Finally, Real Hoops: Virginia/Arizona, Duke, Indiana
I'm cancelling my quixotic attempt to preview the entire AP Top 25, mainly because there's actual basketball to talk about. I caught much of Virginia's victory over Arizona, some of Duke-Georgia Southern, and nearly all of Indiana-Lafayette. So let's get to it, the first real "three-point" entry of the season.
1. 93-90??? Take a look at some of these early-season scores: Michigan St. 45, Brown 34. UConn 53, Quinnipiac 46. Heck, Marquette, a nationally ranked team, trailed at the half against Division II Hillsdale before pulling out a ten-point victory, and needed overtime to edge Idaho St.
It happens every year: Plenty of major conference, top 25 teams come out of the gates rusty, putting up low point totals and struggling with -- and in the case of Boston College against Vermont at home Monday night, losing to -- opponents they should easily beat. Offenses take a while to jell, and teams usually rely on defense and superior athleticism to pull out victories in these games.
So when two major conference teams put up postseason-worthy offensive performances in the first game of the year -- against each other, no less -- it catches my attention.
The Cavaliers and Wildcats put on an offensive show Sunday night, with UVa outgunning U of A in a stirring comeback victory in their new building. Arizona had 20 assists on 31 baskets, and Virginia shot 47 percent from deep and took 38 free throws. The Cavs may have found their third scorer in Mamadi Diane (25 points, 5 of 6 three-pointers), while the Cats seamlessly integrated freshman standout Chase Budinger (17 points) and overcame a poor offensive performance from point guard Mustafa Shakur.
Both teams are capable of playing better defense. But as good as these teams looked offensively, I can't wait to see how they look once they hit their stride in midseason.
2. Who will lead Duke? If all you saw was that Duke beat Georgia Southern 72-48, you'd naturally think that the Devils dominated the game. And they did in the second half, holding the Eagles to just 18 points in the second half. But that does not tell the entire story. It took more than a half -- and an earful from Coach K in the locker room, no doubt -- for the Devils to wake up.
What's concerning is that this is an uncharacteristically young Duke team, with no impact seniors and just one junior, wing DeMarcus Nelson. And with the team struggling to find its legs, neither he nor the two experienced sophomore starters -- Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts -- rose to the challenge. Paulus, the point guard, had just one assist. McRoberts, who tested the NBA draft waters last summer, showed little of his offensive arsenal. And Nelson, while he put up double figures in the half, didn't really take control the way you would want when the team needs a lift.
It got better in the second half, but the Devils need to replace departed seniors J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, and Sean Dockery -- not just their considerable production, but their leadership, their ability to win games. Unless a real leader develops, Coach K may not be able to let this edition of Duke self-correct as some of his other teams. He may have to be quicker with timeouts in trouble spots.
3. Sampson era begins at IU Another misleading score is Indiana's 91-66 victory over Lafayette. The Hoosiers used a huge run in the latter part of the second half to turn a one-possession game into a blowout.
New head coach Kelvin Sampson has definitely made his mark on this team. Sampson's squads at Oklahoma were always among the most physical in the nation, and he's brought that brand of basketball to Bloomington. The only trouble is that the players he has are not his recruits, and they aren't used to playing that way. I thought the referees may have called the game a little too tightly, but Indiana found itself in serious foul trouble all game long. The Leopards were shooting one-and-one with 12 minutes to go in the first half, and with 14 minutes to go in the second. It took D.J. White just over 3 minutes of cumulative floor time to pick up four fouls, and he didn't return until the game was well in hand. Midway through the second half, three IU starters -- White, A.J. Ratliff, and Ben Allen -- all had four personals. Indiana's aggressive defense also led to them getting burned on a number of smart backdoor cuts by Lafayette.
Offensively, Sampson's influence seemed present, as the Hoosiers looked markedly different than they were under Mike Davis. Earl Calloway was unstoppable going to the basket during one stretch, bringing an element that's been missing for quite a while. The Hoosiers still shot their share of three-pointers -- and Roderick Wilmont shot it particularly well -- but it never seemed excessive, like it has in the past. Furthermore, it seems logical that with White on the court, the Hoosiers will rely even less on the deep ball. Indeed, with so many players in foul trouble, it may be best to reserve judgment on the IU offense until next time out. But the Hoosier players will need to adapt their games to their new coach's aggressive style in order to stay on the floor.
1. 93-90??? Take a look at some of these early-season scores: Michigan St. 45, Brown 34. UConn 53, Quinnipiac 46. Heck, Marquette, a nationally ranked team, trailed at the half against Division II Hillsdale before pulling out a ten-point victory, and needed overtime to edge Idaho St.
It happens every year: Plenty of major conference, top 25 teams come out of the gates rusty, putting up low point totals and struggling with -- and in the case of Boston College against Vermont at home Monday night, losing to -- opponents they should easily beat. Offenses take a while to jell, and teams usually rely on defense and superior athleticism to pull out victories in these games.
So when two major conference teams put up postseason-worthy offensive performances in the first game of the year -- against each other, no less -- it catches my attention.
The Cavaliers and Wildcats put on an offensive show Sunday night, with UVa outgunning U of A in a stirring comeback victory in their new building. Arizona had 20 assists on 31 baskets, and Virginia shot 47 percent from deep and took 38 free throws. The Cavs may have found their third scorer in Mamadi Diane (25 points, 5 of 6 three-pointers), while the Cats seamlessly integrated freshman standout Chase Budinger (17 points) and overcame a poor offensive performance from point guard Mustafa Shakur.
Both teams are capable of playing better defense. But as good as these teams looked offensively, I can't wait to see how they look once they hit their stride in midseason.
2. Who will lead Duke? If all you saw was that Duke beat Georgia Southern 72-48, you'd naturally think that the Devils dominated the game. And they did in the second half, holding the Eagles to just 18 points in the second half. But that does not tell the entire story. It took more than a half -- and an earful from Coach K in the locker room, no doubt -- for the Devils to wake up.
What's concerning is that this is an uncharacteristically young Duke team, with no impact seniors and just one junior, wing DeMarcus Nelson. And with the team struggling to find its legs, neither he nor the two experienced sophomore starters -- Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts -- rose to the challenge. Paulus, the point guard, had just one assist. McRoberts, who tested the NBA draft waters last summer, showed little of his offensive arsenal. And Nelson, while he put up double figures in the half, didn't really take control the way you would want when the team needs a lift.
It got better in the second half, but the Devils need to replace departed seniors J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, and Sean Dockery -- not just their considerable production, but their leadership, their ability to win games. Unless a real leader develops, Coach K may not be able to let this edition of Duke self-correct as some of his other teams. He may have to be quicker with timeouts in trouble spots.
3. Sampson era begins at IU Another misleading score is Indiana's 91-66 victory over Lafayette. The Hoosiers used a huge run in the latter part of the second half to turn a one-possession game into a blowout.
New head coach Kelvin Sampson has definitely made his mark on this team. Sampson's squads at Oklahoma were always among the most physical in the nation, and he's brought that brand of basketball to Bloomington. The only trouble is that the players he has are not his recruits, and they aren't used to playing that way. I thought the referees may have called the game a little too tightly, but Indiana found itself in serious foul trouble all game long. The Leopards were shooting one-and-one with 12 minutes to go in the first half, and with 14 minutes to go in the second. It took D.J. White just over 3 minutes of cumulative floor time to pick up four fouls, and he didn't return until the game was well in hand. Midway through the second half, three IU starters -- White, A.J. Ratliff, and Ben Allen -- all had four personals. Indiana's aggressive defense also led to them getting burned on a number of smart backdoor cuts by Lafayette.
Offensively, Sampson's influence seemed present, as the Hoosiers looked markedly different than they were under Mike Davis. Earl Calloway was unstoppable going to the basket during one stretch, bringing an element that's been missing for quite a while. The Hoosiers still shot their share of three-pointers -- and Roderick Wilmont shot it particularly well -- but it never seemed excessive, like it has in the past. Furthermore, it seems logical that with White on the court, the Hoosiers will rely even less on the deep ball. Indeed, with so many players in foul trouble, it may be best to reserve judgment on the IU offense until next time out. But the Hoosier players will need to adapt their games to their new coach's aggressive style in order to stay on the floor.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 11:48 PM
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