Arkansas
Thursday 3/5
#2 Michigan @ Iowa
Friday 3/6
#23 Miami OH @ Ohio
Saturday 3/7
Sunday 3/8
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