Steve Fisher is best known as the coach of Michigan’s Fab Five. The job he has done as San Diego State, however, is perhaps more significant.
Before he took over the program in 1999, the Aztecs had 13 losing seasons in 14 years, yet he has guided them to the NCAA Tournament six times and is on course for a seventh bid.
San Diego State, at 12-1, stunned Kansas on Sunday after previously topping Creighton and Marquette and nearly knocking off top-ranked Arizona earlier in the season. And to think, this was supposed to be a transition season for Fisher and Co.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1. Arizona (1):Â How tough can the Wildcats be on the defensive end? They held Washington State to 25 points in an entire game. Not a half. Not most of a game. Forty minutes of basketball.
2. Syracuse (2): The Orange’s ACC debut was ugly, a low-scoring victory over Miami, a program expected to finish near the bottom of the conference. But it was a win, Syracuse’s 14th against no losses, just the latest example of what this team lacks in talent it makes up for in smarts, basketball IQ and knowhow.
3. Ohio State (3): All eyes will be on East Lansing on Tuesday night when the Buckeyes visit Michigan State. Ohio State is one of only five undefeated teams left in the country — Arizona, Syracuse, Iowa State and Wichita State are the others — but it has played the weakest schedule of the quintet by far. A win Tuesday night will put to rest any lingering questions about Thad Matta’s club.
4. Wisconsin (5): The Badgers matched the best start in program history, set in 1911-12 and 1913-14, with a gritty, come-from-behind win over Iowa on Sunday night to improve to 15-0. Wisconsin wasn’t considered a Big Ten contender during the preseason, which should tell you something about the experts out there.
5. Florida (7): Saturday’s come-from-behind win over Richmond illustrated why the Gators are so tough. Four different players — Casey Prather, Scottie Wilbekin, Patric Young and Michael Frazier II — took turns during the second-half rally. Florida has a litany of weapons at its disposal down the stretch, a luxury few teams have.
6. Wichita State (8): The Shockers aren’t just winning these days, they are doing so convincingly, by double figures in their last four games. Saturday offers a rare in-conference test, as Wichita State travels to Missouri State, one of its top challengers in the Missouri Valley Conference.
7. Michigan State (9):Â Two impressive road wins, at Penn State and Indiana, have the Spartans trending upwards after a series of unimpressive performances during the non-conference slate. Despite an ankle injury that cost him three games, sophomore guard Gary Harris is playing like a future lottery pick, averaging over 18 points per game and nearly three assists.
8. Iowa State (12): The Cyclones are a perfect example of “team.” They don’t have any superstars, no one-and-done hotshot freshmen, just a lot of smart, skilled players who work well together, and as a result Fred Hoiberg’s bunch looks like a serious player come March.
9. Villanova (13): The start of conference play didn’t do much to stifle Villanova’s mojo. The Wildcats survived Hinkle Fieldhouse, pulling out an overtime victory over Butler, and destroyed Providence at home Sunday night. Villanova is the clear-cut favorite in the Big East.
10. San Diego State (21): This was supposed to be a down year for the Aztecs, the season before they welcome a trio of highly rated recruits. Yet, there they were Sunday afternoon, shocking Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, and announcing to the country they belong in the conversation with the West Coast’s elite, right there with Arizona and Oregon and Gonzaga and UCLA.
11. Duke (4): Mike Krzyzewski’s decision to bench star freshman Jabari Parker over the final five minutes of Duke’s loss at Notre Dame on Saturday was interesting on a variety of levels. It’s safe to say the Chicago phenom, the best freshman in the country by a wide margin thus far, has never sat because of ineffectiveness — he shot 2-of-10 and committed two turnovers — so how he reacts, in terms of his play and attitude toward Krzyzewski, bears watching. It was a gutsy — and debatable — move by the legendary coach.
12. Oklahoma State (6): The Cowboys are going to need more production from Brooklyn product Kamari Murphy now that Michael Cobbins is done for the year with a torn Achilles tendon. The former Bishop Ford and Lincoln star managed just two points and three rebounds in Saturday’s road loss at Kansas State, despite 33 minutes of action.
13. Baylor (15): Who would’ve thought at the start of January the two hottest teams in the Big 12 wouldn’t have Andrew Wiggins or Marcus Smart on them. Iowa State and Baylor, however, are playing crisp basketball and just happen to meet Tuesday in Ames, an interesting early-season showdown between surprising conference contenders.
14. Kentucky (14): Unlike much of the country, conference play doesn’t equate to a tougher schedule for Kentucky. It means more winnable games, matchups with Georgia and Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Texas A&M. It should allow the Wildcats to get on a nice run in the coming weeks.
15. Louisville (16): The Cardinals bounced back from the Kentucky loss and forward Chane Behanan’s dismissal with road wins at Central Florida and Rutgers. Most importantly, last March’s Final Four MOP Luke Hancock averaged 15.5 points in the two wins, his two highest scoring outputs of the season.
16. Colorado (NR)
17. Oregon (10)
18. Memphis (11)
19. Illinois (19)
20. Creighton (22)
21. Kansas (17)
22. Iowa (20)
23. Cincinnati (NR)
24. Missouri (24)
25. Gonzaga (25)
Dropped out: Connecticut, North Carolina
Stock Watch — Up
Justin Jackson
Cincinnati came into the season in desperate need of a Robin to Sean Kilpatrick’s Batman, a role this senior forward has adopted quite well. The AAC Player of the Week three times running, Jackson has emerged as a go-to option on the low blocks. He was tremendous in the upset at Memphis on Saturday, with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks.
Atlantic 10
So much for the departure of Xavier and Butler weakening the conference. It just might be stronger than last season, arguably better than the Big East, SEC and ACC from top to bottom. Rhode Island, expected to finish in the middle of the league at best, upset LSU on Saturday. Richmond, picked sixth, nearly toppled SEC powerhouse Florida. UMass, St. Louis, VCU, George Washington and Dayton all look like NCAA Tournament teams.
Stock Watch —Â Down
North Carolina
We said weeks ago nothing North Carolina does will surprise us. The Tar Heels are college basketball’s most enigmatic team this year, having beaten the likes of Kentucky and Louisville and now having lost to Belmont, Wake Forest and UAB. Poor Roy Williams’ hair is going to fall out by March.
Oregon
Lost amid the Ducks’ 13-0 start, all the big talk about their prolific offense, was the their porous play on the defensive end. It came to the forefront Sunday night when Colorado hung up 100 points on Oregon, just as Ole Miss did in a December loss. Sure, the Pac-12 power plays up-tempo, but its opposition is averaging a shade over 74 points per game, a high number for a top team, and Colorado shot a scorching 56 percent from the field and went to the line 39 times.