It’s easy to pile up on North Carolina right now, and if you’re a Duke fan, or a fan of many of the other ACC schools, it’s tempting. They’re one of those programs that will be relevant whether they’re contending for a national championship or missing the postseason. And right now, things are not well in Chapel Hill.
But let’s give some credit to the Tar Heels’ most recent opponent, Gonzaga. Because quite frankly, the Bulldogs are having a great year that was not a given a few months ago. Not many might have predicted that the Tar Heels’ trip to Spokane would end up in a convincing 94-81 win in favor of the Bulldogs that wasn’t even that close.
The Tar Heels certainly gave Gonzaga all they could handle for a while. They even led in the first half and showed signs of rallying early in the second half, but Gonzaga had too many runs to build a big enough lead that North Carolina could not overcome. Ironically, this marks the first time all year that the Tar Heels have scored at least 80 points.
Gonzaga entered the season with more questions than answers, because this team lost a lot from a year ago. Gone were Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke, Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell Jr. – none of them remotely bit players. Perkins, in particular, seemed a tough one to replace, both from the holdovers and newcomers. Who they had assembled seemed a bit questionable, at least to keep the Bulldogs at the level they have been.
All Gonzaga has done is lose only to Michigan in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis, and of late they are really rolling with wins over Washington, Arizona and now North Carolina. Corey Kispert, who had himself a night (26 points on 10-12 shooting, including 5-6 from long range) has gone from steady contributor to key player. Filip Petrusev, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, has become the first option up front. Joel Ayayi was a bit player last year and has emerged, posting a double-double on Wednesday night (11 points, 10 rebounds along with six assists).
The Bulldogs have six players averaging in double figures in scoring, with Ryan Woolridge being very close to a seventh at 9.8 points per outing. Their balance has been exemplary, and it’s a big reason they are winning. There is no sure NBA lottery pick like Hachimura, no seasoned veteran like Perkins. There is just good, steady talent and experience, along with Mark Few’s steady hand leading the way. I had my questions about this team entering the season, but the Bulldogs have resoundingly answered them thus far. They have made it through the toughest part of their schedule now.
North Carolina isn’t in a good place, to be sure. But give their opponent credit. The Tar Heels went on the road and lost to a very good team on their home floor on Wednesday night.
Side Dishes
Right after that game, Utah took on Kentucky in Las Vegas. The question of just how good Kentucky is remains, as Utah built a 17-point lead but watched Kentucky rally to tie it late. They regained it and had to hang on at the end, but did for a 69-66 win over the Wildcats behind 25 points and nine rebounds from Timmy Allen. Kentucky shot just 41.3 percent from the field and allowed the Utes to shoot nearly 55 percent, including 8-15 from long range. Other than a win over Michigan State on opening night, Kentucky has not knocked off a team of consequence; their best win is over Georgia Tech, who got handled by Ball State 65-47 at home on Wednesday night.
For the second night in a row, one arena played host to a tripleheader. The Toyota Center in Houston was home to Battleground 2K19 and opened with Oregon State getting past UTSA 88-78, and the second game came down to the end as Utah State got a buzzer-beating tip-in to edge South Florida 76-74 in overtime. In the final game, Baylor handled UT Martin 91-63.
The Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase had a doubleheader in Phoenix, and both results were noteworthy in part for an individual effort. In the opener, Loyola-Chicago stayed hot by riding a triple-double from Cameron Krutwig (22 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) to beat sliding Vanderbilt 78-70. The second game saw Saint Mary’s hammer Arizona State 96-56 behind 34 points from Jordan Ford, while the Sun Devils were basically a one-man show as Alonzo Verge Jr. scored 43 points. Saint Mary’s was 16-26 from long range.
Vanderbilt and Kentucky were not the only SEC teams to go down on Wednesday night. Tennessee went to Cincinnati and lost 78-66 as the Bearcats pulled away in the second half and shot over 56 percent from the field, placing six players in double figures. Also, East Tennessee State went to LSU and knocked off the Tigers 74-63. Salvaging the night for the SEC were Mississippi State, 77-68 winners over Radford thanks to a big second half, and Alabama, who went to Samford and won 105-87.
Other results of note: Virginia turned back Stony Brook 56-44; Michigan State held off Northwestern 77-72 in Evanston to go to 2-0 in the Big Ten; Dartmouth kept Central Connecticut winless as they beat the visiting Blue Devils 76-60; UNC Greensboro headed north and edged Vermont in a dandy 54-53; VCU rallied from being down by eight at the half to beat College of Charleston 76-71 behind 17 points and 11 rebounds from Marcus Santos-Silva; Syracuse pulled away from Oakland 74-62; Illinois State stormed back to score the final 11 points of the game and nip UIC 67-66; Pacific moved to 11-3 with a 74-66 win at UNLV; and Oregon took care of Montana 81-48 behind a double-double from Francis Okoro (12 points, 17 rebounds).
Mark Emmert has been a busy guy of late, largely dealing with the legal challenges via legislation – some already passed and others likely to come before long – to the NCAA’s current compensation model. While we won’t get into much detail here, it is interesting that he said on Tuesday that he is “profoundly concerned” about the lack of trust the public has in the NCAA. Frankly, the time for that passed a long time ago, because the public hasn’t trusted the NCAA for a long time and understandably so.
Tonight’s Menu
A lighter slate is on tap both in quantity and quality of games. The highlights:
- The best game of the night is early on, and one in which the home team could really use a win as Maryland visits Seton Hall (7 p.m.)
- Fresh off their win at North Carolina, Wofford now visits Duke (7 p.m.)
- After the Sun Belt opened up on Wednesday night, the other ten teams open up tonight, highlighted by UT Arlington visiting Georgia State and Texas State traveling to Georgia Southern (7 p.m.)
- UTEP is 8-1, but they get a real test in the form of a trip to Houston (8 p.m.)
- NC State hits the road to take on undefeated Auburn (9 p.m.)
- The best game out west might be UC Riverside hosting Northern Arizona (10 p.m.)
