The first month of the 2022-23 campaign has been intriguing, to say the least.
Three schools have sat atop the AP Poll. Several new coaches began their tenure at notable programs. And a seven-footer from Canada has taken a commanding lead in the Wooden Award race.
Here are 10 things to know as college hoops enters conference play.
UConn is back
It's been a minute since UConn was a perennial contender. The Huskies have just one NCAA Tournament victory since capturing their fourth national championship in 2014. However, things finally appear to be trending back in the right direction.
Dan Hurley guided the program to a perfect 11-0 record in non-conference play, including a victory over Alabama en route to the Phil Knight Invitational championship and a true road win in Florida. Their average margin of victory during that span was 26 points.
UConn has the depth to be a second-weekend team. Donovan Clingan has formed arguably the nation's top center tandem with Adama Sanogo. Freshman forward Alex Karaban has provided floor spacing in place of injured starter Samson Johnson. Meanwhile, transfers Tristen Newton and Joey Calcaterra have fully bought into their respective roles alongside the Huskies' core trio of Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins, and Andre Jackson.
Edey's historic start
After spending two years splitting minutes with fellow Purdue big man Trevion Williams, 7-foot-4 Zach Edey has turned into college basketball's best player this season. The Toronto native is putting up an absurd 22.6 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks on 62.8% shooting from the field. He's on pace to be the only player in the last 30 years to put up those numbers.
On top of that, Edey's the unquestioned leader of the AP Poll No. 1, 12-0 Boilermakers, winning analytics site KenPom's game MVP award for every contest his team has played this season. Unsurprisingly, Edey is currently the runaway favorite for the Player of the Year award in betting markets.
Hopeless start for Louisville
If only Louisville fans knew things would get much, much worse after the program fired head coach Chris Mack in January following an 11-9 start to the season. The Cardinals hired Kenny Payne this offseason and opened the campaign a beyond dreadful 0-9.
Louisville's issues go beyond its record. The team is extremely poorly constructed. Junior college transfer El Ellis is the team's only ball-handling guard, and he's surrounded by endless wings and bigs who can't shoot. To make matters worse, the Cardinals struck out on 2023's top prospect D.J. Wagner, who chose in-state rival Kentucky between the two schools. With Payne struggling on the court and recruiting trail, calls for his job are beginning just months after his tenure started.
Big 12's non-conference dominance
All 10 schools in the Big 12 have already made a claim this season for a bid in the NCAA Tournament. Texas, Baylor, and Kansas have dominated, as expected. But each squad in the conference possesses a record above .500 and sits in KenPom's top 55. Even presumed basement-dwellers West Virginia, Iowa State, and Kansas State has combined to post a 29-5 mark.
Naturally, some teams will return to earth when they have to play a gauntlet conference schedule against each other. Still, we should expect at least seven or eight of these programs to be featured prominently in March Madness.
Freshman disappointments
With expected top-two NBA draft picks Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson not playing college basketball, the expectations for the sport's freshman class were relatively low entering the season. And yet, those hopes may have still been too lofty.
Of ESPN's 25 five-star prospects in the 2022 class, only four are averaging at least 15 points per game. Duke's Dereck Lively and Dariq Whitehead, the class' top two recruits, are scoring less than seven points a contest. Villanova's Cam Whitmore and Arkansas' Nick Smith, arguably the two best NBA prospects of the bunch, missed significant portions of the early season. There's always the hope some players turn things around, but it's safe to call this cohort of freshmen a relative disappointment up until now.
UNC showing life after slow start
Maybe we shouldn't have been surprised by North Carolina's 5-4 start. After all, this is virtually the same team that was on the bubble ahead of last year's tourney before getting hot at the perfect time. The Tar Heels are just the sixth school since the 1961-62 campaign to go from preseason No. 1 to unranked, but they're the fastest of the group to tumble out of the AP Top 25.
Armando Bacot picked up where he left off last season but needs help. Hubert Davis' squad ranks 317th in 3-point percentage, with their starting backcourt of Caleb Love and RJ Davis shooting a combined 29.9%. That isn't enough when your best player primarily operates in the paint. Brady Manek's departure has also hurt North Carolina. The Oklahoma transfer's ability to stretch the floor freed up Bacot in the post. And Manek's hustle on the offensive glass and passing were difference-makers during the Tar Heels' run to the national championship game.
Still, the ingredients are there to turn things around. North Carolina has rattled off four straight wins, including a thrilling comeback victory in overtime against Ohio State at Madison Square Garden.
Remaining undefeated teams
Just three teams out of 363 remain unbeaten over a month-and-a-half into the campaign - Connecticut, Purdue, and New Mexico. Purdue and UConn put together outstanding cores next to two of the nation's best big men - Edey and Sanogo.
New Mexico, on the other hand, is a different case. The Lobos haven't played a single power conference school this season and won't until any potential postseason tournament since they play in the Mountain West. Led by electric guard Jaelen House - son of former NBA player Eddie House - New Mexico plays a fun, up-tempo style that could make some noise in March Madness should it qualify.
Though just missing the cut, Virginia, Utah State, Mississippi State, and UNLV all went well over a month into the season before dropping their first games.
This isn't the Gonzaga of recent years
Make no mistake, Gonzaga remains a threat to produce another deep run in March. But despite entering 2022-23 as the No. 2 team in the nation, this isn't the juggernaut from the previous two campaigns. Both of those rosters featured multiple NBA prospects, while this season's squad may only see Drew Timme reach the next level.
The Bulldogs have already dropped three games in non-conference play, nearly eclipsing their total from all of last season. Their guard play has been inconsistent. Former five-star recruit Nolan Hickman has been up-and-down in his first year running the point. Meanwhile, upperclassmen Rasir Bolton and Malachi Smith haven't been dependable secondary scoring options, putting more of the offensive burden on Timme.
While Timme has shown the ability to take over any game, the big man needs more support if Gonzaga hopes to capture its first national championship. It's no coincidence the Zags' signature wins against Kentucky and Alabama each featured a balanced attack.
Villanova adjusting to life without Wright
It's pretty jarring to see Villanova go through some early adversity after two decades of consistent success under Jay Wright. The Wildcats dropped five games during their non-conference schedule for the first time since 2011-12, which was one of two losing campaigns under the Hall of Famer.
Kyle Neptune's first slate of contests as the program's new bench boss wasn't easy by any means. But a loss to Portland and a hard-fought victory against one-win Delaware State aren't the most inspiring results. Fortunately, things appear to be turning around just in time for Big East play.
Whitmore, a five-star freshman, has provided a spark on both ends since returning from injury, averaging 12.4 points, 6.2 boards, and 1.4 steals during Villanova's current five-game win streak. Senior guard Justin Moore should provide a similar two-way impact once he returns from a torn Achilles. The Wildcats' initial defensive struggles largely contributed to their 2-5 start. Don't be surprised if they find their stride in the second half of the season.
Pac-12's weird season
It's been a weird campaign for the Conference of Champions. Three Pac-12 teams made the AP's latest poll, and four have already tallied at least 10 wins. However, ten of its members suffered defeats to mid-major schools.
It's not surprising to see the likes of California and Oregon State responsible for some of those losses. However, it's stunning to see conference-leading Arizona State fall to a 3-8 Texas Southern squad that was overmatched in all of its games this season against ranked opponents. USC and Washington are also up in the standings but have dropped home games to Florida Gulf Coast and California Baptist, respectively.
Only time will tell if these head-scratching losses are a true indicator of the Pac-12's strength.
