Bubble, Sleeper, and Darkhorse Teams: A Fancy Name for Being Middle-of-the-Road

League and conference play is just ahead and there are a handful of teams that don't know what side of the road they want to be on when the heavy traffic comes. There are some teams that are 7-4 but will start plowing through their conference, while some 10-2 teams will get hit by the oncoming conference traffic.

That's why I'm here, to try and de-congest this muddled traffic jam, so take off your hazard lights and hit the gas.

Teams Picking Up Speed

KENTUCKY- This is Billy Gillespie's second year at the helm, and the second year in a row they have faltered early in the season to subpar teams (Gardner-Webb, VMI). But just like last year, the Wildcats have rebounded nicely from a poor start.

Jodie Meeks is playing outstanding and alongside Pat Patterson, they have one of the best 1-2 punches in the weak SEC. Kentucky will do well because the SEC is so weak this year, but that doesn't mean they are going to roll. They still have a young team that can make mistakes if they don't stay vigilant.

Plus, they still have some tough non-conference games to play, such as next weeks tilt against Louisville. As I said before, Jodie Meeks is a stud. If he continues to take high percentage shots and make them as he has been doing.

If the 'Cats can get good work on the glass, they should be able to stay somewhere near the top in the SEC. I still think Tennessee is the best, but after that, its very open.

BAYLOR  - The Bears made drastic improvements last year, and should be able to compete for the Big 12 crown this year. They have a great four-guard set with Curtis Jerrels, LaceDarius Dunn, Henry Dugat, and Tweety Carter.

I knew these four guys could play, but I'm most impressed with the Bears inside game. I was sure that their size would be their Achilles' heel, but forwards Quincy Acy, and Kevin Rogers give the Bears good size and skill on the inside.

They are a fast team that loves to push the ball, and they have gotten some good work from their bench.  It's going to be a question of weather teams have to alter their style to match up with Baylor, or if Baylor is going to have to get bigger inside to matchup with the powerhouses like Oklahoma and Texas.

Right now, they are the third best team in the conference, and steady play and consistency will keep them right there for the rest of the season.

CLEMSON- I feel like Clemson starts every year 12-0 before imploding against ACC competition. Will this year be any different? I hope so. They clearly wont be able to compete with UNC (But then again, who will?) but they should be able to pose threats to Wake Forest and Duke.

The Tigers push the ball down the court at an exceptionally fast pace, and K.C. Rivers is turning into a top-tier player. They can shoot from outside, but also get good play inside from Trevor Booker.

Jerai Grant gives them good size off the bench, and with Oliver Purnell at the helm, all the Tigers need to do is perform. If they play like they should against other middle-of-the-road teams like Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and NC State, they should be in the top tier of the conference come selection Sunday.

Teams That Are Merging

CINCINNATI- If they were in any other conference in the country, I would really like this team as a possible darkhorse contender, but the Big East is so strong that Cinncy could just get beat up too much and falter down the stretch.

Because of the new 16-team Big East Tournament, they will get a crack at the postseason crown, but they definitely have to put in the work to get there.

Mic Cronin has done an outstanding job getting this team out of the cellar and back into a formidable contender. Deonta Vaughn is one of the conference's best guards, but even if he is putting up 20 a game, the Bearcats will struggle inside against Big East big men Thabeet, Blair, Onuwaku, and Harangody.

This is a young team that will have to grow up quickly if they want to make noise in the Big East, which they are capable of doing, they just have to commit to doing so.

MINNESOTA - They haven't had too tough a non-conference schedule except for their outstanding performance against Louisville, and the Big 10 won't be as tough on them as the Big East will be on Cincy, so Minnesota will be an intriguing story this year.

With Michigan State and Ohio State losing key players to injury, the Golden Gophers should be able to contend in a solid Big 10 conference.

No team is far-and-away better than any other team, there are five teams at the top who will have to battle out for the title. A conference tournament would be great this year, but too bad the league doesn't have one.

Blake Hoffarber is a great shooter from outside, but interior presence will hurt this team. Having Tubby Smith as your head coach gives instant credibility, but there are so many other good coaches in this conference as well.

Minnesota should be very interesting to watch as they battle with other Big 10 studs Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

ARIZONA - This team played pretty solid during their non-conference schedule, losing close games to Texas A&M and UAB, but had a bad loss to UNLV, but bounced back to beat a fantastic Gonzaga team.

They still have to face defending champions Kansas before they start PAC-10 play against Cal. Jordan Hill is becoming a star, taking so pressure off of Chase Budinger who usually garners all the defensive pressure.

The PAC-10 will be a lot like the Big 10, with a handful of good teams at the top, trying to battle it out. UCLA is the top team, but they have shown signs of normalcy so far, so a strong, athletic team like Arizona definitely can pose a threat.

From here, they can either go up or down, and I think they are starting to click which will give them a boost that they need to rise to the top of the conference.

Teams Running Low on Gas

UAB- At the beginning of the season, I was sure that these guys would make the leap to a serious contender and possibly steal the C-USA league title from Memphis. But injuries, academic suspensions and midseason transfers has ravished this once scary-good team.

Robert Vaden is going to have to carry this team the entire way if they want to have a shot at making the tournament. Memphis will be too athletic for the Blazers to handle, but if they stay consistent, they should be able fend off the rest of the so-so Conference USA

Miami - Jack McClinton is one of the most underrated players in America. The only problem is that most teams have figured that out already, and have figured out how to slow him down. The 'Canes have a descent supporting cast, but with the top-tier of the ACC being so good, I don't think its going to be enough.

I mean, Miami had enough trouble getting though the non-conference portion of their schedule.

Dwayne Collins has emerged as a solid big man, but the 'Canes need to work on their team offense and defense. They were torched by the fast-paced Clemson offense, and they settled for way too many poor outside shots.

Miami might pull off an upset somewhere down the road, but I'm not sure if they will be returning to the NCAA tournament for back-to-back years.

LSU - Getting coach Trent Johnson was a huge plus for this so-so SEC team. Although they are 9-1 at the moment, they played one of the weakest non- conference schedule of any BCS conference team.

Their only loss came at the hands of mediocre Texas A&M. Even the the SEC is weak, this team is too young and inexperienced to really contend against the likes of Tennessee and Florida.

Marcus Thorton and Tasmin Mitchell will definitely put up points for the Tigers, but what will happen when they cant score? Long term, this team will be good, but this year will be a constant struggle.

Teams With a Flat Tire

LOUISVILLE - Who are the Cardinals? they surely aren't the board-banging, interior dominant team they should be. They have freshman gem Samardo Samuels, and studs Earl Clark and Terrence Williams to carry them, but they still haven't all clicked yet.

I think they were too over-hyped at the beginning of the year and never played up to it. They have the pure talent to beat teams like Notre Dame, Villanova and Georgetown, maybe even run with UConn and Pitt, but they just aren't playing smart.

When you have athletic, talented players who excel at one aspect(such as driving to the hoop) why should you settle for bad jump shots? Edgar Sosa can became a general of the offense, but he needs to stop acting like a shooting guard.

They have the players in the right places, they just need to start doing their jobs.

MEMPHIS - Their situation is almost identical to Louisville. They have tons of athleticism and size, and a stud freshman, but the players just don't know what to do. Tyreke Evans is still learning how to play at the college level and the lack of a pure point guard have/will continue to hurt them when they play solid teams.

They struggled to gel offensively against Georgetown and Syracuse, teams that can be worn down by lack of depth.

Memphis is still the odds-on favorite to win the C-USA, but they cant start to get lazy or it will show. When you have a great coach like Callipari, it is unacceptable to lack solid team offense, and that is the case so far.

MICHIGAN STATE- They should be the dominant team in the Big 10, but an injury to Goran Suton could disable this. Raymar Morgan and Kalin Lucas are great, and Tom Izzo is an exceptional coach.

They lost to the best team in the country by 35 points, so that can be a measuring stick on how far behind they are. They bounced back and beat a solid Texas team on the road, so its not looking THAT bad for the Spartans.

Their New Year's Eve game vs Minnesota in the Big 10 opener should be a very telling of where this team is headed. Will they get back on the road, or have to call Triple-A for assistance.