NCAA Men's Basketball: Most Shocking Blowouts of the Season so Far

If we've learned anything from this year's college basketball season it's this: Don't expect anything to go as planned. 

We've seen plenty of jumping around in the Top 25 and some crazy upsets that you would have never expected. 

Conference play is just about hitting its mid-point right now, and there's plenty more to come with March Madness beginning next month.

Let's take a look at college basketball's most shocking blowouts of the season so far. 

Follow @Robert_Pace.

Middle Tennessee vs. UCLA

When: November 15, 2011

Score: Middle Tennessee 86, UCLA 66

Recap: After being ranked in the preseason Top 25 and the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12, Bruins fans had high expectations for their team; however, the Bruins dropped their first game at home to Loyola Marymount and were unable to rebound against Middle Tennessee.

At the time, most of us didn't know how good a team Middle Tennessee was, as the Blue Raiders are now 20-3 and looking to make an appearance in the NCAA tournament. 

It was quite shocking to see the Bruins drop two games in a row at home (even though they aren't really playing on their home court because Pauley Pavilion is being renovated this year). 

The Bruins, who normally pride themselves on defense, allowed Middle Tennessee to shoot 71.4 percent from the field and an astonishing 90.9 percent (10-for-11) from beyond the arc. 

Reeves Nelson didn't play because he was serving a suspension, and UCLA did not fare well with team tensions running high. Indeed, UCLA shot a not-so-impressive 37.3 percent from the field and 20 percent (four-for-20) from beyond the arc. 

The Bruins have since rebounded to 12-9 after their 0-2 start, but they are still not quite near where they were expected to be. 

California vs. Missouri

When:November 22, 2011

Score: Missouri 92, California 53

Recap: When this game occurred, California was ranked No. 18 and Missouri was ranked No. 21, so it was quite shocking to see a team slotted three spots below Cal beat them by almost 40 points, even if the Golden Bears were on the road. 

Another Pac-12 team that was ranked in the Top 25 at the beginning of the season, it seemed as though Cal was going to be nationally competitive, and while it still has the chance to be, Cal has not fared too well against the Top 25, also losing to No. 23 UNLV. 

Cal shot a measly 29.8 percent from the field in this game and allowed Missouri to shoot 58.8 percent from the field, with six players in double digits. 

The Golden Bears dominated the glass, but they were unable to get their shots to fall. 

Missouri is currently ranked No. 4, so this win isn't too shocking now, but at the time this seemed like an upset. 

Duke vs. Ohio State

When: November 29, 2011

Score: Ohio State 85, Duke 63

Recap: If you asked most people who was going to win—No. 2 Ohio State or No. 4 Duke—they probably would have said Ohio State at time, as the Buckeyes had all the odds in their favor with home-court advantage. 

So, that's not the shocking part of it. What is shocking about the outcome is that Ohio State handed Duke its first loss of the season by a 22-point margin. 

While the Blue Devils' freshman stud Austin Rivers put up an impressive 22 points, Duke was unable to get it going from three-point land (shooting 20 percent) and got dominated on the boards 32-23. 

That, in combination with the Buckeyes shooting 57.1 percent from beyond the arc, made it no contest for Duke, who was hoping to establish itself on the road. 

We all had a hunch that Ohio State was going to win, but most of us thought it would be a pretty close game. 

Vanderbilt vs. Marquette

Date: December 29, 2011

Score: Vanderbilt 74, Marquette 57

Recap: At the time of this game, Vanderbilt was not ranked and Marquette was No. 13. The game was on the Golden Eagles' home court, and it was quite surprising to see them register their second loss of the season at home and by a margin of 17 points. 

Something must have been in the air that night because Marquette shot an awful 32.2 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc. 

Marquette had all the opportunities to win this one, but couldn't convert on Vanderbilt's 17 turnovers. 

The Golden Eagles struggled at the free throw line, as well, missing 14 out of 30 attempts.

If they had been able to sink a few more of their free throws, this game wouldn't have been such a shocking blowout. 

Louisville vs. Providence

Date: January 10, 2012

Score: Providence 90, Louisville 59

Recap: This may be the most shocking blowout of the year. No. 15 Louisville was taken down on the road by a team that hadn't won a Big East conference game. 

Prior to this game, Providence was 0-4 in conference play, and has since fallen to 1-8 in the Big East after this 31-point blowout win against Louisville. 

Although Louisville appeared to be overrated and waning, not many could have predicted this shocking blowout. 

The Cardinals shot terribly (37.9 percent from the field, 21.1 percent from beyond the arc) and were outrebounded 33-23, which was abnormal for a team that was in the top 25 in the nation in rebounds. 

Providence shot an impressive 60 percent from three-point land and had two players put up 27 points a piece. 

In addition to the striking point totals, junior guard Vincent Council recorded a season-high 14 assists on the night. 

Louisville was on the decline, but we didn't know the slope was so slippery. 

Rutgers vs. Pittsburgh

When: January 11, 2012

Score: Rutgers 62, Pittsburgh 39

Recap: Ranked as high as No. 9, Pittsburgh struggled in its opening Big East conference games. After losing three straight games, it appeared as though the Panthers would get their first Big East win against Rutgers, who looked average even after defeating No. 8 UConn. 

However, this was not the case, and Pittsburgh scored a season-low 39 points against Rutgers and lost by a 23-point margin at home. 

The Panthers shot an identically awful 21.1 percent from both the field and beyond the arc, and they were outrebounded 44-26. 

It's not as though Rutgers came out and shot spectacularly well, as its shooting numbers were below average. 

Pittsburgh could just not get shots to fall, and the Panthers had only one player in double figures with 10 points. 

Even though the Scarlet Knights were coming off a big win against UConn, it was shocking to see Rutgers blow out Pittsburgh by over 20 points. 

North Carolina vs. Florida State

When: January 14, 2012

Score: Florida State 90, North Carolina 57

Recap: North Carolina losing to a tough ACC conference opponent is not the shocking thing. What is shocking, though, is that the Tar Heels lost by 33 points, regardless of whether or not it was on the road. 

This loss went down as the worst loss in Roy Williams' coaching career at North Carolina, and the game also received scrutiny because Williams pulled some of his players off the court with the final seconds remaining on the clock. 

The Tar Heels simply handed the game to Florida State. It was't as though the Seminoles were shooting some ridiculous percentage from the field. North Carolina just couldn't keep the ball in its hands and surrendered 22 turnovers. 

North Carolina couldn't put it in the net that night, and ended up shooting 37.3 percent from the field and an abysmal 19 percent from beyond the arc. 

Florida State's Deividas Dulkys doubled his season high with 32 points and killed the Tar Heels from beyond the arc, going eight-for-10 from deep. 

The Seminoles had a slight edge going into the game because of home-court advantage and North Carolina's weak road performances this year, but who would have thought that the teams would be separated by 33 points at the end of the game?

This was a shocker.

Baylor vs. Kansas

When: January 16, 2012

Score: Kansas 92, Baylor 74

Recap: Baylor was 17-0, ranked No. 3 and came into Phog Allen Fieldhouse with high expectations and its undefeated streak on the line. 

The Bears knew that Kansas had the upper hand at home with the Jayhawks fans on its side, but Baylor seemed poised to give its all to remain undefeated. 

With Lawrence on its back, Kansas shot an impressive 57.4 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from beyond the arc. 

Baylor performed decently on offense, but was overmatched by Kansas' height, getting outrebounded 36-21. 

The Jayhawks, who averaged around 73 points per game, exploded for 92 points to take down the No. 3 Bears. 

Kansas played the height advantage of Thomas Robinson to its favor and the dominant forward scored 27 points on the night. 

It was quite shocking to see Kansas blow out Baylor by 18 points, even though the Jayhawks had been a strong team all season. 

We all had a hunch that Kansas might hand Baylor its first loss of the season, but not by a margin of 18 points. 

Follow @Robert_Pace.