13 Nov18 - Richer Rich

Volume XVIII, No. 3 - 13 Nov18 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Richer Rich

The headliner superfrosh didn't disappoint in the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC. Michigan State built a big lead (34-19) in the first half against Kentucky before the Wildcats stormed back on sheer talent before the Spartans held on for a @78-@74 win. pKeith Appling's 22p8a8r was just enough, but the real star was UK freshman cJulius Randle (27p13r8to). So much for the "40-0" hype that Wildcat Nation was touting to start the season. Still, a group of freshmen stars took an established veteran team to the wire in November. (It's reminiscent of Duke-Michigan going to OT in the ACC/BIG 10 CHALLENGE in the '91-92 season ... only to meet again in the NCAA final.) With the pressure of The U-Word out of the way, UK may not lose again -- they really are that good (and the SEC has only gotten off to a so-so start).

    
In the undercard, Kansas' revamped lineup ran past Duke's redone roster, @94-@83. The Jayhawk superfrosh, fAndrew Wiggins(22p8r) and bWayne Selden(15p6r) were solid enough, but it was Blue Devil newcomer tJabari Parker(27p9r) who shone brightest. Most troubling for the Dukies was being outrebounded 24-39, which looks to be a weak spot for the season ahead.

    
By some rankings, 8 of the Top 10-rated freshmen were on display at this event (6 of them at Kentucky alone). It's great for TV for these four teams to have linked themselves together (for another three years to boot); but it's not particularly healthy for College Basketball as a whole. It'll be "the rich getting richer" as top prospects want to be a part of this showcase and the top talent gets concentrated among just four schools. If you were to pick "objectively" the "Top 4" programs, I'm not sure Michigan State would qualify (in particular, not ahead of North Carolina); but there's no rotating membership in this new elite club. A few years back, they tried to have a pre-season Elite Eight event that rematched the Regional Finalists from the previous March, but it didn't last -- probably too complicated to plan ahead when the participating schools change every year. This event appears to be here to stay.

One of the rule "changes" this year is an increased emphasis on calling fouls on the perimeter to free up the game. No game demonstrated what we're in for more than BYU's 112-@103 shootout win over host Stanford (as tTyler Haws[31p8r;10/18fg] and bMatt Carlino[26p5r7to] outran bChasson Randle[33p7r;12/23fg] and fDwight Powell[28p7r;10/15fg]) -- the 215 total points was more than any game all of last season. (I guess that's supposed to be a good thing.)

    
Ohio State and Marquette didn't get the memo on its being easier to score as they stumbled to a 19-19 tie at the end of the first half in Milwaukee; the Buckeyes found some easier scoring in the second half, but it only got worse for the Golden Eagles as OhSU won 52-@35 at MU (as the two teams combined to shoot 4-for-36 from three-point range).

    
VCU visited Virginia in one of the highest-profile matchups ever between those two state rivals. While the Cavaliers won the battle of tempos keeping it low-scoring, it was the Rams who prevailed, 59-@56 (on gTreveon Graham's game-winning three-pointer).

    
New-look Iowa State showed off its superior depth, muscle and intensity in beating retooling Michigan, @77-70 (behind 22p9r from fMelvin Ejim). Without an experience point guard, the Wolverines fired up way too many "I'm-the-hero" three-pointers (8-for-29) while only drawing 9 free throw attempts.

    
With its point guard, pScottie Wilbekin, suspended, Florida struggled to find easy offense on the road at Wisconsin, falling 53-@59.

Losing to a ranked VCU team is one thing, but the ACC elite posted two even more distressing home losses as North Carolina fell, @80-83, to Belmont (as cJames Michael McAdoo's 27p13r;11/19ft wasn't enough to counteract the Bruins' 15-for-37 on three-pointers). Meanwhile, Notre Dame was handled at home by Indiana State, @70-83.

    
The MOUNTAIN WEST hasn't duplicated last year's pre-season success so far. In particular, UNLV has turned in four out of five performances that are barely 1BC-calibre, lowlighted by an embarrasing @65-86 home loss to UC-Santa Barbara.

    
The HORIZON has scored its second Unwelcome Guest tournament win as Milwaukee took the NIU INVITATIONAL (past the likes of San Jose State, James Madison and host Northern Illinois). Meanwhile, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won its own ISLANDERS CLASSIC (ahead of Tennessee Tech and IPFW).

More high-profile squads get their first tests of quality competition: Iowa State becomes "The Hunted" when it travels to high-scoring BYU (Wednesday); Oklahoma State hosts Memphis (Tuesday) in a warmup game for next week's OS/ORLANDO CLASSIC (and a likely rematch in the main draw final, Sunday week); Harvard gets to makes its mark nationally when it visits Colorado (Sunday); Arizona State hopes to keep host UNLV down (Tuesday) and the same for guest Marquette (WOODEN LEGACY[ANAHEIM] warmup, Monday week).

    
Most of the pre-season tournaments are showcases, but some quality matchups are possible in some of them. In the HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF, the likely Louisville-North Carolina final (Sunday) has already lost some lustre; at the PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF, VCU and Michigan are slated for an NCAA rematch in the semis (Friday); at the CHARLESTON CLASSIC, New Mexico and UAB meet in the first round (Thursday); MAUI has the strongest field (Syracuse, Gonzaga, Baylor, California; beginning Monday week); the NIT SEASON TIP-OFF offers a likely Arizona-Duke final (Friday week); in the CANCUN CHALLENGE, Wisconsin and St. Louis are poised to meet in the final (Wednesday week); in the WOODEN LEGACY[ANAHEIM] main draw, Creighton and Arizona State square off right away (Thursday week) on the way to a likely final against Marquette (Sunday week); in the CBE CLASSIC, BYU and Wichita State figure to meet in the final (Tuesday week); in the 2KS CLASSIC, Connecticut and Indiana figure to meet in the final (Sunday).

-- Ron

Key games this week:

Monday-Friday:

GS-B MAIN EVENT RndRob(4) on-campus

-(Colorado, Wyoming, ArkansasSt, TNMartin, JacksonSt),

GS-A CHALLENGE RndRob(4) on-campus

-(Florida, MidTennessee, ARLittleRock, NFlorida, Southern),

GS-D INVITATIONAL RndRob(4) on-campus

-(Illinois, Bradley, ChicagoSt, JacksonvilleSt, AlabamaSt),

GS-E SHOOTOUT RndRob(4) on-campus

-(Cincinnati, NCState, AppalachianSt, Campbell, NCCentral),

Monday, Thursday-Saturday:

CVC CLASSIC 3x4 WarmUp(2) on-campus, 2nd/Cons @ PortlandOR;KentOH, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY /BARCLAYS/

-(A: MichiganSt, VirginiaTech;

   B: Oklahoma, SetonHall;

   A Cons: @Portland, NTexas, Columbia, Idaho;

   B Cons: WeCarolina, Niagara, @KentSt, SCUpstate),

Monday-Wednesday week:

(new)KEIGHTLY CLASSIC RndRob(4) on-campus

-(Kentucky, TXArlington, ClevelandSt, RobertMorris, EaMichigan),

Monday-Tuesday, Monday week-Wednesday week:

MAUI INVITATIONAL WarmUp(1) on-campus, 2nd/Cons Semis @ ConwaySC, 2nd/Qtrs @ LahainaHI /{Chaminade}/

-(Syracuse-Minnesota, California-Arkansas, Gonzaga-Dayton, Baylor-@{Chaminade};

   Cons: Louisiana-Oakland, StFrancisNY-@CoCarolina),

Monday-Tuesday, Monday week-Friday week:

NIT SEASON TIP-OFF 1st/16s @ TucsonAZ;PiscatawayNJ;DurhamNC;TuscaloosaAL, 3rd/Cons RndRob(2) TBA, Semis @ NewYorkNY /MSG/

-(@Arizona-Fairfield, RhodeIsland-{MetroSt};

   @Rutgers-Canisius, Elon-Drexel;

   @Duke-@UNCAsheville, @ECarolina-NorfolkSt;

   @Alabama-{Stillman}, GeorgiaSt-McNeeseSt),

Monday, Monday week, Thursday week-Sunday week:

(new)WOODEN LEGACY[ANAHEIM] WarmUp(1) on-campus, 2nd/Qtrs @ FullertonCA;AnaheimCA

-(Mon wk: @ArizonaSt-Marquette;

   Creighton-ArizonaSt, SanDiegoSt-ColofCharleston, Marquette-@CalStFullerton, Miami[Florida]-GeoWashington),

Monday-Tuesday week, Sunday week:

LEGENDS CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob(2) on-campus, 3rd/ConsSemis @ SiouxFallsSD, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY /BARCLAYS/

-(A: TexasTech, Pittsburgh, Lehigh, TexasSo;

   B: Houston, Stanford, SDState, Howard).

Tuesday:

@Kansas-Iona, @UNLV-ArizonaSt, @Yale-SacredHeart(CT)(CT6),

Tuesday-Sunday:

HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF 2x4 RndRob(3) on-campus, @ UncasvilleCT /MOHEGAN/

-(A: Louisville, @Fairfield, Hofstra, @Hartford;

   B: NCarolina, Richmond, Belmont, HolyCross),

Tuesday-Saturday, Thursday week-Sunday week:

OS/ORLANDO CLASIC WarmUp(1) on-campus, 2nd/Qtrs @ KissimmeeFL/

-(Tue: @OklahomaSt-Memphis;

   OklahomaSt-Purdue, WashingtonSt-Butler, Memphis-Siena, LSU-StJosephs),

Wednesday:

IowaSt-@BYU, @ILChicago-Northwestern(ChicagoIL), @MDBaltimoreCo-LoyolaMD(BaltimoreMD),

THE BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD - II

-(@Belmont-Lipscomb[NashvilleTN]),

Wednesday-Thursday, Monday week-Wednesday week:

(new)GULF COAST SHOWCASE WarmUp(1) on-campus, 2nd/Qtrs @ EsteroFL /GERMAIN/

-(SanDiego-ILChicago, LouisianaTech-UNCGreensboro, SoIllinois-StBonaventure, Wagner-@Stetson),

Wednesday-Mon 1 Dec:

(new)CURE UCD CLASSIC WarmUp(1), RndRob(3) on-campus

-(Tulane, TexasSt, SEMissouriSt, {NoKentucky}; {Cedarville}),

Thursday:

(new)ISLANDERS CLASSIC RndRob4/4 on-campus

-(@TennesseeTech-{IUKokomo}),

Thursday-Saturday:

GS-F SHOWCASE RndRob(3) @ SaltLakeCityUT

-(@Utah, Lamar, SavannahSt, {GrandCanyon})

Thursday-Sunday:

CHARLESTON CLASSIC 1st/Qtrs @ CharlestonSC

-(NewMexico-UAB, @Clemson-Temple, Nebraska-Massachusetts, Georgia-Davidson),

2KS CLASSIC 3x4 WarmUp(2) on-campus, 2nd/Cons @ IrvineCA;DetroitMI, 3rd/Semis @ NewYorkNY /MSG/

-(Semis: Connecticut-BostonCol, Indiana-Washington;

   A Cons: BostonU, LongIsland, @UCIrvine, EaWashington;

   B Cons: StonyBrook, @Detroit, FLAtlantic, Toledo),

Thursday-Tuesday week:

(new)ROUNDBALL SHOWCASE RndRob(4) on-campus

-(Marshall, WeKentucky, Samford, ETennesseeSt, UNCWilmington,
{Campbellsville}),

Thursday-Wednesday week:

CANCUN CHALLENGE 2x4 RndRob(2) on-campus, 3rd/Semis @ PlayadelCarmenMEXICO

-(A: Wisconsin, StLouis, OralRoberts, BowlingGreen;

   B: WVirginia, OldDominion, GeorgiaSo, Presbyterian),

Thursday-Sunday, Friday week:

PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF 1st/Qtrs, CoolDown(1) @ BaymonPR, on-campus

-(VCU-FloridaSt, Michigan-LongBeachSt, KansasSt-Charlotte, Georgetown-Northeastern),

Friday-Monday week:

PARADISE JAM 1st/Qtrs @ StThomasUSVI

-(LaSalle-MorganSt, Vanderbilt-Providence, Maryland-Marist,
LoyolaMarymount-NoIowa),

Friday-Friday week:

LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL 2x4 RndRob(2) on-campus, 3rd/Semis @ LasVegasNV /ORLEANS/

-(A: UCLA, @Nevada, MoreheadSt, Chattanooga;

   B: Northwestern, Missouri, Gardner-Webb, IUPUI),

Friday-Saturday week:

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS WarmUp(1) on-campus, 2nd/Qtrs @ ParadiseIslandBAHAMAS

-(Kansas-WakeForest, USC-Villanova, Iowa-Xavier, Tennessee-UTEP),

BROOKLYN-THANKSGIVING CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob(2) on-campus, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY /BARCLAYS/

-(A: PennSt, @StJohns, Monmouth, Longwood;

   B: Mississippi, GeorgiaTech, NCA&T, MSValley),

Saturday-Saturday week:

(new)CORPUS CHRISTI CHALLENGE 2x4 RndRob(2) on-campus, 3rd/Semis @ CorpusChristiTX

-(A: Virginia, @SMU, Liberty, Hampton;

   B: @TexasA&MCC, MissouriSt, SamHoustonSt, ARPineBluff),

Sunday:

@Duke-Vermont, Harvard-@Colorado,

- - - - - -

Monday:

@DelawareSt-Delaware(DE),

Monday week-Tuesday week:

CBE CLASSIC Semis @ KansasCityMO

-(BYU-Texas, WichitaSt-DePaul).

---

Top 25 - 13 Nov18 - [] Column

1. Michigan State (3-0) (@@CHAMPS)
   
2. Kansas (2-0) (@@CHAMPS)
   
3. Louisville (3-0)
   
4. Kentucky (2-1)
   
5. Ohio State (3-0)
   
6. VCU (3-0)
   
7. Iowa State (3-0)
   
8. Oklahoma State (3-0)
   
9. New Mexico (2-0)
   
10. Michigan (1-1)
    
11. Syracuse (3-0)
    
12. Arizona (3-0)
    
13. Duke (2-1)
    
14. Wisconsin (3-0)
    
15. Gonzaga (3-0)
    
16. Memphis (1-0)
    
17. Creighton (3-0)
    
18. Harvard (2-0)
    
19. St. Louis (3-0)
    
20. Boise State (1-0)
    
21. Baylor (3-0)
    
22. BYU (3-0)
    
23. Connecticut (4-0)
    
24. Wichita State (3-0)
    
25. Indiana (4-0)
    

Honorable Mention:

Belmont (3-1), Indiana State (2-1), UC-Santa Barbara (2-0), Milwaukee (4-1) [rr3@NIU], Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2-2) [rr3ISLANDERS].