Author: Aidan Joly

By Aidan Joly

The MLB Draft might be one of the biggest crapshoots in all of sports. There’s upwards of 40 rounds, over 1200 players are selected each year and most never sniff the majors. The first overall pick has produced some stars, some decent players, and some busts. Here, I’ll go over each first overall pick from 1997-2016 and make a new selection, or in a couple of cases keep it the same. I only went to 2016 because nearly all of the 2017-2019 selections are still in the minor leagues. So, here we go.

1997: Matt Anderson, Detroit Tigers
New Selection: Lance Berkman

Berkman went 16th overall to the Houston Astros and carved out a 15-year big league career with those Astros as well as brief stints with the Cardinals, Yankees and Rangers towards the end. He was a six-time All-Star with 366 career home runs and over 1900 hits. Meanwhile, Anderson appeared in 257 games as a relief pitcher with the Tigers and Rockies with a 5.19 ERA and was out of the league by 2005 and baseball entirely by 2009.

1998: Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies
New Selection: CC Sabathia

Sabathia was picked by the Indians with the 20th overall pick and made his debut in 2001 with Cleveland before retiring after the 2019 season with the Yankees, where he was a major piece of their World Series-winning team in 2009 and is one of 18 pitchers all time with 3000 strikeouts. No disrespect to Burrell here as he had a decent 12-year career, always very serviceable, and won a pair of World Series’, with the Phillies in 2008 and Giants in 2010.

1999: Josh Hamilton, Tampa Bay Rays
New Selection: Albert Pujols

This is one that could have worked out, but Hamilton had issues with drug addictions and was out of baseball from 2002-2006. He finally made his debut in 2007 with the Reds and was one of the best hitters in baseball in the late 2000s and early 2010s before injuries and another drug relapse ended his career in 2015. Pujols was selected in the 13th round and his resume speaks for itself. 3000 hits, 600 home runs, three MVP’s and two World Series titles. He’s a lock for a first ballot Hall of Famer.

2000: Adrian Gonzalez, Florida Marlins
New Selection: Chase Utley

This was a tough one between keeping Gonzalez, Utley, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina but I went with Utley. He went 15th overall and was probably the best second baseman in the league for a handful of years before retiring in 2018, a threat on both sides of the ball, a borderline Hall of Famer. Gonzalez had a great peak in the late 2000s with the Padres as one of baseball’s best home run hitters but that peak didn’t last long and wasn’t relevant after his age-34 season.

2001: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
New Selection: Stays the same

First time I’m not making a change. The 2001 class is relatively weak and the only other players I considered were Mark Teixeira and David Wright. Mauer won three batting titles as a catcher, one of two catchers all-time to win multiple and his first, in 2006, was the first by a backstop since the Reds’ Ernie Lombardi in 1942. He also won an MVP in 2009. It’s rare to find a catcher who is a top-10 player in the league, so that’s why he stays as the pick.

2002: Bryan Bullington, Pittsburgh Pirates
New Selection: Joey Votto

Bullington is the first true bust here. He did well in the minors as a starting pitcher and made hit debut with Pittsburgh in 2005 but quickly fanned out. He made 26 career big league appearances, 10 of them starts, with Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toronto and Kansas City, where he made his last big league appearance in 2010 at the age of 29. His career record was 1-9 with a 1.58 WHIP and an ERA of 5.62. Votto, meanwhile, went in the second round to the Reds and has had one of the most consistently great careers of this generation with a career batting average of .307 and is closing in on 300 home runs at the age of 36 and has recently only started to show signs of slowing down. And this stat from 2018 about him is probably the silliest baseball stat you’ll ever see.

2003: Delmon Young, Tampa Bay Rays
New Selection: Adam Jones

Another relatively weak class but decided to go with Jones, who was selected in the supplemental first round by Seattle. Jones made his debut with the Mariners in 2006 at the age of 20 ended up being a stalwart in the Baltimore outfield for a decade, getting five all-star nods and was always consistent. His MLB career is on hiatus as he heads to Japan for the 2020 season at the age of 34. Young had a solid career that lasted from 2006-2015 with the Rays, Twins, Tigers, Phillies and Orioles, but never was a star. Shoutout to Matt Kemp, who went in the sixth round that year.

2004: Matt Bush, San Diego Padres
New Selection: Justin Verlander

You don’t have to go far to find the new selection as Verlander went second overall to the Tigers. He was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for about seven years in the mid and late 2000s. His stats dipped a little bit but has enjoyed a career resurgence the past couple years with Houston and won his second Cy Young in 2019 at the age of 36, his first since 2011. Meanwhile, Bush, who was selected as a shortstop, had many problems with alcohol and had Tommy John surgery after he converted to a pitcher in 2007 that kept him off the field from 2007-2010 and again from 2011-2016, the latter in which he served a 39-month prison sentence after a drunk driving incident. However, it became a feel-good story after he signed with the Rangers upon his prison release in 2016 and made his MLB debut at the age of 30 later that year and has become a key part of the Texas bullpen since then.

2005: Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks
New Selection: Ryan Braun

This class had eight future all-stars in the first 12 picks, and 11 if you include all the supplemental picks in the 48-pick first round and that does include Upton. Absolutely loaded. Decided to go with Braun, who has probably had the best overall career out of all of them, but you can make arguments for seven or eight of those 11. Braun has over 300 home runs and a career batting average of nearly .300, a .360 on-base percentage in his big league career, spent entirely with the Brewers after being picked fifth overall. He earned an MVP in 2011, two more finishes in the top three and has six all-star nods to his credit. Upton has had a very solid career as well, with four all-star appearances but short of Braun’s accomplishments. Like I said before, cases can be made for a lot more of those first round guys.

2006: Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals
New Selection: Clayton Kershaw

This draft saw Kershaw, Evan Longoria, Tim Lincecum and Max Scherzer all go within the first 11 picks. However, Hochevar went first. He wasn’t a true bust as he spent a couple years with the Royals as a starter, but was never anything special and later came out of the bullpen and eventually retired in 2018 following his final appearance two years prior. He finished his career with a pedestrian 4.98 ERA and a record of 46-65. Kershaw speaks for himself. Consistently a top-three pitcher in baseball since his arrival in 2008, and has an MVP and three Cy Young’s to his credit, and had seven straight top-five finishes in Cy Young voting from 2011-2017. Five-time ERA leader, three-time strikeout champion and Cooperstown will probably be calling eventually.

2007: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
New Selection: Giancarlo Stanton

This is one that can be kept, but decided to change it. Stanton went in the second round to the Marlins and has become one of the most prolific home run hitters of this generation, hitting 300 by age 28. His 2017 season, his final with the Marlins, is the stuff of legends, with 59 home runs and 132 RBI’s. Already four all-star appearances and an MVP and his career is still very much going. Price had a great handful of years and won a Cy Young in 2012 but has fallen off a bit in the past couple years. He’s still only 34 so he still has a couple years left and can still have a career resurgence like Verlander, but he’s still a high-up selection.

2008: Tim Beckham, Tampa Bay Rays
New Selection: Buster Posey

Beckham was a highly-touted prospect and got a signing bonus of over $6 million following his selection. It wasn’t close to working out. He was never anything special in the minors but finally got called-up to Tampa Bay in 2013 but has been pretty average to this point, getting traded to Baltimore in 2017 and is now with the Mariners. He has a career batting average of .249 with 63 home runs in six years. Posey, a catcher, went fifth overall (I’m sensing a pattern with fifth overall here), won Rookie of the Year in 2010, batting title and MVP in 2012 and has become one of the best catchers in the game, which going back to Mauer, is rare to find. He has six all-star appearances and his career maybe have been even better if his freak broken leg injury in 2011 never happened. He’s 33 and starting to show his age but it’s more than worth it.

2009: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
New Selection: Mike Trout

I mean, come on. No disrespect to Strasburg at all as he has developed into a star but you have to take the best player of this generation. This doesn’t require too much explanation. Trout first, Strasburg second. Nolan Arenado, who went in the second round, third. It’s crazy to think that, knowing what we know now, 24 players were selected before Trout.

2010: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
New Selection: Stays the same

This draft saw Harper, Manny Machado and Christian Yelich all go in the first round. Harper was one of the most hyped-up first overall picks maybe ever out of the College of Southern Nevada and he has delivered, one of the biggest superstars in baseball. He won Rookie of the Year in 2012 at age 19 earned an MVP in 2015 at the age of 22 and has six all-star nods while being arguably the most marketable player in the game. It’s crazy to think that he’s still only 27 and his career still has a long way to go.

2011: Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates
New Selection: Stays the same

Second year in a row the first selection stays the same. This draft had a lot of talent in the first round including Trevor Bauer (third overall), Anthony Rendon (sixth), Francisco Lindor (eighth), Javier Baez (ninth), George Springer (11th), the late Jose Fernandez (14th), Sonny Gray (18th) and Joe Panik (29th), who all made all-star appearances, but Cole, although a bit of a late bloomer, has become one of the best pitchers in the game. He has not won a Cy Young yet, but he has been in the top five in voting three times and had over 300 strikeouts in 2019 before signing his massive deal with the Yankees this past winter. Right now, he’s the best to come out of this draft.

2012: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
New Selection: Stays the same

Three years in a row that the first overall pick was not a miss. An argument can be made for Corey Seager at 18th overall but Houston got their franchise shortstop in the Puerto Rican for years to come with this pick. He arrived in Houston in 2015 at the age of 20 and won Rookie of the Year. His stats did fly up in 2017 and we all know what happened then so it’ll be interesting to see how his numbers change now that the Astros were caught and punished. This could definitely change at some point, but for now it’s still Correa.

2013: Mark Appel, Houston Astros
New Selection: Aaron Judge

The second year in a row the Astros had the first overall pick, but this one was a big-time miss. Appel struggled out of the gate in the minor leagues. He gave up a triple on the first professional pitch he threw and it never got better, never finding his footing in the Houston system and a trade to Philadelphia in 2015 didn’t help. After his struggles and injuries he “stepped away” from baseball in 2018, one of three first overall picks ever to not reach the MLB. Meanwhile, the 32nd overall pick, Judge, is one of the brightest young stars in baseball today, with 110 home runs in his first three big league seasons, two all-star nods and a second-place MVP finish in his 2017 rookie year. He was recently dubbed as the “next Derek Jeter,” by Jeter himself, high praise to say the least.

2014: Brady Aiken, Houston Astros
New Selection: Aaron Nola

Two years in a row for the Astros taking a star pitcher with the first pick and second year in a row it didn’t work. The Astros took Aiken out of San Diego high school and he did not even sign with the team, opting to go to IMG Academy in Florida as a post-graduate student. He was later selected by the Indians with the 17th overall pick in 2015 and is currently in their minor league system and has made all of two appearances since 2017, both of them disastrous relief outings in Single-A. Nola, who went seventh overall, arrived in the big leagues in 2015 and has formed himself into the ace in Philadelphia, with a 17-win, third place Cy Young season in 2018 and has done very well since then, and at the age of 26 is still getting better.

2015: Dansby Swanson, Arizona Diamondbacks
New Selection: Alex Bregman

Most of the guys from these last two drafts are on the cusp of the big leagues, but a handful are already up. No disrespect to Swanson, who is one of the key pieces to Atlanta’s infield after being traded there in 2016 and has had a couple of good seasons, but is just not that guy. However, you don’t have to look too far for Bregman, who was picked second overall and has become one of the best young players in baseball, with his first 40 home run year in 2019 and finished second in MVP voting. He will probably win an MVP at some point as he becomes an MLB star, even given his negative reputation among fans in the fallout of the cheating scandal.

2016: Mickey Moniak, Philadelphia Phillies
New Selection: Bo Bichette

Moniak was highly touted at the time but has not exactly set the world on fire in the Phillies’ organization, hitting the board at 11th the Phillies’ top 30 prospect rankings last month after hitting .252 with 11 home runs and 13(!) triples in 2019 in Double-A. More still has to be seen out of him at higher levels to get a true idea of who he is, but right now the best player out of that draft is Bo Bichette, who went in the second round to Toronto and hit .311 with 11 home runs in his first 46 career big league games in 2019. The Blue Jays’ offense with him, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Cavan Biggio will be scary for years to come and Bichette is already at the forefront of that. Shoutout to Pete Alonso, who also went in the second round that year.

By Aidan Joly

I was watching an NHL version of this last night and it got me to thinking, if I was to start a professional basketball league from scratch, where would I put the teams? It doesn’t necessarily have to be the NBA, but just a league. I didn’t look at where teams have done well in the past or history of basketball in the city or anything like that, I just looked at what cities I think would support a professional basketball franchise the best.

32 teams, and I did do repeats of cities, but not a ton. Divided up into 16 teams in each an Eastern and Western Conference, didn’t do divisions. The order the teams are in is a general order of where I would give them the teams. All of them are North American cities. Sorry London.

First up, the Eastern Conference:

1. New York: Obvious one, put them in the heart of Manhattan.

2. Boston: Great sports town, would easily support a team, you see it with all of the other sports.

3. Philadelphia: Another great east coast sports city, loads of history not just in sports but history as a whole.

4. Washington, D.C.: The nation’s capital, has supported teams since professional sports leagues began, they get a team.

5. Toronto: Going outside of the United States, you’ll have all of Canada rooting for them.

6. Charlotte: That area of the country is a hotbed for basketball, it’s a college basketball area but I think they would support a pro team.

7. New York (second team): Putting a second team in the area because it’s so big. This team isn’t in Manhattan, put them in either Brooklyn or Queens.

8. Indianapolis: Going outside of the east coast for the first time. Great Midwest sports city that has supported the Colts and is in a basketball-crazed area.

9. Miami: First Florida team. Hot weather, big sports town, they would support a team.

10. Detroit: The city has a major economic problem and has not been doing as well so they go kind of down the list for that, but teams there still get support so they do get a team.

11. Cleveland: They support baseball and football through thick and thin, so basketball shouldn’t be a problem.

12. Milwaukee: Another good Midwest sports city, cold weather, fans would come out to see a basketball game in Wisconsin. You also get a natural rival with Indianapolis there.

13. Atlanta: Going to the Southeast for a second time, pretty simple to put them in.

14. New Jersey: A third team in the New York metropolitan area. It has that level of population and is the biggest basketball hotbed in the country. There’s an arena in Newark, have them play there.

15. Louisville: This one might be surprising but the basketball-crazed state of Kentucky has been pushing for a pro basketball team for a long time. Here, they’ll get one.

16. Baltimore: Maryland is an underrated sports area, they support the Orioles and Ravens even when they are bad and it creates a rival for the Washington, D.C. team.

Just missed the cut: Tampa Bay, Virginia Beach, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Buffalo

Now, the Western Conference:

1. Los Angeles: Biggest city on the West Coast, second-largest in the country, easily the first city.

2. Chicago: Sports-crazed town, they get one quickly.

3. Houston: Texas is football-first but putting a team there is easy, they’ll support the team as they have supported all of their teams.

4. Dallas: A second team in Texas, same reasons as Houston, but Dallas is a tick smaller.

5. San Diego: It’s odd that the NBA doesn’t have a team in San Diego, but they would support one in Southern California.

6. Bay Area: Six teams in the West so far, three of them in California. Put this team in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, wherever.

7. Seattle: It’s a crime that there isn’t an NBA team in Seattle. The SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008 and they’ve been begging for a team back since. The NBA will be back there soon, but they are almost a shoe-in for a franchise in this.

8. San Antonio: A third team in the state of Texas, but far enough away from both Dallas and Houston, giving them their own part of the state to call home.

9. Denver: The biggest city in that area of the country, it’s more of a hockey town but they deserve to have all four major leagues in Denver.

10. Phoenix: A team in the desert, same reasons as Denver for Phoenix, even though hockey isn’t exactly working out there.

11. St. Louis: The city of the arch is down to two teams, the Cardinals and Blues, but it is a great Midwest city that deserves to be back to three teams after the NFL’s Rams left for Los Angeles in 2015.

12. Los Angeles (second team): LA will be the only West city with two teams. It’s big enough to do it, but have them play outside of downtown. Inglewood area would be a solid fit. Maybe even Anaheim, 30 miles outside of downtown.

13. Minneapolis: Another solid Midwest sports town, deserving of a team. You can put them in either Minneapolis or St. Paul, they’ll get fans either way.

14. Las Vegas: Sigh. Professional sports has been booming in Vegas with the NHL’s Golden Knights and the NFL’s Raiders coming in this fall. They go from zero teams to three in a span of three years.

15. Vancouver: They’re back! A second team in Canada, this time in the Western portion, giving them two teams in the big four and giving Seattle a natural rival in the Pacific Northwest.

16. Mexico City: Call me crazy, but Mexico is ready for a professional basketball team. It might be tough logistically considering the closest city is a three-hour flight, but the city has proven to be ready for a team, and have an arena ready to go and a whole country behind them. There’s a good chance the real NBA ends up there, so I’ll give them a shot here.

Just missed the cut: New Orleans, Portland, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Kansas City

By Aidan Joly

Not much content to put out considering just about every sport has been postponed or outright canceled, so the eyes of the sports world are on NFL free agency and the draft in April.

The New York Jets have the No. 11 overall pick in said draft, and it’s come down to two possibilities, taking an offensive lineman to help out a depleted offensive line and help out Sam Darnold, or take a generational wide receiver that can be the team’s top guy for years to come.

In my opinion, the Jets should be taking a wide receiver with the pick. The short explanation is that you can find a good offensive lineman in any draft, but this year’s wide receiver class is much deeper than the typical year and the Jets should be taking advantage of that.

Right now, there are four wide receiver first-round selection locks, in CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma), Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), Henry Ruggs III (Alabama) and Justin Jefferson (LSU) with the possibility of up to two more in Denzel Mims (Baylor) and Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State).

This year’s class is arguably the deepest since 2014, where we saw five receivers, Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin all go in the first round. 2015 had quantity over quality at six with Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman and Phillip Dorsett get selected. Of those six from 2015, the one with the best career so far has been Cooper, but the other five have all been serviceable, but not stars. The 2014 group has some of the league’s top receivers to date. 2017 had three go in the top ten, Corey Davis, Mike Williams and John Ross, but none of them have come close to top talent.

As for this year’s group, it seems like Lamb and Jeudy will be the best of the group. Lamb has a ton of athleticism and the ability to seemingly get to every pass thrown to him, and Jeudy has some of the best speed we have seen out of any college wideout in years.

On the offensive line side, the Jets seem to be enamored with Louisville tackle Mekhi Becton, as they should be. He’s huge, at 6-7 and 368 pounds and any team would want him, but I don’t see him being available at the 11th pick.

So you have that, which would probably make one of those two top wide receivers available. You already have (probably) three quarterbacks being selected in the top 10, maybe even top five, plus Chase Young, Isaiah Simmons, Jeff Okudah, Jedrick Willis Jr., Tristan Wirfs and potentially Andrew Thomas, it would make sense to have one of those top two pass-catchers still on the board, giving the Jets an opportunity to take one of them.

It would be a different story if the Jets had been able to grab one of the free agent wide receivers in AJ Green or Cooper, but Green was franchise tagged by Cincinnati and Cooper signed back with Dallas at 6 years and $100 million. A guy on the trade market was Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs, but he was traded to Buffalo late Monday night for a monster price tag, four draft picks, one of which was this year’s first round pick. He would have been a nice pickup in New York but it makes sense that the Jets would not want to give up as much as the Bills did.

On top of this, the Jets and Robby Anderson still may not come to an agreement to bring him back as he wants a salary in the $15 million range, which is steep for a No. 2 if the Jets want him. One thing I’ve said about Anderson is that he is not and probably will never been a No. 1, but if they can continue his development correctly, he can be one of the best No. 2’s in the league.

The Jets did pick up one of the more underrated offensive lineman in the league in former Seattle tackle George Fant for 3 years and $30 million, with just $13.7 million guaranteed. He can be the starter at left tackle, and they can bring in another guy with all of that cap room they have to upgrade on the right side and the line as a whole, potentially with some sort of combination of Alex Lewis, Stefan Wisniewski and Greg Van Roten, all of whom the Jets have been reported to have interest in.

The best option here is for the Jets to try to bring back Anderson, even if it comes at a steep price, potentially in the $13-14 million range and get that top guy to be a star.

This is their chance, and they should take it while they have it.

When people think of great conferences out on the west coast, they think of the PAC-12, or maybe even the WCC, mostly it comes to Gonzaga and their success.

Allow me to discuss the Mountain West.

The league has been a fringe top-ten league in the country over the years, and has traditionally had one good team (I’m looking at you, late 2000s New Mexico and the past couple Nevada teams), but now there is multiple good teams in this league that have gotten national recognition and this is now a league that has the might to send multiple teams to the tournament. Right now, they are ranked 10th out of 32 conferences in KenPom rankings, one of 12 with a positive rating.

Coming into the season, it was Utah State that was supposed to be making the noise on the national level, stud senior Sam Merrill and other key pieces in Justin Bean, Alphonso Anderson and Neemias Queta to start the season ranked no. 17 in the nation in the preseason AP rankings, and jumped to as high as no. 15 after they got off to a 7-0 start before suffering a road loss to St. Mary’s. They are still off to a strong start at 13-4 and are sure to win a lot of league games.

Now, the team that is making the rankings now is San Diego State, which was not as expected. They are 15-0, now one of two remaining unbeatens in the country. Their biggest test so far this season came on Saturday night in a road game against none other than Utah State, on the road. They came out of it with a 77-68 victory in what will most likely end up being their toughest test of the season. At this point, it would not be overly shocking if they went undefeated through the regular season and conference tournament and potentially earn a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Aztecs have gotten to this point through having four double digit scorers, all of them upperclassmen, who all play a great style and compliment each other in the best possible way. Malachi Flynn is their best player, averaging just under 16 points per game, as well as Matt Mitchell, Yanni Wetzell and Jordan Schakel. According to KenPom they play the slowest tempo in the conference that stifles defenses and allows them to get good shots, and that leads to them making them.

Nevada, under first-year coach Steve Alford, has been a joy to watch so far this season and have made a very smooth transition to losing Eric Musselman to Arkansas, and the loss of their top three players from last year in Jordan Caroline as well as Caleb and Cody Martin. They are the second-fastest offense in the conference behind New Mexico and make their threes at a very good 38.6% clip. The Mountain West has traditionally been a league that favors fast offenses and good shooters, but having a three-point percentage is great, even for that. On top of that, they hold their opponents to a 26.3% from behind the arc, allowing them to limit triples as well as those all-important points in transition.

Jazz Johnson has filled a void nicely, as has Jalen Harris and Lindsey Drew as their new big three. Nisre Zouzoua is a solid depth piece and Zane Meeks is a freshman that they can build around to keep the program towards the top.

Like I mentioned before, New Mexico is another team that is similar to the Wolf Pack and can be a tournament team. They have the second-best offensive efficiency in the conference, behind Nevada, but have the fastest team in the league. Paul Weir has gotten the team running, and it has paid off, with a 13-3 start, but admittedly, a loss to perennial basement-dweller San Jose State on New Years’ Day throws a giant wrench into their at-large case, as did a loss to UTEP in November.

Not to be forgotten is UNLV, off to a 3-0 start in league play, which included a convincing win against Utah State, but the losses have piled up a bit for them as they sit at 8-8 currently, already close to too many losses to be seriously considered for an at-large bid.

Overall though, after a quiet couple of seasons that saw Nevada dominate the league, there are a couple different teams that can be challengers on the national level come March. It’s no secret that San Diego State is the best team in the league, but they will now see everyone’s best every night looking to pull off the upset.

However, the Aztecs potentially getting a top seed and seeing multiple at-large bids would be a great look for the league and allow the league to be taken seriously when it comes to the top non-power 5 conferences in college basketball.

The decade of the 2010s is drawing to a close, so I’m going to look at my all-decade team for college basketball. To be eligible, the player had to have played at least one season in the decade, and that includes the 2009-10 season. I named a starting five and a coach, as well as a quick list of bench players at the bottom. Here we go!

Guard: Kemba Walker, UConn, 2008-11
Cardiac Kemba! Walker’s first two seasons with the Huskies were very good, but his junior season in 2010-11 was the stuff of legends. They finished ninth in the Big East with a 9-9 record but Walker led them to an improbable run to the Big East championship, which included an incredible step-back jumper against Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals, part of winning five games in five days and then going on to win the national championship, winning 11 straight to close the season. He averaged 23.5 PPG in his final collegiate season, and was named to the All-America first team and the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament.

Guard: Jimmer Fredette, BYU, 2007-11
Jimmer Mania was at an all-time high for his senior season in 2010-11, and he delivered. He averaged 28.9 PPG, and was named the AP National Player of the Year. He got the Cougars to as high as third in the nation in early March and got them to the Sweet 16. During the season, he became the all-time leading scorer for the Mountain West, an honor he still holds to this day.

Forward: Doug McDermott, Creighton, 2010-14
Another four-year player, McDermott remains potentially the most underrated college player of the decade. Under his father as the coach, McDermott was the best scorer in the nation for the good part of his four years, leading the country in scoring his senior year after finishing second his junior season and third in his sophomore campaign. In his career, he became one of three players in NCAA history to have 3,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and was the first player in 29 years to be named an AP All-American three times.

Forward: Zion Williamson, Duke, 2018-19
Perhaps the most hyped-up player in recent memory for his high-powered athleticism and his highlight-reel dunks, he showed up at Duke in the fall of 2018 and became the best player in the nation, averaging 22.6 PPG and 8.9 RPG, shooting 68% from the field. He earned legend status when he broke his shoe during a game against North Carolina on February 20, even causing former President Barack Obama to take notice. He was held out of the team’s final six regular season games, coming back for the postseason and getting Duke to the Elite Eight. He won a host of awards and was drafted first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans last summer.

Center: Anthony Davis, Kentucky, 2011-12
Davis averaged a double-double in his lone season at Kentucky, with 14 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest and was one of the top defensive players in the country while he led the Wildcats to a 38-2 record and a national championship, the program’s first since 1998. He was the national player of the year, a first-team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, the NABC Defensive Player of the Year, and was selected with the first overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) in 2012.

Head coach: John Calipari, Kentucky
Calipari has gained a reputation as one of the best coaches in the country and is the most talented recruiter in the country as well, embracing the notion of getting the best players and being fine with one-and-done. In the decade, starting with the 2009-10 season, his first at Kentucky, Calipari has a record of 313-74 to go along with a national championship in 2012, four Final Four’s, five SEC Tournament titles, three SEC Coach of the Year awards and one each AP and Naismith National Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. He’s the best to do it this decade and will be remembered for a long time.

Bench:
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma, 2012-16
Jahlil Okafor, Duke, 2014-15
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State, 2012-16
Jalen Brunson, Villanova, 2015-18
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin, 2011-15
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, 2010-12
Frank Mason, Kansas, 2013-17

Final exams are just about finished up at colleges around the country, so I thought it would be a good time to look back at each preseason Top 25 team and give them a letter grade based on their season so far.

A quick note before I begin: the order of the teams is based on the preseason rankings, not the ones right now. All current rankings are based off of the latest AP Top 25, which came out on December 16.

1. Michigan State:
Now: #15, 8-3

The Spartans, who came into the year as a national title favorite, lost their season-opening game to Kentucky and have not fully figured out themselves yet. It seems like every time they start to get hot, they have a setback in losing a game, as since the Kentucky loss they have lost to Virginia Tech, in Maui, and Duke. Not having Josh Langford, now for the entire season, hurts. They need to find a way to turn it around before it gets too late.

Grade: C

2. Kentucky:
Now: #6, 8-2

Kentucky doesn’t have a lot of problems, but outside of the Michigan State win they don’t have the best resume, mainly because of the lack of quality opponents. The glaring loss to Evansville is there, too, as is a loss to Utah last night, but to a lesser degree. Their next two games, a neutral site game against Ohio State and a home game against Louisville, will be very telling.

Grade: C+

3. Kansas
Now: #1, 9-1

Their lone loss was to Duke in their first game of the year but the Jayhawks have not lost a game since with one of the best offenses in the country. Having Silvio de Sousa back is a win in and of itself, even though he hasn’t had the biggest impact. They won the Maui Invitational including an instant-classic win against Dayton in the championship game. A statement win against Colorado helps their case as a top-five team in the nation right now.

Grade: A

4. Duke
Now: #4, 9-1

The Blue Devils have done almost everything right. They got the win over Kansas and also beat Michigan State, as previously stated. The killer, obviously, is the loss to Stephen F. Austin at home, but that hasn’t affected them too badly, staying consistent at #4 in the country after falling to as low as #10. Duke is still Duke and will be in ACC play.

Grade: B-

5. Louisville
Now: #3, 11-1

Louisville is another team that hasn’t faced many quality opponents yet, but the win against Michigan stands out. However, the loss to Texas Tech, who was depleted at the time, also stands out. Jordan Nwora is a star but we’ll find more about this team as the season wears on.

Grade: B-

6. Florida
Now: not ranked, 7-3

Their 2-2 start to the season knocked them way down. They did get back on track and win the Charleston Classic, which included a win over Xavier as part of a four-game win streak, where if you remember I wrote about them getting better. That streak was snapped with a loss to Butler on December 7, following only beating Marshall by six. The results aren’t there, and the wins aren’t overly convincing with wins over Towson by six and a now 2-9 St. Joseph’s by eight. They need to re-convince everyone that they’re a true contender, because they are not showing it.

Grade: D

7. Maryland
Now: #7, 10-1

Another consistent squad. They suffered their first loss of the year to Penn State on December 7, but it should have been to Illinois three days prior. Other than that, the Terps have won games but I haven’t been overly impressed, or overly critical. They’re consistent and that’s really all there is to them right now.

Grade: C+

8. Gonzaga
Now: #2, 12-1

I think the Bulldogs are the best team in the country. Filip Petrusev, Corey Kispert and Killian Tillie are a three-headed monster that have come early and have given Mark Few’s squad wins over the likes of Oregon, Washington and Arizona, with the latter two coming on the road. The only blunder is a loss to Michigan during the Wolverines’ run in Atlantis, but at this point I’m willing to overlook that for them. They’ve established themselves as the premier program on the west coast.

Grade: A+

9. North Carolina
Now: not ranked, 6-5

Yikes. Right now, we’re staring straight into the possibility of an NCAA Tournament without the Tar Heels. This is not a good team. Cole Anthony is out and will be out for the next 4-6 weeks, Armando Bacot is inconsistent as all hell, Leaky Black is not as advertised, and for some reason K.J. Smith is starting now. When you have to look to Garrison Brooks to be the guy on offense, it’s not good. They lost to Michigan, got blown out by Ohio State, held to 47 by Virginia, lost to Wofford at home, and finally lost to Gonzaga last night by 13 in a game that the Zags led by at least 15 most of the way. This team is a mess and it will take a lot to fix.

Grade: F (Disclaimer: I originally had Florida as an F but I changed it when I got here)

10. Villanova
Now: #18, 8-2

The Wildcats haven’t done anything world-shattering this season, having lost both of their games against ranked opponents, that being Ohio State (by 25) and Baylor. With that, they’ve won all the games they were supposed to. They have a huge chance to close out their non-conference schedule with a bang, facing Kansas in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Grade: C

11. Virginia
Now: #9, 9-1

The defending champions might have a better defense than they did last year, and that’s saying something. They’ve allowed over 50 points just twice this season, that being 55 in a win against Vermont on November 19, and 69 in their lone loss of the season, to Purdue on December 4. My concern with this team is that teams can find a way around it, like Purdue did, and beat them. Otherwise, expect another deep run from the Cavaliers.

Grade: A-

12. Seton Hall
Now: Not ranked, 6-4

Not the best start for the Pirates. Myles Powell has been great, but my concern coming in came to fruition, who can work well around him. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quincy McKnight have potential but it has not come to full. On top of that, Myles Cale has very much regressed. They looked the worst in a 20-point loss to Rutgers last Saturday. They need to turn it around and do it fast, or else this could become a freefall.

Grade: D

13. Texas Tech
Now: #24, 7-3

I thought this was a bit high for the Red Raiders coming in. What I have said is that the voters ranked the program, not the team, because of all the newcomers. They had a tough stretch at one point, losing three straight in late November and early December. Their one saving grace is a win over then-#1 Louisville on December 10, but other than that they haven’t looked overly impressive, which is okay for a young team. They’ll be solid in the Big 12, but don’t expect them to contend for a national title this year.

Grade: C

14. Memphis
Now: #11, 9-1

It’s been a roller coaster season for the Tigers. Having James Wiseman, losing to Oregon, Wiseman getting suspended for NCAA violations, beating Tennessee in Knoxville, and then having Wiseman leave the program after playing in all of three games to prepare for the NBA Draft earlier today, after serving more than half of his suspension. Losing him for good hurts, but they have the pieces to compete in the AAC like they have shown in non-conference, but probably will not have as much success in the NCAA Tournament now.

Grade: B-

15. Oregon
Now: #8, 9-2

The Ducks have done well so far this year. They got key wins against Memphis, Seton Hall and Michigan, but lost to Gonzaga and North Carolina, which was before the true downward spiral. They should be the best team in the Pac-12 heading into conference play and should compete for a conference title.

Grade: A-

16. Baylor
Now: #10, 9-1

Baylor has quietly become one of the better teams in the country. They did have their lone loss to Washington in their second game of the season but have turned it around, picking up wins against Villanova, Arizona and Butler. They have no true bad losses and have done everything they have needed to do to improve and be ready for Big 12 play.

Grade: B+

17. Utah State
Now: Not ranked, 11-2

They were the weird team that as soon as they lost, they were done in the polls. The signature win was on November 22, against LSU in Jamaica and got as high as #15 in the nation, but a loss to St. Mary’s did them in, and they suffered a second loss at the hands of BYU on December 14. They have had their thunder stolen a bit in the Mountain West by San Diego State, who is currently #20 in the nation as one of four remaining unbeaten teams in the land (Auburn, Liberty and Duquesne (???) are the other three). However, the Aggies are still a tournament team to keep an eye on.

Grade: C+

18. Ohio State
Now: #5, 10-1

One of the biggest surprise teams this season, the Buckeyes have transformed themselves into a national title contender with no true star, but a ton of solid role players that blend well. We first got wind of them was when they beat Villanova by 25, and then they just continued to win and win big. They also picked up a 25-point win against North Carolina and beat Penn State by 32. They suffered their first loss on Sunday, to Minnesota, but that can be overlooked. They will be a top Big 10 team and have made a statement so far this season.

Grade: A

19. Xavier
Now: Not ranked, 10-2

Not a bad start for Xavier, but not one good enough to keep them ranked. They have won all of their games against lesser opponents but haven’t done as well against more quality ones, with their losses coming to Florida and Wake Forest. The wins over UConn and Cincinnati were not bad, but they need to do more to get back in the rankings.

Grade: C-

20. St. Mary’s
Now: Not ranked, 11-2

The WCC is strong this year, and the Gaels are one of those strong teams. They have good wins against Wisconsin, Utah State and a 40-point beat-down against Arizona State. They would probably still be ranked if not for a loss to Winthrop on November 11. Their other loss was to Dayton on a neutral floor where they just played a bad first half, which is forgivable. Once they get into WCC play and winning more games, you’ll see them in the polls again.

Grade: B-

21. Arizona
Now: #16, 10-2

The Wildcats don’t have a really good win to this point but have won two Power 5 games, against Illinois and Wake Forest. Both of their losses have come to ranked opponents, one of them on the road (Baylor) so neither of them look too bad. Right now, they’re probably the second-best team in the Pac-12 and have stars like Zeke Nnaji, Nico Mannion and Josh Green that do a lot of things well, and that has benefited Sean Miller’s squad.

Grade: B

22. LSU
Now: Not ranked, 7-3

Skylar Mays and Emmitt Williams are for sure good players, but this team may have been a little over-hyped. They started 3-2 with losses to VCU and Utah State but none of those three wins were impressive. Their best win has been against Rhode Island on a neutral floor, which is nothing to write home about for an SEC squad. They are at their low point right now after a loss to East Tennessee State last night. If they don’t turn it around and struggle in conference play, it’ll be hard to get back into the rankings.

Grade: C-

23. Purdue
Now: Not ranked, 7-4

The Boilermakers are a strange team. They started 1-2 following losses to Texas and Marquette, got a win against VCU, lost to Florida State, became the only team in the country to beat Virginia, then two games later, lose to Nebraska. All in that order. I’m struggling to get a true sense of what this team is about. They have solid pieces in Jahaah Proctor, Matt Haarms, Eric Hunter, Jr. and Sasha Stefanovic (one of my favorite players to watch), but have struggled to put it together cohesively. They have a good test against Butler on Saturday shortly before Big 10 play begins.

Grade: C

24. Auburn
Now: #12, 9-0

Bruce Pearl’s squad is one of four remaining undefeated teams in the country and have jumped up 12 spots in the polls thanks to that. The issue is that they have not really challenged themselves so far, and have been expected to win all of their games so far, but some of their wins have been close: 70-69 against South Alabama, 81-78 against Furman and 67-61 against St. Louis. They are for sure a well above-average team, but I’m not all-in on them yet.

Grade: B+

25. VCU
Now: Not ranked, 9-2

They have done what they were supposed to so far this season, but back-to-back losses to Purdue and Tennessee is what did them in in the rankings after they got as high as #20. The win against LSU is quality, though, and their best win to this point. They are a very solid team, and their games against Dayton are sure to be huge ones.

Grade: C+

The Atlantic 10 is going to have one of its best seasons in recent memory. Four undefeated teams and two more one-loss teams, but one team I’ve been intrigued by and finally watched them for the first time yesterday, is Dayton.

In their game against Georgia on Monday, they dominated their way to an 80-61 win in the first round of the Maui Invitational.

The Flyers are an extremely strong team, headlined by the star power that they have in leading scorer Obi Toppin, who has averaged 24 points per game this year for the 4-0 team, and had 25 of them on 9-11 shooting on Monday, as part of a season where he has shot a ridiculous 72.5% from the field. He has household name potential and it seems to be more and more increasingly likely that has is going to get selected in the NBA Draft in June.

It’s not just Toppin that can be very good for their team. He has a very good complementary piece next to him in Jalen Crutcher, who can play very well with him and be the guy when Toppin has to be off the floor for rest. Crutcher is an above-average shooter who shoots nearly 30% from behind the three-point line, and that’s even a dip to start the season as he shot 36% from three last season as a sophomore. He also benefited hard from the soft rims of the Lahaina Civic Center at the end of the first half, where his buzzer-beating three bounced softly off the rim more than once and ended up falling in to give the Flyers a 43-25 lead at the break.

It’s not just those two guys either. They are a very deep team that can play nine or ten guys per game, which is something that you don’t see too much anymore in today’s college basketball, when so many teams are star-driven. That’s not the case with Dayton. On top of Toppin and Crutcher, Rodney Chapman, Ryan Mikesell, Trey Landers and Ibi Watson all average over 20 minutes per game and they all can contribute to the team’s success and that depth is a big part of why they have done so well at the beginning of the season. Chase Johnson and Dwayne Cohill also see a decent amount of time off the bench, 13 and 17 minutes per contest respectively.

Anthony Grant has done a great job developing talent on both sides of the ball and is has shown in a big way on the floor. I was thinking, before the game against Georgia got started, if they could hold potential #1 overall pick Anthony Edwards to only 10 or 12 points, they had a chance to win the game. They came out and did much more than that, holding Edwards to just six points on a terrible 2-10 shooting and went 0-5 from three. Holding him to that low of a point total and the defense forcing him to have that poor a game on the defensive side, and then doing that well on offense, was what really allowed them to win that game and do so by the margin they did.

They have two more games in the Maui Invitational, starting tonight with a matchup against Virginia Tech in the semifinals after they shocked the college basketball world with their upset against Michigan State. I don’t expect them to win the tournament, especially with Kansas looming in the other semifinal game. However, if they can beat Virginia Tech and get the opportunity to (likely) play Kansas, that’s a win for them in and of itself. BYU will be the probable sacrificial lamb against Kansas in that semifinal game.

The Atlantic 10 is going to be run by VCU this year, that’s basically a given. However, in a league with a handful of strong teams that is expected to receive multiple NCAA Tournament bids, if they can get close the level of success that VCU is projected to have, the Flyers are a team that people should have their eyes on come March.

I was originally going to write this last weekend when Florida was still struggling, but then I watched Friday’s game. And then I watched Sunday’s game.

Wow, what a weekend for Florida.

They came into the Charleston Classic as probably the most disappointing team in the country, with two losses to Florida State and UConn, and had a six-point win against Towson that was tied with just over a minute to go.

In the first half they got a taste of what their success looks like, having a 16-point lead at the break, despite Kerry Blackshear not scoring at all, but provided a lot of off-the-ball help on both sides of the ball. However, disaster struck when he was ejected 90 seconds into the second half for elbowing Hawks junior Taylor Funk in the face. St. Joe’s played much better than they did in the second half, outscoring them by 12 but Florida held on for a 70-62 win. Then, people believed that he was supposed to be the senior leader, and can’t be getting thrown out of games for dirty plays like that that affect a team’s chances to win, especially in the first game of an early-season tournament. They won, but it wasn’t convincing.

However, they didn’t let yet another miscue bother them. They went out again not even 24 hours later and thrashed Miami, winning 78-58 in a game that saw Blackshear lead the team with 20 points on 6-12 shooting and also add 11 rebounds, freshman sensation Scottie Lewis added 13 points and eight rebounds while Keyontae Johnson had 12 and seven. As a team, they shot 53.6% to Miami’s 41.8%. To me, this is the game that has turned their season around so far. They got a complete game from Blackshear and the team as a whole played a 40-minute game and they realized what they could be if they can do this game in and game out.

On Sunday, they beat then-18th ranked Xavier in the championship game in the tournament 70-65, where the Gators had four guys in double figures in Johnson (15), Andrew Nembhard (15), Blackshear (14) and Noah Locke (13). Blackshear had 10 rebounds as well.

Moving forward, they need their key guys to play complete games, because they for sure have the raw talent to have a lot of success in the SEC. That success will lead to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, which is this team’s ultimate goal. Florida reached the Final Four in 2014 as part of the program reaching four straight Elite Eight’s from 2011-2014 when the program was still under Billy Donovan, this team is arguably on par with those teams when it comes to talent, and more talented than current coach Mike White’s team that made the Elite Eight in 2017.

Winning an early-season tournament like this will always give a team a ton of confidence moving forward through the rest of the non-conference season, because admittedly it can be drag for a team, especially a power-five team, where they are expected to win most of their games and a lot of those games won’t matter in the long run, and really only do if they end up taking a really bad loss, like what have been if the Gators had lost to Towson, or another example of it finished off with a certain SEC program in Lexington losing to the Missouri Valley’s Evansville. Granted, those losses are few and far between, but they can get old if you’re winning every game by 30.

These early-season tournaments have a lot of benefit for teams, you’re going to end up playing a quality opponent or two in them. Honestly, that first game is the most important because that’s the one that decides what teams you play for the rest of the tournament, and more often than not they’re the weaker ones. If Florida had lost that St. Joseph’s game, the outlook on their team would be a lot different.

People are looking at them with a more positive attitude. The AP committee rewarded them for winning this tournament by putting them back in the top 25, hitting the board at #24 when Monday’s rankings came out. If they can build off of this momentum moving forward, people will forget about that slow start.

The three games north of the border on Saturday brought on a lot of action and good basketball, with Buffalo beating Harvard 88-76, Tennessee beating Washington 75-62 and St. Bonaventure grabbing an 80-74 win over Rutgers. Here is one major observation I had for each squad.

Buffalo can rely on different guys

The Bulls had four guys in double figures, including three with 18 or more, headlined by a career-high 21 points for sophomore Ronaldo Segu off the bench. Antwain Johnson had 19 as well, and arguably their best player in Jayvon Graves had 18, including a buzzer-beating three at the end of the first half, giving Jim Whitesell’s squad a two-point lead at the break and seemed to be a momentum-shifter after a slow start on the defensive end. They really turned it on in the second half, scoring 48 points with a number of players. Davonta Jordan was no slouch either, with eight points to go along with seven assists. Jeenathan Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds. The MAC won’t be as easy for them with a few more talented teams, most notably Bowling Green, but they can easily make a run to try to get to their third straight NCAA Tournament.

Harvard’s size will define them

All five of Harvard’s starters are at least 6’5″, and three of them are 6’7″ or taller. The tallest of the bunch is the 6’9″ Chris Lewis, who scored 11 points and had eight rebounds, one of three Crimson to have eight or more. They have a balanced scoring attack and their size allows them to force the ball inside, but have deep threats in Bryce Aiken, Justin Bassey and Luka Sakota. Their size is not seen too much in the Ivy League and really helps them. They are a team that has a real shot to win the Ivy and get to their first NCAA Tournament since 2015. This is the last shot for a senior class that has seven players, including Aiken and Bassey, who have never been in the tournament.

Tennessee is very legit

The Vols had a run to the Sweet 16 last year, a run that was ended by Carsen Edwards and Purdue. They lost Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield and a lot of people said they would take a step back. However, the win over Washington was very convincing, a win in which they shot the ball extremely well, including having a well-above average mid-range game that really picked apart Mike Hopkins’ 2-3 zone at times. Jordan Bowden played very well, as did Yves Pons and John Fulkerson, and Lamonte Turner did a great job at drawing fouls and was rewarded, shooting 11 free throws and making nine of them, finishing the game with 16 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, but did have six turnovers. With their balance and excellent fundamental play, they can be a top-three team in the SEC.

Washington still has work to do

Like I said before, Tennessee picked apart Washington’s 2-3 zone during significant portions of the game. The 2-3 zone is one that I believe has grown out of style and doesn’t work in college basketball all too well today, especially against high-level teams. They need to improve their defensive structure, but whether that will happen remains to be seen. On offense, they looked good at certain moments, but at others they didn’t really gel and they struggled because of that by trying to get too fancy. Hameir Wright didn’t score in his 20 minutes, and Jaden McDaniels struggled shooting. Nahziah Carter did do well, as did Isaiah Stewart. However, chemistry will come in time, as they start two freshmen, and non-conference play is a good time to work out the kinks.

St. Bonaventure will be fine

An 0-3 start got a lot of people in Olean panicking. They lost home games to Ohio and Vermont and then lost by 13 to Siena on the road. Saturday allowed Bonnie fans to take a deep breath and look at the team in a more positive note. The freshman pairing of Alejandro Vazquez and Justin Winston was terrific, scoring 20 and 19 points respectively. Despite being a very young team relying on some sophomores in Kyle Lofton and Dominick Welch, they play like an experienced team. Will losing Osun Osunniyi for an extended period hurt? Of course. However, they have a lot of talent to rely on, and Mark Schmidt always has his teams prepared, so they will be alright.

Rutgers is too young to really compete in the Big 10

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: Rutgers can’t compete in the Big 10 right now. Starting four sophomores doesn’t help with that. However, all four of the sophomores, most notably Ron Harper, Jr. and Montez Mathis have a lot of potential to be stars, but just not yet. Steve Pikiell is definitely in the second half of rebuilding a program that hasn’t made a tournament appearance since 1991 and has a conference record of 13-43 in the Pikiell era. They did take a step up last year, winning seven conference games, the first time they had done that since the 2005-06 season and another step up, maybe an NIT appearance, can be realistic if they do so. It’ll still be a struggle for them to compete in the top tier of the Big 10 this year, but give it two years. They have potential.

College basketball is back, for real. The first night of games came and went last night, so here’s my reactions from opening night.

Kansas had a bad night

The Jayhawks did not look like their usual selves at all. The biggest thing that stood out in their 68-66 loss to Duke was the fact that they turned the ball over 28 times, to the Blue Devils’ 16. They don’t seem to have a ton of solid scoring options, Devon Dotson was really the only one who shot the ball well. He can be a solid number one guy, but Ochai Agbaji ends up being their second scoring option, that can spell some problems. It might have to do with the fact that Duke looks to have an elite defense, but you can only say so much about that. They were lucky to only lose that game by two, even after the three at the buzzer that cut it from five.

Tyrese Maxey!

The freshman stole the show and had a great game for Kentucky off the bench, dropping 26 points on 7-12 shooting and hit an Onions-esque three to put the game away for the Wildcats against Michigan State. He was obviously the best player for John Calipari’s squad and will probably be inserted into the starting lineup soon if he can keep this pace up.

New eras at Alabama and Nebraska off to a bad start

The Nate Oats era with the Crimson Tide and the Fred Hoiberg era for the Cornhuskers got off to rocky starts, with Alabama losing 81-80 at home against Penn and Nebraska getting blown out by UC-Riverside, 66-47. At least some people expected that there was a chance that Alabama could lose to a very solid Penn squad, and they did, despite a noble performance from Kira Lewis, Jr., even though he missed the potentially game-tying and winning free throws in the final seconds. However, everyone on Nebraska had a poor night, and it showed as they got their teeth kicked in on their home floor. Nebraska will need to turn it around quickly if they want to be taken seriously, and especially now with a big name at head coach, or else the fans could turn on the program due to the fact that they were expected to turn it around. It obviously won’t be immediately, but they can’t afford to be the same program it has been.

Good win for Virginia Tech, bad loss for Clemson

Mike Young got his first win with the Hokies with a 67-60 win over Clemson on the road. Virginia Tech got an unexpected jolt from Landers Nolley II, who scored 30 points in his collegiate debut on 12-23 shooting. Virginia Tech does not have a lot of size and depth, but if they can get a lot of performances like that out of him, he can be a star in the ACC and the rebuild after Buzz Williams and Kerry Blackshear left may not take as long as was expected. For Clemson, the seat of Brad Brownell gets hotter for a team that has already taken a drop of sorts.

A quick note, I really enjoyed the ACC conference games on the first nights of the year, it created a fun storyline to the season starting.

New rules are good

We saw the new rules, the extended three-point line, the reset shot clock after an offensive rebound and the new timeout rules come into play for the first time. I’m a fan of all three. The extended three-point line especially, and I tweeted this at one point, it creates a lot more spacing on the floor and forces players to move the ball around a lot more than they had, and makes the shot itself more difficult, and I saw less teams just chucking up threes because of that.

The reset shot clock is good too, because it speeds up the game. No team needs a full 30 seconds after an offensive rebound to put a shot back up.

About the new timeout rule with coaches allowed to call live-ball timeouts in the final two minutes, it’s clearly going to be a work in progress as coaches get used to it. I watched in the Stony Brook-Yale game, I saw Yale go to the free throw line down one in the final seconds, made the first one to tie the game at 62, miss the second, Stony Brook got the rebound and the ball got tied up. It makes you wonder why Seawolves coach Geno Ford would not call timeout there (he had one left) to reset it. They ended up getting a wild shot off, but it missed and Yale ended up winning 74-69 in overtime.

Quick hits

I feel like outside of Utah State, the Mountain West is pretty even this year. I watched Utah beat Nevada, the Wolf Pack are solid under Steve Alford but have some work to do.

Markus Howard is still very here. He put up 38 points, 30 of them in the first half on 11-20 shooting and 7-10 from three as Marquette beat Loyola (Md.) 88-53.

Baylor is very solid and rugged defensively. It showed in a big way, especially in the early portions, of their win against Central Arkansas, opening on a 19-0 run and winning 105-61. They are legit in the Big 12 this season.

Ohio beating St. Bonaventure rather handily in Olean in the first game of Jeff Boals’ tenure with the Bobcats is really interesting. The Bonnies are probably still figuring out the kinks, and maybe it shows that Ohio can compete in a MAC that’s no longer run by Buffalo.