51ºÚÁÏ

Teams are wrapping up their non-conference slates and preparing to fully dive into conference play, where road games become common and deficiencies can no longer be masked by shrewd scheduling.

Below is a look at where 51ºÚÁÏ-area Division I teams stand.

Illinois

Record: 8-3 (1-1 in Big Ten)

KenPom ranking: 23rd (6th of 18 in Big Ten)

NET ranking: 14th (2nd of 18 in Big Ten)

Verdict to date: As expected

Skinny: Illinois, a mostly new group after last year's Elite Eight run, has been thrown into the fire with a tough non-conference schedule. Two of Illinois' three losses have come to teams in the top nine of KenPom rankings. Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis, as he settles in, is looking more and more like a top NBA Draft pick. There are too many good teams at the top to really get an idea of where Illinois may finish, but the Illini certainly look capable of achieving fourth place, which is where they were picked in the preseason poll.

Mizzou

Record: 10-2

KenPom ranking: 52nd (12th of 16 in SEC)

NET ranking: 45th (13th of 16 in SEC)

Verdict to date: As expected

Skinny: Though Mizzou is still ranked toward the bottom of the Southeastern Conference, the Tigers are one of the nation's most improved teams from last season, nearly 100 spots better than their final KenPom ranking last season. The Tigers' effective field goal percentage is 11th-best in the country. Mizzou will have numerous chances to prove itself and rack up Quad 1 wins. Every road game in the SEC, the top-ranked league, will as of now be categorized as a Quad 1 game for Mizzou. Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after Sunday's Braggin' Rights game that he expects the Tigers to be playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are in the field (barely) in Joe Lunardi's .

51ºÚÁÏ U.

Record: 6-6

KenPom ranking: 151st (10th of 15 in A-10)

NET ranking: 181st (11th of 15 in A-10)

Verdict to date: Worse than expected

Skinny: The Billikens, losers of three straight by a total of eight points, have been ravaged by injuries. Thus far, they haven't looked capable of meeting their fourth-place pick in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. Only two of their wins have been against teams in the top half of Division I, per KenPom rankings. They haven't won away from Chaifetz. SLU's defense, ranked No. 259, is far and away the worst in the league. The positive for SLU is that if the Billikens play as well as they did Sunday in a narrow loss at Grand Canyon, a top-half league finish could be possible as players learn the intricacies of new coach Josh Schertz's system.

Missouri State

Record: 7-5 (0-1 in Missouri Valley)

KenPom ranking: 172nd (7th of 12 in MVC)

NET ranking: 164th (7th of 12 in MVC)

Verdict to date: Better than expected

Skinny: Given ultra-low expectations, Cuonzo Martin's return to the sidelines after two years away has been a success so far. Sophomore Dez White has fulfilled the Bears' scoring needs, leading the league with 18.3 points per game. Big guard Jalen Hampton (University City High) is second in the league in rebounding. The Bears attack the glass and draw fouls. One of the issues Martin has not been able to improve: the Bears' .

SIU Carbondale

Record: 5-7 (0-1 in Missouri Valley)

KenPom ranking: 196th (9th of 12 in MVC)

NET ranking: 219 (11th of 12 in MVC)

Verdict to date: Worse than expected

Skinny: The Salukis, with only three Division I wins to date, have been playing like a lock for the Missouri Valley cellar under first-year coach Scott Nagy. An early season-ending injury to leading scorer Elijah Elliott certainly didn't help matters. Nagy recently lamented some of his players' forgetting scouting reports and not having memorized plays. The Salukis have played the league's toughest non-conference schedule, and most of the better teams they've played have lit up a lackluster defense, including Bradley's win in Carbondale by 23 points, tying the record for the biggest Braves margin in Carbondale. SIU was picked to finish seventh in the league.

Southeast Missouri

Record: 6-6 (2-0 in OVC)

KenPom ranking: 268th (2nd of 11 in OVC)

NET ranking: 236th (1st of 11 in OVC)

Verdict to date: Better than expected

Skinny: Head coach Brad Korn's Redhawks are off to a solid start in their first two league games, something that may prove important in a league in which little separates first from last. Leading scorer Teddy Washington Jr. (17 points per game) has been a surprise after averaging just six points per game last year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

SIU Edwardsville

Record: 7-6 (0-2 in OVC)

KenPom ranking: 269th (3rd of 11 in OVC)

NET ranking: 255th (3rd of 11 in OVC)

Verdict to date: As expected

Skinny: Picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley, that's right where the computer rankings have the Cougars. But it will be tough to get separation in one of the most bunched-up conferences, and SIUE is already on the wrong side of what may end up being a scrum with its 0-2 start to league play after a close defeat at preseason favorite Little Rock then a blowout defeat at SEMO. Collinsville's Ray'Sean Taylor, a volume shooter, leads the nation in 3-point attempts (123), and the Cougars' 3-point percentage has been a big deciding factor in games thus far.

Lindenwood

Record: 6-7 (1-1 in OVC)

KenPom ranking: 339th (11th of 11 in OVC)

NET ranking: 310th (8th of 11 in OVC)

Verdict to date: As expected

Skinny: Three of the Lions' six wins are against non-Division I teams. It looks like another long season is in store in St. Charles for the Lions as they continue their transition to Division I. Lindenwood is one of the nation's worst-shooting teams (361st of 365 teams in 3-point percentage).