The 10 most surprising college basketball teams in 2018-19

The usual suspects continue to rule the college basketball roost. Duke sits atop The Associated Press Top 25, Gonzaga is loaded with talent and North Carolina is starting to heat up.

Then there are those teams that have started better than expected. Some are showing major improvement from a season ago, while others have come out of nowhere to turn heads across the nation. And not all reside within the country's power conferences.

Here's a look at 10 teams that have surprised thus far during the 2018-19 college basketball season.

Houston 
The Cougars entered this week as one of three undefeated teams left in Division I but finally suffered their first loss Wednesday, 73-69, on the road to a good Temple team. Still, this group was off to the second-best start in program history — even better than the memorable Phi Slama Jama squads of the early 1980s. These Cougars (15-1), meanwhile, are doing it with defense, holding opponents to 60.1 points per game and yielding 70 or more just three times.

Texas Tech
So how could a team that reached the regional finals last season be a surprise in 2018-19? Because the Red Raiders were not ranked to begin the campaign but currently are 14-1 and sit within the top 10 of the AP Poll. Texas Tech has yet to play the other big guns in the Big 12, but it leads the conference, just beat No. 23 Oklahoma and suffered its only loss to Duke. Sophomore guard Jarrett Culver is averaging 19.0 points and shooting 56.4 percent.

North Carolina State 
The Wolfpack returned to the NCAA Tournament last season after missing out the two years prior, and they appear to be in solid shape to make it two in a row. Though N.C. State's seven-game winning streak ended this week against No. 12 North Carolina at home, it remains a team to watch in the ACC, sitting at 13-2. The fact Kevin Keatts' squad has played just two true road games to date has not hurt.

Mississippi 
We know about Tennessee, Auburn, Kentucky and Mississippi State in the SEC, but the Rebels might be the dark horse of the league. Ole Miss, which last made the NCAA Tournament in 2015, improved to 12-2 after a convincing 82-67 home victory over No. 11 Auburn on Wednesday. A trip to No. 14 Mississippi State awaits this weekend, but the Rebels have something special going at the moment.

Oklahoma
The bloom might be off the Sooners' rose with a 1-2 start in Big 12 play, but winning 11 of their first 12 showed that Lon Kruger's bunch was ready to move on without Trae Young. Christian James and Brady Manek have more than stepped up in the early going. However, the key for an Oklahoma team that did not receive a Top 25 vote prior to the season will be whether it can hang with the studs of the Big 12.

Iowa State
At 12-3, the Cyclones are one win away from matching their total from all of last season when their run of six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances came to an end. Virginia transfer Marial Shayok has made an immediate impact while leading the Big 12 in scoring (20.1 ppg). Though Iowa State suffered its first league loss Tuesday at Baylor, it routed Kansas and could be a serious contender within the conference.

St. John's 
For the moment, the Red Storm appear in good shape to end a three-year NCAA Tournament drought. Shamorie Ponds is a bona fide All-American candidate and their 12-0 start caught the eyes of plenty around the country, even if the competition during that stretch was less than stellar. St. John's has split its first four Big East games and could not hold a double-digit, second-half lead at Villanova this week. Still, the start to the regular season has been good for the Red Storm, but it will be the finish that counts.

North Texas 
In 2017-18, the Mean Green improved by 12 wins from the season prior to end their seven-year postseason tournament drought. North Texas won the College Basketball Invitational and now has its sights set on making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. The boys from Denton began the week 15-1 and received a vote in the Top 25. The Mean Green also have six players averaging at least 10.1 points.

Buffalo
Sure, Buffalo upset Arizona in the NCAA Tournament last season and was picked to win the Mid-American Conference in this one, so it was somewhat of a known commodity. But at 14-1 and climbing the ranks of the Top 25, the Bulls seem like a legitimate mid-major threat that can hang around long at the Big Dance. That's something that many might not have thought when the season began. Buffalo already has wins over West Virginia and Syracuse and ranks among the national leaders averaging 85.3 points.

Central Michigan
Let's stay in the MAC with the Chippewas. Guided by former Drake and Providence coach Keno Davis, Central Michigan is 13-2 and a winner of seven in a row. Like Buffalo, the Chips rank among the highest-scoring teams in the country (87.7 ppg) and four times have reached 100 points. If there's a team that can keep Buffalo from winning the MAC Tournament and earning the league's automatic bid, CMU might be the one.