College Basketball 2011-12: Picking Every Top 25 Team's Next Loss

Only nine teams in Division I college basketball history have gone undefeated for an entire season.

The last team to pull this off was the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers, who went 32-0 on their way to winning the national championship.

Already, 10 of the current Top 25 teams have suffered their first losses of the 2011-12 season.

Here's a quick look at when each of the Top 25 teams could experience their next loss.

25. St. Louis Billikens

Rick Majerus has St. Louis off to a great start (6-0) with tasty early season victories over Washington, Villanova and Oklahoma.

That's a far cry from last year's 3-3 opening.

The Billikens have a good chance at challenging Xavier for the Atlantic 10 championship with senior forward Brian Conklin (pictured) leading the way in both scoring (17.0 PPG) and rebounding (4.7 RPG).

The Billikens could possibly win another eight or nine games before they lose for the first time.

It might be their first game in A-10 play at Dayton, another up-and-coming conference team.

24. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State is one of the nation's biggest question marks. While no one questions their talent, many wonder if head coach Rick Stansbury can put the pieces together.

So far, the Bulldogs have gone 7-1, their only defeat coming in an awkward contest against Akron.

MSU's senior point guard, Dee Bost (pictured), is leading the Bulldogs in scoring (17 PPG), assists (3.8 APG) and steals (2.5 SPG). 

The Bulldogs may knock off five more opponents before they play Baylor December 28th. The Bears can more than match Mississippi State man-for-man on the inside.

23. California Bears

Mike Montgomery's Cal Bears are starting off right with a 5-1 record and balanced contribution from many different players.

Allen Crabbe (pictured), last year's Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, is leading the Bears in scoring (13.3 PPG).

Cal may not lose again until they play UNLV in Las Vegas on December 23. The Rebels have already proven to be lethal at home, beating North Carolina over the Thanksgiving holiday.

22. Creighton Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are off to a great 5-0 start with quality wins against Alabama-Birmingham and Iowa.

Only the UAB victory (10-point margin) has been by less than 23 points.

Sophomore forward Doug McDermott is leading Creighton in both scoring (23.4 PPG) and rebounding (7.8 RPG).

The Blue Jays may experience their first loss of the season in their next game.

They play San Diego State on the road Nov. 30, where the Aztecs are tough to beat.

21. Memphis Tigers

Last year, Memphis was thought to be one of the most talented young teams in the country. Even a year later, Memphis could still be described as young and talented.

Don't let the Tigers' 3-2 record throw you off. They have lost to No. 15 Michigan and to Georgetown in OT.

Sophomore wing Will Barton is leading Josh Pastner's squad in both scoring (19.8 PPG) and rebounds (6 RPG). 

Memphis will probably win their next three games before they play at Louisville December 17.

The Cardinals (currently No. 20 in rebounding) will cause trouble for the Tigers (currently No. 283) on the boards.

20. UNLV Rebels

Dave Rice, first year head coach, has the Rebels (7-0) rockin' again.

They have pulled off the season's biggest upset so far, beating No. 1 North Carolina 90-80.

Mike Moser leads UNLV in both scoring (15.1 PPG) and rebounds (13.7 RPG). He had a career night against the Tar Heels, scoring 16 points, grabbing 18 boards and handing out six assists.

Even if the Rebels play like they did against UNC, they may still lose their first game when they play Wisconsin in Madison on December 10.

19. Vanderbilt Commodores

The Commodores entered the 2011-12 season riding on high expectations.

They have started by going an uninspiring 5-2, with one defeat being a puzzling 13-point home embarrassment to Cleveland State and the other (last night in OT) to an emerging Xavier Musketeers team .

John Jenkins (pictured) is still pouring in the points, averaging 20.2 points per game.

Vandy may experience their next loss when they travel to Louisville to play the Cardinals on December 2.

Rick Pitino's squad is tough and talented and always hard to beat at home. 

18. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Gonzaga has started off the 2011-12 season by rattling off four consecutive wins.

Robert Sacre is coming up huge, leading the Bulldogs in scoring (17 PPG), rebounding (9 RPG) and blocks (1.3 BPG).

In spite of having upcoming games against Notre Dame and Illinois on the road, the Zags may lose their first game when they play Michigan State (4-2) at home on December 10.

Don't let the Spartans' record fool you. Their losses have come against North Carolina and Duke. 

17. Pittsburgh Panthers

Pitt is off to a solid 5-1 start, their only defeat coming in a baffling 10-point home loss to Long Beach State.

The Panthers have one of the best backcourts in the nation with Ashton Gibbs (pictured—19.3 PPG, 3.5 APG) and Travon Woodall (15 PPG, 8.5 APG). 

Pitt may add another 10 victories to their record before they possibly lose again in a close contest on January 14 at Marquette.

16. Marquette Golden Eagles

Marquette has started the 2011-12 season by winning their first six games by an average of 28.5 points.

The Golden Eagles are scoring 88 points per game and shooting 52.1 percent from the floor.

Senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom leads Buzz Williams's team in scoring (20 PPG) and is handing out 3.6 assists per game.

Marquette might lose their next game when they travel 70 miles west to Madison to face the Badgers on December 3.

15. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan basketball, like Michigan football, is on its way back.

The Wolverines are 5-1 with wins against Memphis and UCLA.

Tim Hardaway, Jr. (pictured) is leading the team in scoring (17.2 PPG) and is handing out three assists per game. 

Michigan may nail down eight more victories before they taste defeat again, possibly when they play at Indiana on January 3.

The Hoosiers are also re-emerging and may be a tough team to beat in Bloomington this year.

14. Kansas Jayhawks

Though Kansas' record is 3-2, they are playing good ball with their losses coming to Kentucky and Duke.

The Jayhawks have started to figure out who is going to make things happen this season.

Junior forward Thomas Robinson (pictured) is averaging a double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds).

KU's next big challenge comes on December 10, when they face Ohio State. How Robinson fares against Jared Sullinger will determine the outcome of the game.

13. Missouri Tigers

Missouri is off to a blazing start (6-0) under new head coach Frank Haith, with impressive wins over Notre Dame and Cal.

Senior guard Marcus Denmon (pictured) leads the Tigers in scoring (18.5 PPG) and is their second-best rebounder (5.7 RPG).

Missouri may experience their first loss of the season when they play Villanova (4-2) in New York City on December 6.

The Wildcats' size and length could make the difference in what should be a hard-fought, closely contested battle.

12. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide are off to one of their best starts in some time, and they are just getting started.

Seven games, seven wins, including victories over Maryland, Wichita State, Purdue and Virginia Commonwealth.

Alabama has a strong frontcourt tandem in JaMychal Green (pictured—15.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG) and Tony Mitchell (14.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG).

Anthony Grant's squad has some interesting non-conference opponents still to play (Georgetown, Dayton, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech), but their first loss could come when they go to Mississippi State on January 14.

The game in Starkville is the first of a tough stretch in Bama's schedule. After MSU, the Tide play at home against Vandy and then on the road against Kentucky.

11. Xavier Musketeers

Xavier is proving that last year's Atlantic 10 championship was no fluke.

The Musketeers have started this season by winning their first five games, including wins against SEC opponents Georgia and Vanderbilt.

Tu Holloway (pictured) is legitimately one of the best guards in the country, averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Xavier's upcoming schedule is brutal. Before January, they play Purdue, Butler, Cincinnati, Oral Roberts, Long Beach State and Gonzaga.

While they could win any and all of these games, the Musketeers could lose their first game of the season when they go up against the Boilermakers on December 3.

Robbie Hummell is back and tearing things up again after two separate ACL disasters.

10. Connecticut Huskies

UConn has all the pieces necessary to make another deep run in the NCAA tournament.

The Huskies have started this season with a 6-1 record as they have sought to adjust to the post-Kemba era.

Jeremy Lamb (pictured) leads the team in points (21.1 PPG) and steals (2.3 SPG).

It could be some time before Connecticut loses again.

Back-to-back road games at the beginning of February against Louisville (February 6) and Syracuse (February 11) seem the most likely games the Huskies could go down in defeat.

9. Florida Gators

Billy Donovan's Gators (5-1) have the most talented backcourt in the nation.

With Kenny Boynton (pictured), Brad Beal, Erving Walker and Mike Rosario filling the guard positions, few teams can match up with Florida.

Boynton is leading the team in scoring (18.5 PPG), while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 49 percent from beyond the arc.

Florida's next loss is most likely to come in their next game, a road test against No. 3 Syracuse.

While the Orange don't have nearly the depth at guard that the Gators do, they have a ton of wings and post talent that will cause problems for Florida's frontcourt.

8. Baylor Bears

Baylor has won all five of their 2011-12 games without their best player (Perry Jones III) on the floor.

PJ3 will be back in action with the Bears November 29 against Prairie View.

Through their first five games, Baylor has five players averaging double figure scoring, including senior forward Quincy Acy (pictured), who also leads the team in rebounding (7.4 RPG).

Head coach Scott Drew may see his team go down to defeat in their upcoming December 4 road game against Northwestern, who have also started the new season by going 5-0.

7. Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin always seems to put a tough-minded, hard-playing team on the court. This year is no different, as the Badgers have opened 2011-12 by winning their first six games by an average of nearly 34 points.

Even though the margins of victory probably will not stay quite so gaudy, expect Bo Ryan's team to continue to be one of the top teams in the nation for the entire season.

Senior point guard Jordan Taylor (pictured—11 PPG, 5 RPG, 5.8 APG) does so many things so well. As long as he is running the show this year, Wisconsin is a difficult team to beat.

However, the Badgers will have a difficult time coming out of their next game without a loss.

Wisconsin plays North Carolina on the road November 30, and the Tar Heels are coming off a humbling 10-point loss to UNLV.

Don't expect UNC to lose back-to-back contests.

6. Louisville Cardinals

Rick Pitino has his Louisville Cardinals tuned up and ready to go.

They have won their first six games and are looking to make a strong case for the Big East title this year.

Kyle Kuric (pictured) is the only player on the team currently averaging double figures (13 PPG), but the Cardinals have seven other players scoring between six and 9.2 points per game.

Louisville may win all their games until they face Kentucky on New Year's Eve. The Cardinals would love to go into Rupp Arena and show up their cross-state rivals on their own court.

But the Wildcats' talent and depth will be too much for Pitino's crew.

5. North Carolina Tar Heels

Up until they lost to UNLV in Vegas on Saturday, North Carolina had been handily disposing of their opponents, winning each of their games by an average of 22 points.

Junior John Henson has stepped up his game in these opening games, averaging 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and three blocks per game.

Though the Tar Heels are a strong favorite to make it to the 2012 Final Four in New Orleans, the next game they could lose is their matchup against No. 1 Kentucky in Lexington on December 3.

The Wildcats are 463-60 (88.5 winning percentage) at Rupp Arena since it opened in 1976.

4. Duke Blue Devils

Duke has started off their 2011-12 season with seven straight wins, including the Maui Invitational Championship.

Coach K may have his most balanced team in some time. Five Blue Devils are currently averaging double-figure scoring.

So far, Seth Curry is having an outstanding year, averaging 15.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists, while shooting a sizzling 57.1 percent from beyond the arc.

The Blue Devils might lose their first game tonight (November 29). They go up against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus.

Jared Sullinger and William Buford are an excellent inside-outside combo that may be too much for Duke. 

3. Syracuse Orange

In the middle of all the off-the-court controversy, Syracuse has started off the 2011-12 season well.

The Orange are 6-0 with victories over Virginia Tech and Stanford to win the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.

Senior forward Kris Joseph (pictured) leads the team in scoring (15.3 PPG) and is pulling down six rebounds per game.

Jim Boeheim's unit could go some time before they lose their first game, possibly into January when they are fully into their Big East slate of games.

A January 16 matchup against Pitt could be when the Orange lose their first game.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State (6-0) has taken care of business in all six of their 2011-12 games, averaging 85.2 points and beating their opponents by an average of 28.8 points.

Jared Sullinger (pictured) is just as dominant this year as he was last year, when he won the 2011 National Freshman of the Year award.

He leads the Buckeyes in scoring (18.8 PPG), rebounding (10.7 RPG), field goal shooting (63.3 percent) and free throw shooting (85.4 percent).

Thad Matta's deep squad may not lose their first game until they face Wisconsin in Madison on February 4.

Last year, the Buckeyes were 24-0 going into their road game against Wisconsin, which the Badgers won by four points.

1. Kentucky Wildcats

John Calipari's Wildcats are loaded again. They have as much, if not more, talent than any team in the country.

Kentucky has started their 2011-12 season 6-0 and is dominating opponents by an average of 28.3 points.

Doron Lamb (pictured) leads the Cats in scoring (15.2 PPG) and is shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc.

UK's next (and first) loss of the season could come against the revitalized Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington on December 10.

This would be a huge upset and signature win for Tom Crean and the Indiana program.