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Fed in Focus: January Risers

By Sam Federman

Photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics

They say every college basketball season is two seasons, with the second one starting when league play opens. For these teams, the calendar flipping to the new year has been an opportunity to start with a blank slate and turn their season to a new level.


Here are a few of the biggest risers during conference play.


Arizona (6-5 in non-con, 5-0 in the Big 12)


A rowdy McKale Center cheered on the Wildcats on Tuesday night as they belted Baylor, 81-70. The game wasn't as close as the score suggests, with Arizona leading by as much as 27 in the second half, and the margin only shrinking over the final few minutes of the game.


Already ahead by 10 in the late stages of the first half, Arizona went on a 21-4 run bridging the two halves to take that 46-19 lead.


It was the perfect cherry on top of a 5-0 start in Big 12 play, a second straight home win after two road wins in the eastern portion of the conference.


Anthony Dell'Orso was inserted into the starting lineup after Arizona lost to UCLA in December, a game in which the Cats made just two field goals in the final ten minutes, and scored just 54 points.


At that time, Arizona ranked 49th in offensive efficiency on Torvik, but since, it has ranked second, behind only Michigan. Dell'Orso adds an element of shooting that takes a serious load off of Caleb Love. Additionally, Henri Veesaar has stepped up, scoring a career-hgih 19 points against Baylor, and the team has really found an offensive groove.


What was once looking like a team destined for the bubble has risen to 15th in KenPom, and sits atop the Big 12 before a Saturday battle with Texas Tech in Lubbock.


Purdue (9-4 headed into the New Year, 4-0 since)


The Boilermakers weren't ever in as much danger of missing the NCAA Tournament compared to Arizona, but have turned it up to another level since Big Ten play resumed the day after New Year's.


Purdue has won its last four Big Ten games by an average of 23 points, including the most recent, a 36 point drubbing of Nebraska at Mackey Arena. Including the Toledo game right after winter break, Smith is averaging 20 points and 11.4 assists per contest over his last five, up from 12.9 points and 8.3 assists in his first 12 games.


The guy who already had an argument to be the best point guard in the country has taken his game to an entirely new level with back-to-back 14 assist performances.


Over the last four games, the Boilers are 3rd in overall Torvik, and second in offense, generating easy looks thanks to Smith's playmaking.


This week, Purdue travels to Seattle and Eugene, looking to make a few more statements.


New Mexico State (from 194th to 112th in Torvik since C-USA play started)


The only undefeated team in Conference USA isn't Liberty, it's not Western Kentucky, it's not Louisiana Tech, and isn't Middle Tennessee either. It's the Aggies of New Mexico State, who have been setting the league on fire over the first three games.


NMSU fell to 4-6 after a loss to Texas on Dec. 12, but has since won six in a row (including two against non-DI opponents). The Aggies handled Louisiana Tech by 30 at home, holding Daniel Batcho to 4 points, his worst performance of the season by far, and then backed it up a week later by handing UTEP an 85-57 loss in El Paso.


These two rivals play twice basically every year - once in Las Cruces and once in El Paso. This was New Mexico State's largest win in El Paso since January 20, 1968, when it won 96-64.


Christian Cook and Peter Filipovity have been excellent this season for the Aggies, while Rob Carpenter provides scoring in a flash, and Zawdie Jackson runs the point at a high level.


Who knows whether this will hold up, it's only been three games after all, but the Aggies are 17th in Torvik since Jan. 2


Old Dominion (2-8 against D1 opponents in the non-con, 4-1 in the Sun Belt)


ODU went on the road to South Alabama, and cracked the zone, moving ahead of the Jaguars on tiebreaker atop the Sun Belt standings.


Sean Durugordon scored 27 points, while Robert Davis Jr. scored 25, lifting the Monarchs to the huge road win. It was the third straight win since a blowout home loss to Arkansas State, but it was the first win against a team in the Sun Belt's top tier.


On Thursday, ODU hosts App State, another one of the top teams in the Sun Belt, and has a chance to back up its 4-1 record.


A few other notable ones


LIU: Road wins over Stonehill and Central Connecticut have LIU at 4-0 in the NEC. The Sharks were 2-11 in the non-con against D1 opponents, losing to Lehigh, Niagara, Binghamton, and more.


William & Mary: 4-0 in the CAA with double-digit wins over Hofstra and Elon after a 5-7 start tot he season including a loss to NC Central.


Missouri and Mississippi: The Tigers (Florida) and Rebels (Alabama) each picked up huge road wins on Tuesday. Mississippi is 4-0 in the SEC, and it's not like it had been struggling before league play, but it has moved into the KenPom top 20 for the first time in twelve years. Mizzou finally picked up a statement road win and has risen from 52nd to 33rd in KenPom since SEC play started, now sitting at 3-1 with the only loss at Auburn.


Louisville: The Cardinals have won 7 in a row since losing to Kentucky on Dec. 14. An 85-61 win at Syracuse vaulted UofL into KenPom's top 30 for the first time since January of 2021.



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