It’s not even March yet and we are already seeing our fair share of upsets in college basketball. In fact, this is the first time that five No. 1 teams have lost before February since 1949. The latest No. 1 team to go down was Oklahoma on Monday night as they fell to No. 19 Iowa State, 82-77, at the Hilton Coliseum. Maybe there is something going around in the water in Iowa because this is the third No. 1 team to lose in the state this season. Northern Iowa previously defeated North Carolina and Iowa got the best of Michigan State when these teams squared off earlier in the season.
It’s not only the No. 1 spot that teams are having trouble winning in. Since Jan. 1, 16 top 10 teams have lost. In the past week, 21 ranked teams have lost with 13 of those losses coming to unranked teams.
What is even more shocking is that teams who are typically locks for the NCAA tournament year in and year out such as Kentucky and Duke are rapidly becoming bubble teams. Duke has lost three straight games and will most likely fall out of the top 25 next week. Kentucky, who was once ranked No. 1 earlier in the season, is currently ranked No. 23 and also on the verge of falling out of the top 25.
Now, what does this mean for college basketball? Well, you better have your popcorn ready when March Madness comes around. There is not a group of standout teams like there has been in years past. No teams are safe this year and as a result, there are going to be upsets galore come March.