I've Got Five On It: High-profile programs that are off to slow starts
The early season always carries its share of surprises, both positive and negative. This week in I Got Five On It, we drive into the darkness and explore the latter with a look at five national brands that have fallen short of preseason expectations thus far.
From mild concern at UCLA to what feels like a death kneel at Louisville, Rivals.com's Rob Cassidy expresses different levels of concern for five proud programs that have stumbled a bit out of the gates.
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DUKE: NOT WORRIED AT ALL
Is this the start to the season Duke fans expected when the program grabbed a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25? Probably not. Losing back-to-back games to unranked Arkansas and Georgia Tech is less than ideal. This is a group that includes no fewer than four NBA Draft picks, after all. The uneven start reeks of a young team still finding its identity and footing while a handful of freshmen play major minutes.
A recent win over Charlotte saw the Blue Devils look more comfortable playing with pace, converting in transition and showing signs of cohesion. That, combined with the level of talent on the roster, should help quell the premature panic that was starting to rear its head last week.
There’s plenty of reason for the Blue Devil faithful to remain cautiously optimistic, even as Tyrese Proctor is sidelined with what seems to be a relatively minor ankle injury.
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UCLA: MILD CONCERN
Calling UCLA’s offense “inconsistent” is understating the point as the Bruins recently shot 36.7 percent from the floor in a devastating loss to struggling Villanova. Still, Mick Cronin’s squad should be granted some grace, as the roster features seven freshmen. Because of that, early-season growing pains were always likely, even if the ones the Bruins have experienced have been a bit more painful than expected.
Freshman guard Sebastian Mack and sophomore forward Adem Bona have shown plenty of flashes this season and seem to have the skill sets capable of leading a contending team. Depth and consistency have been issues, but those issues are ones that have a way of working themselves out as the season progresses. Early season losses to Marquette and Gonzaga are hardly reason for alarm.
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MICHIGAN STATE: SUFFICIENTLY ALARMED
I’ve been a little worried about Michigan State for a few weeks but mild concern has given way to true alarm, as the Spartans have shown no signs of finding their footing, consistent shot-creation or the ability to get big stops against inferior opponents. Obviously, Tom Izzo's teams have a reputation for rounding into form as the season progresses but the lack of true leadership from veterans and production from touted freshmen is alarming.
There seems to be a bit of a talent deficiency on the Michigan State roster, which is not something a powerhouse program of MSU’s stature is used to having. It feels as though Izzo and his staff failed to use the transfer portal to make quick changes to a roster that simply doesn’t have the horses to compete at the top of the Big Ten.
It’s one thing to be talented and having trouble gelling as a unit. It’s quite another to feel outgunned by mid-level programs from a personnel perspective. The Spartans’ preseason No. 4 ranking already feels like ancient history. The only thing keeping Michigan State from red-alert status are the years of good will Izzo has built up when it comes to mid-season improvement.
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MICHIGAN: RED ALERT
Michigan has taken a nasty fall from grace since April of 2021, when the Wolverines were coming off an Elite Eight appearance with the country’s No. 1 recruiting class in the chamber. Of course the top-ranked class never quite lived up to the billing and now it feels like the program has an uphill battle to avoid missing the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.
On top of that, internal drama has taken hold as there seems to be some sort of power vacuum being created as uncertainty tightens its grip amid in-house unrest. Nobody seems to have a good handle on what’s going on behind closed doors at UM, but the team’s 5-5 record combined with a couple of particularly clunky performances suggests whatever it is certainly isn’t great.
If the Wolverines don’t get what has thus far been a chaotic season under control quickly, it seems like things could snowball in a hurry.
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LOUISVILLE: READ THEM LAST RITES
It almost feels cruel to pile on Louisville and Kenny Payne, but it’s clear that the time for panic, denial and bargaining is over. It’s time to move on to acceptance. It would take a cosmic act to save the Payne era at this point, and it feels like a matter of “when” not “if” the second-year head coach will be relieved of his duties.
There are many reasons why things have gone south at the KFC Yum! Center under Payne’s direction. And while we here at I Got Five On It never want to see anyone get fired, sometimes it’s painfully obvious when a situation isn’t going to get better.
Hope is gone and apathy is setting in, which is a devastating realization for one of the country’s largest and most passionate fan bases. The Cardinals' recent losses to dreadful DePaul and Arkansas State were treated as more of a punchline than additional cause for alarm, which says a lot about where things stand for a proud program that is 8-34 under its current leadership.