I watched Washington play Providence early in the year and they looked like they had never played basketball before. I'm not exaggerating when I say that their guys struggled to dribble and catch passes. Against Kansas they looked like an actual D1 team. Hop deserves a ton of credit for that and I couldn't be happier for him. There isn't much talent on that roster. How many new coaches can say they surpassed the previous coaches win total before Christmas? Hop will probably be able to say that.
That said, the Kansas that lost to Washington was not the same Kansas we played. Their lobs which were perfectly on point against us sailed out of bounds against Washington. They missed 3's and free throws against Washington that they made against us. But what stood out mist of all was their defense. Kansas seemed to be playing in quicksand.
It really got me thinking. Are there times of the year when upsets are more likely to occur?
Kansas, Notre Dame, and Florida all looked like a shell of themselves. Same with Minnesota and George Tech. Even teams like Michigan State who won, looked terrible doing it.
It might just be the right time of year (just after the early season tournaments and just before finals/Christmas break) where for whatever reason good teams are prime for an upset.
It makes me feel a little better about the stinker SU put up against UConn. Several teams showed us that it could be a lot worse.