Catching up on the biggest stories in college basketball so far

We did not even reach the new year, and already six different teams had sat atop The Associated Press Top 25 Poll. The season opened with Michigan State at No. 1, but the Spartans lost their opener to Kentucky. The Wildcats then claimed the top spot, followed by Duke, Louisville, Kansas and Gonzaga, which has now made it three consecutive weeks atop of the poll.

Memphis' James Wiseman, the No. 1 prep prospect and possible top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, lasted only three games with his hometown Tigers. Rather than face a lengthy suspension and repaying more than $11,000 given from coach Penny Hardaway for his family to move, the 7-foot-1 Wiseman (19.7 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game) left school and signed with an agent. Perhaps the college game is better, at least from a small ethical standpoint, without him.

Just because Wiseman is out of the college picture, that does not mean the nation is void of elite first-year talent. Washington forward Isaiah Stewart leads all true freshmen in scoring (19.5 ppg). Georgia guard Anthony Edwards (18.4 ppg, 3.2 assists per game) could be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft, while Duke's Vernon Carey Jr. (18.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and the Arizona trio of 6-11 Zeke Nnaji (16.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg), Nico Mannion (14.3 ppg, 6.3 apg) and Josh Green (13.0 ppg) are all playing at a high level.

Now, we didn't mention Cole Anthony (19.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.4 apg through nine games) among the nation's best true freshmen. That's because he might be the best of the bunch, but a bigger reason is because his current knee injury is a huge reason North Carolina is sitting 8-6 and wondering what the rest of the season holds. Yes, the Tar Heels have dealt with other injuries in 2019-20, but the return of Anthony, who last played Dec. 8, can't come soon enough.

North Carolina is not the only major program to lose a key contributor this season. Tennessee lost senior guard Lamonte Turner to season-ending shoulder surgery. Losing Turner, the team leader at 12.3 points and 7.1 assists among regulars, is a big blow for a squad that's 8-5 and lost four of five. The recent arrival of prized Uruguayan point guard freshman Santiago Vescovi (18 points, six three-pointers in first career game) might be the boost the Vols need to get back on track.

North Carolina's Anthony and Turner from Tennessee are not the only big-time players to suffer injuries this season. Duke forward Wendell Moore Jr. is dealing with a hand injury, talented Harvard forward Seth Towns (knee) was lost before the season started and Iowa senior guard Jordan Bohannon (career 11.7 ppg, 4.5 apg) had season-ending hip surgery . Michigan's Isaiah Livers (13.6 ppg) is also day to day with a groin issue.

Give Mick Cronin credit: He wants to lead the turnaround at UCLA. At the moment, that's pretty ambitious. Sitting 8-7 and saddled with losses to Hofstra and Cal State Fullerton at home, the Bruins are likely to miss the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003 and '04. Of course, UCLA just won at Washington, but this program remains on an uphill climb, and it might take a while to reach the top. 

Sure, we're only a few games into the Big Ten season, but did anybody see Penn State and Rutgers being among the top four teams in the league, with the Nittany Lions, who happen to be ranked, and the Scarlet Knights a combined 23-5 as of Jan. 5? Perhaps that qualifies both squads to be taken seriously. Penn State last made the NCAA Tournament in 2011, while Rutgers hasn't been dancing since 1991.

With a national-best five teams ranked in the Top 25, one in the top 10 (Michigan State) and two more within the top 15 (Ohio State and Maryland), the Big Ten is looking strong. We already mentioned Penn State and Rutgers, but Wiscinson has won four in a row and Illinois might have the conference's best freshman in 7-footer Kofi Cockburn (15.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg). 

Riding a seven-game winning streak as of Jan. 5, Michigan State seems to have moved on from its early struggles. The 12-3 Spartans are 4-0 to open Big Ten play after routing then-No. 12 rival Michigan, 87-69. All-American Cassius Winston has averaged 23.8 points and shot 52.4 percent over the last four games, as the Spartans are again looking like the team that was worthy of opening the season ranked No. 1 in the nation.

The Spartans are not the only 2019 national semifinalist looking to get back to the Final Four There was not much preseason hype surrounding last year's national runner-up, Texas Tech. Minus star Jarrett Culver, the Red Raiders might be finding their form while winning five in a row following a three-game losing streak. Freshman Jahmi'us Ramsey (17.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) appears to be heating up, and Davide Moretti (13.2 ppg) remains a steady force.

Keeping with the theme of teams trying to make a second straight trip to the Final Four, Auburn sure seems like it's intent on doing so. At 13-0, the Tigers are one of two undefeated teams in the country. (San Diego State is the other.) They rank among the national leaders, averaging 82 points per game. Of course, Auburn has yet to face a ranked opponent and just played its second true road game of the season. Let's wait and see on the Tigers. 

The other undefeated team in the country hails from the Mountain West Conference. San Diego State (15-0), which has failed to make any postseason tournament in two of the last three years, has cracked the top 10 of the AP Poll and is starting to get some love as a potential No. 2 seed by national NCAA Tournament prognosticators. Who knows? The Aztecs, one of the nation's top defensive teams (56.8 ppg allowed), might be in the No. 1 seed conversation if they keep it up.

The current No. 1 team in the country, Gonzaga's lone defeat came to then-surging Michigan in late November. The Bulldogs (16-1) lead the country in scoring (87.5), but they also trailed Portland by seven points at halftime and had to work to beat Pepperdine by five at home to open West Coast Conference play. If those two games are any indication, the Zags could face a stiffer test than usual within the league this season. 

There's that one player each season who elevates his game to a star level. The 2019-20 candidate appears to be Dayton sophomore forward Obi Toppin. The 6-foot-9 Toppin, who averaged 14.4 points while starting almost half his team's games as a freshman, is scoring 19.5 per contest while pulling down 7.7 boards a game and dishing out an average of 2.2 assists. He's also a major reason Dayton sits 13-2 and is ranked 15th in the country.

When it comes to the country's top player at the moment, Dayton's Toppin is on that list. So too should Oregon guard Payton Pritchard (18.7 ppg, 50.3 field-goal percentage, 5.9 apg) be there. Don't forget Louisville's Jordan Nwora (21.0 ppg) and national scoring leader Markus Howard (25.8 ppg). Kansas' Devon Dotson (18.5 ppg, 4.4 apg) and the Duke duo of Tre Jones (14.2 ppg, 7.2 apg, 3.8 rpg) and Vernon Carey Jr. are also among the best in the nation. Don't forget about preseason favorite Cassius Winston, who is starting to heat up.

Liberty knocked off Mississippi State as a No. 12 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. Now the Flames are at it again. They are 16-1 with a victory at Vanderbilt and that lone defeat to LSU. Liberty is not that flashy but ranks second in the country, allowing just 51.8 points per game and among the top 10 in defensive field-goal percentage (36.4). This is certainly a team to keep an eye on.

OK, Gonzaga, Dayton, Wichita State, VCU and Saint Mary's don't count. Let's go deeper. We touched on Liberty, which received two votes in this week's Top 25 poll. East Tennessee State (13-3) just lost to Furman within the Southern Conference, but it also has wins over mid-major darlings Winthrop and at LSU. Northern Iowa (12-2), meanwhile, should be in the hunt for the Missouri Valley Conference crown and already took down South Carolina and then-No. 24-ranked Colorado.

Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, Gonzaga. While parity is alive and well throughout the college basketball scene, we should not be surprised if some familiar names find their way to the Final Four in Atlanta. Duke might be the best team in the nation at the moment and Kansas is also playing well, while Michigan State seems to have overcome its early struggles. Gonzaga could get the final No. 1 if it runs the table the rest of the regular season.

We like the Blue Devils for a spot in the national semifinals, but they look to be the most serious national title contender right now . Since its stunning home loss to Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26, Duke has won seven in a row by an average margin of 23.5. Vernon Carey, meanwhile, is a star in the making and Tre Jones is getting healthy. The Blue Devils last won a title in 2015, but is another one on the 2020 horizon?