The stories sometimes overshadow the conversations about teams that have quietly made progress at this stage of the season.
Just this week, Purdue and Kentucky claimed they had a “Big Z” in Wooden Award winner Zach Edey and newcomer Zvonimir Ivisic, respectively. DePaul fired Tony Stubblefield after his team's 3-15 start. Now, a new coach will try to rebuild DePaul and lead the program to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years. Good luck.
Terrence Shannon Jr. of Illinois, who was arrested in December on felony rape charges, returned to court after a federal judge granted his request for a temporary injunction over the school's decision to suspend him. And the South Carolina Gamecocks, who a year ago won just 11 games in Lamont Paris's first season at the helm, have already far surpassed that number of victories, highlighted by beating top-ranked Kentucky for the second year in a row on Tuesday.
But the North Carolina Tar Heels haven't been mentioned much in national headlines in recent weeks. The Tar Heels probably don't care, though. They haven't lost since December 16 and are the best defensive team in the ACC. They also lead the league in offensive rebound rate. Then there's DaRon Holmes II and Dayton, who have won 13 straight games and should be the favorites in every Atlantic 10 game the rest of the way. Auburn, meanwhile, had not only started the week on a wild 11-game winning streak, but also won every game by an average of 20.9 points per game before its first SEC loss on Wednesday at Alabama.
Right now, some of America's best teams are quietly making their way to the NCAA tournament, while other teams are grabbing the headlines. Maybe that will make them even more dangerous in the postseason.
All ESPN Bet odds.
Friday, 8 pm Eastern, FS1
Tom Izzo said the shots would fall…eventually. Following a loss to Duke in the Champions Classic, Michigan State's 3-point percentage in three games (8-for-50) was the program's worst start in 25 years. A surprising turnaround for a team that had made 39% of its 3-point attempts (third in the country) last season. But Izzo was right. Gunshots began to fall again.
Entering its road game at Wisconsin, Michigan State had made 40.5% of its 3-point attempts in Big Ten play. The Badgers (42% in the league) have been better. But they face a Spartans team that has won eight of its last 10 games. Greg Gard's team crushed Michigan State in East Lansing earlier this season, but Izzo defeated Wisconsin on the road in four of its last five meetings in Madison.
Medcalf's choice: Michigan State, 78-75; Against the spread: Not available at time of publication
Saturday, 12 pm Eastern, ESPN
The season didn't start exactly as Jerome Tang had planned. Desi Sills, Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell, three key players from last March's magical Elite Eight run, went on to pursue professional careers. Then, Nae'Qwan Tomlin (10.4 points per game last season) was suspended and later removed from the team after an incident at a bar. Still, the Wildcats entered the week with a 4-1 record in Big 12 play, which was good enough to tie for first place with Texas Tech.
However, they have also entered their most difficult stretch, starting in Houston. The Cougars stumbled early in their new league with back-to-back road losses at Iowa State and TCU this month, but have now won three in a row and rank first in adjusted defensive efficiency in KenPom. Nine of their opponents this season have failed to score more than 50 points against them. Plus, LJ Cryer (11 of 23 from 3-point range over the last three games) is on fire right now.
Medcalf's choice: Houston, 63-53; Against the spread: Not available at time of publication
Saturday, 1:30 pm ET, CBS
At this point in the season, every coach in the country is hoping to solidify their rotations. Sure, eight or nine guys could have played in most of the November and December games. However, once we get to the end of January, it will be time to identify the starting five and one or two players who can come off the bench. The latter is often the difference between who survives March and who returns home early.
Over the past week, both Kansas and Iowa State found a spark in their rotation that strengthened their postseason hopes. In four games as a starter for the Jayhawks, 6-foot-9 Australian forward Johnny Furphy averaged 14.5 points per game and made 48% of his 3-point attempts after replacing four-star recruit Elmarko Jackson. Meanwhile, for the Cyclones, Curtis Jones has stepped up. On Saturday at TCU, with Tamin Lipsey (14.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg) out with a shoulder injury, the 6-4 guard finished with 17 points and seven steals in a 73-game win. -72. Both are promising developments for both teams.
Medcalf's choice: Kansas, 83-81; Against the spread: Not available at time of publication
SEASON TOTALS
Medcalf's choices are clear: 26-15
Against the spread: 19-22
