On an otherwise slow night as final exams have pretty much ended, there was one game that looked like it had some potential, and fortunately, the game lived up to it. Before the season, it probably wasn’t a game you would point to and say it could be a great game and headline an evening, but that’s what happened – even if that was helped the
relatively light slate.
Colorado fans got to see Mike Daum. And they almost got to see too much of him.
Daum is another of many great stories in college basketball that we learn about in the mid-major ranks. It started when he led his team in scoring as a freshman while coming off the bench. It rose last year, and continues this year, with colleague Myron Medcalf recently putting together an excellent story on him (as he so often does). The Jackrabbits are the favorites in the Summit League, one of the fun leagues to watch in college basketball even as its membership has gone through seemingly constant change.
The junior scored 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on the evening, and it took extra time – double overtime, in fact – to sort this one out. South Dakota State actually went up by six in the first overtime, but Colorado scored the next six points to send the game to another extra session. There, once the Jackrabbits tied the game on a three-pointer by David Jenkins Jr. (who had a fine outing of his own with 31 points), Colorado took over with consecutive baskets, then free throws in a 112-103 win.
Daum has shown during this non-conference run that he doesn’t just put up big numbers in the Summit League. He can do it against the big boys, with 21 points and 11 rebounds at Kansas, 26 and seven at Ole Miss, and scoring 31 at Wichita State in a performance that included going 7-12 from long range before Friday night. This is the last big stage for them in the regular season this year, as their remaining non-conference games are against Drake, at UMKC and against Presbyterian.
Colorado survived and continued their good start. The Buffaloes could be more of a player in the Pac-12 than initially thought, especially since the conference as a whole has not looked good. Their fans got a good look at Mike Daum, but fortunately for them, it ended there as their team got the win.
Side Dishes
If former Northern Colorado head coach B.J. Hill or five of his assistants from his tenure will be coaching anytime soon, the school wishing to hire them will have to do a little more work. Hill was hit with a six-year show-cause order after the NCAA investigated the program for academic fraud and recruiting violations. The NCAA concluded that Hill, who was fired in 2016 amid the investigation, and over a half dozen of his staff completed coursework for players, paid for prospects’ classes and arranged off-campus practices with a player who was academically ineligible. The school is still under self-imposed recruiting restrictions and a three-scholarship reduction for this season and next. Five former assistant coaches also received show-cause orders for anywhere from three to five years.
One distraction that Kansas had last year was an investigation of an alleged sexual assault in the dorm where players stay, and on Friday, the local prosecutor announced that no charges will be filed. The DA did say that misdemeanor alcohol-related charges could be filed. Former Jayhawk forward Carlton Bragg Jr., who has since transferred to Arizona State, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia from the investigation after police found two glass smoking devices with residue inside.
Tonight’s Menu
It’s a busy day, and the big games start right away as well.
- The Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis is always a good doubleheader, and it starts with Butler taking on Purdue at noon, then Notre Dame and Indiana battling at 2:30 p.m.
- An old rivalry game also tips right away, as Seton Hall visits Rutgers at noon.
- Not far away, Madison Square Garden is home to the big Gotham Classic matchup of Memphis and Louisville at the same time.
- Miami heads north to George Washington at noon as well.
- An old Big East rivalry is renewed as Georgetown hosts Syracuse in the toughest test yet for Patrick Ewing’s first Hoya team (12:30 p.m.)
- LSU gets a stiff test as Stephen F. Austin comes to Baton Route for a 1 p.m. tip.
- The Hitachi College Basketball Showcase is on tap in Detroit as Michigan State takes on Oakland (2 p.m.)
- Also happening is the Orange Bowl Classic at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, with Oklahoma State taking on Florida State (2 p.m.), then Clemson putting their 8-1 mark on the line against Florida (4:30 p.m.)
- The Hy-Vee Big Four Classic in Des Moines has Drake taking on Iowa (2 p.m.), then Northern Iowa taking on Iowa State (4:30 p.m.)
- Virginia Tech puts their 9-1 mark on the line in a big way as they visit Kentucky (2 p.m.)
- Another rivalry game is the Windy City battle of Northwestern and DePaul at Wintrust Arena (2 p.m.)
- An important opportunity is on tap for Cincinnati as they visit UCLA (3:30 p.m.)
- A good matchup that has lots a bit of its luster is Illinois State visiting Ole Miss (3:30 p.m.)
- Freshman phenom Trae Young’s next stop is Charles Koch Arena as Oklahoma visits Wichita State (4 p.m.)
- A couple of underrated matchups on tap in the mid-afternoon are Vermont taking on St. Bonaventure in Rochester and CAA favorite College of Charleston visiting Rhode Island, both also tipping at 4 p.m.
- A good early evening game to watch is Middle Tennessee at Auburn (6 p.m.), a warmup of sorts for the Blue Raider faithful as the football team plays in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl later.
- Also at that time is another nice matchup with Fresno State hosting Oregon (6 p.m.)
- Former conference rivals meet later as Nebraska hosts Kansas (8 p.m.)
- Normally a good matchup, this time Arizona’s visit to New Mexico (8 p.m.) isn’t such a big game with the Wildcats underachieving thus far and the Lobos struggling.
- New Mexico State travels to Chicago to play Illinois in the Dynegy Shootout (8 p.m.)
- One last rivalry game will close out the day as BYU hosts Utah (11 p.m.)
