Snap judgments from an upset-filled opening night
Snap judgments from season openers often turn out to be wrong a few months later, but it’s all we have to go on right now. Here are some first impressions from college basketball’s upset-filled opening night:
1. Wisconsin’s season-opening loss was worrisome
Western Illinois went 8-20 last season, won only three conference games and is projected to finish dead-last in the Summit League in this year. Somehow, someway, the Leathernecks opened the season by beating a team that has reached the Final Four two straight seasons. Lethargic on defense the whole night and inept offensively for much of the second half, Wisconsin fell 69-67 to Western Illinois on the same night that the 17th-ranked Badgers hung their Final Four banner from last season. While last year’s Badgers lost to hapless Rutgers and still recovered last year, there were some disconcerting issues Friday night that suggest the loss may not be a fluke. Wisconsin didn’t have a single player in double figures besides Koenig and Nigel Hayes until a late flurry from Vitto Brown brought his scoring total to 11. The Badgers also were consistently a step slow in their defensive rotations, allowing Western Illinois to shoot 54 percent from the field.
2. Grayson Allen is more than just a one-hit wonder
Seven months after he came off the bench to rally the Blue Devils past Wisconsin in the national title game, Allen showed he’s ready to build on that impressive performance. He tallied 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting on Friday night to lead his team to a season-opening rout of Siena. The ultra-athletic Allen scored in a variety of ways too, burying high-arcing threes, finishing in traffic off the dribble and even throwing down one memorable transition dunk. With Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook all playing professionally and this year’s freshman class still finding their footing, Duke needs someone to emerge as a go-to scorer early in the season. Right now, that’s a role Allen looks ready to seize.
3. Big Ten teams should stop scheduling North Florida
Eleven months after stunning Purdue in West Lafayette, North Florida toppled another Big Ten basketball power. Dallas Moore scored 26 points, dished out 10 assists and didn’t commit a single turnover to lead the visiting Ospreys to a decisive 93-81 victory over Illinois. Although never leading once the whole game and trailing in the second half by as many as 23 points are red flags for the Illini, this loss doesn’t necessarily signal that this season will be a disappointment. Illinois is shorthanded and lacking in continuity after losing key players to injuries or off-the-court woes. North Florida is also a quality team, having returned the bulk of its roster from an NCAA tournament team.
4. UCLA’s backcourt has to be much, much better
It’s probably time to pump the breaks on the Aaron Holiday hype a bit. One week after San Diego State coach Steve Fisher deemed Holiday UCLA’s best player after a scrimmage between the Bruins and Aztecs, the younger brother of Justin and Jrue Holiday looked every bit like a true freshman in his team’s season opener. He shot 3 of 13 from the field, committed six turnovers and dished out only one assist in UCLA’s turnover-plagued overtime home loss to Monmouth. With Holiday sputtering, Isaac Hamilton virtually invisible and Jonah Bolden sitting out for disciplinary reasons, Bryce Alford reverted back to trying to do too much. Sometimes that worked out in UCLA’s favor — like when he buried two threes late in regulation to give the Bruins a four-point lead. More often than not, it proved detrimental.
5. Baylor’s backcourt may be not be a weak link.
In a shockingly one-sided 99-57 rout of a Stephen F. Austin team that won 29 games last year, the Bears received better-than-expected performances from each of perimeter players. New point guard Lester Medford looked much improved while scoring 13 points, dishing out nine assists and largely playing under control. Wings King McClure and Al Freeman sank four threes between them and combined for 22 points on an efficient 8-for-10 from the field. Those are encouraging signs for a Baylor team that returns one of the nation’s top frontcourts. If the Bears get good guard play too, they’ll join Iowa State and Oklahoma as one of Kansas’ top challengers in the Big 12.
6. Belmont is a team nobody will want to see in March
If Belmont makes the NCAA tournament, whichever team draws the Bruins will not be pleased about it. The OVC favorites demonstrated that Friday night with a thrilling 83-80 road win against improved Marquette. Belmont was overmatched on the glass and surrendered 21 points and 16 rebounds to freshman Henry Ellenson, but the Bruins held off the Golden Eagles thanks to a combined 42 points from stars Evan Bradds and Craig Cradshaw. With four starters returning from a team that reached the NCAA tournament a year ago and pushed Virginia in the opening round, Belmont was not intimidated playing at Marquette. This wasn’t a bad loss for the Golden Eagles, but it’s not a fluky one either.
7. Rhode Island’s season may rest on MRI results
The worst moment of the night came midway through the first half of Rhode Island’s victory over American when Rams star E.C. Matthews suffered a potentially serious knee injury. Matthews drove to the hoop, planted in the paint and crumpled to the floor in pain clutching his right knee. He’ll undergo further testing this weekend to determine the severity of the injury. If Matthews suffered ligament damage, that would be a crushing blow to a Rhode Island team many consider the favorite to win the Atlantic 10. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 16.9 points last season for a Rams team that won 23 games and reached the second round of the NIT.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
