Needing a Win Now: 10 Men's College Hoops Teams in a Midseason Free Fall
Somewhere in the middle of January, things start to shake out in college basketball.
The best teams start to establish themselves in conference play and on the national scene.
The bad teams are taking their lumps, week after week.
And there are teams that start off good and then things start falling apart. Shooting slumps occur. Minor injuries happen. Close games turn into discouraging defeats.
The following is a list of 10 teams that were riding high, but are now in midseason free falls.
Several of them started off ranked, but they now have dropped out of the polls.
If these teams don't get things turned around in a hurry, they could end up out of their respective conference races before early February.
Michigan State
1 of 10
The 2010-11 season was supposed to be a good one for Michigan State.
Fresh off of another Final Four trip (sixth in the last 12 years), the Spartans (12-8) were supposed to be one of the premier teams in the country.
They were the preseason No. 2 team in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Tom Izzo (pictured) has tried to stay upbeat, but losing their last three games (at Illinois, at Purdue and Michigan) in a row has been a challenge.
On top of uneven on-the-court performances, Izzo had to dismiss starting guard Korie Lucious from the team.
They now find themselves in fifth place in the Big Ten and needing to turn things around in a hurry.
Next Game: Indiana—Sunday, Jan. 30
Syracuse
2 of 10
Losing on the road to No. 4 Pitt and then at home to No. 7 Villanova is understandable.
But getting hammered at home by Seton Hall (9-12) is not.
Jim Boeheim's (pictured) teams are historically tough to shoot and score against.
During these three losses, the Orange's opponents are shooting 51 percent from the floor and 48 percent from beyond the arc.
Syracuse has given up 83 points per game in this three-game stretch. The Orange's opponents on the year are averaging 62 points per game.
Next game: At Marquette—Saturday, Jan. 29
Gonzaga
3 of 10
For the last several years, Gonzaga has been thought of as the best mid-major school in the country.
Even when the 'Zags started off this season 4-5, most people pointed to their tough pre-conference schedule, in which they played four ranked teams.
Bulldogs coach Mark Few (pictured) was able to make some adjustments and Gonzaga ran off nine straight wins.
But now, with the West Coast Conference schedule started, Gonzaga has lost three straight games (Santa Clara, San Francisco and St. Mary's).
This puts the school from Spokane in unfamiliar territory, fourth place in the WCC at 3-3.
Next Game: San Diego—Saturday, Jan. 29
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Illinois
4 of 10
Illinois head coach Bruce Weber (pictured) has to be at his wit's end.
After starting the season off with a 13-3 record, and opening the Big Ten schedule by winning their first three games, the Fighting Illini have lost four of their last five games.
While three of those four Big Ten losses (to Penn State, Wisconsin and Indiana) have come on the road, the Illini still are facing a monstrous uphill climb to get back into the conference race.
What makes these four defeats even more frustrating is the fact that they have come with a combined margin of defeat of 20 points. No blowouts. No lopsided losses. But, unfortunately, there are only two columns that matter: "W" and "L."
Next Game: Penn State—Tuesday, Feb. 1
Oklahoma State
5 of 10
The wheels haven't fallen off yet in Stillwater, but they sure are wobbling!
After starting off the 2010-11 season 13-2, Oklahoma State has lost four of their last five games, all in Big 12 conference play.
Head coach Travis Ford (pictured) has seen his Cowboys struggle on the boards all season, but OSU has been out-rebounded in these four loses by an average of nine rebounds per game.
Next Game: At Texas Tech—Saturday, Jan. 29
Kansas State
6 of 10
It was a little strange to see Kansas State ranked higher (No. 3) than their cross-state rival Jayhawks (No. 7) in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
At the end of January, it is no longer this way. Kansas is 18-1 and ranked No. 6.
K-State is 14-7, 2-4 in the Big 12, having lost four (Oklahoma State, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M) of its last six games.
Head coach Frank Martin (pictured) looks like he's furious even when the Wildcats are playing well. He must be getting ready to blow a gasket any day now.
The Wildcats continue to struggle in terms of field goal shooting percentage. They are still shooting under 44 percent as a team from the field.
Next Game: At Kansas—Saturday, Jan. 29
North Carolina State
7 of 10
After whipping Wake Forest in its ACC opener, North Carolina State has struggled.
It lost four of its next five games by an average of 11 points per game.
The next three games don't project to be much easier: Sidney Lowe's (pictured) Wolfpack play UNC and Duke on the road with a game against Virginia Tech at home in between.
The Wolfpack's leading scorer, Tracy Smith, has not gotten back to full speed after being out for a 10-game stretch towards the beginning of the season.
Next Game: UNC—Saturday, Jan. 29
Boston College
8 of 10
Boston College has, all of a sudden, dug a hole for itself in the ACC by losing three of its last four games.
The Eagles lost a one-point heartbreaker on the road against Miami.
After beating Virginia in a close game at home, BC has lost two road games in a row against Florida State (67-51) and Duke (84-68).
On the year, Steve Donahue's (pictured) squad hasn't had much trouble scoring points, averaging 74 points per game. In these three losses, BC has only managed to score 63 points per game.
Next Game: UNC—Tuesday, Feb. 1
Nebraska
9 of 10
The Cornhuskers started off the 2010-11 season playing good basketball, winning 13 of their first 15 games, which included a Big 12 opening night victory against Iowa State
Since then, Doc Sadler's (pictured) team has lost three of its last four games (Missouri, Kansas and Texas Tech).
Those three loses came with a combined margin of 12 points, including a three-point loss at Allen Fieldhouse.
All five of Nebraska's losses (14-5) have come on the road.
Next Game: Texas A&M—Saturday, Jan. 29
Baylor
10 of 10
Baylor is another team that entered the 2010-11 season with high hopes.
It was ranked No. 14 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
It opened the season winning 12 of its first 15 games.
Now it has lost three of its last four, all Big 12 games, which has placed it currently in fifth place in the conference.
In spite of having lots of offensive firepower, Scott Drew's (pictured) Bears have not scored over 65 points in the last four games.
Next Game: Colorado—Saturday, Jan. 29
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