After an action packed opening night, things were a bit calmer in the second night of action. As much as I love watching college basketball, I don't mind the lack of action. It provides some much needed down time, and I know these nights will be far and few between after the season really kicks into gear, so it's good to appreciate them now.
What I Saw
Michigan State vs Kansas (Champions Classic)
- Two big basketball is back at Kansas, and it looks good. The Dedric Lawson and Udoka Azubuike combo looked great, and they will be tough to stop. Lawson actually struggled, going 5-18 from the floor, but got 10 points from the charity stripe. He did contribute with a team high 6 assists and 14 rebounds though, getting a double double in his Jayhawk debut. Buke looked like the star of the front court, with 17 points and 4 blocks in 20 minutes as he battled foul trouble. David McCormack also had flashes, and it figures to be a good season for Bill Self's favorite form of offense.
- The freshman backcourt of Devin Dotson and Quinten Grimes is going to be a major problem for opposing teams. Dotson is lighting quick, and he's great in transition. He can also shoot, as evidenced by his 3 made threes en route to 16 points while chipping in 3 steals and 3 assists. Grimes stole the show, though, silencing any critics. He was making shots from deep, a concern about his game. He made 6 of them in fact, and also played good defense. He is going to be very good for however long he stays in Lawrence, which probably won't be very long.
- I give the Spartans a lot of credit for battling and hanging around for as long as they did. There were multiple points where it looked like the game was about to get blown wide open, but it never happened. Instead, Michigan State got stronger down the stretch and almost recovered from a 14 point halftime deficit. A large part of that was timely three point shooting. Anytime you can make 52.2% of your shots from downtown, you're going to be competitive.
- However, I'm still not sold on them as a top 10 team. I'll need to see more consistency from Joshua Langford, and I don't foresee Kenny Goins have a double double every game. I still worry about them finding a go-to guy, since I think Cassius Winston is better as a facilitator and spot up shooter than creator. They also need better minutes from a freshman-laded bench, as most of them looked average, which won't get it done in the Big Ten this season.
Florida @ Florida State
- Let's start with the visitors. They've got to be concerned about KeVaughn Allen. After a really down year, he doesn't make a shot and barely impacts the game. Florida State played well defensively, sure, but his lack of involvement is worrisome. Just two seasons ago, he was the leader of the Gators, and he's fallen off a cliff. They need him playing at his best if they want to have a chance of competing in the SEC this season.
- The Seminoles are going to be an elite defensive team this season. They feature an insane amount of length and athleticism on the court at all times, and they use it. They forced 16 turnovers, which is a major plus since they excel in transition. With athletes all over the court and a deep rotation, they should be pressuring the ball and getting up and down the court all season.
- The shooting was much better than I expected from Florida State. Without Phil Cofer, who was missing with an injury, I was unsure how the team as a whole would look, especially from deep. But they didn't miss a beat, making 47.8% of their shots from downtown. A big part of that was PJ Savoy, who was 5-7 from deep, along with good shot selection from guys who aren't gunners. This roster excels at getting to the rim, and if they can space the floor effectively, then this offense will be really good.
- Outside of Savoy, who led all scorers with 20 points, the two standouts were MJ Walker and Andrew Nembhard. Walker is a sophomore who had high recruiting pedigree and many, including myself, think can have a breakout season. He scored 10 points, including making two threes, and he also got 3 assists and 2 steals. He should be a focus point of the 'Noles offense this season as he continues to grow into the college game. Nembhard is a true freshman, replacing Chris Chiozza at the point for the Gators, and he looked like their best player. He scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting- including going 2-4 from deep- which was the most of any starter, which was somewhat surprising given his pedigree as more of a table setter. He did pick up 4 assists, and if the rest of the offense can pick up their play, he should be able to slide into his more natural role.
Ohio State @ Cincinnati
- I managed to come away from this game higher on the losing team. Despite Ohio State winning, I think Cincinnati is the better team and has the higher ceiling this year. In my opinion, the biggest reason for their loss was the absence of Jarron Cumberland for most of the first half due to foul trouble. He was excellent in the second half, rattling off 22 points including some clutch buckets to get his team back into it. I think if he had played more minutes in the first half, the Bearcats would've come away with a W.
- I'll be really interested to see how Mick Cronin manages his backcourt rotation this season. He was playing Justin Jenifer and Cane Broome together for large stretches in the second half in hopes of them sparking the offense. On a separate note, Broome needs to be better than he was today for Cincy to have success. But I worry about those two playing large chunks of time together, because although they are good on-ball defenders, they are both sub-6 foot and that could be a problem on the defensive end. I think he'll rely more on lineups featuring one of those two joined by either Keith Williams, Trevor Moore, or Logan Johnson.
- Despite how bad their offense looked for most of this game, I think Cincinnati is going to win games by out toughing teams. They are might be the grittiest team in the country. They are fighting for every rebound, pressuring full court, diving on every loose ball, and harassing their opponent all over the court. If you're playing against them, you better be ready for a 40 minute brawl.
- I should probably talk about the victors a little bit. To be honest, even though they one, I wasn't really impressed by Ohio State. It probably doesn't help that the Wesson brothers both were in foul trouble, but they didn't look that good to me. It really feels like Cincinnati lost this game more than the Buckeyes won it. Kaleb Wesson is a load in the paint, and his brother Andre is a good shooter, which pairs nicely with CJ Jackson, who made some really big shots but also finished 3-10 from the field. I'm still pretty lukewarm on this team and I don't think they'll make the field of 68.
- One player that did impress me from Ohio State was Luther Muhammad. The freshman finished with 11 points and made 2 threes, which wasn't on the scouting report as he was supposed to be a more defensive player, at least in his first season. If he can become a consistent 8-12 PPG guy along with playing good defense, I'm much higher on this team. On the other end, Logan Johnson was a standout for the Bearcats. He energized them and the home crowd with his defense, and he was locking down whoever he was guarding. If he can become a more consistent offensive player, he finished will 2 points from free throws, he will be a key contributor, but if he keeps playing defense like he did last night, he'll demand minutes no matter what. Both teams look to have quality long-term pieces that should develop into great two way players during their college careers.
Miscellaneous
- Since I did preview it yesterday, I should touch on Dayton defeating North Florida. Josh Cunningham was absent for the Flyers, but they still had enough firepower at home to knock off the Ospreys
- TCU looked like it really missed Jaylen Fisher yesterday, almost losing to CSU Bakersfield. They trailed by 9 at the half, and only pulled ahead late in the game. They only shot 18.8% from three, which was supposed to be a strength for them. It'll be interesting to see how they fare in their upcoming non-conference slate, which features a game against Deshon Taylor and Fresno State.
- How about Marshall? The Conference USA representative this past March went to Eastern Kentucky and put up 105 points. The Colonels aren't a pushover either, with one of the best players in the Ohio Valley in Nick Mayo, who did his part, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. But the backcourt duo of CJ Burks and Jon Elmore was too much, combining for 50 points. Elmore actually had an off night, only making one three and 5 of his 16 shots from the field, but he still scored 20 points. Burks dropped 30 before fouling out, and those two will lead a high powered offense all season.
A Look Ahead
Today's slate of games is... uninspiring, to say the least. The best game is Evansville and Illinois, I guess. Instead of that, I will be catching up on a lot of basketball I missed on Tuesday, specifically mid-majors. I'm going to watch as many of Florida Golf Coast at Illinois State, Penn at George Mason, Eastern Tennessee State at Georgia State, UNC Wilmington at Campbell, Grand Canyon at South Dakota State, and Western Kentucky at Washington(it's not showing up on my WatchESPN currently. If anyone knows what's up with that I'd appreciate the help) as I can tomorrow and Friday.
What I Saw
Michigan State vs Kansas (Champions Classic)
- Two big basketball is back at Kansas, and it looks good. The Dedric Lawson and Udoka Azubuike combo looked great, and they will be tough to stop. Lawson actually struggled, going 5-18 from the floor, but got 10 points from the charity stripe. He did contribute with a team high 6 assists and 14 rebounds though, getting a double double in his Jayhawk debut. Buke looked like the star of the front court, with 17 points and 4 blocks in 20 minutes as he battled foul trouble. David McCormack also had flashes, and it figures to be a good season for Bill Self's favorite form of offense.
- The freshman backcourt of Devin Dotson and Quinten Grimes is going to be a major problem for opposing teams. Dotson is lighting quick, and he's great in transition. He can also shoot, as evidenced by his 3 made threes en route to 16 points while chipping in 3 steals and 3 assists. Grimes stole the show, though, silencing any critics. He was making shots from deep, a concern about his game. He made 6 of them in fact, and also played good defense. He is going to be very good for however long he stays in Lawrence, which probably won't be very long.
- I give the Spartans a lot of credit for battling and hanging around for as long as they did. There were multiple points where it looked like the game was about to get blown wide open, but it never happened. Instead, Michigan State got stronger down the stretch and almost recovered from a 14 point halftime deficit. A large part of that was timely three point shooting. Anytime you can make 52.2% of your shots from downtown, you're going to be competitive.
- However, I'm still not sold on them as a top 10 team. I'll need to see more consistency from Joshua Langford, and I don't foresee Kenny Goins have a double double every game. I still worry about them finding a go-to guy, since I think Cassius Winston is better as a facilitator and spot up shooter than creator. They also need better minutes from a freshman-laded bench, as most of them looked average, which won't get it done in the Big Ten this season.
Florida @ Florida State
- Let's start with the visitors. They've got to be concerned about KeVaughn Allen. After a really down year, he doesn't make a shot and barely impacts the game. Florida State played well defensively, sure, but his lack of involvement is worrisome. Just two seasons ago, he was the leader of the Gators, and he's fallen off a cliff. They need him playing at his best if they want to have a chance of competing in the SEC this season.
- The Seminoles are going to be an elite defensive team this season. They feature an insane amount of length and athleticism on the court at all times, and they use it. They forced 16 turnovers, which is a major plus since they excel in transition. With athletes all over the court and a deep rotation, they should be pressuring the ball and getting up and down the court all season.
- The shooting was much better than I expected from Florida State. Without Phil Cofer, who was missing with an injury, I was unsure how the team as a whole would look, especially from deep. But they didn't miss a beat, making 47.8% of their shots from downtown. A big part of that was PJ Savoy, who was 5-7 from deep, along with good shot selection from guys who aren't gunners. This roster excels at getting to the rim, and if they can space the floor effectively, then this offense will be really good.
- Outside of Savoy, who led all scorers with 20 points, the two standouts were MJ Walker and Andrew Nembhard. Walker is a sophomore who had high recruiting pedigree and many, including myself, think can have a breakout season. He scored 10 points, including making two threes, and he also got 3 assists and 2 steals. He should be a focus point of the 'Noles offense this season as he continues to grow into the college game. Nembhard is a true freshman, replacing Chris Chiozza at the point for the Gators, and he looked like their best player. He scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting- including going 2-4 from deep- which was the most of any starter, which was somewhat surprising given his pedigree as more of a table setter. He did pick up 4 assists, and if the rest of the offense can pick up their play, he should be able to slide into his more natural role.
Ohio State @ Cincinnati
- I managed to come away from this game higher on the losing team. Despite Ohio State winning, I think Cincinnati is the better team and has the higher ceiling this year. In my opinion, the biggest reason for their loss was the absence of Jarron Cumberland for most of the first half due to foul trouble. He was excellent in the second half, rattling off 22 points including some clutch buckets to get his team back into it. I think if he had played more minutes in the first half, the Bearcats would've come away with a W.
- I'll be really interested to see how Mick Cronin manages his backcourt rotation this season. He was playing Justin Jenifer and Cane Broome together for large stretches in the second half in hopes of them sparking the offense. On a separate note, Broome needs to be better than he was today for Cincy to have success. But I worry about those two playing large chunks of time together, because although they are good on-ball defenders, they are both sub-6 foot and that could be a problem on the defensive end. I think he'll rely more on lineups featuring one of those two joined by either Keith Williams, Trevor Moore, or Logan Johnson.
- Despite how bad their offense looked for most of this game, I think Cincinnati is going to win games by out toughing teams. They are might be the grittiest team in the country. They are fighting for every rebound, pressuring full court, diving on every loose ball, and harassing their opponent all over the court. If you're playing against them, you better be ready for a 40 minute brawl.
- I should probably talk about the victors a little bit. To be honest, even though they one, I wasn't really impressed by Ohio State. It probably doesn't help that the Wesson brothers both were in foul trouble, but they didn't look that good to me. It really feels like Cincinnati lost this game more than the Buckeyes won it. Kaleb Wesson is a load in the paint, and his brother Andre is a good shooter, which pairs nicely with CJ Jackson, who made some really big shots but also finished 3-10 from the field. I'm still pretty lukewarm on this team and I don't think they'll make the field of 68.
- One player that did impress me from Ohio State was Luther Muhammad. The freshman finished with 11 points and made 2 threes, which wasn't on the scouting report as he was supposed to be a more defensive player, at least in his first season. If he can become a consistent 8-12 PPG guy along with playing good defense, I'm much higher on this team. On the other end, Logan Johnson was a standout for the Bearcats. He energized them and the home crowd with his defense, and he was locking down whoever he was guarding. If he can become a more consistent offensive player, he finished will 2 points from free throws, he will be a key contributor, but if he keeps playing defense like he did last night, he'll demand minutes no matter what. Both teams look to have quality long-term pieces that should develop into great two way players during their college careers.
Miscellaneous
- Since I did preview it yesterday, I should touch on Dayton defeating North Florida. Josh Cunningham was absent for the Flyers, but they still had enough firepower at home to knock off the Ospreys
- TCU looked like it really missed Jaylen Fisher yesterday, almost losing to CSU Bakersfield. They trailed by 9 at the half, and only pulled ahead late in the game. They only shot 18.8% from three, which was supposed to be a strength for them. It'll be interesting to see how they fare in their upcoming non-conference slate, which features a game against Deshon Taylor and Fresno State.
- How about Marshall? The Conference USA representative this past March went to Eastern Kentucky and put up 105 points. The Colonels aren't a pushover either, with one of the best players in the Ohio Valley in Nick Mayo, who did his part, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. But the backcourt duo of CJ Burks and Jon Elmore was too much, combining for 50 points. Elmore actually had an off night, only making one three and 5 of his 16 shots from the field, but he still scored 20 points. Burks dropped 30 before fouling out, and those two will lead a high powered offense all season.
A Look Ahead
Today's slate of games is... uninspiring, to say the least. The best game is Evansville and Illinois, I guess. Instead of that, I will be catching up on a lot of basketball I missed on Tuesday, specifically mid-majors. I'm going to watch as many of Florida Golf Coast at Illinois State, Penn at George Mason, Eastern Tennessee State at Georgia State, UNC Wilmington at Campbell, Grand Canyon at South Dakota State, and Western Kentucky at Washington(it's not showing up on my WatchESPN currently. If anyone knows what's up with that I'd appreciate the help) as I can tomorrow and Friday.
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