Just a note: after Monday, I'll be shutting down for a few days on here and on Twitter for the holidays. I'll still be keeping an eye on games, but I will be much less active unless there is a huge story that breaks that I need to talk about. That being said, I've got some teams to talk about right now, so let's get into it. As always, let me know your thoughts on Twitter @ThreePointRange.
What I Saw
What I Saw
- Oklahoma looks like one of the better teams in the Big 12. They beat Creighton by 13 while keeping the Blue Jays offense quiet for most of the game, holding TyShon Alexander to 9 points and keeping Mitch Ballock scoreless. I was really impressed by the balance in their offense, with 5 players scoring 13 or more points. Miles Reynolds, a Pacific transfer, looks really good, and Brady Manek was great, getting 18 points in 17 minutes. However, the best player has been Christian James, who has 14 points and 12 rebounds. He's been leading the Sooners all year, averaging 18.5 points a game along with 7 rebounds. I have been really impressed by how good they have been sans Trae Young, and I think this is a tournament caliber team,
- Virginia is known for their defense, but they are sneakily good on the offensive end. They rank tenth in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom, and they honestly just look great on that end of the floor. They rarely turn the ball over, shoot well from deep, share the ball, and every player knows their role and doesn't try to do anything more than they are capable of. The backcourt duo of Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy doesn't receive enough credit for how good they are. Jerome was outstanding against South Carolina, scoring 25 points, dishing out 7 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds. He's been stuffing the stat sheet all year, but this was his best all around performance. Guy, meanwhile, is an excellent shooter and was a third team All-American last season. He had 18 and made 5 threes in Columbia. He gets run off a lot of screens, and for good reason. He's making 41.5% of his threes this year and is capable of lighting it up from deep. What's really impressive is they are both very good defensively, so the Hoos lose nothing on that end with them on the floor. Some teams have the problem of having great scorers who are negatives defensively, but that isn't an issue for Tony Bennett.
- I've been pumping up NC State all year, and they came out and beat a consensus top 10 team in Auburn in Raleigh. It was a sloppy game all around, but I think the Wolf Pack defense deserves some credit for that. Their on ball pressure was excellent all night, and they forced the Tigers into 25 turnovers. They have a nine man rotation, with 7 perimeter players, and each one of them will get in their man's face and pester him when he has the ball. They also do a good job helping and making sure there are no easy shots by bothering shooters and playing good defense in the paint. They had three players in double figures, and they all deserve to be talked about. Braxton Beverly is the best shooter on this team, and he was money from deep in this one, going 4-5 on his threes. He went a bit quiet in the second half with just 3 points, but Devon Daniels picked up the slack. All of his 15 points came in the final 20 minutes, and he gets it done by attacking the basket, where he is a talented finisher. He also had 8 rebounds and he can be a one man fast break if no one stops him while he brings it up. However, the best player for the Wolfpack in this one was Markell Johnson. He was brilliant, scoring 27 points, including going 5-8 from behind the arc, to go along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He is one of my favorite players to watch, and he proved why in this one. He was more of a facilitator last season, and has sacrificed some of that to get more buckets, but I'm OK with that, as he is still dishing out a good number of assists. I've been a huge fan of North Carolina State all year, and I think they proved why I like them so much in this one.
- I want to quickly talk about UCLA. Cody Riley has been OK, Moses Brown is very good defensively and a solid finisher, Jaylen Hands is playing like I thought he would last year and I think he's very good, and Kris Wilkes is a star, and that's it. They don't play defense, and that's going to hold them back, as will a pretty thin rotation. Steve Alford shouldn't have a job after the season given the talent here. I have a bigger Pac-12 post planned, but I did want to say that quickly. However, I want to talk about Cincinnati right now. They looked amazing in this one. Now, UCLA is really bad on defense, but the Bearcats took full advantage and absolutely dominated them. It's the best I've seen them look all season, and everything was clicking. They shot 57.1% from three as a team, had 24 assists on 33 makes, and a few guys really stood out. Keith Williams has emerged as a solid secondary scoring option for Cincy, and he has 19. I was also really impressed with Nyseir Brooks in this game. The junior was hampered by fouls, but he was often going top against Brown, an impressive shot blocker, and he showed no fear, often giving a pump fake to get him off the ground, or going straight at him. He finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, and if he can play that well consistently, the Bearcats are going to be very good. But the star of this team is Jarron Cumberland, who has stepped into an alpha role this year. He has been excellent this year, and has taken a big step forward as a shooter, improving by nearly 13 points from three this year. He has 25 points, including 4 threes, and he is one of the better defenders in the nation. I think Cincinnati is really good, and I was thoroughly impressed by this team.
- Georgia Tech has a really good duo in Jose Alvarado and James Banks. They are coming off a really bad loss to Gardner-Webb, but I thought they played well against Arkansas. Alvarado led the team with 20 points, and he's been scoring 14.2 a game this year. He has 9 rebounds as well, which is impressive given his 6 foot frame. I wasn't a huge fan of him last year, and I don't love the fact that he's gotten worse at shooting the three, but he was good in this one and should help the Yellow Jackets a lot during ACC play. Banks is a Texas transfer who has been really good every time he's played. He went for 14 points and 14 rebounds while facing Daniel Gafford, one of the better centers in the nation. He averages over 9 points and rebounds a game, and is also a good defender, doing a pretty good job on Gafford on recording 5 blocks. Those two will need to do a lot for Georgia Tech come conference play, but they certainly looked ready in Fayetteville.
- As for the Razorbacks, they are really young this season, and that showed late on. They took some bad shots once they got down trying to get back in the game, and overall their decision making needs to improve. Gafford is great, but I really like Isaiah Joe as well. He's a freshman with a really good jumper. He struggled a little in this one, going 3-12 from three, but still had 13 points. He's a talented scorer and Coach Mike Anderson will live with a few poor games now in exchange for a star down the road in the SEC. I think he's going to develop into something special in a year or two given his incredible scoring ability and three point stroke, which he showed off in a 34 point explosion against FIU earlier this year, in which he made 10 threes. I expect a lot more offensive fireworks in the next 3 years from him.
- The game of the week was maybe not what some were expecting, but it was a good game nonetheless, as Duke got a big win at Madison Square Garden. I want to start off with the positives from this game for them. I was really impressed with their defense. They are just so long and athletic and they were constantly in passing lanes and forced 24 Texas Tech turnovers. They are also a force blocking shots, getting 7 on the game and the Red Raiders were clearly very worried about having their shots blocked all game. In my opinion, their best defender is Tre Jones, who had 6 steals in this one. He was constantly bothering the ball handler and played excellently on that end. That is so huge, as once he takes the ball away, Duke is off in transition where there isn't a better team in the country. Jones was arguably the best player on the floor in this one, getting 13 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds to go along with his impressive work defensively and only committed one turnover. He's what allows Zion, RJ, and Cam to be so effective, as he is an excellent table setter. However, I think this game has to raise some concerns for Duke. They looked very beatable, and a large part of that was their half court offense. Now, part of the credit goes to Texas Tech, who is great defensively, and part goes to luck, as they went 3-20 from three in this game. However, this is by no means a good shooting team, and if you can slow Duke down and force them to play in the half court for the majority of the game, I think that gives you your best chance. Virginia can certainly do that, and I think they are better on both ends than Tech, so I am eagerly awaiting that game to see how Duke handles the Cavs.
- Texas Tech lost, but played valiantly against the Blue Devils. Their defense is legit and gave Duke problems for the majority of the night. A large part of that was taking charges. Texas Tech stepped in and took 8 charges (that's my unofficial count) on Duke. Now, the charge/block call is often disputed, as the one that took Zion out was, but most of them were clear charges as the defender slid over and got great positioning. They have the luxury of being able to switch a lot on the defensive end, and having a big man like Tariq Owens who can guard a smaller guy on the perimeter while still being a shot blocking threat is rare. But the man everyone is talking about, and rightfully so, is Jarrett Culver. The sophomore for the Red Raiders is one of my favorite players in the nation, and he was excellent in this one. He led all scorers with 25 points, and showed off an ever improving three pointer, splashing home four shots from deep. It seemed late he was content to settle for the three instead of attacking the rim, which he is so good at, but he also had 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and really is huge for for this team on the offensive end, where he does so much for them. He's a first team All-Big 12 player, probably an All-American at the moment, and I'd take him in the lottery.
- Virginia is known for their defense, but they are sneakily good on the offensive end. They rank tenth in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom, and they honestly just look great on that end of the floor. They rarely turn the ball over, shoot well from deep, share the ball, and every player knows their role and doesn't try to do anything more than they are capable of. The backcourt duo of Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy doesn't receive enough credit for how good they are. Jerome was outstanding against South Carolina, scoring 25 points, dishing out 7 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds. He's been stuffing the stat sheet all year, but this was his best all around performance. Guy, meanwhile, is an excellent shooter and was a third team All-American last season. He had 18 and made 5 threes in Columbia. He gets run off a lot of screens, and for good reason. He's making 41.5% of his threes this year and is capable of lighting it up from deep. What's really impressive is they are both very good defensively, so the Hoos lose nothing on that end with them on the floor. Some teams have the problem of having great scorers who are negatives defensively, but that isn't an issue for Tony Bennett.
- I've been pumping up NC State all year, and they came out and beat a consensus top 10 team in Auburn in Raleigh. It was a sloppy game all around, but I think the Wolf Pack defense deserves some credit for that. Their on ball pressure was excellent all night, and they forced the Tigers into 25 turnovers. They have a nine man rotation, with 7 perimeter players, and each one of them will get in their man's face and pester him when he has the ball. They also do a good job helping and making sure there are no easy shots by bothering shooters and playing good defense in the paint. They had three players in double figures, and they all deserve to be talked about. Braxton Beverly is the best shooter on this team, and he was money from deep in this one, going 4-5 on his threes. He went a bit quiet in the second half with just 3 points, but Devon Daniels picked up the slack. All of his 15 points came in the final 20 minutes, and he gets it done by attacking the basket, where he is a talented finisher. He also had 8 rebounds and he can be a one man fast break if no one stops him while he brings it up. However, the best player for the Wolfpack in this one was Markell Johnson. He was brilliant, scoring 27 points, including going 5-8 from behind the arc, to go along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He is one of my favorite players to watch, and he proved why in this one. He was more of a facilitator last season, and has sacrificed some of that to get more buckets, but I'm OK with that, as he is still dishing out a good number of assists. I've been a huge fan of North Carolina State all year, and I think they proved why I like them so much in this one.
- I want to quickly talk about UCLA. Cody Riley has been OK, Moses Brown is very good defensively and a solid finisher, Jaylen Hands is playing like I thought he would last year and I think he's very good, and Kris Wilkes is a star, and that's it. They don't play defense, and that's going to hold them back, as will a pretty thin rotation. Steve Alford shouldn't have a job after the season given the talent here. I have a bigger Pac-12 post planned, but I did want to say that quickly. However, I want to talk about Cincinnati right now. They looked amazing in this one. Now, UCLA is really bad on defense, but the Bearcats took full advantage and absolutely dominated them. It's the best I've seen them look all season, and everything was clicking. They shot 57.1% from three as a team, had 24 assists on 33 makes, and a few guys really stood out. Keith Williams has emerged as a solid secondary scoring option for Cincy, and he has 19. I was also really impressed with Nyseir Brooks in this game. The junior was hampered by fouls, but he was often going top against Brown, an impressive shot blocker, and he showed no fear, often giving a pump fake to get him off the ground, or going straight at him. He finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, and if he can play that well consistently, the Bearcats are going to be very good. But the star of this team is Jarron Cumberland, who has stepped into an alpha role this year. He has been excellent this year, and has taken a big step forward as a shooter, improving by nearly 13 points from three this year. He has 25 points, including 4 threes, and he is one of the better defenders in the nation. I think Cincinnati is really good, and I was thoroughly impressed by this team.
- Georgia Tech has a really good duo in Jose Alvarado and James Banks. They are coming off a really bad loss to Gardner-Webb, but I thought they played well against Arkansas. Alvarado led the team with 20 points, and he's been scoring 14.2 a game this year. He has 9 rebounds as well, which is impressive given his 6 foot frame. I wasn't a huge fan of him last year, and I don't love the fact that he's gotten worse at shooting the three, but he was good in this one and should help the Yellow Jackets a lot during ACC play. Banks is a Texas transfer who has been really good every time he's played. He went for 14 points and 14 rebounds while facing Daniel Gafford, one of the better centers in the nation. He averages over 9 points and rebounds a game, and is also a good defender, doing a pretty good job on Gafford on recording 5 blocks. Those two will need to do a lot for Georgia Tech come conference play, but they certainly looked ready in Fayetteville.
- As for the Razorbacks, they are really young this season, and that showed late on. They took some bad shots once they got down trying to get back in the game, and overall their decision making needs to improve. Gafford is great, but I really like Isaiah Joe as well. He's a freshman with a really good jumper. He struggled a little in this one, going 3-12 from three, but still had 13 points. He's a talented scorer and Coach Mike Anderson will live with a few poor games now in exchange for a star down the road in the SEC. I think he's going to develop into something special in a year or two given his incredible scoring ability and three point stroke, which he showed off in a 34 point explosion against FIU earlier this year, in which he made 10 threes. I expect a lot more offensive fireworks in the next 3 years from him.
- The game of the week was maybe not what some were expecting, but it was a good game nonetheless, as Duke got a big win at Madison Square Garden. I want to start off with the positives from this game for them. I was really impressed with their defense. They are just so long and athletic and they were constantly in passing lanes and forced 24 Texas Tech turnovers. They are also a force blocking shots, getting 7 on the game and the Red Raiders were clearly very worried about having their shots blocked all game. In my opinion, their best defender is Tre Jones, who had 6 steals in this one. He was constantly bothering the ball handler and played excellently on that end. That is so huge, as once he takes the ball away, Duke is off in transition where there isn't a better team in the country. Jones was arguably the best player on the floor in this one, getting 13 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds to go along with his impressive work defensively and only committed one turnover. He's what allows Zion, RJ, and Cam to be so effective, as he is an excellent table setter. However, I think this game has to raise some concerns for Duke. They looked very beatable, and a large part of that was their half court offense. Now, part of the credit goes to Texas Tech, who is great defensively, and part goes to luck, as they went 3-20 from three in this game. However, this is by no means a good shooting team, and if you can slow Duke down and force them to play in the half court for the majority of the game, I think that gives you your best chance. Virginia can certainly do that, and I think they are better on both ends than Tech, so I am eagerly awaiting that game to see how Duke handles the Cavs.
- Texas Tech lost, but played valiantly against the Blue Devils. Their defense is legit and gave Duke problems for the majority of the night. A large part of that was taking charges. Texas Tech stepped in and took 8 charges (that's my unofficial count) on Duke. Now, the charge/block call is often disputed, as the one that took Zion out was, but most of them were clear charges as the defender slid over and got great positioning. They have the luxury of being able to switch a lot on the defensive end, and having a big man like Tariq Owens who can guard a smaller guy on the perimeter while still being a shot blocking threat is rare. But the man everyone is talking about, and rightfully so, is Jarrett Culver. The sophomore for the Red Raiders is one of my favorite players in the nation, and he was excellent in this one. He led all scorers with 25 points, and showed off an ever improving three pointer, splashing home four shots from deep. It seemed late he was content to settle for the three instead of attacking the rim, which he is so good at, but he also had 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and really is huge for for this team on the offensive end, where he does so much for them. He's a first team All-Big 12 player, probably an All-American at the moment, and I'd take him in the lottery.
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