The 15 Biggest Disappointments of the College Basketball Season So Far
Biggest Disappointments of the College Basketball Season
Life is not always perfect and that is especially true in the world of sports. With that in mind, we will be looking at the 15 biggest disappointments of the college basketball season so far.
This article will feature two things. Players and teams. Although some have been more disappointing than others, all 15 have not met expectations up to this point.
The Tennessee Volunteers were expected to compete in the SEC in the 2013-14 season. Well, they are 11-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play. In no way is that competing for a conference title and this team may be in trouble of making the tournament.
At the same time, players like Jordan McRae have been awesome. He is currently leading the Volunteers with 18.4 points per game and is easily one of the best players in the SEC.
Injuries are probably the worst things that sports have to offer and it is always disappointing when a player goes down from one. You can bet that a couple of key injuries will appear. Injuries in general are disappointing. However, one of the players featured in this article was playing great ball before going down.
Some of these teams could be on the rise, while other teams continue to break our hearts. There are a few players who are no longer on their team as well. Unfortunately, a couple of the players listed may be done for the season thanks to that whole injury thing we were talking about earlier.
Regardless, there have been many disappointments in college hoops this season.
Read on to see the 15 biggest disappointments so far.
If you’re a tweeter feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry or add me to your network on Google.
Joe Harris, Virginia Cavaliers
Joe Harris was the fourth highest scorer in the ACC last season (16.9 PPG). This season he is only averaging 11.3 points per game, which is good enough for 32nd in the conference.
Mitch McGary, Michigan Wolverines
It is unfortunate that Mitch McGary has had back problems since Day 1 of the season and it is even more unfortunate that he had to have back surgery. McGary was a preseason All-American.
Oddly enough, the Wolverines have won seven games in a row and still seem to be contenders in the Big Ten.
St. John’s Red Storm
My hype meter was probably way too high for St. John’s entering the season and the team has been very disappointing so far. The Red Storm have one of the most talented teams in the conference--at least entering the season--but are already 0-5 in Big East Play.
La Salle Explorers
La Salle is on a five-game winning streak and is 3-0 in Atlantic 10 play. However, it lost six games in its non-conference schedule and only one was to a ranked opponent.
The Explorers made the NCAA tournament last season and had the talent to do so this season. They will have to finish really high in the conference standings to do so this year, but that non-conference schedule is really weighing them down.
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Jerian Grant was having an amazing senior year. He was averaging 19 points per game and 6.2 assists per game. Unfortunately, Grant is no longer on the team, which is a huge loss for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina Tar Heels
Just like Jerian Grant, P.J. Hairston is no longer on his team. North Carolina could have used his three-point shooting abilities and his scoring presence in general.
He led North Carolina in scoring last season with 14.6 points per game, but did not even get to play one game this season.
Chris Walker, Florida Gators
Chris Walker is still not cleared to play. He was ranked No. 12 in the 2013 class by ESPN, so it is kind of a big deal that he has not been able to take the court yet.
Not sure what the NCAA is waiting on, but hopefully we will get to see one of the most talented players in the 2013 class play for the Florida Gators soon.
This one is disappointing not only because Walker has not played yet, but also because he could be one-and-done after this season. That is just speculation, though
Boston College Eagles
Boston College had the talent to make the Big Dance entering the season, but they aren’t even worthy of making the NIT at this point. The Eagles stand at 5-13 and are 1-4 in the ACC.
Chane Behanan, Louisville Cardinals
Another great player who is no longer on his team. Chane Behanan averaged 9.8 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game last season and was supposed to be even better this one.
Unfortunately, he is no longer on Louisville, which definitely hurts its chances of winning back-to-back titles.
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina has beaten three top 11 teams (at the time) this season. It has also lost six games. The Tar Heels have clearly been very inconsistent and were expected to challenge for a national title. There is no guarantee that they make the dance and they are no longer ranked in the top 25.
Akil Mitchell, Virginia Cavaliers
Akil Mitchell is another Virginia player who has disappointed quite a bit this season, which is probably why the team has been disappointing as well.
He averaged 13.1 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game last season, but is only averaging 6.7 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game this year.
Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette made a trip to the Elite Eight last season. The Golden Eagles were one of the favorites to win the Big East coming into this season, but already have eight losses and hold a 2-3 record in the conference.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Colorado Buffaloes
Spencer Dinwiddie was having a great season for Colorado and the same thing could be said about the Buffaloes. He was averaging 14.7 points per game and was also shooting 41.3 percent from behind the arc.
Then life happened and Dinwiddie went down with a torn ACL.
Michigan Wolverines
As stated earlier, Michigan has now won seven games in a row. It is finally looking like a team that can challenge for a Big Ten title, but that does not mean it has not been disappointing so far.
The Wolverines lost four games in their non-conference schedule. They entered the year by being ranked in the top 10, but aren’t even ranked now.
However, that could change in the upcoming rankings thanks to the hot start in conference play and a huge victory over Wisconsin on the road last game.
Alex Poythress, Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky may have disappointed last season, but Alex Poythress still put up some solid numbers for a freshman, averaging 11.2 points per game and six rebounds per game.
This year he is only averaging 5.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Sure, the Wildcats brought in one of the best recruiting classes of all time, but Poythress is hardly a scoring threat now, which is disappointing for a player who was ranked No. 13 by ESPN in the 2012 class.
With that said, Poythress has scored 12 points twice in his last four games.
