March Madness came early in topsy-turvy college hoops season
By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer
HOUSTON (AP) — The college basketball season started with familiar faces and ended up with an unexpected Final Four. North Carolina was the preseason No. 1-ranked team only to miss the NCAA Tournament. Fellow bluebloods like Duke and Kentucky all fell out of the rankings at points. And reigning champion Kansas was among the first No. 1 seeds to fall short of making even the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. The transfer portal allowing players to move freely is a factor in redistributing talent to quickly change rosters. That meant more opportunities for some and tougher roads for some traditional top programs.