Catching up on the biggest stories in college basketball

Oklahoma may not be the best team out there but does have Trae Young. Young has been the breakout star of the first half of the season and the front-runner for all the major individual awards. Not only does he lead the nation in scoring with 29.4 points per game, but he also leads the nation in assists with over 10 per contest. Both numbers are simply amazing, and for one guy to lead in both stats is stunning. It isn't that he's just been beating up on lesser opponents — in his seven games against Power 5 schools Young has averaged 32.3 ppg. Even the NBA player he's most compare to, Steph Curry, has chimed in on Young's play . If there is any program that understands how one guy can carry you to the Final Four, it is the Sooners, who watched Buddy Hield do so just two seasons ago and Blake Griffin do the same before him. 

As we get into the meat of the conference schedules, it is safe to say there are no favorites who are high above the masses. Michigan State looked like it was hands-down the team to beat until the Spartans were absolutely blown out at Ohio State. Preseason darling Duke has lost two of its first three ACC games and its porous defense is extremely concerning. Other preseason favorites Arizona, Kentucky, Kansas, Florida and USC have had rocky starts as well. It has given us quite a turnover in the top 10 where teams like Arizona State, Xavier, TCU, Purdue and Texas Tech can find themselves near the top of the polls. Yes, Michigan State, Villanova and Duke are still deemed the favorites, but they have shown some flaws. All this should provide for an outstanding remainder of the season, a chaotic bubble watch and quite an NCAA Tournament.

One thing that seems to be happening is Villanova taking its place among the elite programs in the nation. Two years ago the Wildcats were the 2016 NCAA champion, last year they were one of the favorites entering the tournament and this year they've shot to the top of the rankings. They've done so despite losing key players every season, just as the blue bloods deal with. The Wildcats have dominated the new Big East since it was reconfigured and show no signs of slowing down. This year, they've opened up 14-1 despite playing only five games at home. No, 'Nova won't go the rest of the way unscathed as the conference is a tough grind, but with the way the program is set up the Cats seem to be built for sustained success.

Arizona was affected by the FBI's probe, but it's what this preseason favorite has done once the season started that has people scratching their heads. The Wildcats lost three games in the Bahamas during the Battle 4 Atlantis and went from the No. 2 team in the nation to unranked in a week. They've since gotten back on track but then lost to Colorado, which caused head coach Sean Miller to say he couldn't reach his team. The Wildcats have the talent to win the whole thing but seem to have the dysfunction to lose in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. If Miller can reach these guys, then look out! 

You know the story: John Calipari watches several one-and-done players get drafted into the NBA and then brings in a fresh new crop to develop. The team shows promise, has some inexperienced hiccups but is dangerous when March rolls around. Well, this Wildcats team seems a bit different. Kentucky may be too young and doesn't seem to have that star talent that can emerge into the leader that carries it when guys struggle. Calipari has even thrown out there that the team lacks toughness. The SEC isn't top-heavy, but it is much deeper than it has been in years past. It will be a challenge for Big Blue Nation to bring home at least a share of its fourth straight SEC championship. 

Kansas has won 13 straight Big 12 regular-season championships, but the Jayhawks will really have to work for No. 14. It isn't just that Kansas has struggled a bit out of the gate, losing twice at Allen Fieldhouse and once in Kansas City, but that the Big 12 has gotten a lot better. Oklahoma's Trae Young has been a superstar while teams like TCU, West Virginia and Texas Tech have also emerged into conference title contenders. That's not to mention teams like Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas State and Baylor can be tough to dispose of, and you can see how the Big 12 has no off nights. 

Bagley has been everything as advertised since he reclassified and joined Duke last fall. He not only leads Duke in scoring and rebounding, but also leads the ACC in both stats. He is scary good on the college level and can be a guy who carries the Blue Devils back to the Final Four. NBA scouts love him even though there are real questions about his defensive focus as a big and lack of consistent perimeter shooting for a stretch four. Still, he's an NBA talent in Durham and a guy who could carry Duke to Mike Krzyzewski's sixth title.

Mid-majors are seemingly at the height of their powers right now, but as you look through the rankings and statistics early this season, where are they? Gonzaga, who was the national runner-up last season, is in its usual spot as a ranked team, but there doesn't seem to be many teams outside the power seven conferences doing major damage. Saint Mary's takes its usual spot as foil to the Zags while Nevada and Rhode Island look to return to the tournament. Boise State has made strides, and Middle Tennessee is trying to get back into the dance and scare yet another power school. However, with Wichita State now a member of the American there just doesn't seem to be the mid-majors in power spots. That doesn't mean there's a lack of any good ones out there — just not the kind that could make a run for a national championship.

The mid-majors may not be taking the top of the rankings, but those non-traditional schools in power leagues are making moves. Schools like Arizona State, TCU, Clemson, Texas Tech and Auburn are making noise and rising up the rankings. The Sun Devils (who beat Xavier and won at Kansas) actually got up to No. 3 in the Associated Press Poll and received first-place votes for a few weeks, while teams like Purdue, Texas A&M and Xavier have spent time in the top five. 

Going into the season, Michigan State was the heavy favorite to win the Big Ten, but no one knew how the rest of the league would stack up. Purdue has gotten off to a nice start, but are the Boilermakers for real? The lack of quality came to light during the conference's dismal showing during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge (ACC won 11 of 14 games). Wisconsin and Iowa have struggled, Indiana remains irrelevant, Northwestern has regressed, Maryland has had injury woes, and Minnesota has had roster issues. Remember that the Big Ten's season ends early this year so it can play the conference tournament in Madison Square Garden, which could also hurt the league's exposure. Only two teams are currently ranked, though Ohio State's blowout win over Michigan State adds some much-needed drama to the league. 

Most of what you've heard from Louisville this season has been bad: the investigation that led to Rick Pitino's dismissal (and subsequent lawsuits), the AD's firing and that blowout loss to rival Kentucky. So what is Louisville team, exactly? How is all the drama affecting the Cardinals on the court? Well, they are 11-4 and currently unranked, and again, most people only saw their 90-61 loss to Kentucky. Their other three losses were to Purdue, Seton Hall and Clemson — all currently ranked in the top 20 — but they haven't beaten anyone of note either (Indiana probably qualifies as their best win). The ACC schedule is unforgiving so we should soon get a grasp on who the Cardinals are, at least for this season. 

Around Thanksgiving, the PK80 Invitational was one of the best regular-season events we've seen in college basketball in some time. The event was to celebrate Nike founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday and brought to Portland some of the biggest programs in the country. Sixteen teams were invited to play in two eight-team brackets in two arenas simultaneously wearing special Nike uniforms. The tournaments featured 10 of the last 14 national champions, three Hall of Fame coaches and three of the four 2017 Final Four squads. Duke and Michigan State, the two favorites to win the NCAA Tournament, won their respective brackets. The success of the PK80 has started some thought of having similar events in years to come.

Most figured that the Tar Heels would take a step back after losing several players from a team that went to consecutive National Championship Games and winning the 2017 title, but the young Heels got off to a decent start. Then they put up a horrible offensive showing in the championship of the PK80 tournament against Michigan State (worst shooting in program history), which has sort of defined this team. Granted, struggling against the Spartans and then later at Florida State and Virginia is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but there is also a home loss to Wofford that really sticks out. In the usually brutal ACC, nothing is taken for granted so Carolina will need to right the ship or it could suffer the same fate as the last Heels' squad to follow up a title team — missing the tournament and settling for the NIT. 

The relationship between UCLA and the Ball family ended much sooner than expected. Lonzo is off to the NBA after his one year at UCLA, but we will no longer see his brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo play in Westwood. Everything changed when LiAngelo and two Bruins teammates were caught shoplifting in China. That incident not only led to an international crisis of sorts, but it led LaVar to yank LiAngelo from school, sending him and LaMelo to play in Lithuania. The Ball saga will be well-documented going forward, but UCLA is dealing not only with LiAngelo's absence, but the suspensions of Jalen Hill and Cody Riley for the season for the incident in China. The Bruins have had a lot to deal with in the first half of the season but still sit atop the Pac-12 standings. 

Bonzie Colson may be the most underrated player in the nation. The senior is a preseason All-American who led the ACC in rebounding last year and has been a stud at Notre Dame despite most people not knowing who he is. His broken foot will keep him out at least eight weeks, though he could be back for the ACC or NCAA Tournaments. Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey may be one of the most underrated coaches in America and is now tasked with navigating his team through a brutal ACC schedule without his best player. So far so good as the Irish have gone 2-0 in Colson's absence. 

With this crazy season, it would seem that this year's bubble watch will be quite entertaining. Schools that normally aren't in the mix have gotten off to fast starts while teams that were deemed as preseason locks have been iffy at best. Teams like USC, Northwestern, Louisville, UCLA, Baylor, Minnesota and Wisconsin unexpectedly will be fighting to get into the tournament. Take USC, who was a preseason top 10 team and brought back a wealth of talent. The Trojans have been erratic all year and will now have a lot of work to do to get back on the good side of the bubble. This should be a fun run to the NCAA Tournament. 

It's rare that a college basketball referee becomes a story, but Ted Valentine has done it. When North Carolina's Joel Berry II tried to argue a non-call with Valentine during a timeout, the referee turned his back to the senior. The Big Ten has removed Valentine from two assignments since the incident. Valentine has since stated he may retire, stating, “I’ve had enough of people blowing up stuff. I think I’ve had a stellar career, and I think it’s time to get ready to walk away.” He hasn't gotten much support since due to his own history of controversial moments with players and coaches. 

Texas Southern ended last season losing to eventual NCAA champion North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers started this season going 0-13 and looking anything but a tournament team. Ah, but those 13 games were against the likes of Kansas, Gonzaga, Ohio State, TCU, Baylor, Clemson, Syracuse, Oregon and BYU, and all 13 were on the road. Texas Southern boasts the toughest schedule in the country, and that may belie the brilliance in their scheduling. They opened up SWAC play by winning their first three games, two by double digits. See, head coach Mike Davis knows that Texas Southern will never get an at-large bid to the tournament, and even if the Tigers do win the league and get in, they'll be stuck as a 15 or 16 seed. So why not schedule the toughest slate you can put together and toughen up your team for conference play? If you go the first two months of the season facing ranked teams every game, then going up against Alabama State and Grambling isn't that big a deal.