Two other surprising teams that were chasing the Tigers for high honors learned the harsh reality of conference play on Jan. 10. Oklahoma State traveled to No. 6 Kansas and lost for only the second time this season, but it was an 87-57 spanking inflicted by the Jayhawks. And No. 12 Butler went into overtime before losing a Horizon League game at Illinois-Chicago 73-67.

Oklahoma State began the season penciled into the upper half of the Big 12 and certainly seemed destined for the NCAA Tournament. But no one expected the Cowboys to be ranked No. 9 in early January as they made the coaching transition from Eddie Sutton to Sean Sutton. Mario Boggan’s improved play has been a major reason for OSU’s success. His 30-point performance against Pittsburgh was one of the top individual efforts of the season, but Kansas held him to a season-low eight points.

Butler has been the pride of the mid-majors, with only a loss at Indiana State prior to this week. The Bulldogs are missing three key players, including Horizon League Player of the Year Brandon Polk, from last season. But early season victories over Notre Dame, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and Gonzaga should contribute to a favorable review from the NCAA Tournament selection committee in March. Junior guard A.J. Graves, Butler’s leading scorer, is shooting 98.8 percent from the free throw line. There’s no disgrace is losing a conference road game to a team like Illinois-Chicago.

The choice for Surprising Player of the (Early) Season really is more of a human-interest story, a tale of incredible heart, in addition to steady improvement on the court. Alabama senior center Jermareo Davidson passed up a chance at the NBA Draft last summer and returned for his third season as a starter for the Crimson Tide. He is averaging 13.9 points and leading Alabama in rebounding with a 9.4 average.

But the amazing thing has been the way he has put aside so much grief to keep playing. He missed two games early in the season after a car accident on Nov. 12 that killed his girlfriend. The accident happened as they returned to Tuscaloosa after a visit to Davidson’s hometown of Atlanta, where his older brother had been injured in a shooting. His brother died on Dec. 20. Davidson left the Tide and withdrew from classes on Dec. 8, but was reinstated by the NCAA a week later.

Since his return, Davidson has averaged 13 points and 8.3 rebounds. After the second game he missed, he had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 9 blocks against Southern Miss. Three days after his brother’s death, he played 20 minutes and blocked five shots against Coppin State. This week, he recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds in Alabama’s big bounce back win over LSU.

It’s difficult to find many players who have improved more than Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel. Tom Izzo’s point guard was simply reliable last season and now he qualifies as the main man for the Spartans. He averaged 8.3 points and 2 assists last season. Those numbers are up to 17.9 points and 4.7 assists. He averages 2.9 rebounds and his assist-to-turnover ration is 1.9-to-1. Neitzel held the Spartans together while Raymar Morgan and Maurice Joseph missed games with injuries.

Boston College got off to rocky start but the Eagles are 3-0 in the ACC after winning at Wake Forest. Center Sean Williams has been a surprising boost for Al Skinner’s team, averaging 11.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.3 blocks. After missing the first two games of the season due to a disciplinary suspension, he had 12 blocks and 10 rebounds in a loss to Providence. When the Eagles were blown out at Kansas — playing without Akida McLain and John Oates — Williams turned in a special individual effort with 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks.

MORE FROM COLLEGE BASKETBALL

College basketball Section Front

No. 6 Purdue survives No. 9 Vols in a thriller   Beyond the Arc: A ranked showdown that delivered   No. 3 Longhorns beat Iowa in CBE title game   Cincy starts fast, upends No. 24 Vandy in Maui Gonzaga rallies past Colorado Beyond the Arc: 'Cuse can't get better ... or can it? Syracuse jumps to No. 10 in latest AP poll UConn still No. 1 in AP women's basketball poll Beyond the Arc: 5 things to watch this week SCarolina F Archie out indefinitely with hurt knee   College basketball Section Front   Add College basketball headlines to your news reader: