Biggest surprise?

[kayako]

Villanova was impressive against Purdue, a team that should have been equipped to exploit their lack of size. Villanova this year reminds me of the Doug McDermott Creighton team of a few years ago. That team blew through the regular season but then stumbled in the postseason.

I agree with your optimism for Georgetown. Despite some early season losses, they have a lot of talent and JT III is showing signs of maturing as a coach. He may be doing his best job yet.

I like your comment about JTIII. The jury's still out, but it was painfully clear that he had to comb through the roster to define roles for his players. Perhaps it was his fault to be in such position to begin with, but watching Georgetown play this season made it clear to me that JTIII isn't content to just roll out his 4 and 5 star recuits and win with length, talent, pedigree. The Hoyas are playing faster, while fouling less & getting fouled more. Coaches can be ducking stubborn as hell, and it's a good sign when a coach who's had some success in the past is open to new ideas. It took a while for Jay Wright to realize that the matchup zone is a good compliment to man-to-man D.

[DudeAnon]

How Butler became one of college basketball’s biggest surprises

“If I said, ‘Naw, I expected this,’ you would say you’re full of crap,” Holtmann said. “I am [surprised]. I think we also recognize that league play is a different animal, but to say we expected to go 11-1, given our schedule, with this many new guys, I’d say I’m surprised.”

[Bill Marsh]

How Butler became one of college basketball’s biggest surprises

“If I said, ‘Naw, I expected this,’ you would say you’re full of crap,” Holtmann said. “I am [surprised]. I think we also recognize that league play is a different animal, but to say we expected to go 11-1, given our schedule, with this many new guys, I’d say I’m surprised.”

Did Holtmann just say that Stever is "full of crap"???

I'm shocked. The mods are going to have to step in and have a talk with Holtmann about his language and manners. Totally unacceptable.

[Wizard of Westroads]

KenPom: DePaul will not be the surprise team of the BE:

Falling back on the longer track record, this game is more likely to be an outlier rather than a turning point for either team. Sure, the Blue Demons will be competitive in some games – even the worst teams are at some point4 – and they may yet win Sunday against St. John’s. But based on what we’ve seen so far, even 6-12 would be a surprising accomplishment for Dave Leitao’s team.

http://kenpom.com/blog/is-there-hope-for-depaul/#more-1338

[Omaha1]

Creighton's Justin Patton went from an Omaha kid without any scholarship offers to a potential one and done. Surprise!

[Bill Marsh]

Creighton's Justin Patton went from an Omaha kid without any scholarship offers to a potential one and done. Surprise!

One and done??? You're joking of course.

[stever20]

Creighton's Justin Patton went from an Omaha kid without any scholarship offers to a potential one and done. Surprise!

One and done??? You're joking of course.

with how guard oriented the NBA is, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

[marquette]

Creighton's Justin Patton went from an Omaha kid without any scholarship offers to a potential one and done. Surprise!

One and done??? You're joking of course.

with how guard oriented the NBA is, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Since it's his second year at Creighton (red shirt), I think it might be

[Bill Marsh]

Creighton's Justin Patton went from an Omaha kid without any scholarship offers to a potential one and done. Surprise!

One and done??? You're joking of course.

with how guard oriented the NBA is, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Yeah, it is. No offense to the kid of course.

[Bill Marsh]

One and done??? You're joking of course.

with how guard oriented the NBA is, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Since it's his second year at Creighton (red shirt), I think it might be

Nah, he's not really playing at that level. His success is a product of opportunity + the system he plays in. Maybe after 4 years. Good for him for making the most of the opportunity.