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NCAA Basketball: Biggest Winners and Losers from the 2018-19 non-conference

By Adam Childs

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 27: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after a play against the Indiana Hoosiers during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 27, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 27: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after a play against the Indiana Hoosiers during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 27, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No. 4 Loser – Teams ranked outside the top 10

The top five in the AP poll has established themselves quite nicely and most of the top ten has been pretty steady also. But once you get outside the top ten it has been complete chaos in the polls. It seems that no team wants to stay in the polls and if they are ranked anywhere from 11-25 it has almost seemed like a loss was happening soon.

Even teams like North Carolina and Kentucky have bounced back and forth. Marquette dropped out before making their way back. LSU, Purdue, and Kansas State are just a few of the teams that have dropped out after being ranked in the top twenty. This hopefully means that there should be great parody the rest of the way and an exciting tournament. Or it could mean the top will rule and we will get a chalk final four. Either way, it has been crazy inside the polls so far this year.

No. 4 Winner – Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee was predicted to be very good this year after their surprise SEC regular-season title last year. They returned Admiral Schofield and a lot of experience. The question would be could they win the big game. They played well but came up short early in the year in an overtime loss to Kansas, but they showed they belonged.

Their next big change was against the number one ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs and they passed that test, beating them when they held off their late rally. Schofield scored 25 points in the second half of that game and has shown he is one of the best in the SEC and maybe the country. The Volunteers have definitely shown they are one of the best teams in the country and have climbed to number three in the polls. This is a very dangerous team.

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