The 2006 college basketball season has been a one that has seen some sleeping giants like Villanova and Ohio State have outstanding seasons, and many of the traditional schools such as Arizona, Kentucky, and Louisville struggle. With two weeks remaining until bid day, many of the nation's most recognized programs have work left to do to receive their invitation to the NCAA tournament.
Note that records are as of 02/27/06 and numbers in parenthesis indicate RPI.
Arizona (16-10)
RPI: 17; Road record: 4-7; Last 10: 6-4
Good wins: Washington (35), Stanford (twice-89), California (65), Kansas (41)
Bad losses: Oregon (169), Oregon State (169), USC (98)
Season summary:: Lost to Michigan State and UConn after defeating Kansas to begin the season at the Maui Invitational. Lost at Houston in early December to drop to 2-3. Jawaan McClellan who was academically ineligible to begin the season, returned in January only to injure his wrist and was lost for the season after only two games. McClellan was being counted on as the Wildcats' best outside shooter.
A day after losing McClellan, Chris Rodgers was suspended. After meeting undisclosed requirements set by the UA coaching staff, Rodgers returned for Arizona's road trip to Cal and Stanford. Highly-ranked to begin the season, team has never jelled or overcome the losses of Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire.
Key players: Hassan Adams, Ivan Radinovich, Mustafa Shakur
Players to watch: Marcus Williams, Kurt Walters
California (17-7)
RPI: 17; Road record: 4-7; Last 10: 6-4
Good wins: Arizona (17), Stanford (89), UCLA (14), San Diego State (63), Washington (35)
Bad losses: Eastern Michigan (299), DePaul (95), Oregon State (169), Arizona State (163)
Season summary: Tough team to figure out. Began the season with a loss at 6-18 Eastern Michigan, won six straight, and then lost at Kansas and to DePaul. Bad home losses to Pac-10 bottom-dwellers ASU and Oregon State could potentially be damaging. Eight wins in their last 10 games a plus. The Bears need to close the season strong and win at least one round in the Pac-10 tournament.
Key players: Leon Powe, Ayinde Ubaka
Player to watch: Richard Midgley
Indiana (14-10)
RPI: 44; Road record: 3-7; Last 10: 3-7
Good wins: Kentucky (40), Michigan (31), Ohio State (7) Illinois (12)
Bad losses: Indiana State (143), Penn State (115), Minnesota (61)
Season summary: After a 10-2 and then 13-5, start IU's season has imploded. Mike Davis announced he will step down at the end of the season. IU looked like a possible Big 10 title contender early in the conference season, bolting out 4-1. A season-long foot injury to 2005 Big 10 Player of the Year D.J. White limited him to just five games early.
Key players: Marco Killingsworth, Robert Vaden, Marshall Strickland
Player to watch: Roderick Wilmot
Louisville 17-10
RPI: 67; Road Record: 1-7; Last 10: 4-6
Good wins: Cincinnati (26)
Bad losses: Rutgers (86), Providence (81), St. John's (129)
Season summary: Built a gaudy 12-1 record through a largely unchallenging non-conference schedule. Their only impressive win came against Cincinnati in the Big East. Their only tough game during non-conference was a loss to Kentucky. Taquan Dean and David Padgett, expected to be Louisville's best players, have hobbled throughout the season with injuries. Padgett was finally lost for the season with a knee injury this week. Will likely need a extended run through the Big East tournament to have at the least a chance to grab an at-large bid. Was a top-10 team to begin the season.
Key players: Taquan Dean, Brandon Jenkins
Player to watch: Juan Palacios
Maryland 16-10
RPI: 45; Road Record: 1-5; Last 10: 4-6
Good wins: Arkansas (56), Boston College (34), Virginia (71), Minnesota (61)
Bad losses: Miami (FL) (72), Temple (62), Clemson (66)
Season summary: Similar season to Louisville, in that they jumped out to an 11-2 record against a mostly cupcake schedule. They loss of second leading scorer Chris McCray as an academic casualty after 16 games has been crippling to Gary Williams. The tournament committee doesn't look fondly on teams that are without key players entering the NCAA's. This would be the second consecutive year missing the NCAA's after 11 straight trips.
Key players: Nik Caner-Medley, Ikene Ebekwe, D.J. Strawberry
Player to watch: Mike Jones
All of these schools have advanced the Final Four in this decade with the exception of California. Names coaches and schools are what drive the excitement in March. With every passing year, the mid-majors become a bigger part of college basketball. The cut in scholarships and bigger exposure for teams like Gonzaga and the Missouri Valley Conference have created more parity. With the conference tournaments heating up, these will be some of the teams to watch. For bubble teams, their NCAA tournament begins now.
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