The overarching theme from the first 10 weeks of the 2019-20 college basketball season: Parity. Just two undefeated teams remain, Sporting News' preseason top five teams have already lost 13 combined games and the AP No. 1 has shuffled five times.
Through Tuesday, AP top-five teams are a combined 56-17, a .767 winning percentage that is nearly 10 points worse than it was last season (85.1).
DECOURCY: No safe bet to win the NCAA Tournament
Yet while the nation's preseason favorites are dealt routine blows, rising contenders from non-power conferences have slowly emerged.
Tuesday's updated NET rankings featured four top-10 teams from outside the power conferences, including No. 3 San Diego State, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 8 Dayton and No. 10 Wichita State. This list doesn't even include former Horizon League and Atlantic 10 member Butler, a relative newcomer to the Big East that sits third nationally in NET after shrugging off its eighth-place conference projection.
Why that matters: Opportunities aren't nearly as abundant for teams outside the power conferences. Over the past five NCAA Tournaments, just seven of the possible 80 top-four seeds have gone to non-power conference teams, four of which were Gonzaga.
| Year | Non-power conference protected seeds (seed) |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Gonzaga (1), Houston (3) |
| 2018 | Cincinnati (2), Gonzaga (4), Wichita State (4) |
| 2017 | Gonzaga (1) |
| 2016 | N/A |
| 2015 | Gonzaga (2) |
This shouldn't be a surprise, though. Once nonconference play concludes, the playing field turns in favor of the power conferences.
Despite San Diego State, Gonzaga and Dayton ranking among the KenPom top 15 as of Tuesday, their respective quality-win opportunities from now until March's bracket unveiling are limited. As it stands, the Aztecs (15-0) won't play a single top-50 KenPom opponent the rest of the season while the Bulldogs (16-1) have four such chances; the Flyers (13-2) have two.
MORE: Ranking college basketball's most compelling conference races
When comparing these three teams' schedules to that a power conference team, the imbalance is alarming. Take Michigan State, which is set to play 14 KenPom top-50 games between now and the Big Ten tournament. Twelve of the 14 Big Ten teams are inside the KenPom top 50, while the Big East and Big 12 each have seven of their 10 members meeting the same cutoff.
Fortunately for non-power conference teams, KenPom top-50 wins aren't a determining factor for seeding, though this exercise provides a glance into what they're up against.
With this in mind, 2020 offers a rare opportunity for these squads: Duke and Kentucky share curious home losses to Stephen F. Austin and Evansville, respectively; Michigan State, Ohio State and Louisville have already suffered at least three defeats apiece while Kansas has fallen in two of its four toughest games.
While chaos ensues at the top, this non-power conference trio keeps pushing along. Let's familiarize ourselves with the three teams.
San Diego State
| Conference | Mountain West |
| Coach | Brian Dutcher |
| Record | 15-0 |
| NET Ranking | 3 |
| Quality wins | Iowa, BYU, Creighton, Utah State |
| Leading scorer | Malachi Flynn (15.9 points per game) |
Brian Dutcher has the Aztecs off to their best start since winning 34 games in 2011 under Steve Fisher with star Kawhi Leonard. At just 56.8 points per game allowed, SDSU ranks fifth nationally in defense.
On the offensive end, a pair of transfers lead the way. Former Washington State guard Malachi Flynn is dishing out 5.0 assists a night to go along with 43.0 percent shooting from deep. Vanderbilt transfer Yanni Wetzell has solidified his role down low (10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds per game).
Gonzaga
| Conference | West Coast |
| Coach | Mark Few |
| Record | 16-1 |
| NET Ranking | 7 |
| Quality wins | Arizona, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina |
| Leading scorer | Filip Petrusev (16.6 points per game) |
Gonzaga has responded emphatically to losing Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke and Zach Norvell Jr. to the NBA by sitting atop the AP poll for the third time in the last four seasons.
The Bulldogs are built again by a stellar offense, averaging a nation-best 87.5 points per game. It's not just one player getting all the buckets: Seven Bulldogs average at least 9.2 points per game. Gonzaga is big up front again — typical for a Mark Few team — with three of their top seven scorers listed at 6-10 or taller.
Dayton
| Conference | Atlantic 10 |
| Coach | Anthony Grant |
| Record | 13-2 |
| NET Ranking | 8 |
| Quality wins | Saint Mary's, Georgia, Virginia Tech |
| Leading scorer | Obi Toppin (19.5 points per game) |
It's impossible to speak on the 2020 Dayton Flyers without highlighting Obi Toppin. Last season's A-10 Rookie of the Year has skyrocketed up draft boards thanks to his undeniable athleticism and constant activity on both ends. Through 15 games, Toppin is averaging 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks a night.
Though he's the centerpiece, Toppin has plenty of help. Dayton's backcourt features a formidable 3-point shooting tandem in Jalen Crutcher and Ibi Watson, who have combined to sink 61 of their 142 triples (42.9 percent). Ryan Mikesell (10.6 ppg) is a nice complementary option to Toppin in the Flyers' frontcourt.
There is no dominant team in college basketball this season. Combine constant parity with three legitimate title contenders in San Diego State, Gonzaga and Dayton, and you have as good a chance for a non-power conference to win it all as any in recent memory.