Home » Sports » NCAA Basketball » What is This? December Madness?

What is This? December Madness?

© Chris Lin

With all of the early departures to the NBA and the unpredictability of young stars, the early season has had more shocks and surprises than we are normally accustomed to. In the beginning of the season, Ball State was the best team in Indiana, Western Kentucky was the best team in Kentucky, and Arizona, after losing four starters, beat Maryland, Illinois, and Florida. Even Duke, which has an enviable combination of star power, experience, and quality depth, found problems against Seton Hall. But now that the smoke has cleared, who’s the best? And who are the pretenders?

Before the season started, people were all too quick to hand Duke the ranking of No. 1. The Blue Devils were the defending champs, they returned the best player in the country in Jason Williams, and their returning class was terrifying. Still, people may have overestimated Duke’s ability to overcome two huge losses. Senior Nate James was a solid and versatile player for Coach K, and his ability to hit big shots and provide stability in the lineup was crucial in the championship run. However, the biggest loss was Shane Battier. For four years, the 6’9” forward punished teams with tremendous defensive play, great post play, and remarkable perimeter shooting. When he left for the NBA, Duke lost a great leader and playmaker. This year, Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy, and sensational sophomore Chris Duhon were expected to pick up the load. Unfortunately, the early season showed that it would take some time to return to dominant form. Yet in a huge rout over a pretty good Michigan team, the Blue Devils showed how good they could be. A 95-93 win over #8 Kentucky was tough, but it brought out character and toughness. This team has dodged some bullets, and deserve to be the #1 team in the nation.

In my mind, though, the country’s best team is in the same conference as the Blue Devils. As you probably guessed, it’s not North Carolina, but the Maryland Terrapins. Everybody was talking about these guys last year, but they’re probably even better this year. People talk about the experience of Duke’s stars, but the Terps two main studs are seniors, and they may be the best at their positions in the country. Center Lonny Baxter has been downright dominant, and if he continues to play like this, he will be scary. Juan Dixon’s three-point shooting has been down a bit, but that will come. An opening day loss to Arizona and a big loss to Oklahoma has left some scratching their heads, but this team certainly has the experience and talent. Last season, they had some difficulties early on, but when they started to roll, they were unstoppable. Expect big things from this team.

The copyright of the article What is This? December Madness? in NCAA Basketball is owned by Chris Lin. Permission to republish What is This? December Madness? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.