It was a new night of the week. Other than that, nothing really has changed about the opening night of the college basketball season.
The Tuesday start that was supposed to be some revelation just brought us more of the same that we get every year in college hoops to start the season: a couple intriguing matchups, a few other good games off the radar, and then a whole lot of chaff of little interest to anyone but the hardiest fans. A sport that used to start the season with television quintupleheaders has now resigned itself to being all but invisible to start the year.
And so, something that should be celebrated-the beginning of the road to the Final Four, one of the greatest events in sports-continues to be about as uninspiring as can be humanly imagined. That this year’s first night took place on Election Day only magnified just what a poorly considered move this was for a sport that needs to be starting later, not earlier, if it’s really worried about competing with college football (as was allegedly the rationale for moving to the early-middle of the week in early November).
Of course, the season opener is really no longer about the entire country. The earlier start on a Tuesday now and then the move of the Champions Classic to that date ensured that college basketball’s opening night is now about four teams, and essentially no one else.
In a sport where so many already spend way too much time worrying about what affects a select few (see: rule changes designed for teams with the biggest and fastest athletes; so much concern about how amateurism hurts those poor five-star recruits), perhaps it’s appropriate that opening day is now truly something only for the top 1%.
Naturally, those whose coverage of the sport focuses on a select few teams and conferences don’t mind, and the hardest-core fans were still going to watch. And don’t get it wrong; of course having marquee teams play is a good thing.
Putting them on Election Night is incredibly foolish, though. And frankly, when it’s the same teams selected for it every year, the event reeks of being more of a 4 1/2-hour infomercial for those few teams than for the best of all. For anyone looking for an event to truly showcase the many layers that make college basketball a joy, though, Tuesday night was a dud.
It may have been a good thing for college basketball then that likely few casual fans noticed the Champions Classic games. For as delicious as the matchups looked on paper, the games were largely one-sided, save for a surprising comeback that saved some face in at least the opener.
Kansas led by 17 points in the first half and seemed to be on cruise control in the second half against Michigan State, except the Spartans just wouldn’t quit. State whittled the deficit down to three in the final minute, but the Jayhawks held on for the 92-87 win.
The No. 1-ranked team looked the part against a fellow top-10 team, with four starters in double figures led by freshman Quentin Grimes scoring 21 and Memphis transplant Dedric Lawson adding 20 points and 14 rebounds. And, frankly, the Spartans have little to feel bad about, either, though last year’s turnover problem emerged again (18 of them).
That was supposed to be a relative undercard for ESPN’s two favorite programs to meet in the second game. Alas, it was the far better game, after Duke drilled Kentucky to the tune of a 118-84 victory.
The Blue Devils’ freshmen were spectacular, with R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish combining for 83 points. It was pretty much a three-man team, but many an NBA team has won championships based on three players (though unheralded junior Jack White was also big off the bench with nine points and 11 boards, six offensive). So even if this is what Duke ends up being, it’s a team built for today’s college basketball rules.
Duke shot 54.4% and hit 12 of 26 from three while also committing only four turnovers, the latter possibly the most impressive stat of them all. Whether this was the opening statement by a juggernaut or merely a hot night against a good-but-hardly-great Kentucky team will be answered as the season goes on.
Side Dishes
- There were a few enlightening choices for season-opening games. North Carolina provided one with its agreeing to take on Wofford on the road, and the Tar Heels avenged last year’s loss to the Terriers by a 78-67 count. A better game most of the way than it looked in the final minutes, this one was tied with just over 10 minutes left. Luke Maye scored 24, though, and Garrison Brooks added a career-high 20. Wofford made just 9 of 35 from three-point range, a really tough way to try to pull off an upset, but this is a quality road win for the Heels.
- Another good game was Washington hosting Western Kentucky, where the Hilltoppers held a nine-point halftime lead before fading in the second half. It wasn’t pretty but Noah Dickerson scored 18 for the Huskies, who outscored WKU 46-19 in the final 20 minutes of a 73-55 win. Good scheduling of an opener for Washington, while for Western the sad reality with recent NCAA Tournament selection committees is this was practically a must-win.
- Florida State topped Florida easily in a rivalry game that featured a whole lot of really bad offense early. The Seminoles picked up the 81-60 win with some terrific defense and their traditional depth (11 players scored, led by P.J. Savoy with 20). The Gators, though, looked awful on the offensive end, way too often settling for bad shots.
- Nevada got a battle from BYU but pulled away late for an 86-70 win. The Wolf Pack shot just 37.9% (and only used essentially an eight-player rotation, rather interesting considering how deep this roster is considered to be). Jordan Caroline finished with 25 points and 16 boards, though, and BYU eventually couldn’t keep up hitting just 6 of 31 from three-point range.
- The shocker of the night came from Texas Southern, where Johnny Jones is the coach now and he led the Tigers to a 72-69 win at Baylor. TSU came back from 17 points down in the second half as Jaylyn Patterson-who played for Jones at LSU-scored 23, including his team’s final eight points.
- A surprise maybe not quite on the same level, but notable nonetheless: Louisiana Tech won at Wichita State 71-58, a good win for Eric Konkol’s Bulldogs, who were devastated by injuries and a midseason transfer last year. The Shockers are most definitely in reloading mode, and maybe even rebuilding. Still, a win at Koch Arena under any circumstances is impressive.
- Amidst the way too many guarantee games, of note was Virginia dismissing Towson 73-42 in its first game since its NCAA Tournament first round flameout last year. Also, defending national champion Villanova defeated Morgan State 100-77 as veteran Eric Paschall led the young squad with 26.
- One of the sport’s underrated rivalries also provided one of the best games of the night, as Boston University came back to top Northeastern 77-74. The Terriers rallied from an 11-point second half deficit to take this one on the road, a huge win for BU over a Northeastern team with very high expectations. And with the win, Boston U. now holds a 74-73 lead in the all-time series.
- Central Florida topped Rider 84-70 in what on paper was a quality matchup, with UCF one of the favorites in the American and the Broncs the heavy fave in the MAAC. This one was rather ragged and saw some awful free throw shooting; the Knights made just 25 of 45, but Rider was even worse, hitting 9 of 24.
- Illinois State fought off Florida Gulf Coast 74-66 in another solid opening matchup, getting 17 from juco transfer Josh Jefferson. Not a Picasso by the Redbirds, but it gets the job done.
- Pennsylvania came back to edge George Mason on the road 72-71, a solid win for the Quakers against a team some see as a top 3-4 squad in the Atlantic 10.
- Another ugly one for the Atlantic 10: George Washington built a 22-0 lead at home to start the game against Stony Brook-and lost. The Seawolves came all the way back for a 77-74 overtime win.
- Arizona State outlasted Cal State Fullerton 102-94 in two overtimes, with touted freshman Luguentz Dort debuting with 28 points for the Sun Devils. Impressive showing by the defending Big West champions, though, who got 33 points from Kyle Allman, 31 from Khalid Ahmad and played without top frontcourt guy Jackson Rowe, who is still rehabbing an injury.
- One of those games where one thought it would at least be competitive if not an upset, but instead turned out nowhere near close: Seton Hall destroyed Wagner 89-49. This is a good sign for the Pirates; the Seahawks are known for their defense, but Myles Powell lit it up for 30.
- A quietly stunning result: San Francisco on the road blew away defending Big West regular season champion UC Davis 76-42. Kyle Smith’s Dons are typically known for their Princeton-like offense, but they won this one with defense and rebounding, holding the Aggies to 27.5% shooting and posting a 43-28 rebounding advantage. USF also welcomed back Charles Minlend, Jr., who scored 16 after redshirting last year.
- Another WCC team off to a good start was San Diego, which defeated Weber State 83-66 in an attractive matchup of two of the 20 teams we featured in our 20 to keep an eye on column yesterday. Isaiah Pinero scored 25 and added 11 boards for the Toreros, while the Wildcats were seriously handicapped with high-scoring guard Jerrick Harding unable to go due to a sprained ankle.
- A couple other attractive games among teams just below the TV networks’ narrow focus: South Dakota State held off Grand Canyon 79-74 to win its nation-leading 21st straight at home. David Jenkins fired it up for 31, while Mike Daum added 20 and 13. Also, Georgia State edged East Tennessee State 74-68, with Jeff Thomas scoring a career-best 26 for the Panthers.
- Finally, a big man’s big man performance in the season opener by Western Michigan’s Seth Dugan. A 5-ppg, 4-rpg guy as a junior last year, the 7-footer Dugan put up career highs of 32 points and 22 rebounds in the Broncos’ 89-76 win over Detroit Mercy.
Tonight’s Menu. The night after the sport’s alleged big splash Tuesday is followed by a schedule less exciting than Penn State’s football uniforms, with Wednesday loaded with games against non-Division I opponents.
- The best game of the night by a country mile is the long-awaited matchup between Ohio State and Cincinnati (6 p.m. Eastern, ESPN2). These two have not met in a regular season game on one of their home courts since 1921, and just 10 times previous, total. Both are reloading this season, and it also would not surprise us the least if both are in the top 25 by the middle of December, either. This one should be on everyone’s watch list.
- Marshall faces a tricky opener as it travels a short distance to face Eastern Kentucky and star Nick Mayo.
- North Florida has been a popular pick to challenge in the Atlantic Sun, and the Ospreys open at Dayton.
- DePaul hosts MEAC favorite Bethune-Cookman for a TV date on FS1 (7:30 p.m.). Keep an eye on the Wildcats here.
- TCU opens with Cal State Bakersfield, a matchup between a Horned Frogs squad that was superb offensively last year against the Roadrunners, who are always pesky on D.
Have a good Wednesday.
Twitter: @HoopvilleAdam
