We love college basketball because of its inherent tendency to surprise us. March is just two weeks away, and with March comes upsets galore. But though we still have the Madness to look forward to, there have already been several surprises through this point of the season.

UCONN

The defending national champions lost their star, Kemba Walker, to the NBA, but they returned enough talent to be considered a serious threat to repeat. Sophomores Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier and stud freshman Andre Drummond led the Huskies to a No. 4 preseason ranking, and a 5-0 start gave credence to the believers.

But UConn’s early competition was significantly inferior. What Big East team wouldn’t beat Columbia or Maine?

The first signs of mediocrity showed when the Huskies relinquished a 17-point second half lead in a loss to Central Florida. Though the Huskies went on to win their next seven games, a combination of sloppy play, freshman Ryan Boatright’s ineligibility and head coach Jim Calhoun’s health have led to UConn winning just four of their last 12.

At 16-9, the Huskies could potentially become only the seventh defending champion to miss the NCAA tournament the next year.

TERRENCE JONES

After averaging 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a freshman, Kentucky’s Jones earned a spot on the AP Preseason All-America First Team. His level of play, however, has been erratic.

First, Jones averaged just seven points per game against Marist and Old Dominion. Then, head coach John Calipari benched him toward the end of Kentucky’s loss at Indiana because of Jones’ apparent refusal to hustle.

While the sophomore has had a few noteworthy performances, he has also had several duds, leaving him with season averages of 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

MISSOURI

No one expected Missouri to be 24-2 and ranked in the top 5 — the Tigers barely cracked the preseason AP Top 25, clinging to the last spot.

After Mike Anderson, who led the Tigers to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, bolted for Arkansas, Missouri hired Frank Haith. Haith had only taken his Miami Hurricanes to one Big Dance — back in the 2007-08 season — so the athletic department’s decision was met with derision.

The situation became even more unfavorable when Laurence Bowers, a senior forward coming off a solid junior year, tore his ACL in the preseason, leaving the Tigers with just two key players taller than 6 feet 6 inches.

So, how’d they do it? Haith instilled humility and selflessness in his players, who espoused his philosophy without question.

Senior Kim English personifies these traits more than any other Tiger. Playing his entire career as a guard/small forward, English had to switch to power forward and has thrived.

Not only did Missouri start 14-0, but the Tigers also routed nearly every opponent — including, not surprisingly, our Bearcats.

NOTRE DAME

The Big East is known as one of Division I’s deepest and most competitive conferences, so teams usually struggle when a star player gets hurt. For proof, look no further than Pitt and sophomore Travon Woodall.

So Notre Dame certainly seemed destined for a down year after graduate student Tim Abromaitis tore his ACL after the team’s sixth game, and the Fighting Irish limped to a 9-6 start.

But fueled by the hard work of blue-collar players like junior Jack Cooley, Notre Dame has won eight of its last 10 games, a streak that has helped the Fighting Irish ascend to second place in the conference and capture the No. 23 ranking in the AP Top 25.

VCU

For those of you that don’t remember what Virginia Commonwealth did last season, here’s a reminder: The Rams finished the regular season at 21-10 and were one of the last teams called on Selection Sunday. But regardless of their apparent mediocrity, they reeled off wins over USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas to reach the Final Four.

That team was loaded with seniors — Joey Rodriguez, Jamie Skeen, Brandon Rozzell and Ed Nixon were four of the top five scorers, and they all graduated last spring.

With senior Bradford Burgess as the only key returnee, the Rams should have been more like Butler, which has struggled following the losses of Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard and Shawn Vanzant.

Instead, though, VCU has ridden its improved defense to an impressive 22-6 record.

NOTE: I obviously didn’t expect Murray State’s 23-0 start, but, come on, the Racers have benefited from a very easy schedule, which ranks 320th in difficulty according to www.Kenpom.com. They’re clearly good, but don’t overrate their accomplishment.