Quick Hits to Start December
As we head into the weekend, here are some quick hitters from across the country.
The ACC came out on top again in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge by an 8-3 margin, continuing its dominance in the event. Helping out this year might have been Wake Forest being the odd team out, as they Demon Deacons were annihilated by 36 at Air Force on Wednesday night.
One ACC team that has looked particularly promising is Clemson. Having James Mays, who was academically ineligible for the second semester last season, back in the lineup makes a difference, as does freshman Trevor Booker. The guards are shooting well, which was sure to be one key, but having Mays and Booker in the post gives them solid bookends to complement the guards, who always had the talent. The Tigers are now 8-0 heading into Saturday’s game at in-state rival South Carolina.
Columbia head coach Joe Jones is trying to find the right happy medium with his personnel. He has veterans who have played a good deal from the start of their college careers and know what they’re trying to do, but his freshmen are more talented. Patrick Foley and Niko Scott are each playing plenty of minutes and are third and fourth, respectively, on the team in scoring. Foley impressed against Providence, as he has a motor that keeps running and can create. This challenge will only increase when Ivy League play gets going, given the importance of experience in the backcourt.
Tom Izzo is likewise trying to figure out the right combination for his Michigan State team. Freshman Raymar Morgan looks to be the best frontcourt scoring option by far, meaning they will be dependent on their perimeter players at the offensive end. When Boston College shut down their perimeter attack and Morgan got in foul trouble, the Spartans were in trouble.
The good news for the Patriot League isn’t the good start of Holy Cross as much as the play of Army and Navy. Navy is 6-2 and Army is 5-2 after struggling to beat Division I teams in recent years. It’s always important for teams that have been at the bottom of a league to raise their level, and if these teams rise in the standings, it will be good news for the league as a whole while being bad news for the individual teams that must play them.
Eastern Kentucky is one of the pleasant surprises thus far, as the young Colonels enter Saturday’s game at in-state rival Western Kentucky with a 5-1 record. Although two wins are against non-Division I teams, two more wins are on the road. The fact that there are no eye-opening wins isn’t important; the good start has them feeling confident, and with a freshman (Adam Leonard) and sophomore (Mike Rose) among the starting guards, that can’t be underestimated.
