NCAA Basketball: Ranking final 18 unbeaten teams for 2023-24 season

18. Western Carolina

Last season, these Catamounts improved by seven games and finished above .500 in SoCon league play for the first time in three years. Picked to finish 3rd in the league in the preseason poll, the expectation was for another step forward, led by Vonterius Woolbright and plenty of other talent. Suffice to say, Western Carolina has exceeded expectations early in this young season.

After opening their season against a non-D1 opponent, Western Carolina caught national attention for a 10-point road win at Notre Dame the first weekend of the season. You could argue their two following contests were just as important, securing close 2-point wins on the road at Middle Tennessee and against a very strong squad from McNeese State. They now sit 6-0, with half of those wins coming away from home.

The road ahead is not easy, as four of the Catamounts’ next five games are on the road, featuring a trip to Gardner-Webb this coming Saturday. This team has been playing inspired basketball in the early going and is getting better than a double-double each night out of Woolbright, but it’s likely that they’ll slip up in one of these upcoming games away from home. They do have another chance against a power conference foe as well, hoping to upset Vanderbilt less than three weeks from now.