6 Underrated College Basketball Teams at the Start of February
For fans and media alike, keeping up with the entire college basketball landscape is no easy task.
First of all, there are 362 programs in Division I—and that alone presents a herculean challenge. Secondly, the reality is that ranked teams tend to garner most of the headlines.
But the men's NCAA tournament includes 68 bids, meaning many programs outside the Top 25 will earn a spot on the sport's greatest stage. It's our responsibility to dive deeper—even if, relative to the entire CBB world, we're still in relatively shallow waters. Besides, this is the fun stuff anyway.
The list, while subjective, is effectively a personal list of intriguing teams that opened February outside the AP Top 25.
Appalachian State Mountaineers
1 of 6Throughout its 50-plus years in Division I, Appalachian State has reached the NCAA tournament only three times.
But a fourth trip is very, very possible in 2024.
Led by a stingy defense, App State boasts a 19-4 record with a 10-1 mark against Sun Belt competition. The team boasts the fifth-lowest opponent effective field-goal percentage in the country.
Additionally, the Mountaineers picked up a victory over Auburn in December and recently swept the regular-season series with James Madison—which already has 20 wins. Yes, they'll presumably need a Sun Belt tourney crown to punch a March Madness ticket, but that combination is an encouraging indicator of App State's upside.
Though any upset loss would ruin this possibility, App State has a shot to secure its first AP Top 25 ranking in program history this season.
Cincinnati Bearcats
2 of 6
Cincinnati is so close.
On the bright side, the Bearcats have clipped Top 25 opponents BYU and Texas Tech on the road. They've also endured narrow losses to Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma and Kansas—all potential NCAA tourney teams.
In short: Cincinnati is a prime example of a bubble team.
As of this writing, the Bearcats are only the second team out of the consensus 68-team field on the latest BracketMatrix update. They're good enough to compete with the nation's best teams, yet they also absolutely must a stack a few victories to pad their resume.
The defense-driven squad—one that ranks 16th in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom—has a few valuable chances on the horizon with Houston (twice), Iowa State, TCU and Oklahoma left to play.
Colorado State Rams
3 of 6
After navigating a frustrating year in 2022-23, Colorado State is back in the mix as a potential at-large team.
Fifth-year guard Isaiah Stevens is the headliner, providing 16.6 points and a career-high 7.1 assists per game. Four players average double figures for the Rams, who rank fifth nationally in effective field-goal percentage.
The recent slip at Wyoming stung CSU, and a rough three-week stretch in January has unquestionably narrowed the team's margin for error.
However, the Rams seem to have recovered and beat San Diego State to notch a fourth Quadrant 1 victory. Previously this season, they defeated Creighton, Colorado and conference foe New Mexico. CSU holds a solid 7-4 mark against Quadrant 1/2 competition.
At the very least, Colorado State has the firepower to be a thorn on the opening weekend of the Big Dance.
Indiana State Sycamores
4 of 6
Purdue is once again one of the nation's best teams. A little farther down the state, however, is a surging mid-major.
Indiana State, which last appeared in March Madness in 2011, has sprinted out to a 20-3 record. None of the losses—on the road at Alabama, Michigan State and Drake—should be labeled a bad result, either.
No team in the country has a more efficient offense; ISU sits atop the nation with a 60.7 effective field-goal percentage. Isaiah Swope, Robbie Avila and Ryan Conwell each attempt four-plus triples per game and connect at a rate of 39.1 percent or higher.
Nevertheless, the Sycamores haven't cracked the Top 25.
Should it happen, however, the program would snap a drought that extends back to the iconic 1978-79 campaign when ISU reached the national championship game with Larry Bird and Carl Nicks.
San Diego State Aztecs
5 of 6
Yes, the reigning national runner-up is flying a little under the radar.
San Diego State opened the season at No. 17 but soon slipped out of the poll—and exited as quickly as it entered twice more. The mini-roller coaster has sent the Aztecs on an adventurous path to 17-5.
Any loss is disappointing, sure. Falling on the road to potential NCAA tourney teams New Mexico, Boise State and Colorado State isn't necessarily a harbinger of doom, though. After all, the Aztecs have victories over Saint Mary's, Gonzaga and Utah State anyway.
Defense, as usual, is the backbone of the SDSU roster. In particular, the unit normarly is suffocating on the perimeter and so far has yielded just a 29.8 long-range clip.
As long as 20-point scorer Jaedon LeDee is producing to complete this defense, the Aztecs can be an exasperating opponent.
South Carolina Gamecocks
6 of 6
If you haven't yet come around on South Carolina, be prepared to make a decision in the near future.
Now, the Gamecocks have not always deserved a mountain of praise this season. They endured a 27-point drubbing at Alabama early in January and a home loss to Georgia in the middle of the month.
During an eight-day stretch, though, South Carolina ripped off an emphatic upset of Kentucky and clipped Tennessee on the road. The team's resume ascended from bubble-ish to narrowly missing a top-six seed projection, according to Bracket Matrix.
South Carolina isn't overwhelming on either end but moves the ball efficiently within a slow-paced game. While ranking 353th in KenPom's adjusted tempo, the offense is 17th nationally in assist rate.
If the Gamecocks win at home against Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, they'll head to Auburn with a shot at a massive mid-February statement.
.jpg?w=480 "Cardinals Draft Love Football")
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
