PC's CBB Corner 24-25: Week 1

Dude…

IS IT MARCH ALREADY!! NO, well it may have been only the first week of college basketball. We had an action packed game in Phog Allen. Multiple upsets, and elite eight style games! I’ve got my top 3 highlights of the week, plus my updated top 5 for you now!!!

Kansas Survives- Kansas invited the North Carolina Tar Heels into Allen Fieldhouse for the first time in forever. Kansas was an 8.5 favorite, which seemed like too big of a line to most experts. In the first half, Kansas came out on fire. Hunter Dickinson established himself in the paint, along with KJ Adams who found a few easy baskets early. The bench for the Jayhawks help contribute to a 20 point lead at half. Then, Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels started to cut the lead. Then cut it even more. Then, actually took the lead! Kansas fouled a lot. Which became a huge factor as the Tar Heels took well over 30 free throws. Two reasons came up for Kansas on why they won. First, the bench play was terrific. Zeke Mayo had 21, with some key shots on from the 3 point line. AJ Storr attacked the basket and scored 13. One of my favorite players Kansas has is Flory Bidunga, who brings an athleticism to his game that seems to be missing with big Hunter Dickinson. He flourishes on the defensive end as an anchor for that second group, who shows just as much firepower as the starting 5. 43 points off the bench will help you win. The second, it being in Phog Allen. One of, if not the hardest places to play in college basketball. The Phog was rocking and helped the Jayhawks to a victory. If it would’ve been in Chapel Hill, the outcome would have been different. The Hawks just don’t lose in Phog Allen. 

Upsetsssssss- Upsets are very common in college basketball. So many games, some one is bound to lose. Some key matchups happened as a few highly ranked teams took their first loss of the season. A big one was my #10 team in Texas A&M. They lost to UCF without Mikey Williams, who was out for the game. Darius Johnson and Jordan Ivy-Curry were lights out and helped the Knights come back. Watch out for them, with Williams in the mix, this is a dark horse to make a run in the Big 12 and could find themselves in the top 4. Texas lost to Ohio State, who was actually ranked in the legend Gary Parrish’s rankings in the pre season. Texas just looked soft, and Ohio State bullied them all game. Bruce Thorton had 20 and counter partner Micah Parrish had 17. Aaron Bradshaw who was the big pickup for the Buckeyes did not play well. If they can get him rolling, the sky is the limit for this Buckeyes team. Texas needs to figure it out, this was not the way they wanted to start the season. Finally, Auburn got into a fight on the plane, redirected it’s flight, kicked the two guys off the team, then flew to Houston and kick the snot out of the Cougars. ON THEIR HOME FLOOR! Johni Broome picked up where he left off. Tahaad Pettiford showed out and made countless big shots down the stretch and will be a HUGE factor for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers team. Houston doesn’t have to worry, but a big non conference win for Auburn will definitely help their resume come March.

ZAGS??!!-  You were right Mark Few.  I was wrong. I thought you were going to be shitty, but you're not. The Zags have done something that many teams have not been able to do. Build your young guys up and keep them to be your starters next season. Sure, the Zags lost Anton Watson, but retained basically everyone else. They hosted Scott Drew’s Baylor team into Spokane to play the first game of the season. The Zags obliterated the Bears in a 30 point victory. Nolan Hickman led the team with 17 points. Graham Ike got into foul trouble early, but still ended up with 15 points. The biggest factors and could be massive pieces to this Bulldogs team. Braden Huff reminds me a lot of Drew Timme, and how Few used him in the system. He ended up with 14 points on 7-11 shooting. Dusty Stroman is the white boy that can shoot. Reminds me of Corey Kispert as he went 3-5 from downtown and scored 11 points. Nembhard had 11 assists and the dogs are barking in Spokane as the Bulldogs catapulted into the top 5 of the AP Poll. 

PC’s Top 5:

1: Kansas- Kansas had a big win over UNC and moved up to the top spot in my rankings after the performance. The Jayhawks bench is a major improvement from last year and it could be a huge factor in keeping this spot in the rankings.

2: Alabama- I’m not necessarily punishing Bama, more of complementing Kansas’s big win. Bama has looked good through the first 2 games. However, not scheduling tough opponents in the first two games hurt their ranking.

3: Gonzaga-Big win catapults the Zags over the defending champions. Their huge win over Baylor makes them look like a legit threat for a national title this year. The starting 5 is good, but if Huff and Stroman continue to contribute like they do, this team will be tough to beat.

4: UCONN- Again, not punishing the Huskies, but complementing the Zags big win. The Huskies are doing just fine and have established themselves as a key threat to the national title. I just need to see them play good competition first.

5: Auburn- Jumping into the top 5 is the Tigers. After not being in my top 10 in the preseason, the jump comes from beating Houston in their building. After 2 players got into an altercation, the plane had to redirect and basically throw those players off the team. Then went into a tough environment and came out with a big resume building win. That alone, deserves to jump the Tigers into the Top 5.