Surprise teams for 2012-2013

[tornado]

Anyone else have some picks for surprise teams??

I will classify Bradley as a little of a positive surprise - we're only a couple made FTs from 10-2...

I also count the 11-1 Illini & the Minnesota Gophers - both of whom weren't expected anywhere near the Top 10 but are 2 of the 3 highest RPI Big Ten teams right now....and maybe add 11-2 Iowa...

Wichita is a positive surprise in the Valley - everyone else is about where we expected them

UIC & Loyola were picked at the bottom of their league and have surprised...Mo has WIU playing pretty well, and DePaul is 9-3!!

Unpleasant surprises (disappointments) include Missouri State, who can't beat anyone, but same for NIU, ...also Purdue, Wisconsin, and UW-M who really are bad this year - just as Coach Jeter turned down job offers that would have doubled his salary and boosted him into a better conference!
And USC is bad - the lingering legacy of lusting for OJ Mayo's talent.

[Tulsa Brave]

Canisius gets my vote for biggest surprise to date. They finished last in the MAAC last season at 1-17, and 5-25 overall. This season, they were picked 9th in the MAAC, but are off to an 8-3 start, with 2 of the losses at Syracuse and UNLV. They are also 2-0 in the MAAC, with 2 double digit road wins, including 1 at a Fairfield team that should compete for one of the top spots in that league. Currently, both Pomeroy and Sagarin have Canisius the top ranked team in the MAAC, with Sagarin having them 47th nationally. They are #28 in the RPI, but it's really too early still for the RPI to truly represent reality.

[tornado]

yeah - some of those eastern teams don't get a lot of airplay here in the midwest but I have noticed that Canisius (8-3), Bucknell (10-2), Seton Hall (10-2 - picked 14th), and Pitt (12-1 - picked 6th) all are doing well


The A-10 is a little bit of a surprise so far...
St. Joe's was picked at the #1 spot with SLU right behind...
Instead, the two best teams by far have been Butler (picked 6th) & VCU (picked 3rd)..... but the A-10 has eight teams with 9 or more wins already!