Two weeks into the season, we are starting to see some very interesting storylines develop. With most teams having about four games under their belts, the rankings have expectedly been shaken up. Although there weren’t as many high-level matchups as I would have liked, there has been no shortage of news in the sport. These are the headlines that most stood out to me.
“Help Wanted” at Villanova University
To start off this season, the Wildcats’ head coach Kyle Neptune was already on the hot seat. While Neptune has yet to bring ‘Nova to March Madness, the roster he put together in the offseason definitely has the talent to be a tournament team. At least, that was the hope for most Villanova fans. To date, however, the Wildcats have lost three games, one at home against Columbia and another at Saint Joseph’s. By losing those two games, Neptune has now lost eight games to teams ranked outside the top 100 by KenPom.com — a basketball analytics database that ranks every team in Division I college basketball — during his tenure at Villanova. Jay Wright, his predecessor, lost just two such games in his last nine years coaching at the school. Not to mention, they lost Friday to a questionable Virginia team shortly after their Hall of Fame head coach retired. It doesn’t look like Kyle Neptune has shown any signs of being the right guy for the job, and he probably needs to make the tournament and win at least one game if he wants to keep his job.
A strong start for Mark Pope and Kentucky
If I were a fan of Kentucky basketball, I could not be any happier with their start to the season. New head coach Mark Pope made sure to not shy away from the challenges early on, scheduling Duke University of all schools in just his third game. Luckily for him, it completely paid off. The Wildcats won the matchup 77–72, beating the Blue Devils and Cooper Flagg, the projected number one pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Kentucky also dominated in their first two games, scoring 100–plus points in both. The Pope Era in Lexington is looking very promising.
Kansas is back on top
After what was a disappointing season in Kansas terms, the Jayhawks seem to have found their groove once again. Coach Bill Self went into the offseason determined to contend for another championship, and it’s now looking like that’s exactly what they’ll be doing come March. Kansas has already beaten No. 9 North Carolina and Michigan State four games in. It’s going to be hard to take the No. 1 ranking away from Self and his squad.
Bonus: Kiyan Anthony commits to Syracuse University
Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan, announced Friday that he will be following in his father’s footsteps, playing basketball for the Orange. Anthony, a top 40 recruit in the class of 2025, is a big pickup for a struggling Syracuse program.
