College Basketball Rankings: 6 Things We've Learned from the Season's First Week

The first full week of college basketball’s regular season is in the books, and it’s been an unusually eventful start. A wave of early upsets has helped remove six preseason top 25 teams from the ranks of the unbeaten in very short order.

Some of those losing teams looked impressive even in defeat, as in No. 8 Florida’s near-comeback on the road at No. 3 Ohio State. On the other end of the spectrum are the UCLA Bruins, whose two losses (by a combined 31 points) have the erstwhile Pac-12 favorites looking like cellar-dwellers instead.

What does the early shake-up mean for the remainder of the 2011-12 season? Herein, a half-dozen take-home lessons from an action-packed opening to the college hoops schedule.

6. The Best Bruins in the Country Aren’t from UCLA

Ben Howland’s UCLA squad has barely shown up in two decisive home losses while another team of Bruins across the country has put in a more intriguing start.

The Belmont Bruins (out of the lightly-regarded Atlantic Sun conference) have also lost their first two, but they’ve done it in a pair of true road games against No. 10 Memphis and No. 5 Duke.

The Memphis loss was only competitive for a half, but veteran Belmont (30-5 a year ago) came within a point of upsetting the Blue Devils, falling 77-76.

With a balanced offense that’s seen five players scoring in double figures in the early going, Belmont is a team no one will want to face in the NCAA tournament.

5. Michigan State Is a Lot Better Than Its Record

The Michigan State Spartans are coming off a disappointing season in which their usually-reliable rebounding deserted them and they got bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Despite an 0-2 start to 2011-12, there’s reason to believe things are looking up for Tom Izzo’s team.

Draymond Green has been brilliant in the early going, posting 11.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game against two of the nation’s biggest and best front lines in Duke and North Carolina.

If the inexperienced guards can turn around a woeful start in which the team has averaged just eight assists per game, Green and the front line will give Michigan State a chance to hang with any opponent it faces.

4. Don’t Sleep on Kansas

Favored as usual in the Big 12, No. 11 Kansas is angling to return to national-contender status despite losing three NBA draftees and four starters overall. Even without the Morris twins, the Jayhawks have some serious talent left on the roster.

Although the Jayhawks couldn’t pull off an upset of No. 2 Kentucky, Tyshawn Taylor’s 22-point outburst looked like a great sign for the KU offense this season.

New PF Thomas Robinson also provided fuel for optimism in Lawrence. The junior struggled with foul trouble against All-American Terrence Jones, but still posted 11 points and 12 rebounds in the losing cause.

3. Long Beach State Is Ready for Its Insane Schedule

Even a top 25 school would be daunted by the non-conference slate lined up for Long Beach State out of the unheralded Big West.

The 49ers host No. 1 North Carolina and No. 11 Kansas, visit No. 7 Louisville and No. 9 Pitt and play a neutral-site game against No. 14 Xavier.

Senior PG Casper Ware and his teammates showed that they’re up to the challenge by taking down Pittsburgh, 86-76, behind a turnover-fueled fast break offense.

Don’t be surprised to see the 49ers add another upset or two to their resume before starting what should be a walkover of a conference schedule.

2. The Florida Gators Are for Real

As brilliant as Florida’s returning guard tandem of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton is—especially with the addition of freshman Brad Beal—it would have been easy to dismiss the Gators as overrated at No. 8.

After all, Florida is installing an entirely new frontcourt on what was already an undersized team.

The Gators’ front line dispelled an awful lot of those doubts in a hard-fought 81-74 road loss at Ohio State. Patric Young’s 14-point, 12-rebound performance against superstar Jared Sullinger showed that Florida’s inside game is in good hands.

1. Home Isn’t All That Sweet These Days

The most remarkable aspect of the wave of early-season surprises is that so many top teams are losing on their home floors. No. 9 Pitt is keenly aware of that phenomenon after taking just the second non-conference loss in the history of the Petersen Events Center.

Home-court advantage is still a nice bonus, but with the increased parity between power-conference teams and their mid-major (or lower) foes, it’s no longer decisive.

A hot shooting night (like Middle Tennessee State’s record nine straight made three-pointers to open their win over UCLA) or a cold one (Vanderbilt’s 4-for-17 long-range debacle against Cleveland State) is now enough to turn the tide in favor of a visiting underdog.