10 early-season developments in college basketball

One month in, and the college basketball season has been quite entertaining.

We've already seen three different teams sit atop The Associated Press Top 25, and we've had our fair share of close games and exciting finishes — and that was just at the Maui Invitational. To think, we have a little more than three months of fun left before a national champion is crowned.

But before we worry about what's to come, let's look at 10 things we've learned and that have developed over the first half of the 2018-19 college basketball season.

The Furman factor
Every season there seems to be one mid-major that comes out of nowhere to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. We may have found that team earlier than expected: Furman. That's right, tiny Furman, the Greenville, South Carolina school with an enrollment of less than 3,000, including graduate students. Following back-to-back 23-win seasons, the Paladins, out of the Southern Conference, are 10-0 and ranked 23rd in the latest AP Top 25 and have already beaten reigning national champion Villanova and the Wildcats' 2018 Final Four mate Loyola of Chicago. They average 83.4 points on 48.8-percent shooting and are led by junior guard Jordan Lyons (20.2 points per game), who scored seven points per contest in his first two seasons.

All hail the unbeatens
Furman enters the week as one of nine teams still undefeated in college basketball. Of those without a loss, only St. John's, featuring star guard Shamorie Ponds, is not ranked in the AP Top 25. That appears to be because the Red Storm have yet to play a ranked opponent and were severely tested by middling Bowling Green. To put things into perspective, at this time last season, there were five undefeated teams in the Top 25. The Big 12 is the only conference in the country at the moment with two teams yet to lose (No. 1 Kansas and No. 11 Texas Tech).

Houston basketball is back - for now
OK, Phi Slama Jama they are not, but the Cougars seem truly relevant in the college basketball universe once again. One of those unbeatens, at 8-0, Houston laid the groundwork for this season's strong start by going 27-8 and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 before a heartbreaking loss to Michigan in the second round. The days of Guy V. Lewis' sport coat, Hakeem and "Clyde the Glide" have been somewhat resurrected from a success standpoint, but these Cougars are getting it done with defense. They enter the week among the national leaders, allowing an average of 57.8 points and posting an effective field-goal percentage of 43.7.

Duke's freshman trio is really, really good
We knew that R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish were elite talents, but it's somewhat surprising how dominant these guys have looked as a trio. Could Barrett (24.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game) be the second coming of LeBron? Then again, soon-to-be NBA Slam Dunk champion Williamson (20.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg) might be the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. Meanwhile, Reddish (14.5 ppg, 36.5 3-point percentage, 2.1 steals per game) might be the best defender of the group. After the trio, no other Duke player averaged more than 8.8 points entering this week.

Waiting is the hard part
It's no surprise the NCAA will wait until after the Final Four to punish those programs involved in the fraud case with Adidas. Why add another distraction to a sport that does not need its black eye to get any darker? However, that decision is not sitting well with at least one coach of one national power. All the complaining, though, won't matter as the NCAA looks to keep things under control for the time being. Hopefully, those findings and punishments will be worth the wait when the time comes.

Early parity aplenty
Perhaps the highlight of the first month is the competitiveness among some the top teams in the nation. Gonzaga, for example, has played arguably two of the best and most entertaining games on the young season. The Bulldogs downed then-No. 1 Duke 89-87 in the final of the Maui Invitational last month then suffered their first defeat  Sunday, 76-73, to then-No. 7 Tennessee thanks to Admiral Schofield. The Volunteers' lone loss, meanwhile, came in overtime to Kansas, which also needed OT to beat Stanford. The Jayhawks, Blue Devils, Vols and Zags make up the top four in the AP Poll, respectively, while teams Nos. 5-7 — Michigan, Virginia and Nevada — all enter the week undefeated.

Cause for concern in Kentucky
Kentucky's overtime loss to Seton Hall over the weekend likely has its fan base in a frenzy — and not in a good way. Sure, it's early, but the Wildcats (7-2) have failed their first two real tests of the season, which started with a 118-84 loss to Duke. No doubt there is talent in Lexington — there always is — but the immediate future only looks tougher. There is Utah on Saturday, then a trip to North Carolina three days before Christmas and a visit to Louisville after the holiday. Then SEC play starts. The Wildcats fan base might want to have some antacids on hand.

Ailing Azubuike
Perhaps the country's most significant injury thus far is the sprained ankle suffered by Kansas 7-footer Udoka Azubuike (12.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) on Dec. 4. The Jayhawks followed that game with a three-point victory over a solid New Mexico State team four days later, so life minus their big man might be a challenge, especially with Villanova awaiting Saturday. Bill Self and Co. hope to have Azubuike back by the time Big 12 play begins in early January.

Alford's seat might be getting hotter
UCLA opened the season in the Top 25, but coach Steve Alford's job was still far from secure. Following a 4-0 start, the Bruins dropped out of the poll after falling to fellow ranked schools in Michigan State and North Carolina in Las Vegas by a combined 36 points. UCLA also needed a late three to top Notre Dame over the weekend. The Bruins are 7-2 but have not done much to make Alford's job any more secure. Plus, after Fred Hoiberg was fired by the Chicago Bulls, could he return to the college game? Would UCLA be a possible landing spot?

Staying home
Penny Hardaway's Memphis Tigers enter the week at 5-4, but their future — meaning next season — looks pretty bright. Hardaway landed 7-footer James Wiseman, considered the top prep prospect in the country, who happened to play for the former NBA great when he was coaching at Memphis' East High School. Wiseman reportedly had drawn major interest from Kentucky and Kansas but chose to stay home to play for a familiar face. Even with its strong basketball history, Memphis has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2014.