The Double Bonus

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Friday.

Last Night’s Action

Connecticut 84, No. 8 Kentucky 67
The underdog Huskies relished their role for a second straight night and dumped another top 10 team to take the Maui Invitational title. And just like in its win over Michigan State Tuesday, Kemba Walker led the way for UConn, scoring 29 and taking tournament MVP honors. But Walker had plenty of help as the Huskies thoroughly out-classed Kentucky, playing tough-nosed defense in the first half, pounding the boards, hitting shots from the outside and looking a lot more polished than their relative inexperience suggested coming into this week. While Walker just missed a fourth-straight game of scoring 30 points or more, Jay Bilas was 100 percent right in his assessment on the ESPN telecast: no one has been better this season than Walker. With wins over Michigan State and Kentucky, the Huskies picked up two gigantic wins for their NCAA Tournament resume and will find themselves in the Top 25 come Monday.

No. 2 Michigan State 76, No. 13 Washington 71
The Spartans rallied for a win after a turnover filled first half, salvaging their trip to Maui. Kalin Lucas, surprise, was the catalyst for State, scoring 29 points, as the Spartans claimed third place in the Invitational. But it was Durrell Summers who hit the game’s most important shot, despite struggling all game long to find his stroke. There’s just something about these early season tournaments that makes the Spartans struggle. The AP had a great stat, relating that Michigan State hasn’t won a preseason tournament – like the Maui Invitational – in 13 years. But more importantly, they don’t seem to struggle when the calendar turns to March.

No. 7 Villanova 82, UCLA 70
The Bruins are just too young and the Wildcats are too explosive to be slowed down by a team that features six freshmen and no seniors. And despite struggling once the second half started and seeing a 15-point lead evaporate, Villanova took care of business Wednesday.  Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Malik Wayns were the Wildcats big-three, combining for 61 points, while big man Mouphtaou Yarou had a big game on the boards. The Wildcats will now face Tennessee Friday at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Tip-off championship game after the Vols escaped with a win against Virginia Commonwealth in the game before.

Links

Yeah, Oklahoma did lose to Division II Chaminade. [AP]

You need refs to play a college basketball game and apparently that was a bit of an issue for Tennessee Tech [The Dagger]

Gary Parrish writes about why you shouldn’t sleep on the Old Spice Classic that gets underway today. So, yes, there’s college basketball on Thanksgiving. [CBSSports.com]

A seven overtime game in Division III. Some of the stats from this game are hilarious. [ESPN.com]

A poor start by the Missouri Valley Conference’s two top teams to start the season does not bode well for the league’s tournament hopes. [Bracketville]

Seth Davis says Duke’s Kyrie Irving is better than advertised. [SI.com]

And finally, Happy Thanksgiving.

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Tuesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 1 Duke got its first real test of the season against Marquette as the Golden Eagles made things closer than many expected. Mason Plumlee was the big star for the Blue Devils Monday, scoring 18 of his 25 points in the second half to lead Duke to the 82-77 win in the first CBE Classic semifinal.

No. 4 Kansas State easily handled No. 22 Gonzaga in the other semifinal of the CBE Classic setting up the biggest  matchup of the young season tonight against big, bad Duke.

No. 2 Michigan State almost did the unthinkable: lose to Division II Chaminade. That was before reality set in for the Silveswoards who actually led this game with just over 14 minutes remaining. Michigan State eventually wore down the local school, advancing in the Maui Invitational.

Links

LaceDarius Dunn returned to the Baylor lineup last night and poured in 24 points in a Bears win. [Star Telegram]

The one-man UConn wrecking crew known as Kemba Walker was at it again yesterday. [Courant]

And No. 13 Washington obliterated Virginia in the day’s final Maui Invitational game. [AP]

The Dagger continues to rave over the recruiting job Tom Crean is doing at Indiana. [Yahoo]

Minnesota a legitimate threat in the Big Ten? [College Hoops Journal]

A Q&A with Kansas State head coach Frank Martin. [Yahoo]

Ken Pomeroy with his latest blog post,  “What win distribution can do for you.” [Kepom.com]

Tonight’s Must See Games

No. 2 Michigan State vs. Connecticut
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: Michigan State -5.5
KenPom: Michigan State -5
TV: 7 pm, ESPN
Quite simply all eyes will be on the point guards. Two of the best in the country square off when Kalin Lucas and the above-mentioned Kemba Walker take to the court. The Spartans have the big edge for a number of reasons, namely their superior experience. The Huskies showed their youth yesterday against a veteran Wichita State team. How do you think they’re going to fair against a Michigan State team that’s just as experienced and features better talent than the Shockers?

No. 22 Gonzaga vs. Marquette
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Marquette -1.5
KenPom: Marquette -1
TV: 7:45 pm, ESPNU
We know Marquette can play some defense but they showed that they can score a little too last night against the Blue Devils. The Zags, on the other hand, aren’t playing great basketball and really need a win here having lost two in a row.

No. 13 Washington vs. No. 8 Kentucky
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui
Line: Washington -2.5
KenPom: Washington -1
TV: 9 pm, ESPN
First big test for the Huskies this season against a young, albeit talented John Calipari squad. Washington’s Isaiah Thomas will square off against Kentucky’s vaunted freshman, Terrence Jones, who Huskies fans will be rooting hard against. You might remember that Jones originally committed to play at Washington before backing out and deciding to head to Lexington. Jones is coming off a monster game in the the Wildcats victory over Oklahoma Monday where he had 29 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Hopefully he saved something for the Huskies.

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 4 Kansas State
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City
Line: Duke -5.5
KenPom: Duke -7
TV: 10 pm, ESPN2
Huge matchup that we could very see again come March which is easily the biggest of the young season. Two supremely talented teams which huge expectations. I don’t really need to build this one up. It’s a big game. Don’t miss it.

A quick look at what went on yesterday and what to look out for Friday.

Yesterday’s Action

No. 5 Pittsburgh 79, Maryland 70
I had a friend who made his way to the Garden last night to take in the first game of the 2K Sports Classic. I told him to watch out for the Panthers’ Brad Wanamaker. Turns out I should have told him to look out for Talib Zanna. The Pitt freshman had 14 and 12 as the Panthers held off the Terps while Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs, Pitt’s go to scorers, did not have it going on Thursday. But the Panthers were able to rely on the big man to pick up the slack and comfortably pull this one out after Maryland’s big 14-2 run made it a one-point game at the 13:20 mark. Pitt badly out-rebounded the Terps – no surprise there – while the two teams clanked three after three. The two combined to go 5-of-24 from beyond the arc.

Texas 90, No. 13 Illinois 84, OT
I think a lot of people were expecting more out of Illinois’ last night but the Longhorns played a physical brand of basketball that the Illini just weren’t that comfortable with. Demetri McCarney, on the other hand, displayed his vast talents for plenty of NBA scouts as he went for 22 points, eight assists and five boards. The only problem was he didn’t get the kind of help he needed down the stretch and certainly not in overtime where Texas pretty much dominated.

Links

Hey, what do you know? Turns out North Carolina actually can score. [Raleigh News & Observer]

Minnesota had a pretty impressive win over a very good Western Kentucky team down in Puerto Rico. [Minnesota Star-Tribune]

Missouri had a little more trouble with Western Illinois than expected. For the first time since 1951 they won a game in which no one scored double digits. [AP]

John Gasaway names his Player of the Year a little on the early side, plus other Big East observations. [Basketball Prospectus]

Don’t sleep on the Mountain West this year, says Gary Parrish, it’s better than the Pac-10. [CBSSports.com]

Andy Katz with some news and notes from around the nation. [ESPN.com]

A thorough look at Duke‘s offense this season. Just how different is it from last year’s version? [Rush The Court]

The oft-injured Robbie Hummel might have an easier time coming back from surgery this time around. [Indy Star]

Apparently, adding three new teams to the NCAA Tournament isn’t necessarily going to make the selection process any easier. [AP]

Tonight’s Must See Games

Maryland vs. No. 13 Illinois
Line: N/A
TV: ESPN2, 5 pm
The 2K Classic will hold it’s consolation game this evening  at Madison Square Garden. It’s a quick turnaround for the Illini who will be on the floor just 17 hours after their overtime game with Texas ended well past midnight.

Texas vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh
Line: N/A
TV: ESPN2, 7 pm
Maybe this makes for a more interesting matchup than Pitt-Illinois because the Panthers are Longhorns appear ready to battle underneath the basket more so than the Illini would. And d0n’t expect the Panthers to struggle offensively like they did against Maryland. That’s not to say Texas won’t play defense rather Pitt is far too talented an offensive team to have a repeat performance of Thursday.

Only one Top 25 team hits the road as No. 11 Kentucky meets Portland while No. 20 Georgetown continues its march toward a Charleston Classic title by meeting Wofford. No. 7 Kansas hosts North Texas while Colgate visits No. 1 Duke.

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Wednesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 4 Ohio State 93, No. 9 Florida 75
Um, Ohio State is going to be really, really good. That’s the only thing you can say after watching the Buckeyes destroy the Gators in Gainesville. David Lighty had 26 points while freshman sensation Jared Sulllinger had another double-double, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 boards as the Buckeyes blitzed the defensively-challenged Gators in the second half, outscoring the home team by 21 over the final 20 minutes. Apparently all it took for the Buckeyes to look like world-beaters was a fiery halftime speech by Thad Matta.

No. 3 Kansas State 73, No. 22 Virginia Tech 57
It was a close game for 30 minutes before things got out of hand for the Hokies. Tech didn’t necessarily play a bad game if you’re judging by the final score. But they definitely didn’t play a good game.  Too many turnovers – Malcolm Delaney had 10 by himself – and an inability to matchup physically with Kansas State was Tech’s undoing. They also failed to take advantage of Jacob Pullen spending only a few minutes on the floor in the first half thanks to foul trouble and far too often settled for poor perimeter shots. I liked when Frank Martin had Will Spradling handling the point and Pullen back at the 2. That’s where Pullen thrived last year. Let’s see if Martin gives the two more time on the floor together.

No. 25 San Diego State 79, No. 11 Gonzaga 76
Teams just don’t go up to Spokane and win but that’s what the Aztecs did in impressive fashion Tuesday behind Billy White’s career-high 30 points. Gonzaga suffered just its fifth home loss since 2004 as the Bulldogs were out-rebounded badly, allowing 18 offensive boards which San Diego State turned into 24 second chance points. Steven Gray’s 35 for Gonzaga wasn’t enough as the Aztecs showed that the preseason hype surrounding them wasn’t all talk. Steve Fisher’s team can really play.

Links

Gordon Hayward, where have you gone? Butler looked awful against Louisville last night and Rick Bozich says this year’s squad isn’t the Butler of last year. [FoxSports.com]

Jared Sullinger for Player of the Year? [CBSSports.com]

Michigan State was out-rebounded by South Carolina, but still pulled out the win against the Gamecocks. [Free Press]

Speaking of Michigan State, Delvon Roe is starring on a different kind of stage. [USA Today]

Baylor, minus LaceDarius Dunn as he serves a suspension, got a little more than it bargained for with La Salle. [Philadelphia Daily News]

Some stats from ESPN’s 25 straight hours of basketball. [ESPN.com]

Charles Barkley opining on the NCAA Tournament? It’s happening this March. [AP]

Courtesy of Vegas Watch, check out these hype clouds. [Audacity of Hoops]

Tonight’s Can’t Miss Games

Take the night off after 25 straight hours of quality college basketball actions. As for the Top 25, No. 24 BYU, No. 19 Memphis and No. 14 Purdue all take on cupcakes tonight.

The Naismith preseason watch list was released Tuesday and it features 50 names, 40 of which have almost no shot of winning the prestigious award that Ohio State‘s Evan Turner took home last year.

So who has a chance?

Well, for starters, let’s get rid of every one not from one of the six major conferences because – let’s face it – they have no shot of winning this. It’s just like the Heisman. If you don’t play for one of the big boys no one notices you enough. It’s a sad reality but reality nonetheless.

With that logic in mind we unfortunately have to eliminate some really great players like BYU‘s Jimmer Fredette. But thanks for playing.

So after step 1, that knocks the list down to 38. From that 38, we’ll eliminate players whose teams have almost no shot of playing any meaningful games in March. Goodbye to the likes of Washington’s State‘s Klay Thompson, Ole Miss‘ Chris Warren, Colorado‘s Alec Burks and Penn State‘s Talor Battle.

That whittles the list down to 34.

Next step is to get rid of the players starring on an above average team that has legitimate NCAA Tournament aspirations heading into the season. They could overachieve and win a game or two in the tournament or sweat out Selection Sunday.

So that gets rid of the likes of Arizona‘s Derrick Williams, Seton Hall‘s Jeremy Hazell, UConn‘s Kemba Walker, Georgia‘s Trey Thompkins, Maryland‘s Jordan Williams, Northwestern‘s John Shurna, Vanderbilt‘s Jeff Taylor and West Virginia‘s Kevin Jones.

And now we’re down to 26.

Next step is to eliminate redundancies, meaning a nominee from the same team that features a superstar caliber player who will garner much of the focus by the media. Goodbye Ohio State‘s William Buford, Duke‘s Nolan Smith, Michigan State‘s Durrell Summers, North Carolina‘s Tyler Zeller and Purdue‘s E’Twaun Moore.

And now we’re down to 21.

Next step get rid of the players who are good but not good enough. Adios Missouri‘s Kim English, Georgetown‘s Austin Freeman, Syracuse‘s Kris Joseph, Baylor‘s Perry Jones, Illinois‘s Demetri McCarney, Villanova‘s Corey Fisher, Wisconsin‘s Jon Leuer, Washington‘s Isaiah Thomas, Pittsburgh‘s Ashton Gibbs and Florida‘s Chandler Parsons.

And finally, goodbye freshman point guards. There’s just too much on your plate to be the best player in the nation, no matter how much hype you’re getting coming into the season. Peace, Duke‘s Kyrie Irving and Kentucky‘s Brandon Knight.

And we’re left with nine I believe are legitimate Naismith contenders.

Chris Singleton, Florida State, F – Longshot indeed but got off to a great start by recording a triple-double in FSU’s season opener. Odds: 50-1

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, F – The No. 1 recruit in the freshman class will have a lot riding on his shoulders as the Tar Heels will look for him to help improve last year’s offensively challenged squad. Odds: 25-1

Macolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, PG – He’s going to handle the ball for a team some people think could reach the Final Four and he averaged 20-plus last season. Odds: 20-1

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, F – Not a bad debut for the freshman who went for 19 and 14 in the Buckeyes’ season opener. He should be the No. 1 scoring option down low for a team that has national title aspirations. Odds: 15-1

JaJaun Johnson, Purdue, F – The Boilermakers’ top option in the frontcourt, the senior can score from the post and has improved his range considerably. Odds: 15-1

Marcus Morris, Kansas, F – Just like Johnson, he’s the Jayhawks go-to guy now that Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are no longer in Lawrence. Odds: 10-1

Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, PG – With Denis Clemente gone, Pullen moves back to handling point guard duties. It could affect his scoring average but when it comes to college basketball few epitomize it more than he does: Odds: 10-1

Kalin Lucas, Michigan State, PG – Is there a more clutch player than Lucas? He seems to hit every tough shot in every tough spot for Michigan State. Only problem is can he stay healthy? Odds: 10-1

Kyle Singler, Duke, F – He’s a senior on the best team in the nation and the Blue Devils’ No. 1 scoring option who can score in so many different ways, especially from the outside. He was the NCAA Tournament MOP and he’s gotten more press than any other college player coming into the season. He’s the clear favorite. Odds: 5-1

A quick look at what went on last night and what to look out for Tuesday.

Last Night’s Action

No. 19 Memphis 72, Miami 68
The Tigers were in trouble last night as they kicked off ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon by hosting the Canes. Trailing with about two minutes to go, Chris Crawford finally nailed a 3-pointer to put the Tigers ahead in a game that featured may more fouls than it did made shots. The two teams combined for 58 fouls and just 39 field goals. Memphis was badly out-rebounded and dodged a bullet in this one. Canes could have easily won this game but I was impressed with Memphis’ Antonio Barton. While his brother, Will, was one of coach Josh Pastner’s big recruiting hauls, Antonio has plenty of talent on his own. Keep an eye on him this season.

No. 20 Georgetown 69, Tulane 53
Not much to report in this one. The Hoyas hit 12-of-29 from beyond the arc and rolled past Tulane as they debuted their new-guard oriented offense for the home crowd. Austin Freeman, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, finished with a game high 23 points.

No. 7 Kansas 79, Valparaiso 44
Biggest surprise in this one? Kansas wasn’t as dominant on the boards as you would expect. The Jayhawks only out-rebounded Valpo 47-33 and had 15 turnovers. So Bill Shelf has something to work on with his team following a game that was otherwise a laugher. Marcus Morris was the catalyst for the Jayhawks, scoring 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Kansas has now won 61-straight home games, one shy of the school record.

Links

The Steve Lavin era at St. John’s started with a loss in the early morning hours on the road to Saint Mary’s. [NY Daily News]

Can you say embarrassing? Georgia Tech falls big to Kennesaw State. [AJC]

Washington‘s Isiah Thomas had some interesting things to say about his Pac-10 brethren. [Seattle PI]

Duke‘s Kyle Singler does more than just knock down jumpshots. [The Dagger]

Today’s Must See Games

No. 22 Virginia Tech at No. 3 Kansas State
Line: Kansas State -6
KenPom: Kansas State -6
TV: 4 pm, ESPN
Kansas State has national title hopes while some people are picking Viriginia Tech to reach the Final Four. Both teams come off lackluster season debuts and the big question for Kansas State entering this one is how much big man Curtis Kelly will play? Head coach Frank Martin hinted Sunday that Kelly might not see much, if any, action Tuesday afternoon. Martin sat him out for the season opener for reasons that haven’t been brought to light. Would he really do it again against a ranked opponent?

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 9 Florida
Line: Florida -2
KenPom: Ohio State -1
TV: 6 pm, ESPN
The biggest game of the early season, by far, pits two top 10 teams meeting each other in their second game of the season. Florida is stacked returning most of its talent from a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year while Ohio State features the highly touted freshman Jared Sullinger who will have to step in – as best he can – for the departed Evan Turner. Sullinger had an impressive first game, going for 19 and 14 while the Gators allowed UNC Wilmington to shoot a disappointing 47 percent from the field in their season opener. If Ohio State shoots 47 percent from the field let’s just say Florida won’t be waltzing to an easy victory like they did against UNCW. Last time these two met as ranked opponents, it was the national title a three years back.

No. 16 Butler at Louisville
Line: Louisville -2
KenPom: Louisville -4
TV: 8 pm, ESPN
No Gordon Hayward for the Bulldogs who help the Cardinals open up a new gym, the KFC Yum! Center. Rick Pitino had himself a very trying and embarrassing off-season so no one is more ecstatic to get the season underway than the Cardinals coach. This is the season opener for Louisville while the Bulldogs already have a game under their belt. Butler features three starts and two reserves from last year’s national runner-up squad so don’t expect much drop-off from last year. Sure, Hayward was their best player but Butler will be right back in the NCAA Tournament and don’t be surprised if you see them in the Sweet 16. Louisville, on the other hand, is a middle of the pack Big East team this year. And for the first time in 15 years, Edgar Sosa won’t be giving Pitino fits on the sidelines.

South Carolina at No. 2 Michigan State
Line: Michigan State -16
KenPom: Michigan State -16
TV: 10 pm, ESPN
What you need to know about South Carolina: No Devan Downey. You remember Downey, the do it all point guard for the Gamecocks who pretty much single-handedly upset Kentucky last year? Have fun replacing his 22-plus points per game. Spartans should have no trouble handling the Gamecocks.

The weekend came and went without much in the way of news. You weren’t expecting any earth-shaking results from the first weekend of the season, were you?

Sure, there were a few surprising results such as Wake Forest, Iowa and Charlotte losing games they should have easily won. But for the most part, it was status quo. Duke pounded Princeton, Purdue took care of Howard and Syracuse had its way with Canisius, which, by the way, marked Jim Boeheim’s 831st career win, good enough for fifth place all-time.

All in all, it was a pretty uneventful first weekend of the season. So uneventful, in fact, there was very little change in the Top 25. So onto other business…

Links

If you missed it, Florida State’s Chris Singleton recorded a triple-double Sunday. [Tallahassee Democrat]

Jeff Goodman with a poignant story about Houston Baptist’s assistant coach, Steve Key. [FoxSports.com]

In the biggest game of the early season, Kansas State big man Curtis Kelly might miss Tuesday’s game with Virginia Tech. [Kansas City Star]

Marquette had a little more trouble with Bucknell than anyone expected. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Tonight’s Must See Games

Tulane at No. 20 Georgetown
Line: Georgetown -21.5
KenPom: Georgetown -18
TV: 7 pm
Georgetown comes off a hard-fought win on the road against Old Dominion Friday as the Hoyas hit the road for their season opener. Now they get Tulane at home and debut their Greg Monroe-less three guard lineup for their loyal supporters. Hoyas fans shouldn’t worry about this one. The Green Wave are coming off an 8-22 season and haven’t beaten a Top 25 opponent in 11 years.

Valparaiso at No. 8 Kansas
Line: Kansas -21.5
KenPom: Kansas -19
TV: ESPN3, 7 pm
The Jayhawks enter with the nation’s longest home winning streak and there’s no reason why it won’t extend to 61 after tonight. Kansas coach Bill Shelf wants to see a bigger commitment on the defensive end after he watched his team give up 75 in the season opener to Longwood. Valpo, which struggled rebounding in its season opener against NAIA Indiana-Northwest, will have its hands full against the bigger and more athletic Jayhawks.

Miami at No. 19 Memphis
Line: Memphis -6.5
KenPom: Memphis -9
TV: ESPN, 12 am
The Tigers and Canes start things off for ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon which begins a 24-hour cycle of non-stop games. Seriously, there will be games on at least one of the network’s channels for the entire day, including games that tips-off on the East Coast at 6 am (Stony Brook-Monmouth). As for this game, Memphis will play with the controversy surrounding Jelan Kendrick’s departure from school. This should be a good test for the Tigers who will face a Canes team that returns a number of players with significant experience.

The season officially got underway Monday, but college basketball – for all intents and purposes – really begins Friday because literally the entire nation is playing tonight.

Seriously, got take a look at the schedule.

That being said, there aren’t any marquee, can’t miss matchups. Pretty much take tonight and the subsequent weekend games to become familiar with your favorite team’s new starting fives. You’re really not going to get much else out of the action.

So we won’t bother running down any games (if you must, CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish looks at things) and instead we’ll go right to the links because pageviews are good for everyone.

The biggest news of the last few days is that incoming Kentucky big man, Enes Kanter, has been ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA. Coach John Calipari and the Wildcats plan to appeal the ruling. Yet another short-sighted, boorish decision handed down by those frauds running the NCAA. I agree with Jay Bilas’s take on the matter: If the kid wants to be a college student why not let him. ESPN.com has the story covered from a few different angles.

Luke Winn debuts his power rankings and it’s no surprise who is sitting on top. [SI.com]

The Dagger looks at college hoops through the BCS prism. [Yahoo.com]

Indiana picked up a big commitment the other day when Cody Zeller said he would be taking his talents to Bloomington. [USA Today]

Ten programs to keep an eye on over the next few years. [ESPN.com]

UConn got a big commitment from Ryan Boatright. Could his teammate follow him to Storrs? [Beyond The Arc]