We are so far into the college basketball season it is incredible to think that we still have two teams that are undefeated. The two teams with perfect seasons more than deserve it. Until recently there were three undefeated teams in college basketball, the third team was Baylor. The Baylor Bears lost their undefeated record when they got smacked around by the Kansas Jay Hawks in a game that actually looked way too one sided. I was disappointed by the way that Baylor performed, but everyone knows that there is a difference in conference game play and playing on the road.
Baylor, even with a loss to Kansas, will most likely drop a little in the standings, but should be ranked among the top ten teams – perhaps even the top five. Baylor now has the same record as the Kentucky Wildcats, who are 17-1 for the season. Kentucky is ranked second behind Syracuse.
So we are now left with two undefeated teams, Syracuse and Murray State. Syracuse is ranked first in the nation with the perfect record of 20-0. They are currently 7-0 in Big East play which is just as impressive due to the fact that the Big East is one tough conference. The Orangemen will have to defend their perfect season, this Saturday, against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame whom are 11-8 for the season and 3-3 in Big East play. So far this season, the closest game for Syracuse was when they beat the then ranked number nine Florida Gators by four points.
The second undefeated team, The Murray State Racers, are 18-0 for the season and 6-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. They are currently ranked number ten in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and number twelve in the AP Top 25. I have to say that I am not that impressed with this team. The teams they have played have not been that notable, with the exception of the Memphis Tigers who were ranked 20th when they played. The Racers have had two close calls, a seven point win against UAB and a 70-67 squeaker by San Francisco.
Putting aside the fact that Murray State plays in a weak conference, it is still impressive to be undefeated. After all, winning eighteen straight games takes merit and some good basketball playing! Their next opponent will be Morehead State on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if they can keep the streak alive and keep rising in the rankings.
