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Monday, January 20, 2025
For Virginia Tech, depth, especially in the frontcourt, would seem to be a concern as a result of injuries. Thus far that doesn’t appear to be the case, as was evident in Virginia Tech’s 59-57 win over Oklahoma State on Friday in the NIT Season Tip-Off consolation game.
Hartford needs some confidence, and they’re not getting it on the bottom line. An 0-5 start, thanks in large part to a lack of baskets at the offensive end, has made that hard to come by.
Radford had a tough weekend in Connecticut, losing both games in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Highlanders have had some bright spots so far, but new head coach Mike Jones knows there’s a lot of work yet to do with this team.
Steve Donahue knew this wouldn’t be pretty, but surely he didn’t think there would be something like this. A string of losses, sure. That might still come. But back-to-back blowouts, including Monday’s thumping at the hands of UMass in the Commonwealth Classic?
The ACC looks wide open, not to mention so-so, after North Carolina and Duke, and perhaps Florida State. That, along with what they showed at the Legends Classic, means a team like North Carolina State should be seen as one of those teams that can finish in that top half.
Long Island came to Connecticut without a win on the season, but emerged with their first two that included a Springfield Bracket title in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic.
Pat Chambers has a tough job ahead at Penn State. The first-year head coach has a team with a good deal of youth and in a tough place to recruit. His team took home a victory over South Florida on Sunday in a game that was anything but pretty, a positive end to a weekend that gave some indication of his challenge.
With all the talent Kentucky has, it can be easy to forget a basic thing: this team is young. On Sunday, that was evident as the Wildcats struggled to fend off an Old Dominion team that lost a great deal from last season’s team in terms of significant contributors.
It took a few years, but Oregon State looks ready to turn the corner into a contender. The early signs are there now that the talent is in place, and they have a good win to build on as well.
In getting the first win of the season and the first career win for head coach Mitch Henderson, Princeton certainly did some things well on Saturday. But there was also plenty to take away for future work from their 61-53 win over Buffalo that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
