NCAA Basketball

5 Teams On The Rise In College Basketball Week 2

5 Teams On The Rise In College Basketball Week 2

Rhode Island Nebraska
Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 NCAA tournament is over four months away, but it’s never too early to speculate on which teams will surprise us all come March. Several teams have exceeded expectations early on and will look to turn that success into a deep 2015 NCAA tournament run. Here are the five top teams on the rise after Week 1 of the 2014-15 college basketball season.

5. Texas A&M Aggies

Alec Caruso
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

5. Texas A&M Aggies

Alex Caruso
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Aggies’ lone early-season loss was by two to the Dayton Flyers on a neutral court. New Mexico and the College of Charleston are two very good wins. The SEC has looked absolutely terrible to start the season, so if Texas A&M can finish in the top five and win a few more non-conference games, then the Aggies could end up in the 2015 NCAA tournament.

4. Rhode Island Rams

Rhode Island Basketball
Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

4. Rhode Island Rams

Rhode Island Basketball
Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams have opened the season 3-0 with an impressive double-overtime win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Next up is Kansas, so it’s time for Rhode Island to show if they really are one of the most dangerous teams in the country.

3. California Golden Bears

Cal BAsketball
Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

3. California Golden Bears

Cal Basketball
Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona and UCLA are heavily favored in the Pac-12, but things seem to get confusing after those two teams. California has a nice win over Syracuse and look to be headed towards a postseason appearance.

2. Indiana Hoosiers

Tom Crean
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

2. Indiana Hoosiers

Tom Crean
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Hoosiers are 4-0 with a win over SMU. The Big 10 has multiple talented teams, but next to Wisconsin, no team is elite. With what the Hoosiers have shown so far, they are more than capable of finding that niche as the second-best team.

1. West Virginia Mountaineers

WVU Basketball Coach
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

1. West Virginia Mountaineers

WVU Basketball Coach
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Mountaineers are 5-0 after defeating the No. 17 UConn Huskies. WVU doesn’t face a favored opponent until December 20 against North Carolina State.

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