14 Nov24 - "Reinforcements"

Volume XIX, No. 3 - 14 Nov24 - [] Top 25 Ballot

"Reinforcements"

Even if they hadn't added any new players, there were enough returning players that Kentucky may well have started this season with the No. 1 ranking as is. Add four newcomers who would start on most any other Top 25 program and you get an idea of the overload of talent in Lexington. Coach John Calipari's notion to have two five-men "platoons" whom he substituted in and out as a group seemed ridiculous until you saw how much quality there really is on his roster. The Wildcats demolished a young Kansas team (with four newcomers of its own to incorporate into a new-look squad) by the absurd score of @72-@40 in the feature matchup at the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC in Indianapolis. Yikes. Coach Cal's comment after the fact, "It wasn't subsitutions; it was reinforcements." No one player got enough minutes to stand out on paper offensively, but defensively they held the Jayhawks to no double-figure scorers and 20 percent field goal shooting. This UK team is so deep, it may be able to skate through the entire season staying in "All-Star" mode and not even have to worry about gelling as true team with its own personality and chemistry. It was a scary performance.

    
On the undercard, new-look Duke handled an ordinary-looking Michigan State squad, @81-@71, as newcomers cJahlil Okafor, gTyus Jones and fJustise Winslow all performed well in their first big collegiate game. The Blue Devils followed that up by claiming the COACHES VS CANCER CLASSIC crown (including 70-59 over Stanford in the final).

Virginia handled upstart in-state rival George Washington, @59-42 (as neither team shot well from three-point range: 5-for-27 combined).

    
Miami(Florida) had a big week -- first, pulling off a 69-@67 win at state-rival Florida (thanks to late-game heroics from gAngel Rodriguez); then, following that up by claiming the CHARLESTON CLASSIC crown (including a 77-58 pounding of Charlotte in the final). Connecticut seemed well on its way to winning the PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF with a 75-64 win over Dayton in the semifinals), but it was West Virginia who took the crown with a 78-68 win over the Huskies in the final.

    
A handful of preseason favorites fell early on the road: Wyoming pounded Colorado (@55-36); Oklahoma tripped at Creighton (63-@65; as xAustin Chatman[17p6a11r] did some of everything) and Nebraska stumbled at Rhode Island (62-@66[OT]; behind E.C. Matthews' 26p despite 25p9r from tShavon Shields); Louisiana Tech fell at Temple 75-@82 (but did regroup to win its own COACHES VS CANCER A-Consolation round-robin).

Host San Diego State and Utah both struggled to score in an uninspiring @53-49 Aztec win. Syracuse was dumped by California (@59-73) in the 2KS CLASSIC semis and barely hung on to beat Iowa (@66-63) for third place. SMU had a tough week: pounded at Gonzaga (56-@72) and then headed at host Indiana (66-@74) in the feature matchup of the HOOSIERS SHOWCASE round-robin. In the nameless challenge at the SANFORD PENTAGON in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Wichita State dumped reeling Memphis (71-56).

Texas cruised to the 2KS CLASSIC crown (71-57 over Iowa in the semifinals; 71-55 over California in the final) without expected finalist Syracuse in its way. Providence emerged with the HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF crown after trouncing Florida State (80-54) and edging Notre Dame (75-74; behind 38p from tLaDontae Henton).

    
Yale (the new MEN AGAINST BREAST CANCER CLASSIC, at Kent State), Wofford (COACHES VS CANCER B-Consolation, at Fairfield) and Towson (COLLEGE BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE CLASSIC B-Consolation, at Monmouth) all claimed Unwelcome Guest crowns down in 1BC-land.

Overall, the BIG EAST has gotten out of the blocks in spectacular fashion -- 18-1 in the highest profile intersectional games; meanwhile, the AMERICAN is only 9-7 in such contests. (The Mega-ACC is off to a healthy 29-9 start.) Among 1BCs, it's the MID-AMERICAN (13-5) that's had the strongest opening.

In single matchups: Wichita State should have no trouble with visiting Tulsa (Saturday); Texas' height should be too much for host Connecticut (Sunday); host Providence won't have an easy time with Yale (Friday); Arkansas looks to keep host SMU in its early season funk (Tuesday).

    
In tournaments: Wisconsin, North Carolina, UCLA, Oklahoma and Florida all have a great shot to win the BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS (Wednesday through Friday); Arizona, San Diego State, BYU (and more) clash in MAUI (Monday through Wednesday); Virginia shouldn't be headed by anyone at BROOKLYN-THANKSGIVING (Saturday-Sunday); Gonzaga's blend of shooting, scoring and size should be too much for Minnesota at the NIT SEASON TIP-OFF (Wednesday, Friday); Iowa State is the class of the field at the CBE CLASSIC (Monday-Tuesday); the Acclaimed (Villanova-VCU) and Unacclaimed (Michigan-Oregon) clash Tuesday in the LEGENDS CLASSIC semis; Kansas has the ORLANDO CLASSIC all to itself (Thursday through Sunday); Illinois shouldn't get any trouble from anyone (including Memphis) at LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING (Friday-Saturday).

    
Cincinnati won't have it easy against Creighton or Mississippi at the EMERALD COAST CLASSIC (Friday-Saturday); Tulsa looks to regroup among the no-names at LAS VEGAS-MAIN EVENT (Monday through Wednesday); various no-names scrap it out at the CORPUS CHRISTI COASTAL CHALLENGE (Saturday-Sunday), the CANCUN CHALLENGE (Tuesday-Wednesday), the GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT (Thursday through Saturday) and WOODEN LEGACY[ANAHEIM] (Thursday through Sunday); Seton Hall looks to claim another crown for the BIG EAST at PARADISE JAM (Monday vs Illinois State); Florida Gulf Coast is off to a flying start and could come away with a huge crown at the GULF COAST SHWCASE (Monday through Wednesday).

-- Ron

Key games this week:

Monday:

BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD - II

-(@Belmont-Lipscomb[NashvilleTN]),

PARADISE JAM Finals @ St.ThomasUSVI

-(SetonHall-IllinoisSt; 3rd:OldDominion-GardnerWebb, 5th:LSU-Clemson, 7th:Nevada-WeberSt),

Monday-Tuesday:

LEGENDS CLASSIC 2x4 Cons 3rd/Semis @ ToledoOH/Toledo/, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Villanova-VCU, Michigan-Oregon;

   Cons Semis: @Toledo-Bucknell, Detroit-MDEaShore),

Monday-Wednesday:

MAUI INVITATIONAL 8Bracket 2nd/Qtrs @ LahainaHI/{Chaminade}/

-(Arizona-Missouri, KansasSt-Purdue, SanDiegoSt-BYU, Pittsburgh-@{Chaminade}),

(new)LAS VEGAS-MAIN EVENT 2x4 3rd/Semis @ LasVegasNV/MGM/

-(Semis: Tulsa-Auburn, OklahomaSt-OregonSt;

   Cons RndRob: Milwaukee, OralRoberts, Louisiana),

GULF COAST SHOWCASE Qtrs @ EsteroFL

-(ECarolina-GreenBay, FresnoSt-Evansville, SanFrancisco-Hawaii, Marist-@FLGulfCoast),

Monday-Friday:

GS-A SHOWCASE RndRob4 on-campus

-(@Louisville, Marshall, ClevelandSt, JacksonvilleSt, SavannahSt),

CBE CLASSIC 3x4 Cons 2nd/RndRob3 @ RochesterMI/Oakland/; 3rd/Semis @ KansasCityMO

-(Semis: IowaSt-Alabama, Maryland-ArizonaSt;

   ConsA: @Oakland, WeCarolina, GeorgiaSt, ChicagoSt),

HOOSIERS SHOWCASE RndRob4 on-campus

-(SMU, @Indiana, Lamar, EaWashington, TexasSo),

Monday-Saturday:

CORPUS CHRISTI COASTAL CHALLENGE 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ CorpusChristiTX

-(A: @TCU, Bradley, @TexasA&MCC, MSValleySt;

   B: MississippiSt, StLouis, NCA&T, Radford),

Monday, Thursday-Sunday:

ORLANDO CLASSIC WarmUp1 on-campus; 2nd/Qtrs @ OrlandoFL

-(Kansas-Rhode Island, Tennessee-SantaClara, MichiganSt-Rider, GeorgiaTech-Marquette).

WOODEN LEGACY/ANAHEIM CLASSIC 8Bracket WarmUp1 on-campus; 2nd/Qtrs @ FullertonCA/CalStFullerton/,AnaheimCA

-(Washington-@SanJoseSt, WeMichigan-@LongBeachSt, Xavier-@SanDiego, Princeton-UTEP).

Monday-Tuesday week:

LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITAITONAL 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/

-(A: Illinois, IndianaSt, Brown, AustinPeay;

   B: Memphis, Baylor, StephenFAustin, PrairieViewA&M),

Monday-Saturday week:

(new)BUCKEYE CLASSIC RndRob4 on-campus

-(@OhioSt, Colgate, JamesMadison, SacredHeart, Campbell),

Tuesday:

Arkansas-@SMU, @Colorado-AirForce(CO), @Nebraska-{Omaha}(NE), @Temple-Penn(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5), @Quinnipiac-Hartford(CT)(CT6),

CHARLESTON CLASSIC CoolDown1 on-campus

-(MiamiFL-@Charlotte, @PennSt-Akron),

Tuesday-Friday:

(new)CAWOOD LEDFORD CLASSIC RndRob4 on-campus

-(@Kentucky, Buffalo, TXArlington, {GrandCanyon}, MontanaSt),

Tuesday-Saturday:

BROOKLYN-THANKSGIVING CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ JerseyCityNJ/StPeters/, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Virginia-LaSalle, Rutgers-Vanderbilt;

   Cons Semis: @StPeters-TennesseeSt, NorfolkSt-StFrancisNY),

NIT SEASON TIP-OFF 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ NewYorkNY/MSG/

-(Semis: Gonzaga-Georgia, Minnesota-@StJohns;

   Cons: StJosephs, WeKentucky, @StonyBrook, @LongIsland, {FranklinPierce}, {StThomasAquinas}),

(new)EMERALD COAST CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ NicevilleFL

-(A: Cincinnati, MidTennessee, EaIllinois, NCCentral;

   B: Mississippi, Creighton, NoArizona, Southern),

Tuesday-Wednesday, Sunday:

CANCUN CHALLENGE 2x4 Semis @ Cancun MEXICO

-(Semis: Northwestern-MiamiOH, VirginiaTech-NoIowa;

   Cons Semis: Elon-MorganSt, NFlorida-Liberty),

Wednesday:

@Hampton-American,

HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF CoolDown1 on-campus

-(@Massachusetts-Northeastern[MA]),

Wednesday-Friday:

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS 8Bracket 2nd/Qtrs @ ParadiseIslandBAHAMAS

-(Wisconsin-UAB, Florida-Georgetown, NCarolina-Butler, UCLA-Oklahoma),

Wednesday, Friday-Saturday:

UTE INVITATIONAL RndRob3 @ SaltLakeCityUT

-(@Utah, NDakota, TXPanAmerican, AlabamaSt),

Wednesday-Saturday:

GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT 8Bracket 2nd/Qtrs @ AnchorageAK

-(WashingtonSt-UCSantaBarbara, Rice-Mercer, ColoradoSt-MissouriSt, Pacific-@{AKAnchorage}),

Friday:

@Providence-Yale,

Friday-Sunday:

(new)CHALLENGE IN MUSIC CITY RndRob3 @ NashvilleTN

-(Drake, Portland, Valparaiso, MurraySt),

Saturday:

@WichitaSt-Tulsa, @Harvard-Massachusetts(MA), @Wyoming-NewMexicoSt, @Canisius-Buffalo(BuffaloNY), @MDBaltimoreCo-Towson(BaltimoreMD),

Sunday:

@Connecticut-Texas, @Yale-Hartford(CT)(CT6),

- - - - - -

Monday week-Wednesday week:

ACC/BIG 10 CHALLENGE on-campus

[Boston College does not play.]

(Mon week: @FloridaSt-Nebraska, @Clemson-Rutgers;

  Tue week: @Louisville-OhioSt(BG), @MiamiFL-Illinois, @WakeForest-Minnesota, @Michigan-Syracuse, @Purdue-NCState, @Indiana-Pittsburgh;

  Wed week: @Wisconsin-Duke, @Maryland-Virginia, @NCarolina-Iowa, @Northwestern-GeorgiaTech, @NotreDame-MichiganSt, @PennSt-VirginiaTech).

---

Top 25 - 14 Nov24 - [] Column

1. Kentucky (4-0) (@@CHAMPS)
   
2. Wisconsin (3-0)
   
3. Wichita State (3-0) (:SANFORD)
   
4. Arizona (3-0)
   
5. Virginia (4-0)
   
6. North Carolina (3-0)
   
7. Texas (4-0) [2v2:2KS]
   
8. Louisville (4-0) (:ARMED)
   
9. Duke (5-0) [2v2:CVC]
   
10. Iowa State (2-0)
    
11. Gonzaga (3-0)
    
12. Villanova (3-0)
    
13. Miami(Florida) (5-0) [3:CHARLESTON]
    
14. West Virginia (5-0) [3:P.RICO]
    
15. VCU (3-0)
    
16. Ohio State (2-0)
    
17. UCLA (4-0)
    
18. Kansas (1-1)
    
19. Minnesota (2-1)
    
20. San Diego State (3-0)
    
21. Connecticut (3-1)
    
22. Providence (5-0) [2v2:HALL.FAME]
    
23. Arkansas (3-0)
    
24. Illinois (3-0)
    
25. BYU (2-0)
    

Honorable Mention:

Creighton (4-0), Wyoming (1-0), Rhode Island (3-0), Temple (2-2), Yale (3-1) [rr3@MABC], Wofford (4-1) [rr3@CVCconsB].