Norlander’s Court Report: Six unbeatens still standing nine weeks in is rarity

An all-time season continues. 

Wednesday is the 65th day of the 2025-26 campaign and six teams still remain flawless. We almost never reach this deep into a season with that many teams carrying zero losses. In the past two days, the number nearly whittled. On Monday, Nebraska continued a program-best 15-0 start with a gutty 72-69 win at Ohio State. The Cornhuskers rank near the top of Best Stories of 2025-26.

On Tuesday night, the drama increased. Michigan got a shocking scare at Penn State, only walking out with a two-point win after a gaffe of a final possession by PSU allowed the Wolverines to remain scarless. 

Miami (Ohio) did its part as well by beating Western Michigan to get to 16-0 on Tuesday night. Those three are joined by three 14-0 teams (Arizona, Iowa State, Vanderbilt) to give college hoops a six pack of perfection nine weeks into the season. 

In some years we don’t even have one undefeated team left after New Year’s Day. To get six is a generational gift. 

Dating back to 1995-96, and not including the crooked COVID 2020-21 year, there have only been six other seasons with at least six undefeated teams at the end of the first week of January. I wondered: Do those seasons with a batch of unbeatens by Jan. 7 correspond to Final Four runs? Here’s what happened.

2003-04: 10 undefeateds at this pointTen is a wild number, but keep in mind the season didn’t start until Nov. 17 back then. UConn won the title but wasn’t one of the 10 unbeatens on Jan. 7. None of the four teams in that Final Four (Duke, UConn, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech) made it this deep without a loss. The most remembered unbeaten team of that year: Saint Joseph’s, which took its first loss last on March 11. 

2010-11: 7 None from that season’s Final Four (champion UConn, runner-up Butler, Kentucky or VCU) made it to January without a loss. The best that did: Ohio State, Duke and Kansas, which finished 1/2/3 at KenPom that season and all earned top seeds. That was the Kemba Walker year with the Huskies and my first season covering college hoops for CBS. Can’t believe it’s been 15 years.

2013-14: 6  The most recent example, until this year, of at least six undefeateds by Jan. 7. Like most other seasons, the majority of Final Four teams weren’t unbeaten by Jan. 7. The only one of that year’s Final Four to hit this point on the calendar without an L: Wisconsin. Eventual champ UConn was 11-3 by this point. Also in that Final Four: Florida (36-3, but two of those losses were before Christmas) and the up-and-down Kentucky team that ended one of the best stories of the 21st century when it beat undefeated Wichita State in a second round thriller.  

2007-08: 6  One of the five best seasons of this century, I think. 2025-26 can give it a run for its money, though. So, who from that Final Four was still undefeated by this date in 2008? Three of the four, and that makes sense when you recall that ’08 is one of only two NCAA Tournaments to ever put all four No. 1 seeds into the Final Four. Kansas opened up 20-0 en route to its national title. North Carolina didn’t lose until Jan. 19, while Memphis made it to Feb. 23 before falling to Tennessee. Even the fourth 1-seed, UCLA, started 16-1 but its first loss came in December. 

2005-06: 6  National champ Florida got to Jan. 21 before falling. UCLA, LSU and George Mason — the other three Final Four teams — very much did not. The best unbeaten team into January that year was Duke, which finished second at KenPom but was upset in the Sweet 16 by LSU. That was JJ Redick’s final collegiate game.

2000-01: 6  Twenty-five years ago the season started on Nov. 21. Duke was the national champ, but the Blue Devils lost before January. They defeated Arizona in the title game — and Zona lost four times before the New Year. Maryland also made that Final Four after beginning the season 1-3. The fourth team: Michigan State. Sparty did indeed make it to Jan. 7 as one of the six unbeatens, taking its first loss at 12-1 against Indiana.

To have six still perfect by this point is such a bonus because the longer you have these teams existing into a season, the better it is for the sport. Undefeated records draw eyeballs and command attention. This season is hitting all the marks. But go look at the schedules for all six left. The most likely outcome, by far, is that Michigan, Arizona, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Nebraska and Miami University all lose before the end of January. That probability begs the bigger question: Who, if any of them, is making it April?

My 10 most disappointing teams at the midway mark

We’re halfway home in college basketball’s regular season, and while a lot of teams (Nebraska, Vanderbilt, UCF, SMU, Saint Louis, Miami, Villanova and more) just pulled off surprisingly great first-half acts, that means there must be others who’ve fallen far short of their objectives.

I assembled a Letdown List, with the group determined relative to each program’s preseason expectations. So while there have been some obvious blunders (Maryland a non-factor in Year 1 under Buzz Williams, Pitt continues to play in irrelevance, UCLA was my last cut after losing to Wisconsin Tuesday night), I think these 10 have been the largest disappointments vs. their preseason prognostications. In alphabetical order:

Auburn (9-6). After the so-so-so close thriller (a 90-88 home loss to Texas A&M) Tuesday night, the Tigers have to be included. The team blew a 16-point second half lead, after all. Going back to October, Bruce Pearl left with weeks to spare, but Auburn kept its staff and roster intact. They were all respected with the No. 20 AP ranking in Week 1. They haven’t looked the part from the jump, though. No one has a better collection of losses (Purdue, Arizona, Houston, Michigan, Georgia and A&M), but six defeats (some of them blowouts) against nine wins is unquestionably disappointing for a team coming off a No. 1 overall seed and just its second Final Four. 

Cincinnati (8-7). Wes Miller will need to make the NCAA Tournament to keep his job and it’s looking like that’s near-impossible at this point. The Bearcats weren’t a ranked team to start the season but they were expected to at LEAST fight for bubble inclusion. This is pacing to be Miller’s second-worst team in five seasons at UC. The nadir was the home loss to Eastern Michigan. Now this team is toiling uphill in college basketball’s best league. Bringing back Jizzle James (after he was kicked out of the program last summer) hasn’t helped to this point; Cincinnati is 2-3 with him on the roster.

Creighton (9-6). The Bluejays were ranked 23rd in the first AP ranking of 2025-26 but quickly showed they weren’t worthy of that slot. Six losses through 15 games marks the worst start to a season in 16 years for the Jays. This might be a bottom-three offense under Greg McDermott, but hope’s not lost: Most of Creighton’s defeats are to quality teams (Gonzaga, Nebraska, Baylor, Iowa State, even Seton Hall on the road is easily Quad 1). Maybe these guys can figure it out and be a second-half swing squad. If so, it has to start Wednesday night at 12-2 Villanova.

Georgetown (9-6). Hoyas fans were reasonably patient in Ed Cooley’s first two seasons, but might I remind you that last year’s 18-16 team started off 12-2. The mudslide from Big East play in 2025 has carried over into this season. The Hoyas rank 108th at KenPom and are even lower in the NET and at Torvik after their putrid 1-of-23 shooting horror show in the second half of Tuesday night’s loss to DePaul. No one expected Georgetown to vie for a single-digit seed in 2026, but chasing an NCAA bid was the expectation. After opening the season 5-0 with wins over Maryland and Clemson, G’town has cascaded out of relevance again. 

Kentucky (9-5). A teetering case, but I put UK (preseason AP rank: 9) on this list. Even Mark Pope would have to agree after he opted into spending somewhere around $20 million last offseason, only to see a variety of frustrating no-show losses. The most recent of those was an 89-74 submission at Alabama over the weekend. Kentucky’s two best wins are at home against Indiana (TBD on how well that one will age) and against St. John’s in Atlanta (same). UK’s been impacted by injuries — and will continue to be due to Jaland Lowe opting to play with a compromised shoulder — but I still buy Pope’s squad as a high-ceiling/low-floor group.

Loyola Chicago (5-10). A baffling situation in Second City. Drew Valentine’s team was expected to be top-four in the Atlantic 10 and maybe even an at-large candidate come March. It nosedived within the first week: from preseason top-100 status all the way down to 313th at KenPom right before Christmas. Doesn’t help that this is one of the more well-funded teams in that league, either. Sister Jean’s October passing turned out to be a harbinger for a dark winter on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Marquette (5-10). MU wasn’t ranked in the preseason, but this has to be the most disappointing team of them all. The Golden Eagles took loss No. 10 by Week No. 9 after Shaka Smart shirked the portal (again) in favor of building his team entirely from within. It’s turned into the most notorious backfire in college basketball. I am positively stunned it’s gotten this bad after Smart went to four straight NCAA tourneys with single-digit seeds in his first four seasons in Milwaukee. The last time Marquette was this poor was 1990-91, when it was in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and finished 11-18.

Memphis (7-7). A season ago, Memphis earned a 5-seed and enjoyed its best season, record-wise, under Penny Hardaway. Now the program is in no man’s land. At 7-7 and 77th at KenPom, Memphis would have to win out in the regular season (not happening) to have an at-large case. Instead, the obvious preseason favorite in the American is hurtling toward its worst year in Hardaway’s eight seasons on the job. Will the downturn lead to a coaching change?

Ole Miss (8-6). The Rebels weren’t ranked heading into November but they did receive votes in the first AP poll and were listed as top-25-good in some predictive metrics at Halloween. Remember, Chris Beard had this team in the Sweet 16 with a 6 next to its name last March. Now it’s got three double-digit losses and a pedestrian offense after sifting through the portal to upscale its shot diet. Ole Miss’ slide is representative of the SEC’s downturn after a record-setting 2024-25. The Rebs get two terrific chances this week to reverse course by hosting Arkansas and Missouri.

Oregon (8-7). Ducks landed two spots outside the preseason rankings 10 weeks ago, but that was a different time talking about a different team. This squad has been booted (permanently, almost certainly) from the at-large conversation after winning a No. 5 NCAA seed last year. Dana Altman returned all-league-level guys Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad and yet the needle has fallen in the wrong direction. Oregon was blanked in three games at Players Era in November and hasn’t been right since. If there is any hope of a turnaround, it’s in the next 22 days because the Ducks host four of their next six games. 

Update: Braden Smith likely to be the all-time assists king

In October, Braden Smith was the near-unanimous and pragmatic pick for preseason national player of the year. The most experienced player eligible and objectively the most accomplished point guard returning for a fourth season with Purdue, Smith had a fair edge on others, particularly the wait-and-see freshmen. In the nine weeks/14 games since, he’s been one of the best players in the sport.

But he’s not the frontrunner for NPOY now, nor is he in the 2- or 3-spot at the midway point of the season. (In order, it goes Cam Boozer, then Yaxel Lendeborg, then AJ Dybantsa.) 

Still, I think Smith’s a smidge underrepresented in the national conversation and that’s surprising considering Purdue is 13-1 and has been ranked between No. 1 and No. 6 the entire season. The fifth-ranked Boilers host Washington on Wednesday night. A win would mean a 14-1 record, matching the best 15-game start in school history. Purdue has held a 14-1 mark eight previous times — including twice with Smith as the starting point guard. (The seasons: 1932-33, 1935-36, 1988-89, 1994-95, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2023-24, 2024-25).

To my shock, Gary Parrish didn’t even have Smith as a midseason First Team All-American on our Eye on College Basketball show Tuesday on CBS Sports Network. 

Seems it’s time for me to remind the general public of how marvelous Smith has been and why he’s going to leave Purdue as one of the best point guards ever. 

1. Accounting for 2- and 3-pointers made by himself and his teammates, Smith is responsible for more than 35 of Purdue’s points per game while playing five fewer minutes per game than last year. His stat line: 12.6 points, 9.6 assists (No. 1 in CBB), 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 2.9 turnovers and 38.9% 3-point shooting. 

2. Smith is the conductor of the nation’s No. 1 offense. Even better, Purdue’s 129.1 ORtg at KenPom is pacing to be one of the five most efficient offenses in the modern era (so: likely ever).

3. Smith became the Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists (893) over the weekend. He had 14 points and 12 dimes in Purdue’s cruise-control 89-73 road victory vs. Wisconsin, passing Cassius Winston’s previous record (890). 

4. The diminutive maestro is leveling up as the season goes along: He’s had 10 or more assists in four straight games. Thus, Smith is reliably moving up the all-time assists tally with every game. He’s now 18th overall and 183 dishes behind Bobby Hurley’s record of 1,076, which has stood for 33 years. 

5. It speaks to how superb Smith’s facilitation has been in the first half of the season that, here on Jan. 7, he’s a solid bet to break Hurley’s record. This storyline will really start to pop and be a game-by-game thing by the end of January. If you want to know what Smith has to do to pace himself to 1,077 career dimes, I point you to this terrific customizable tracker/projection website built by cobra. stats. If Smith can be at 9.0 assists for the season and Purdue makes the Sweet 16, he’ll catch Bobby.

Who’s the Indiana 🏈 equivalent in hoops?

The College Football Playoff revs back up Thursday and Friday with two fascinating semifinals. The most compelling angle of the postseason doubles as the most compelling angle across the past year-plus in that sport: Top-seeded Indiana’s unthinkable charge to the mountaintop. When Curt Cignetti got the job in November 2023, IU had the worst all-time win percentage of any power-conference program. After a two-year tour of dominance (25-2 heading into Friday’s game vs. Oregon), IU has now jumped Wake Forest to have the second-worst win percentage at the Power Four level.

Some are calling it the most unlikely college football story ever told, and if the Hoosiers can actually win the whole damn thing later this month, it officially will be just that.

It’s strange — and fun! — to see that IU logo so heavily associated with basketball instead have a 1 next to it on football telecasts. This also induces a curiosity: What would be the college basketball analog? What school getting the No. 1 overall seed and turning into a juggernaut despite all previous history dictating otherwise would be the best comp to Indiana? One great candidate is currently trying to do it this season: Undefeated Nebraska is off to its best start ever. The Cornhuskers are the only power-conference program without an NCAA Tournament win. They’re a fine candidate and a close comparison. 

But I’d put them No. 3 on the list. 

No. 2? I go with the University of Mississippi. The Rebels have the third-worst all-time winning percentage (.501) of any team in a power conference as of 2026. What’s more, they’ve never won a regular-season conference title, have only made the Sweet 16 twice and never gone further. They’ve had an AP poll since the late 1940s; only three times in the past near-80 seasons has Ole Miss finished the season ranked. 

But it’s not IU’s best kindred spirit. That school is in the same league as Indiana. No. 1 is indisputable from a historical perspective and the best apples-to-apples with IU football. It’s Northwestern. The program didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament until 2017 despite being eligible every year since its inception (1939). Northwestern has the fewest NCAA bids of any high-major (three). It has never finished a season ranked. Has never reached the Big Ten title game and never made the Sweet 16. The clincher: Its all-time win percentage is .423, far and away the worst of any power-conference program. Northwestern State has a better winning percentage than Northwestern. 

Imagine that school rising to dominate college basketball. It’s unimaginable. But so was Indiana. That’s why there’s nothing better than sports. Its capacity to redefine what’s achievable can be life-affirming.

Norlander’s news + nuggets

• Duke’s second half defensive transformation Tuesday night in its double-digit comeback win over No. 20 Louisville was probably the most important 20 minutes yet this season for Jon Scheyer’s team. Our David Cobb was on hand and wrote about it; check it out here.• Speaking of Louisville, until Tuesday night’s home hosting duties vs. Duke, the Cards had largely avoided any national speculation about the health of Mikel Brown Jr. Until the past couple of days, many outside of Kentucky probably didn’t realize Brown last played on Dec. 13. But in hearing Pat Kelsey speak on Monday, it seems/sounds like the latest we’ll see Brown back on the floor is next Tuesday for the Cards’ big home tilt vs. No. 23 Virginia.• Another team I almost put on my list of disappointments: Kansas State, which did not take advantage of a prime opportunity last weekend when it hosted BYU. The Wildcats lost 83-73 to drop to 9-5, and here’s the problem. Their next four opponents are a combined 48-9.• The most overlooked development of the week was the microscopic margin between Arizona at No. 1 and Michigan at No. 2 in this week’s AP Top 25. From the story linked above: “The Wildcats received 32 of 61 first-place votes and had 1,494 points, while the Wolverines scooped up the other 29 first-place votes from the national media panel. The one-point difference kept the first poll of 2026 from becoming the second ever with a tie for No. 1; Oregon State and Virginia shared the top spot on Jan. 26, 1981.” Now I desperately want a tie atop the AP rankings this year. I never realized it had happened before.• Had Penn State defeated No. 2 Michigan last night, it would have been the Upset of the Season So Far. Instead, a brutal final possession/heave ended it 74-72 in favor of the Wolverines, which won a game by two after averaging 34.5 in its previous 10 conquests. So, Penn State has lost to Michigan and Michigan State by a combined six points. It also lost to 7-8 Pitt by 34 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯• Speaking of blowing it vs. great teams, TCU is 11-4 with winnable games that became losses against Michigan and Kansas. It’s also fallen to New Orleans and Notre Dame. Defeated Florida. The Frogs spook me out.• Good story from the Denver Post on donor fatigue emerging around the Colorado football program. There’s been some of this in college hoops, but I’m interested to see just how much of it (or lack thereof) is there in April. There’s only so many places that can continually raise north of $10 million for multiple sports year over year over year. I know of some coaches who are stressed about some money thinning in the spring.• If you took time away from college hoops reading over the holiday, please take a stroll down memory lane: I ranked the 25 biggest stories of 2025 just before we flipped into 2026. Truly a passion project for me every December.• We’ll wrap with some mid-major love. How about Kevin Hovde and the Columbia Lions? A 12-3 group looking like the No. 2 team in the Ivy League (behind Yale). This school last made the NCAAs in 1968! Hovde, who was an assistant on last season’s title-winning Florida staff, has guided the second-best overachiever vs. preseason expectations in college hoops. Some good research here from fledgling college hoops scribe Sam Federman. Great stories abound as we settle into January. (But also Maryland: yikes!)