http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/101958/top10thursday-most-disappointing-teamsFortunately, the editors are on the ball over at ESPN.com this morning. I managed to get my hands on the original post Myron submitted for publication:
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#Top10Thursday: Most disappointing teams
January, 8, 2015
By Myron Medcalf | ESPN.com
So, this isn't one of those feel-good lists. If your favorite team is mentioned here, it's not a good thing.
We're nearly halfway through the season. There's plenty of time for change -- for better or worse.
As of now, however, the following are the 10 most disappointing programs in 2014-15.
But first, here are three teams that barely missed the cut:
Syracuse -- Recent news that DaJuan Coleman will not play this season because of an injury only added to Cuse's woes. The Orange offense, in terms of efficiency, hasn't been this bad in more than a decade. But a 2-0 start to ACC play after Wednesday's gutsy win over Georgia Tech could mean Jim Boeheim's squad has found its mojo.
Florida -- The Gators have played a top-10 schedule and only suffered one bad loss on a freakish ending against Florida State. They essentially lost their starting five from last season and the leadership that those veterans provided.
Connecticut -- Yes, the Huskies are 2-5 against the BPI's top-100. That's not good for the defending national champs, but they're still ranked 20th in adjusted defensive efficiency. And those back-to-back one-point losses to Yale and Texas were the result of wacky last-second shots.
Marquette -- I'm from Milwaukee, and I saw a picture of Al McGuire once. Needless to say, I am disappointed in the Warriors (I'm from Milwaukee, so I don't have to apologize for calling Marquette by it's old nickname). I had them picked to finish last in the Big East, and here they are in seventh place. Irregardless, their sole conference win against Providence on the road would otherwise help there tournament resume if not for the fact they lost to DePaul in a home game at the US Cellular Arena. By the way, I'm from Milwaukee, so forgive my referring to an arena by it's old monikker.
Agree with this list? Disagree? Tell us on Twitter by using #Top10Thursday.
1. North Carolina Tar Heels
The bar can't change midseason. Before 2014-15 commenced, the talk around the Tar Heels centered on a possible Final Four run, national title contention and a challenge to Duke for the ACC crown. Maybe even winning it. The Tar Heels have lofty efficiency numbers, but you're supposed to beat Butler, Iowa (home) and Notre Dame (home) -- at least two of the three -- if you're a legit title contender. North Carolina hasn't met expectations yet.
2. Kansas State Wildcats
Has anyone heard from the Wildcats lately? With Marcus Foster (6-for-20 in the last three games), who cracked the first team of the preseason all-Big 12 squad, anchoring a unit that reached the NCAA tourney last season, it appeared that Bruce Weber's squad would slide into the conference mix at some point. Guess there's still time, but Kansas State's five sub-50 losses (BPI) and current three-game losing streak aren't exactly inspiring.
3. Michigan Wolverines
John Beilein usually finds a way. That's been the norm for the Wolverines. Nik Stauskas followed Trey Burke. And Caris LeVert entered this season as the next NBA-level wing for the Wolverines. But LeVert doesn't play power forward or center, so he can't help Michigan with its issues in the paint -- 323rd in offensive rebounding rate after Mitch McGary turned pro and Jon Horford transferred -- and that's a major problem for a program that has losses to Eastern Michigan and NJIT, and is ranked 75th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
4. Colorado Buffaloes
Here's the weird thing. This is essentially the same team that reached the NCAA tournament after Spencer Dinwiddie suffered a season-ending knee injury last season. The Buffaloes don't have any signature wins, and Hawaii is the worst of their six losses. Their offense is ranked 127th in adjusted efficiency. They're not a Pac-12 sleeper. They're just asleep.
5. Massachusetts Minutemen
What the heck is happening in Amherst? Yes, the Minutemen lost Chaz Williams, who obviously meant a lot to the program. That's not a legit excuse, though. They've lost to St. Bonaventure (No. 113 in BPI) by 14 and Florida Gulf Coast (No. 170 in BPI) by nine. They're 3-6 in their last nine. This is a sharp decline from last season when they were one of the nation's early surprises.
6. Harvard Crimson
Tommy Amaker's team has built a strong rep with three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and back-to-back advances to the second round. The expectations have changed with that success, though. And the Crimson haven't met them. They began the year at No. 25 in the preseason AP poll. And then they lost to Holy Cross (No. 269 in BPI), Virginia (by 49 points!) and Arizona State by double digits.
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Cornhuskers (No. 108 in BPI) were ranked in the preseason after last year's run to the Big Dance, the program's first since 1998. Things looked good this offseason, and then a mediocre offense got worse (259th in adjusted offensive efficiency per Ken Pomeroy). And they're committing turnovers on 21 percent of their possessions. NBA prospect Terran Petteway is committing 3.8 turnovers per game.
8. Memphis Tigers
Josh Pastner is a nice guy. But that doesn't mean a thing if your program is underachieving. Yes, Memphis lost a veteran backcourt that played a significant role for the Tigers in recent years. But Shaq Goodwin and Austin Nichols form a solid frontcourt. You just don't expect to see any Memphis team get whipped by every solid squad on its schedule to date (24-point loss to Baylor in November) while also suffering losses to Stephen F. Austin and Tulane.
9. UCLA Bruins
When Steve Alford accepted a big contract to lead the Bruins, he also accepted the responsibility of pumping out respectable units, even though UCLA is one of a few blue-chip programs that are perennially stripped of talent by the one-and-done culture. Still, Kevon Looney is a lottery pick. Alford's son, Bryce, is a solid guard. Norman Powell and Tony Parker are good. But the Bruins are ranked 134th in adjusted offensive efficiency. Yes, the Bruins have faced the No. 6 strength of schedule in the country, but they've also been embarrassed (five consecutive losses, including a 32-point loss at Utah over the weekend) against that slate.
10. Michigan State Spartans
First, the good. Michigan is now ninth in adjusted defensive efficiency, per Ken Pomeroy. The Spartans can compete in the Big Ten with top-10 defense. Now, the bad. Well, there was the Texas Southern loss (Branden Dawson didn’t play). They're 3-4 against the BPI top 100. They just crushed an Indiana team that was also a candidate for this list. That's promising, but their challenges on offense are not.
