Men's Basketball: The Darkhorse Program For Each Major Conference

ByBryan Armetta

5 min read

Men's Basketball: The Darkhorse Program For Each Major Conference

In college basketball, there are no guarantees.

Win streaks are broken. #16 seeds can take down #1 seeds (it will happen again), and a single five-star recruit can change the entire trajectory of a program.

This year's group of preseason favorites should be extra wary of any hype and fanfare, as lurking right behind them are a host of rivals starving for a chance to take down everyone's conference-winning pick. After a topsy-turvy pandemic-impacted season, along with another round of the transfer portal carousel, who knows what to expect this year?

Below are six darkhorses that have what it takes to flip the script and hang a conference championship banner at the end of the regular season.

*All statistics courtesy of Sports Reference CBB

SEC: Auburn

It was not a great 2020-21 season for Auburn and Bruce Pearl, as the team went 13-14 in the SEC. Still, fans shouldn't be too concerned. After a 2019 Final Four run and a promising 2020 season (the Tigers were 25-6 before March Madness was cancelled that year), a rebuild was inevitable.

After one busy offseason, it's safe to say Auburn has rebuilt. Five-star recruit Jabari Smith Jr. and North Carolina sophomore transfer Walker Kessler give Pearl two young big men to mold his team around, as both possess the ability to bang bodies down low or shoot from outside the paint. They'll be joined by a returning roster that contains some firepower, including talented junior guard Allen Flanigan, who was injured for a good portion of last season. The major question for Auburn: will they have enough three-point shooting to hang with the sharpshooters at Kentucky and Alabama? Stay tuned.

Big East: St. Johns

After a crucial win against #3 Villanova last season, St. Johns looked poised to make a return to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for the Red Storm, the team took a nosedive to end the year, going 3-5 against Big East rivals. To make matters worse, they'll welcome back just three returning players from last year's squad.

If the previous paragraph cast some doubt over St. John's chances of competing for the Big East this season, fear not. Of the three returnees, one is star forward Julian Champagnie, who averaged 19.8 PPG, 7.4 REB, and 38% shooting from three. Another is guard Posh Alexander, the Big East's 2020 Freshman of the Year. Admittedly, the conference should be Villanova's to lose once again. However, the Johnnies have already shown they can hang with Jay Wright's Wildcats after their upset win last year. Another season for Champagnie, arguably the best player in the Big East, and Alexander could give St. Johns one of the most dynamic duos in the nation. Now, head coach Mike Anderson will need a roster filled with transfers to back up his stars with solid defense and smart playmaking.

Pac-12: USC

Out west, USC also has some work to do fresh off an Elite Eight appearance. The departures of big man Evan Mobley, the #3 overall selection in the NBA Draft, and guard Tahj Eaddy leave USC without its two best scorers from a season ago, as well as a defensive anchor in the seven-foot Mobley.

Still, the next six highest scorers for Andy Enfield's crew will be back in 2021. Of all the returnees, Isaiah Mobley, Evan's brother, has the best chance at a breakout season, combining potentially potent offensive ability with a lanky shot-blocking frame. Other members of the supporting cast, such as Drew Peterson, Isaiah White, and Ethan Anderson, could all thrive with bigger roles in the Trojans offense. UCLA and Oregon deserve to be considered preseason favorites, but don't be surprised if USC's depth keeps them firmly in contention for the Pac-12 crown.

Big 12: West Virginia

Admittedly, taking down the defending champion Baylor Bears or the reloaded Kansas Jayhawks is a tall order for any other Big 12 member school. If anyone is up to the task, why not West Virginia? Bob Huggins always has his Press Virginia teams ready to play for big games, evidenced by the team's win over Kansas last February and a grueling OT loss versus Baylor in March.

The loss of leading scorers Miles McBride and Derek Culver has many prognosticators understandably pessimistic about WVU's chances to win their conference. What may be overlooked is the addition of Malik Curry at point guard; the Old Dominion transfer averaged just over 16 points a game. Sharpshooter Sean McNeill, who shot .388 on three-pointers while averaging 12.2 PPG, and sixth-man extraordinaire Taz Sherman headline the returnees for the Mountaineers. With a strong offensive trio, a difficult defensive scheme for opponents, and a veteran coach, West Virginia has what it takes to snag a Big 12 championship from Kansas and Baylor.

Big 10: Maryland

Overall, the 2020-21 season was a solid one for Maryland, who made the NCAA Tournament and took down UConn in the Round of 64 before falling to Alabama. Leading scorer Eric Ayala is back, along with several other important pieces from last year's group, such as sharpshooter Donta Scott and Hakim Hart.

While making up the production of Aaron Wiggins and Darryl Morsell is a challenge for head coach Mark Turgeon, those brought to College Park this offseason could be an improvement. Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab and four-star prospect Julian Reese give the Terps an interior presence they were sorely missing last season, while Providence transfer Fatts Russell combines with Ayala to form what should be one of the highest-scoring guard duos in the nation. With a deep roster that can attack defenses from just about anywhere on the court, the rest of the Big 10 should look out for a Maryland team on the rise.

ACC: Virginia Tech

It would be a cop-out to go with Duke and North Carolina after subpar seasons; expect both Tobacco Road rivals to get back to their perennially winning ways in 2021. The real ACC darkhorse resides up north in Blacksburg, where Virginia Tech welcomes back four starters from an NCAA Tournament team. Each player averaged at least 8.5 points per game while forming the backbone of a defense that gave up an average of just 66 points per game during the regular season.

To bolster the offense at guard, head coach Mike Young now turns to graduate transfer Storm Murphy, who hit on a blistering .417% of three-point attempts over four years at Wofford. The shooting of Murphy, Nahiem Alleyne (.397 FG3%), and Hunter Catoor (.415 FG3%) should space out the floor for the rest of the Hokies offense, including nightly double-double threat Keve Aluma down low. It's important to remember that VaTech was a major force last season, taking down strong teams in Villanova, Clemson, Duke, and Virginia. The ACC is always a college basketball gauntlet, but the talent assembled at Virginia Tech should set the bar even higher than their previous third-place conference finish.

Are you an Athlete?

Create a free profile to access the largest network specifically designed to connect athletes to opportunities. Get started.

RELATED ARTICLES
USA Cycling: The Search for Speed Starts Here

USA Cycling: The Search for Speed Starts Here

Do you have a need for speed? If so, you should check out USA Cycling’s new talent identification...

ByTiffany Allen | Wed Jan 24 2024
From Challengers to Champions: USA Boxing Launches New Athlete Identification Program

From Challengers to Champions: USA Boxing Launches New Athlete Identification Program

USA Boxing, the National Governing Body for Boxing in the U.S., has launched a brand new Talent...

ByTiffany Allen | Wed Jan 17 2024
USA Football Dominates 2023: Unprecedented Growth and Digital Combine Triumphs

USA Football Dominates 2023: Unprecedented Growth and Digital Combine Triumphs

2023 has proved to be a year of acceleration for the sport of flag football. From a pivotal Olympic...

ByTiffany Allen | Mon Dec 18 2023
USA Triathlon Celebrates New Heights in November

USA Triathlon Celebrates New Heights in November

In a dynamic collaboration aimed at boosting collegiate triathlon, USA Triathlon joined forces with...

ByTiffany Allen | Wed Dec 13 2023
Rise to the Challenge: Join the USA Triathlon Virtual Combine this November

Rise to the Challenge: Join the USA Triathlon Virtual Combine this November

Are you ready to put your skills to the test, go beyond your limits, and claim your spot amongst...

ByTiffany Allen | Wed Oct 18 2023
USA Football and GMTM Announce 2023 Digital Combine

USA Football and GMTM Announce 2023 Digital Combine

USA Football and GMTM will hold the second U.S. National Team Digital Combine with GMTM to identify...

BySamuel Teets | Thu Aug 10 2023
USA Bobsled & Skeleton Launches Registration for August In-Person Combine

USA Bobsled & Skeleton Launches Registration for August In-Person Combine

USA Bobsled & Skeleton has launched registration for their next in-person combine open to the...

ByTiffany Allen | Tue Aug 01 2023
How To Participate in the 2023 Virtual World Flip League

How To Participate in the 2023 Virtual World Flip League

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has just launched the first Virtual World Flip League. The Virtual World Flip...

ByTiffany Allen | Wed Jul 05 2023
USA Bobsled & Skeleton Hosts In-Person Combine Open to the Public

USA Bobsled & Skeleton Hosts In-Person Combine Open to the Public

USA Bobsled & Skeleton has been working to provide unique opportunities for aspiring athletes to...

ByTiffany Allen | Fri Jun 16 2023
Trending Stories from Volleyball Canada: March/April

Trending Stories from Volleyball Canada: March/April

A new season means new events and opportunities for volleyball athletes across Canada. As the...

ByJoey Grant | Thu Apr 20 2023
USA Team Handball: Three Handball events you should pay attention to this month

USA Team Handball: Three Handball events you should pay attention to this month

It may seem like a sleepy time for Olympic sports, halfway through a year with no Olympic games....

ByTiffany Allen | Wed Apr 12 2023
Meet The Top Finishers At The 2023 USA Bobsled & Skeleton National Championships

Meet The Top Finishers At The 2023 USA Bobsled & Skeleton National Championships

LAKE PLACID, NY - The 2023 Skeleton Selection Races and the USABS National Championships for both...

ByAbby Slenker | Thu Mar 30 2023
USA Football announces final rosters for 2023 Men’s and Women’s Flag National Teams

USA Football announces final rosters for 2023 Men’s and Women’s Flag National Teams

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football, a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the sport's...

ByTiffany Allen | Thu Mar 23 2023
4 GMTM Athletes Attend USA Football's National Team Trials

4 GMTM Athletes Attend USA Football's National Team Trials

March 10, 2023 - It’s a gray, rainy Friday morning in Charlotte, NC. We’re inside the Belk...

ByTiffany Allen | Thu Mar 16 2023
College Basketball: Four Coaches Who Could Switch Jobs After March Madness

College Basketball: Four Coaches Who Could Switch Jobs After March Madness

While the games from November through February certainly count in the standings, the tilts that...

ByAndrew Pistone | Wed Mar 15 2023
Name, Image, & Likeness: March Madness Offers Rare NIL Opportunities

Name, Image, & Likeness: March Madness Offers Rare NIL Opportunities

For college basketball fans around the country, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year....

ByAndrew Pistone | Tue Mar 07 2023
How Ohio State Handball Is Becoming A Talent Pipeline For European Clubs

How Ohio State Handball Is Becoming A Talent Pipeline For European Clubs

J.D. Orr isn’t the most recognized coach at Ohio State. At a state school where the athletic...

ByScotty Jenkins | Mon Dec 12 2022
Why Is Boise State’s Football Field Blue?

Why Is Boise State’s Football Field Blue?

Some of college football’s most daunting homefield advantages come to mind pretty quickly. The Big...

ByAndrew Pistone | Tue Oct 11 2022
College Basketball: Midnight Madness and the start of the CBB schedule

College Basketball: Midnight Madness and the start of the CBB schedule

Many college basketball fans think that the season gets underway in earnest around Thanksgiving,...

ByAndrew Pistone | Fri Sep 30 2022
How Continued Legalization of Sports Betting Affects College Sports

How Continued Legalization of Sports Betting Affects College Sports

In recent years the taboo of sports betting has started to come down and gambling on your favorite...

ByJamison White | Sun Sep 18 2022
2022 College Football Cheat Sheet: Who Will Finish On Top In The Big Ten

2022 College Football Cheat Sheet: Who Will Finish On Top In The Big Ten

It's not the flashiest conference, nor is it the most talented, but Big Ten football offers...

ByBryan Armetta | Mon Sep 05 2022
College Football: Why Head Coach Salaries At Top Schools Keep Going Up

College Football: Why Head Coach Salaries At Top Schools Keep Going Up

What does one normally associate with the position of college football head coach? Leaders of men....

ByBryan Armetta | Sun Sep 04 2022
College Football: Are Spencer Rattler and South Carolina SEC East Contenders?

College Football: Are Spencer Rattler and South Carolina SEC East Contenders?

Competing in the SEC is not for everybody. Lost in the shuffle of the annual arms race between...

ByBryan Armetta | Sun Sep 04 2022
How UConn Has Dominated Women’s College Basketball

How UConn Has Dominated Women’s College Basketball

Women’s College Basketball and UConn are two terms that you will often hear together as they have...

ByScotty Jenkins | Thu Sep 01 2022
A Few Reasons Why Americans Are So Obsessed With College Sports

A Few Reasons Why Americans Are So Obsessed With College Sports

Of all the interesting traditions Americans have, few are more difficult for a foreign audience to...

ByScotty Jenkins | Tue Aug 23 2022
College Football: Four Of The Best College Towns In Division-I

College Football: Four Of The Best College Towns In Division-I

What makes a college sports town great? It certainly helps to eat, live and breathe the experience...

ByAndrew Pistone | Mon Aug 22 2022
Name, Image, & Likeness: Duke, Kentucky remain popular destinations for college basketball recruits

Name, Image, & Likeness: Duke, Kentucky remain popular destinations for college basketball recruits

The name, image, and likeness of college athletes has been a topic of discussion for several years,...

ByScotty Jenkins | Tue Aug 02 2022
2022 College Football Conference Preview: Which Pac 12 Team Will End On Top

2022 College Football Conference Preview: Which Pac 12 Team Will End On Top

The Pac-12 hasn't seen a team reach the College Football Playoff since Washington in 2016. It's a...

ByBryan Armetta | Mon Jun 27 2022
Is USC Football Finally Back? Recapping Lincoln Riley's First Spring As Trojans Head Coach

Is USC Football Finally Back? Recapping Lincoln Riley's First Spring As Trojans Head Coach

We hear about 'culture changes' in college football all the time; one-season turnarounds ushered in...

ByBryan Armetta | Fri Jun 17 2022
College Basketball: Why Experience Still Matters For Division-I Teams

College Basketball: Why Experience Still Matters For Division-I Teams

College basketball's history is filled with teams that had to overcome adversity on the road to a...

ByBryan Armetta | Mon Jun 13 2022
College Football: Are the Houston Cougar's This Season's Cincinnati?

College Football: Are the Houston Cougar's This Season's Cincinnati?

Prior to 2021, the thought of a non-Power 5 program reaching the College Football Playoff was...

ByBryan Armetta | Mon Jun 13 2022
College Basketball: Three Top Programs That Could Miss the NCAA Tournament

College Basketball: Three Top Programs That Could Miss the NCAA Tournament

Anyone who enjoys college basketball understands this is the closest one can get to sheer chaos in...

ByBryan Armetta | Mon Jun 13 2022
College Basketball: Three Biggest Coaching Hires of the Offseason

College Basketball: Three Biggest Coaching Hires of the Offseason

Once upon a time, long before the transfer portal and NIL deals, college basketball offseasons were...

ByBryan Armetta | Sun Jun 12 2022
2022 College Football Conference Preview: Who The Favorites Are In The SEC

2022 College Football Conference Preview: Who The Favorites Are In The SEC

S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C! It's a chant embraced by the South and universally reviled everywhere else....

ByBryan Armetta | Thu Jun 09 2022
College Football: Five Best Non-Conference Games Of 2022

College Football: Five Best Non-Conference Games Of 2022

The end of the college football season is a bittersweet time for fans across the nation. Despite an...

ByBryan Armetta | Sun May 15 2022
Men's Basketball: How Shaheen Holloway and St. Peter's Can Stay Relevant After March Madness

Men's Basketball: How Shaheen Holloway and St. Peter's Can Stay Relevant After March Madness

Saint Peter's historic run was full of dramatic moments and unexpected surprises. All except one:...

ByBryan Armetta | Thu Apr 21 2022
Men's Basketball: Eric Musselman and Arkansas Are Speeding Ahead of the SEC

Men's Basketball: Eric Musselman and Arkansas Are Speeding Ahead of the SEC

Moments after Arkansas took down top overall seed Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Eric...

ByBryan Armetta | Wed Apr 20 2022
Can Cincinnati's Historic Season Continue in the NFL Draft?

Can Cincinnati's Historic Season Continue in the NFL Draft?

Undefeated regular season. 12-1 record. First-ever non-Power 5 playoff participant. Multiple...

ByBryan Armetta | Wed Apr 20 2022
Men's Basketball: How Bill Self and Kansas Stole Another National Championship

Men's Basketball: How Bill Self and Kansas Stole Another National Championship

There were plenty of flashy picks for college basketball fans to choose from when filling out their...

ByBryan Armetta | Thu Apr 07 2022
March Madness: Who's to blame for Gonzaga basketball's early exit?

March Madness: Who's to blame for Gonzaga basketball's early exit?

In a stunning turn of events, top overall seed Gonzaga was bounced from the NCAA Tournament on...

ByBryan Armetta | Mon Mar 28 2022
March Madness: Reactions After a Wild Opening Weekend

March Madness: Reactions After a Wild Opening Weekend

In the span of just four days, "March Madness" has already lived up to its name. We've had some...

ByBryan Armetta | Tue Mar 22 2022
Is the Division II Men’s College Basketball Tournament worth watching?

Is the Division II Men’s College Basketball Tournament worth watching?

When it comes to the Division-II [gmtm.com/articles/tag/division-ii] basketball tournament, there...

ByScotty Jenkins | Mon Mar 21 2022
March Madness: Three Teams Who Should Be On Upset Alert

March Madness: Three Teams Who Should Be On Upset Alert

March is a time of hope across college basketball. Between conference tournament bid-stealers and...

ByBryan Armetta | Thu Mar 17 2022
College Bowling: Erie Tabs Name From The Past In Hopes Of Bright Future

College Bowling: Erie Tabs Name From The Past In Hopes Of Bright Future

We’ve seen the trend quite a bit in a collegiate sports in recent years. Alumni who starred for a...

ByAndrew Pistone | Wed Mar 09 2022
Student-Athletes Develop For The Future At NCAA Leadership Forum

Student-Athletes Develop For The Future At NCAA Leadership Forum

For some student-athletes, leadership comes innately in different ways. Some may have a gift when...

ByAndrew Pistone | Wed Mar 09 2022
Men's Basketball: Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren Is Blocking His Way To A Historic Season

Men's Basketball: Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren Is Blocking His Way To A Historic Season

If you have even a passing interest in college basketball, chances are the name Chet Holmgren...

ByBryan Armetta | Wed Mar 09 2022
Five States That Produce The Most Men's College Basketball Recruits

Five States That Produce The Most Men's College Basketball Recruits

The following states have produced some of the top-quality athletes in the country. This list is...

ByAlexis Peltzer-Harding | Tue Mar 08 2022
Mike Krzyzewski: Looking back at the career of a legendary Duke Basketball coach

Mike Krzyzewski: Looking back at the career of a legendary Duke Basketball coach

Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is one of the most familiar, iconic figures...

ByAndrew Pistone | Tue Mar 08 2022
March Madness: A Darkhorse From Every Power 5 Conference

March Madness: A Darkhorse From Every Power 5 Conference

With little over a month to go before the greatest tournament in all of sports, plenty of men's...

ByBryan Armetta | Tue Mar 01 2022
Why Jacksonville State Football is becoming so popular

Why Jacksonville State Football is becoming so popular

Fueled by an invitation to leave the Division-I FCS and join college football's highest level, the...

ByScotty Jenkins | Sun Feb 20 2022