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Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Saturday included 14 ranked teams in action, including a trio of games matching two ranked squads. Three ranked teams were knocked off by unranked, and three more very nearly were. Number One went down. In the end, though, the biggest storyline were the undefeated teams. Specifically, the day started with three. By the end there were none.
The first Saturday of mainly conference play saw all three teams that entered the day undefeated lose for the first time this season, so it was a quite a day indeed.
Friday showed us that one team many expected to be a national title contender looks like anything but. Plus the Jayhawks don’t look so vulnerable on the road, a stunner in the Sun Belt, and a conference changes its replay setup.
It took just one round of Big East play for us to be reminded again just how beautiful double round-robin conference schedules are.
Non-conference schedules like Georgetown’s will continue to happen as long as the NCAA Tournament selection committee allows them to.
A very unproven team nearly won its conference opener on a big stage, but blew it. Plus more road teams win in one conference opening night, we now know why a Wolfpack guard is suspended, and a long-time great coach will get his due.
There was no college basketball on Tuesday and the day after Christmas, and the NCAA Division I schedule is still mostly light for tonight as many take their time wading back into play after a brief holiday break.
Bennie Boatwright just may have saved USC’s season over the Christmas holiday, delivering a clutch performance that could turn the Trojans’ campaign around, or at least will keep it from spiraling hopelessly downhill for now.
It’s easy to see the Diamond Head Classic championship game as an opportunity for one school, but it’s an opportunity for both. One school could use a last boost as they try to live up to some of the preseason expectations.
New Mexico State has been a quality program for a long time. But this year is different.
