5 college basketball teams that have had a disappointing 2024 season ft. USC

Preseason expectations in college basketball can be a double-edged sword. National respect is always good, but when a team underachieves, those lofty expectations are not forgotten.

In 2024, several teams with big pre-season expectations have found themselves underachieving. Here are the top (or should it be bottom?) five college basketball teams with disappointing 2024 seasons.

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Five college basketball teams that have disappointed in 2024

Michigan State has endured a disappointing 2024 season.

#5 Michigan State (18-12)

The Spartans are still probably heading to the NCAA Tournament and might pull a decent season out of the bag yet. But they have rarely looked like the preseason No. 4 team.

Starting with a season-opening loss to James Madison, Michigan State has never really gotten in turned around. They fell out of the top-25 by late November and haven't returned.

#4 Texas A&M (17-13)

Buzz Williams's team was the preseason No. 15 but have struggled to stay above water in a tough SEC.

A&M took early losses to Florida Atlantic, Virginia and Memphis, which knocked them out of the top-25 in early December. While Wade Taylor has been tough, since a 5-0 start, the Aggies have not topped three consecutive wins since then. The NCAA Tournament will be a stretch.

#3 Arkansas (15-15)

The Razorbacks were chosen 14th in the preseason poll. Arkansas is 340th of 362 NCAA teams in scoring defense.

November included losses to UNC-Greensboro and Memphis, which knocked them out of the top-25. January included a pair of three-game losing streaks in league play.

Arkansas is 6-11 in league play and will be playing on the opening night of the SEC Tournament.

#2 Miami (15-15)

It has been a brutal season for the preseason No. 13 Hurricanes. Jim Larranaga's team held it together better than most of the teams on this list, but an eight-game losing streak since their last win on Feb. 3 has buried their season.

The Hurricanes hit conference play at 10-2 and weren't doing poorly. Going 2-5 in games decided by four points or less has doomed them, though.

#1 USC (12-17)

Southern Cal was ranked 21st in the preseason but has had a nightmare season. USC's worst possible college basketball season started in preseason, when Bronny James was sidelined by a heart ailment.

In November, they had losses to UC-Irvine and Oklahoma as the Trojans fell from the top-25. They haven't won three games in a row all year and have had a six-game losing streak.