The college basketball season is well under way and conference play has proven to be the loose strand that has unraveled more than a few preseason top 25 teams. Boston College, once ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation, has gone 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference thus far. The Eagles have lost heartbreakers to ACC foes Maryland and Georgia Tech by two points each, mostly due to the fact that the team's free throw percentage can't even measure up to Jared Dudley's waist size.
Michigan State, also a preseason top-25 team, has experienced similar woes in the Big Ten, starting with an equally disappointing 0-2 conference record. The only difference is that Michigan State has been blown out in its recent defeats, losing by a combined 29 points to Illinois and Wisconsin in its past two games.
So here we are, not even 15 games into the season, and only three of the top 25 teams still have the ever-impressive goose egg in the loss column, which begs the question: How long can these teams go without losing?
No. 20 Pittsburgh (12-0, 1-0 Big East)
The Panthers barely survived their last game, clawing their way to a 100-97 victory in a double overtime nail-biter against unranked Notre Dame to improve to 12-0 on the season.
Pitt is led by senior guard Carl Krauser, who, in 31 minutes per game, is averaging over 17 points.
Junior center Aaron Gray has been a dominant presence in the post for Pitt. At seven-feet and 275 pounds, it's not hard to imagine why he's averaging a double-double so far this season.
The biggest test for Pitt will come on Jan. 15, when the Panthers travel to Kentucky and play a very tough Rick Pitino-coached Louisville team.
Even if Pitt manages to edge out Louisville on its home court, it is not likely that the Panthers will survive the month of January without a loss, as they will face No. 24 Syracuse at home on Jan. 23, and then travel to No. 4 UConn on January 31.
No. 2 Florida (14-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference)
Florida has shocked the college hoops world by climbing its way up from the preseason obscurity of the unranked to its current ranking as the second-best team in the country. What is even more surprising is the fact that the Gators are an extremely young team. Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Joakim Noah and Al Horford are all sophomores, but each started every game this season and averaged at least 20 minutes and 12 points per game.
Although the SEC is not the ACC or Big 10, it is certainly a very tough college basketball conference; the Gators will have to contend with some possible stumbling blocks as they seek to extend the best start in school history.
If the Gators can go unbeaten in their next three home games, they will then have to travel to Tennessee for an SEC grudge match on the Volunteers' home court. And let's not forget that right after the Tennessee game, Florida will have to play at South Carolina, who only lost by seven points to Tennessee and, at 9-5, is still a very tough team at home. With too little experience and too many road games, do not expect the Gators to stay undefeated for long.
No. 1 Duke (14-0, 2-0 ACC)
The Blue Devils are coming off a very impressive performance against ACC foe Wake Forest, winning 82-64 and making the Demon Deacons look more like a high school team than the No. 22 team in the country. Senior star J.J. Redick has continued his stellar play against ranked opponents. Averaging 25-plus points per game on the season, he is doing all he can to lead the ACC powerhouse to an NCAA championship.
Senior forward Shelden Williams has struggled with foul trouble early on in many of Duke's contests this season, a fact that may be the one problem with the Blue Devils' offense. But if he stays healthy and on the court, he may provide the yin to Redick's yang and presents half of a nearly unstoppable offensive threat.
The rest of Duke's schedule is riddled with top 25 teams, as the Blue Devils have No. 21 Maryland and No. 18 NC State at home, and travel to No. 14 Boston College -- all in the next three weeks. If the Blue Devils survive and reach February still unbeaten, they will have a grueling set of road games ahead of them, playing the always popular game at No. 20 UNC in Chapel Hill and then traveling further north to play at No. 21 Maryland.
Anyone who has seen any of the UNC/Duke games in the past 10 years knows that, no matter what the teams are ranked, the games are always close, the kids play as hard as they can and anything can happen.
Some are saying that this 2005-06 Duke team is destined to win every game. Some are certain that Duke will run the table all the way through the NCAA tournament and finish the season undefeated for the first time since the Indiana Hoosiers went unbeaten in 1976. I say, let's wait and see how the Blue Devils play at the Dean Dome before we start talking about the Devils' destiny.
