Kalin Lucas was the reason Michigan State kept pace with Gonzaga's backcourt play last night.
All that basketball was great, but it certainly made a case that teams might need an extra week of practice before hitting the hardwood for real in November. At least four of the games below were an affront to television worth paying for, and we were void of any true memorable action. In case you missed anything, CHJ’s usual quick-hit synopsis is below.
No. 1 Kansas 57, Memphis 55. The Tigers shot 28 percent in the first half. And who said things had changed? In all seriousness, Memphis played as badly as they probably could but still. There’s really nothing to take from this game. Neither coach is going to be happy with the play, and the tape may never get watched. And yes, we know, the floor looked terrible. But it made me crave peanut butter, so it’s a wash, really.
No. 2 Michigan State 75, Gonzaga 71. Kalin Lucas played exactly the way he should play all the time. For the first time in a long tome Gonzaga may have some legitimate issues in the paint. Even though the Bulldogs lost four starters, they handled themselves well in this one. From a basketball performance perspective, this was the game of the day. Full disclosure: I only watched four games. Sometimes, I hate my day job.
No. 9 Duke 101, Charlotte 59. Snoozer from the get-go. Nolan Smith looked nice with his 24, 5 and 5, which Blue Devils must absolutely love. And Duke related: talked with Jay Williams last night. Should have an interview with him up some time around Thanksgiving, hopefully.
No. 10 Tennessee 124, UNC-Asheville 49. Only an 18-0 and then a 27-3 lead to start the game for the Vols. I do like watching this team play when it gives a damn, which apparently happened last night against Asheville. Vols men’s and women’s teams outscored opponents 215-102 and made 25 3′s to opponents’ four in their games last night. Openly admitting to lifting that stat from Scott Van Pelt and SportsCenter.
No. 12 Connecticut 76, Hofstra 67. Why is it a four point game with seven minutes to go at Gample? UConn was out-rebounded, and Hofstra’s not even that big. There are serious warning signs right now.
No. 17 Oklahoma 72, Louisiana-Monroe 61. Willie Warren and his 24 points will be a near-nightly occurrence this year. He took the proverbial torch the day after Oklahoma’s season ended last year.
No. 19 Georgetown 46, Temple 45. There was a lot of ugly basketball yesterday. This game was a painful 19-13 game after 20 minutes. Pure agony to only watch this game from my Droid and see the tweets pop up every 30 seconds. Truly thought Temple stood a good chance to win this. I probably wouldn’t even put G’town in my top 25. I do give a lot of credit to the Hoyas, who played ugly but got the bucket they needed from Greg Monroe late and then cut off Temple’s penetration to stave off defeat.
No. 20 Louisville 96, Arkansas 66. It was win No. 750 for Pitino last night, which overshadowed his coaching matchup with former player John Pelphrey. I’m sure Pelphrey had some powerful flashbacks to those Kentucky teams when the Cards were flying up the floor and running away from the Hogs as the second half wore on. Jeff Goodman tweeted that Rotnei Clarke is the greatest shooter he’s ever seen. Can we pump the breaks? Clarke had 16 and admitted to struggling to find his own shot.
No. 22 Clemson 79, Liberty 39. Thought Liberty might be able to catch magic in a bottle. Man, sometimes it feels so good to be so, so wrong. Clemson didn’t shoot well from the field, but that’s been a bugaboo of theirs for a few years now. Score 79 and not crack the 50-percent mark? You know you’re moving out there. Very cool: More than 80 percent of Liberty’s student body attended the game and received and excused absence from class for doing so.
Notable:
Duquesne 52, Iowa 50. For all the good the Big Ten should bring this year, Iowa will be bringing up the rear. The Hawkeyes look to be worse than anticipated. Duquesne hadn’t won against a Big Ten team since 1973.
Illinois 80, Northern Illinois 61. Wake me when the Illini plays Clemson three weeks from now.
LSU 71, Western Kentucky 60. Stealth game here. Bayou Bengals get 28 from the SEC’s most underrated player, Bo Spencer.
Arizona State 52, TCU 49. Sun Devils escape. Stayed up to follow this one, only to see TCU give it away in the final 90 seconds. Horned Frogs should have taken it.
Siena 59, Northeastern 53. Saints are in my top 25 as of now. Once the Internets’ BlogPoll gets on its feet again I hope to still have them in there. Siena’s 18-3 run to start the second half offset the 38 percent from the field.
Pittsburgh 71, Binghamton 46. The Bearcats are nearly fielding a D-II squad. The 25-point win is an indictment against Pitt’s program!
Wofford 60, Georgia 57. The Mark Fox era will have its dark moments in its early days. Wofford ain’t good, folks.
St. John’s 69, Saint Bonaventure 68. Only because my roommate asked me to put it in here. “Dude! They started the season 2-0!”
