Winners and Losers from Nonconference Play in College Basketball in 2014-15

College basketball seasons are not made during the nonconference portion of the schedule, but a marquee win or two can go a long way when the selection committee looks at resumes in March.

The nonconference slate is also when the nation is introduced to the likes of upset-minded teams such as NJIT, Eastern Washington and Eastern Michigan. The next time college basketball fans will hear about squads like that will be when the Nos. 14, 15 and 16 seeds are attempting to pull off upsets in the Big Dance.

There have been some clear winners and losers in the nonconference portion of this season’s schedule. Here is a look at a few of them.

Winner: Kentucky

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What more can be said about Kentucky?

The Wildcats look more like an NBA team than an SEC squad, as John Calipari has size, length and athleticism all over the floor. It also helps to have nine McDonalds’ All-Americans on the roster.

Kentucky already has dominant wins over the likes of Kansas, North Carolina and UCLA and controlled its victory over Texas. That is plenty of marquee, resume-building wins already, and it’s not even January yet.

The only downside of the season for the Wildcats was the loss of Alex Poythress, but this team is so deep and talented that it can afford to lose multiple key pieces and still challenge for a national title.

Loser: Michigan

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If there is a basketball version for Michigan of losing to Appalachian State on the football field, it is dropping consecutive games to NJIT and Eastern Michigan in December.

The Wolverines lost plenty of talent this offseason, including Glenn Robinson III, Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary, but there is no excuse for losing games like that. What’s more, they turned right around and were wiped off the floor by Arizona and SMU in the next two games.

Michigan may have entertained ideas of competing for a Big Ten title when the season started. Now an NCAA tournament spot seems like something of a long shot if things don’t turn around.

Winner: Maryland

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Maryland may be the new kid on the block in the Big Ten, but it has made the biggest impression of the entire conference before league play begins.

Even though superstar Dez Wells broke his wrist and has missed significant time, the Terrapins count wins over Oklahoma State and Iowa State on their resume. The victory over the Cyclones was one of the most impressive wins for any school this season, and Maryland’s sole loss was by a respectable 11 points against Virginia without Wells.

Maryland will make some noise in the Big Ten, especially after Wells returns, and it couldn’t have asked for a much better start in nonconference play.

Loser: Michigan State

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Michigan State would have some more fun laughing at Michigan for losses to NJIT and Eastern Michigan if it didn’t have its own embarrassing loss to Texas Southern on the schedule.

It’s not as if Texas Southern is a dangerous underdog either. The Tigers are a whopping 2-9 on the season and lost by 40 points to Gonzaga, 25 to Florida and 26 to Baylor. How Michigan State managed to lose at home to Texas Southern is one of the greatest mysteries of the young college basketball season.

The Spartans also missed opportunities to impress against Kansas, Duke and Notre Dame and don’t have a win of note on the resume. Tom Izzo has worked some magic before, but he has his work cut out for him this season.

Winner: Duke

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While the college basketball world salivates over Kentucky and the ridiculous argument about whether it could beat the Philadelphia 76ers, Duke has looked like the second-best team in the nation.

The Blue Devils have won every game they have played by double digits and boast victories over Michigan State, Temple, Stanford, Connecticut and, most impressively, Wisconsin. That win over Wisconsin came in Madison against the veteran Badgers.

The Blue Devils have future NBA players in Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones leading the way and likely represent the best chance of someone knocking off Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.

Loser: UCLA

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A college basketball team is not supposed to be losing 41-7 at the half, regardless of the opponent. That is especially the case when that college basketball team is UCLA with its history of national championships and superstar players.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, they were down 41-7 at the half against Kentucky in Saturday’s embarrassing loss. Throw in blowout defeats to North Carolina, Gonzaga and Oklahoma, and it has been a disappointing start to the season for UCLA.

Whether the Bruins can bounce back in Pac-12 play remains to be seen, but they look rather vulnerable in the nonconference portion of the schedule.

Winner: Washington

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Washington may be flying under the radar because most of its games are after the East Coast has gone to sleep, but the Huskies are a perfect 11-0 on the season. Perhaps the Pac-12 isn’t Arizona and the rest of the league just yet.

The Huskies count victories over Oklahoma and San Diego State to their early resume and are one of the best defensive groups in the country. In fact, Washington is only giving up 58.4 points per game and held San Diego State to a measly 36 points in the win.

If the Huskies play defense like that the rest of the season, they will be tough to beat. Arizona has been warned.

Loser: Kansas

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It’s championship or bust for Kansas every season, and while it has a few solid victories, it has also looked far short of a title contender on multiple occasions.

Losing to Kentucky is one thing this season, but the Jayhawks looked like a junior varsity squad in that defeat. Unfortunately for Kansas, that wasn’t the low point of the nonconference portion of the schedule.

The Jayhawks were destroyed by Temple to the tune of 77-52 the last time they took the court in a game they never really had a chance to win. It wiped out some impressive wins over Florida, Georgetown, Utah and Michigan State that helped erase that early Kentucky loss.

The Big 12 is still always Kansas’ to lose, but it has been a less-than-ideal nonconference run thus far.

Winner: Northern Iowa

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Northern Iowa made waves as a Cinderella during the 2010 NCAA tournament, and it may be back this season as a force to deal with in March.

The Panthers' only loss on the season came in double overtime at VCU, which is more than forgivable, and they have wins over Power Five conference teams in Northwestern, Iowa and Virginia Tech. That is the same Hawkeyes squad that shocked North Carolina in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Northern Iowa is an impressive 10-1 on the season and could very well be a challenger in the Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State may have company atop of the standings.

Loser: Purdue

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Purdue was never expected to challenge Wisconsin for a Big Ten title, but it also wasn’t supposed to lose in embarrassing fashion multiple times before league play even started.

The Boilermakers dropped an explainable game to Kansas State early but then lost to North Florida, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Gardner-Webb. Clearly, losing to the Fighting Irish is nothing to be ashamed of either, but the other three losses are inexplicable for a middle-of-the-road Big Ten team. That is especially the case for a squad that features A.J. Hammons down low.

Alas, there is still Big Ten season to turn things around, but it has been a disappointing start.

Winner: Villanova

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Villanova has quietly climbed into the Top 10 of the national rankings behind a perfect 12-0 start and boasts a few victories of note already.

The Wildcats knocked off VCU in dominant fashion, fought off a challenge from Michigan, handled Illinois and Temple and then beat Syracuse in overtime. While none of those victories carry the same weight as a win over Kentucky or Duke would, it is a solid list of resume-fillers.

Villanova is likely happy to continue to float under the radar and rack up wins while the rest of the country pays attention to the other Top 10 teams.

Loser: Nebraska

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If you notice a lot of Big Ten teams on the loser list, that is because it has been a less-than-stellar start to the season. Sure, the league won the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, but the two Michigan schools, Purdue and also Nebraska have disappointed elsewhere.

The Cornhuskers lost to Creighton and Hawaii, the latter of which is less explainable, but the real problem was the home loss to Incarnate Word. That just isn’t supposed to happen, especially after Nebraska made the NCAA tournament a season ago.

The Cornhuskers still have high hopes this season and could contend in a wide-open conference behind Wisconsin, but losing to Incarnate Word is enough to land on this list.

Winner: Virginia

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Virginia may not have many marquee wins outside of Maryland, but it is undefeated and has not really been challenged in the early going.

Its defense is still as suffocating as ever, and it even held Rutgers to a measly 26 points in a November clash. What’s more, that victory over Maryland looks a lot better than it did at the time considering it is the Terrapins’ only loss of the season. If Maryland contends in the Big Ten, that victory will be even better.

The Cavaliers are going to challenge Duke in the ACC this season on the back of their defense alone, and a perfect run through nonconference play will set the stage for a favorable seed in March.

Loser: Connecticut

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Connecticut won the national championship last season, so it is only natural that high expectations were in place at the start of the 2014-15 campaign. The Huskies have certainly failed to deliver in the early going.

Ryan Boatright and company lost to West Virginia, Texas and Duke, but the real reason the Huskies are on here is the loss to Yale. It all adds up to a 5-4 record with zero quality wins and a bad loss. What’s more, Connecticut missed out on opportunities to impress against opponents of note.

That is not the way to defend a crown.

Winner: NJIT

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NJIT may be 5-8 on the young season, but it is still a winner thus far.

How many college basketball fans were even aware that NJIT had a team until it stunned Michigan in Ann Arbor? That type of recognition can go a long way for a small program, especially one that currently does not have a conference.

If the Highlanders can eventually parlay the newfound recognition into a spot in a conference or even as a positive factor on the recruiting trail, then they are the ultimate winners. For now, they will have to settle for pulling off the upset of the season.

Loser: Florida

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To be fair, Billy Donovan and the Florida basketball team had to replace four senior starters from a season ago. The Gators also suffered a couple of early injuries that put them behind schedule from the start.

Still, they have looked rather pedestrian in the early going and light years behind Kentucky in the SEC. As the assumed challenger in that conference, Florida’s struggles indicate that the Wildcats could finish conference play undefeated.

The Gators missed chances to impress against North Carolina and Kansas and dropped more winnable games against Miami and Georgetown. They have some making up to do during the SEC schedule.

Winner: Old Dominion

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It’s not just the 10-1 start that has Old Dominion on this list as a winner during nonconference play. It is the impressive defense and notable victory over VCU that has the Monarchs primed as a real contender in the Conference USA.

Old Dominion is holding opponents to a mere 57 points a game in the early going and has suffocated opposing ball-handlers from the opening tip. That type of defense should translate well to conference play, which could lead to a league title and solid seed in March.

Wins over LSU and VCU will also help the Monarchs come Selection Sunday. Whichever team gets matched up against them in the round of 64 could be in some trouble.

Loser: Syracuse

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It may not be completely fair, but Syracuse is one of those programs that has national (or at least conference) title hopes every single season. Those expectations may have been misplaced for the 2014-15 campaign.

The Orange are a disappointing 7-4 and missed golden opportunities to pick up marquee road wins out of conference against Michigan and Villanova. What’s more, they lost to California and St. John’s and only have the single win over Iowa as a victory of note. Syracuse also looked vulnerable in a narrow two-point victory over Louisiana Tech.

The Orange have a long way to go before they are ready to compete with Louisville or Duke in the ACC.

Winner: Notre Dame

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Notre Dame may have disappointed on the football field, but the basketball team should keep fans pleased throughout the season.

The Fighting Irish only have one loss in the early going, and that came by a single point to Providence. That type of heartbreaking defeat against a solid opponent is not really a problem in terms of building a resume.

Notre Dame picked up wins over UMass, Florida State, Purdue and Michigan State in nonconference play and should finish with a 13-1 record before the ACC schedule begins. That impressive of a mark is critical because it should be enough to get Notre Dame into the NCAA tournament with even a .500 ACC record.

Loser: Florida A&M/Delaware/Central Arkansas

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There isn’t much to say about Florida A&M, Delaware or Central Arkansas other than to repeat their combined record of 0-31.

They are the three Division I college basketball teams without a win in nonconference play and have all looked terrible in the early going. In fact, Florida A&M, Delaware and Central Arkansas have only played in six different games that finished with a single-digit margin.

These three teams have been the worst of the worst in the early season. Perhaps they can turn it around in conference play.