Thoughts from Last Night

-          Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee showed that they are not going to let this Duke team lose its focus, no matter who the opponent.  The 3 seniors (Curry, Plumlee, and Ryan Kelly) were a combined 18-22 from the field for 45 points.  The young guards Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon continue to grow comfortable in their roles and should be stars in their own right by March.

-          As good as Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright have been, the Xavier defense got to them last night, forcing them both into some very poor shots.  As Big East play starts, there will be more teams looking to extend their defense out against the Bearcats and Kilpatrick and Wright need to make sure to make better decisions.

-          North Carolina needs someone to step up as a leader, and they better do it quickly, to get this team back on track.  Dexter Strickland and Reggie Bullock, here is your chance to make a major mark on the UNC program.

-          Marshall Henderson showed that he can be a lot more than a 3-point gunner for Ole Miss.  Henderson took the jumpers if they were there, but he made good decisions in looking to attack if he was given space, and playing solid defense on the other end of the court.

-          Looks like Steven Adams can play well against a MEAC school…I guess that’s a start.

-          Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear need to have more nights like they did last night.  The more attention Russ Smith brings upon him, the more he will need the other offensive options to step up.  It also helps when Peyton Siva is in control for long stretches.

-          I had Kendall Williams on the Players to Watch list last night, and he came through big time.  The offense wasn’t running at its best, but Williams was able to take advantage when he saw space, and he did an excellent job drawing fouls against New Mexico State’s frontcourt.

Tonight’s Matchups

Lehigh at North Texas

The hype surrounding this matchup will be between CJ McCollum and Tony Mitchell, but these are two very good teams, even if North Texas isn’t really playing like it early on this year.  McCollum may be the most complete guard in college basketball right now.  He can score in a variety of ways (24.9 ppg, 50.9 FG%, 82.8 FT%, 51.9 3FG), and more importantly, can create his offense.  He sees the court well, makes generally good decisions, and is a solid defensive presence.  The presence of Mackey McKnight allows McCollum to play off the ball and look for openings in the defense.  Gabe Knutson plays much stronger than his size and is very good around the basket, but he also has the ability to step out and hit mid-range jumpers consistently.  More important, he is a very good interior defensive presence.  Holden Greiner is another big who is very good at stepping away from the basket and knocking down jumpers.  Knutson and Greiner will need to be very careful against the athletic Mean Green, who will look to draw easy fouls against them.

Tony Mitchell is one of the most athletic players in the NCAA, and a breakout year was expected this year.  When he is within 8 feet of the basket, he can be near unstoppable, using his athleticism and strength to get to the rim and finish through contact.  His biggest problem is that he will spend too much time away from the lane area and shoot many ill-advised jumpers.  It gets worse when he hits one, because then he will just keep shooting from the perimeter instead of attacking the basket.  He is a solid rebounder and decent defender, but he isn’t as aggressive in these areas as he should be.  The rest of the Mean Green offense centers around the guard play. Alzee Williams, Chris Jones, Roger Franklin, and Jordan Williams hoist up a lot of shots, though they aren’t very good at it.  Jones needs to do a better job running the offense and getting the ball to teammates in position where they have good looks.  The team defense has been very good at times, but the Mean Green doesn’t adjust well to the opposition, meaning they play the same no matter who the opponent is, and they just aren’t good enough to do that. 

Others to Watch

Trey Burke, Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan – Burke has been magnificent controlling the Wolverines’ offense this season, but he can’t look past a very stingy Eastern Michigan defense.  Burke will need to show patience in breaking down the defense and he will need to make sure Michigan is out and running in transition every time they have a good opportunity.

Ramon Galloway and Tyreek Duren, La Salle vs. Iona – The backcourt duo of Galloway and Duren has been very good early on this season, but Iona, led by Momo Jones, is going to look to pressure and speed up the pace, and it will be up to these two to keep the Explorers under control.  I’m not sure they do it.

Velton Jones, Robert Morris at Arkansas – Similar situation to the La Salle guards discussed above.  Arkansas is going to try and force the pace early, especially on the defensive end.  Jones’ ability to limit the mistakes will determine if the Colonials stay in this game or fall behind very quickly/

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Thoughts from Last Night

-          Jeff Withey has a fantastic night, though to be fair, he was being covered by a lot of 6’6 and 6’7 players.  As impressive was Travis Releford who continues to play some of the best perimeter defense in the country right now. 

-          Winthrop forced DeShaun Thomas into a lot of bad and rushed shots, but Thomas stepped up late in a close game.  His ability to score from anywhere should keep defenses off-balance, but he still needs to make better decisions based on who is playing him and what the rest of the defense is doing.

-          The North Carolina State offense was at its best last night, shooting 56% from the field, and doing a great job pushing the pace against a Stanford team that doesn’t have a lot of talent on its bench.  Lorenzo Brown continues to show he is more of a scorer than a point guard, but he does have a good feel for his teammates and where they need to get the ball.  Richard Howell continues to be one of the most effective players in the country around the basket.  For Stanford, Dwight Powell has continued to show his aggressive side of late, and the results have been a much more dangerous scorer. He did a good job pulling the defense out with some mid-range jumpers and then looked to attack.

-          Kris Dunn made his debut last night with 13 assists in 27 minutes, though his shot selection leaves a lot to be desired right now.  Once Vincent Council is back, the Friars will scare some teams, though it will be interesting to see how the Council/Dunn dynamic works.

-          The most impressive part of Miami’s win over UCF last night was definitely the perimeter defense of Shane Larkin and Durand Scott which forced Isaiah Sykes into some bad decisions, including getting Keith Clanton the ball in some very bad spots.  I’m still not sold on this Miami team in the long-run though because they are only really about 6 players deep.

Tonight’s Matchups

Xavier vs. Cincinnati

Chris Mack’s young Xavier squad has had some tough moments early on this season, but have had as many, or more, very good moments.  Freshman Semaj Christon has found his role in the Musketeers’ offense quickly and has brought some excitement with his aggressive, slashing style.  Backcourt mate Dee Davis handles the ball well, can hit down the long-range jumper, and is a tough defender.  Jeff Robinson and Travis Taylor use their athleticism well around the basket, while Justin Martin has the ability to stretch the defense or attack the basket.  Mack’s squad will look to pressure the ball on the perimeter, so the frontcourt players will need to be quick to rotate in help situations.

Mick Cronin has his Bearcats running on all cylinders on both ends of the court.  The backcourt of Cashmere Wright and Sean Kilpatrick is among the best in the country.  Wright keeps the offense moving, and while not as much of a playmaker as most point guards, he gets the team set, gets them out in transition, and is a capable scorer in his own right.  Kilpatrick made his name as a perimeter shooter, but he has been attacking the basket more with defenses coming out far on him, with good results.  JaQuon Parker and Titus Rubles are athletic slashers who are at their best in the open court.  Cheikh Mbodj and David Nyarsuk are both good at protecting the basket, which allows the perimeter defenders to extend out and pressure the ball.  Justin Jackson is another strong defender and skill-wise may be the team’s best rebounder.

We all remember the brawl from last year’s game, so no need to rehash it, but since that game, the Bearcats have been one of the best teams in the country.

North Carolina at Texas

Roy Williams’ Tar Heel are led by sophomore forward James Michael McAdoo, and a trio of upper-class   guards in Dexter Strickland, Reggie Bullock, and Leslie McDonald.  McAdoo is skilled and moves well for his size.  When he gets the ball on the block, it is tough to stop him one-on-one, but McAdoo had a tendency to make it harder on himself by spending too much time on the perimeter, and even going to his face-up move out of the post a little too often.  Bullock is a solid perimeter threat, and his size allows him to get good looks and shoot over the defense.  Strickland is more comfortable running the offense than he is playing off the ball, but is capable of getting into the lane and finishing.  McDonald provides a versatile wing scoring option who is also capable of defending multiple positions.  Sophomore PJ Hairston has been erratic on both ends of the floor, but he is capable of some spectacular plays, especially in transition.  Freshman point guard Marcus Paige is still making adjustments to the college level, and making the mistakes that go with that adjustment, but he will be a good one for the Heels. 

The loss of Myck Kabongo, who is sitting out during an NCAA investigation, has made it difficult for the rest of the young Longhorns’ team to make the progress they would have with their leader.  Sophomores Sheldon McClellan and Julien Lewis are both capable scorers, but without Kabongo, they are struggling to get good looks.  Freshman point guard Javan Felix continues to improve, and this experience will be great for him down the line, but he still has control issues (a common theme with his Texas team).  Sophomore forward Jonathan Holmes is strong and athletic and he has done a good job attacking the glass on both ends of the floor.  Freshman big man Cameron Ridley is playing his way into better shape, and when he gets there, combined with his strength and skill, he has the potential to be one of the best big men in college basketball.

Others to Watch

Mason Plumlee, Duke vs. Cornell – Plumlee has been spectacular in the early part of the season, and he should be at his best against a young, undersized Cornell team.  With the Big Red expected to double and triple-team him when he gets the ball, it will give us an opportunity to see how well Plumlee has progressed in this area. 

Kendall Williams, New Mexico vs. New Mexico State – Williams is coming off a good performance against New Mexico State on Saturday, scoring 15 points, grabbing 8 boards and dishing out 7 assists, with no turnovers.  He is going to see the Aggies again tonight, who were successful forcing him into difficult shots, but he made up for it in other ways.  Look for another solid all-around game.

Anthony Bennett, UNLV vs. Northern Iowa – UTEP showed that being physical with the bruising Bennett forces him out of his game and makes him force bad shots.  Expect a strong UNI team led by Jake Koch to do the same. Let’s see if he adjusts this time around.

Jackie Carmichael, Illinois State at Dayton – Carmichael has scored 54 points on 55% shooting the last 2 games, but Archie Miller should have a solid plan to keep him from getting the ball close to the basket.  Wyoming did a good job forcing Carmichael to catch the ball 10 feet and out, and I expect the Dayton forwards to play physical and do the same.

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Thoughts from Last Night

-          Congratulations to Jim Boeheim on his 900^th win, though it was much closer than he would have liked.  James Southerland picked up the slack with some timely perimeter shooting, and Michael Carter-Williams did a good job hitting his free throws to seal the game down the stretch.  Carter-Williams piled up some more big assist numbers (10), though the decision making and turnovers leave a lot to be desired.   

-          UNLV had a tough time during their trip to El Paso, and UTEP did a great job playing physical, which really threw Anthony Bennett off his game.  Bennett is tough and skilled, but he isn’t used to being the one pushed around, and I expect many more teams to adopt this philosophy against UNLV going forward.  Khem Birch made his debut, and did a very good job running the floor and being active, though his lack of great skills is evident.  The guards, especially Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins, were both impressive guarding on and off the ball, though Bennett’s lack of defensive ability is going to put more pressure on the guards and wings as the year goes on.

Tonight’s Matchups

Stanford at North Carolina State

Johnny Dawkin’s Cardinal squad comes in winners of 3 straight.  Aaron Bright is back from an ankle injury and is paired in the backcourt with sophomore Chasson Randle, giving the Cardinal a pair of guards capable of breaking down defenses.   Neither has been able to find the perimeter shooting stroke that helped carry Stanford to the NIT title, but they have been getting more help for their interior players, especially junior forward Dwight Powell.  Powell, a long, athletic forward, has done a very good job so far this season being aggressive when he gets the ball in the lane area.   Bright and Randle will need to be aggressive to keep the Wolfpack defense shifting and getting Powell room to operate around the rim.

North Carolina State has great balance and can 8 or 9 deep, yet they have yet to find a real offensive rhythm against any other high-major opponent.  Senior Richard Howell has been one of the most consistent, and effective, Wolfpack players early on this season.  He does a great job using his body to clear space around the basket and he goes strong whenever he gets the ball.  Juniors Lorenzo Brown and CJ Leslie have been very inconsistent so far this season.  Brown has had difficulties with the lack of real structure in the offense, and it has left him in some tough situations with the ball.  At his best, he uses his size well to see over the defense and uses his body to get into the lane, either to finish or distribute.  Leslie is incredibly athletic, and at times, he can be very explosive.  He is at his best in the open court or if given time to operate in the post.  Freshmen TJ Warren and Rodney Purvis, as well as junior Scott Wood, give some versatility to the offense.  Warren has found the adjustment to college game easier than Purvis and has done a good job creating his own opportunities.  Freshman point guard Tyler Lewis should be used well in this game, as the Stanford guard combo will look to pressure the ball and Lewis gives the team another good ballhandler, as well as defender.

Miami (FL) at Central Florida

The Hurricanes have been playing much better since Durand Scott returned to the team.  Scott sets the pace for the Hurricanes’ offense, even if he is playing off the ball and Shane Larkin is running the point.  Scott is very good at using his strong body to attack the basket and he has the vision to find open teammates when the help rotates over.  Larkin is not as good a decision-maker, but he has good speed and has been a solid perimeter option, especially off of Scott’s penetration or a kick-out by big man Reggie Johnson.  Johnson is a huge physical presence in the paint, coming in close to 300 pounds, but he moves very well for his size, and he is capable of playing long stretches of minutes.  Kenny Kadji has never really found a comfortable role on offense, preferring to play on the perimeter and shoot jumpers, but he does a good job pairing with Johnson to protect the basket area.

Johnson and Kadji will need to be at their defensive best tonight or Central Florida’s Keith Clanton will make them pay.  Clanton has become a versatile post player, able to play with his back to the basket or face-up and attack.  He is a strong rebounder, especially on the offensive end, and he runs the court well.  He feeds well of the penetration of Isaiah Sykes, a big guard in the mold of Scott, who does a good job drawing the defense and finding open teammates, or using his body to get good shots around the basket.  He needs to really work on his shooting, and he can be a liability at the free throw line.  Tristan Spurlock and Kasey Wilson provide some wings with very good size and the ability to hit from the perimeter or attack the basket.

Others to Watch

Jeff Withey and Elijah Johnson, Kansas vs. Richmond – A very good Richmond team comes to Kansas and the seniors will need to set the tone for the Jayhawks on both ends of the floor.  Richmond is not big, but efficient and likes to pressure the ball, but Johnson should be able to find Withey with deep position, if they stay out of a zone. 

James Ennis, Long Beach State at UCLA – Long Beach State has struggled to score this season, but they should find plenty of opportunities against a UCLA team that is short-handed and defensively lazy.  Ennis should be able to find some good opportunities along the baseline against the UCLA zone, though it is reliant on his guards being able to get into the middle of it.

Allen Crabbe, California vs. UC Santa Barbara – The Golden Bears are coming off of 3 straight losses, and Crabbe has shot just 18-49 over that same stretch, including a surreal 6-26 against Creighton in the last game.  UCSB is young and hasn’t been very good stopping perimeter shooters. Crabbe should have a huge night to get back on track.

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It was a strong weekend of college hoops, with #1 Indiana getting knocked off by Butler in amazing game, Florida and Arizona battling until the final seconds, and a long list of worthy performances all around the country.  Here is a quick look at some of what I got to see:

Thoughts from the Weekend

-          Cody Zeller did not have a great game in Indiana’s loss to Butler, but a lot of it can be blamed on Indiana’s guards’ inability to get him the ball in good spots for him to make a quick move to the basket.  Zeller still needs to work on being a more physical player, especially on the defensive end and on the glass.  He does a good job drawing contact on the offensive end, but he should still work on finishing through the contact.  Victor Oladipo continues to be the most impressive player on the Indiana squad this year with his strong defense, both on and off the ball, and his ability to get out and finish in transition.

-          Cincinnati’s Cashmere Wright and Sean Kilpatrick continue to shine as one of the country’s best backcourts.  While neither was spectacular against Marshall on Saturday, they both stepped up on both ends, especially whenever Marshall would close the gap.   On a side note, Marshall’s Elijah Pittman is on his way to be one of college basketball’s most exciting players. Keep an eye on him over the next year.

-          Louisville’s Chane Behanan finally showed what he could do when he uses his body to clear space and goes strong at the basket.  Peyton Siva did a great job keeping the Cardinals under control as they continue to chip away at Memphis’ lead, and the combination of Siva and Russ Smith forced Memphis’ Joe Jackson into 8 turnovers, a good number as the game was close.

-          Otto Porter continues to show that he is one of the most versatile players in all college basketball, and more importantly, he doesn’t need to take a primary role to affect a game.  With teammate Greg Whittington breaking out of his slump, Porter was able to focus on hitting the offensive glass and drawing the defense to him in the high post area.

-          Kenny Boynton had a chance to show how he has improved on a major stage, and he couldn’t take advantage.  He shot 2-10 from the field, though without a solid point guard on the Gators squad, many of the players aren’t getting the ball in the best spots.  Erik Murphy was left wide-open on multiple pick-and-pops, but Scotty Wilbekin wouldn’t have his head up to see him.  Arizona senior Solomon Hill showed what a strong leader can do for a team, almost single-handedly chipping away at Florida’s lead in the last 8 minutes.  Mark Lyons was the hero, but I still think he needs to show that he can be a competent point guard to play at the next level.

-          If Duke’s Mason Plumlee is considered the #1 player in the country right now, then Doug McDermott has to be right there with him.  There isn’t a spot on the court where he isn’t a threat, but he also does an excellent job rebounding, and his defense continues to improve. 

-          Trey Burke seems to be getting better weekly.  His vision is outstanding, he shows great control, is a more than capable scorer, and has shown some improvement on defense.  His improvement has made everyone else around him better, especially Tim Hardaway, Jr., who has found himself not only with better scoring opportunities, but also looking for the best possible shot for the team.

-          Le’Bryan Nash took advantage of the gaps caused by Central Arkansas’ pressure defense and did a great job being aggressive going to the basket, not only finishing strong, but finishing through contact.

Tonight’s Matchup

Detroit at Syracuse

The story is Jim Boeheim’s likely 900^th victory, but there will be plenty of eyes on the prospects in this game.  Michael Carter-Williams continues to put up absurd numbers from the point guard position, but not given the same attention is how his size at the top of the Syracuse zone has led to a lot of easy steals and a lot of easy transition baskets.  Brandon Triche has also done an excellent job defending at the top of the zone, and his ability to get penetration gives the Orange a compliment to the 3-point shooting and post dump-offs.  James Southerland continues to help out Carter-Williams assist numbers by hitting shots from all over the court.  CJ Fair is starting to find a good rhythm on offense, understanding where he is going to find holes to attack and being a great weak-side rebounder.

Detroit’s Ray McCallum continues to shine outside of the spotlight, and he will need to find ways to get into the middle of the Orange zone to help open up the court for his teammates.  He should get plenty of good looks on offense, but he will need to step it up on the defensive end against either Cater-Williams or Triche.

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This is the slowest night of a slow basketball week with only one major matchup to watch, but it could be a good one when Wichita State heads to Tennessee.  Will Tennessee finally see 40 points again?  Before we get to that, let’s take a look back at what I saw during last night’s action:

Thoughts from Last Night

·         With the exception of possibly Doug McDermott, there may be no better pure scorer in college than Deshaun Thomas.  Shot selection can be an issue, he loves the contested 3, but there isn’t a spot on the court he can’t make shots from.  He is at his best when he mixes in some post play to go with his perimeter game.  He uses his body really well when in deep around the basket, and he is very good at going up in strong in traffic.

·         While last night he wasn’t needed, Aaron Craft will need to become more of an offensive threat as we go deeper into the season.  Even if it means taking into the middle of the defense, Craft needs to show that he will, just to keep his defender from cheating off him.

·         Alex Len really needs to get tougher. Monmouth guards would bump him a bit as he moved around the lane area and he acted as if he was sucker-punched.   If he doesn’t like contact now, how will he deal once he gets to the NBA?

·         Arizona State has created more excitement with their quicker pace, but there is a lot more to it than just pushing the ball quickly up court, as Oliver Purnell’s DePaul squad showed them last night.  Control is essential, even when playing up-tempo and Jahii Carson will learn as he continues to develop.  Brandon Young had some issues as well with control last night for the Blue Demons, but he did a good job for long enough periods of time for DePaul to break open the game.

·         Alec Brown had another frustrating game last night against a tough Wisconsin defense, but he needs to learn to be more aggressive on the offensive end.  Teams are starting to realize they can lure him into cheap fouls on the defense and he really needs to keep his focus.  Jared Berggren does a great job playing physical defense, even when his man is away from the ball.  Over the course of a game, the physical toll can be frustrating to opposing players.

Tonight’s Matchups

Wichita State at Tennessee

Gregg Marshall’s Wichita State squad is off to another great start this season, and a lot of it is due to the stellar frontcourt play of Cleanthony Early and Carl Hall.  Both Early and Hall are aggressive around the basket and love going right at the defense.  They are just as tough on the defensive end, making every shot a challenge for the opposition.  Oregon transfer Malcolm Armstead has been a steady backcourt presence, though he is still finding his bearings on the offensive end.  Perimeter shooting hasn’t been strong for the team as a whole, but the rotation of Ron Baker, Evan Wessell, and Demetric Williams can hit their jumpers when left open.

Tennessee’s defense has been tough, but Cuonzo Martin will need to find some answers on offense soon.  Two straight games with less than 40 points is unacceptable for an SEC team.  Jarnell Stokes has been effective when he gets the ball in deep around the basket, but without a reliable point guard, he isn’t always getting the ball when he should.  Trae Golden has done an a decent job running the offense, but it just isn’t his strength and he is way too slow in finding his teammates because he is likely looking for openings for his own offense.  When Skylar McBee is your only real perimeter threat, there is no reason for an opposing defense to have to extend, leaving very few openings for everyone else to operate.  Jeronne Maymon is definitely missed, but even his return won’t help the lack of a good point guard to run the offense.

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Photo: Associated Press