Dude…
Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve written over College Basketball. The holiday dry spell is over and conference play is heating up. Who will have a hot start? Who will struggle? These next few weeks will be the biggest yet, with key matchups taking place everyday all over the country. The CBB games are heating up, and I have your weekly corner 3 report to keep you up with all the action!
Florida is back- I’ve been talking a lot about the SEC. They are by far the best conference this year and it’s not debatable. With Auburn who has a ton of big wins. Alabama went to the Final Four last year with the same stars this year. Kentucky has a new coach but continues to get big win after big win. Florida started off the year undefeated. They now only have one loss on the season, which was an absolute classic at Kentucky when they lost 106-100. After the loss, they faced #1 Tennessee in The Swamp. The Gators had already impressed me with their high powered offense and stingy offensive rebounding. Tennessee has been running through everyone and has yet another great transfer in Chaz Lanier who is the top scorer in the SEC. You would think his scoring prowess would be in full effect, however, The Swamp had other plans. Chaz was held to 10 points with 3-16 shooting from the floor. He wasn’t the only one to struggle, the Volunteers shot 21% from the floor. The cold blooded back court in Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin showed up and had 25 points combined. Now, Clayton Jr. only had 7 points, but his performance in Lexington clearly demonstrates he is the best player on the team. This rough neck band of Gators are tough, stingy, and definitely a contender for the top spot in the SEC. Auburn and Alabama may still be “better” than the Gators right now, but come March, the Gators could go all the way.
Same ole Kansas- Yes I know another Kansas rant. Oh they’re still a top 20 team. They only have 3 losses. I DON’T CARE! They look bad. Like the first round upset in March bad. They lost to West Virginia at home in the first game in conference play. They have the same problems as last year. Their big 3 (Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Dajuan Harris) cannot perform the level they need to. Especially Hunter… The shooting was supposed to be fixed. It’s not. Zeke Mayo has been a great pick up, but the others have been a let down. They now have won their last 2 games. A blowout win over UCF, which shows how good KU can be when Dickinson actually decides to play as a big man and not miss simple layups. However, against Arizona State. It seems like Bill Self has to kick the team in the ass to get them going. Which shouldn’t be the case with 6th year guys. Sure, they beat some good, even great teams already this year, but who knows what team shows up. Are we getting National Champion contender or first round exit? I hate to say we have seen a first round exit team more times than the other. Let’s see how they handle the Big 12, but I don’t have high hopes for this Jayhawk team.
Big Ten’s best team is…- The Big Ten is a cluster of are they good or are they bad teams. First, Oregon made a commanding lead by beating foes such as Alabama and Texas A&M in the beginning of the season, but are now 2-2 in conference play. Illinois has a great freshman in Kasparas Jakucionis who is averaging 16 points per game. The pieces that Brad Underwood has put together make one of the best defenses in the nation. Blowing out Oregon made them a top contender. UCLA started off strong but has lost 2 back to back games. Nick Cronin has seemed frustrated after being blown out at home to Michigan, but Cronin has Tyler Bilodeau who is trying to lead the Bruins to a more successful season, which could be at the top of the Big Ten. However, the reigning champs in the Purdue Boilermakers have had some tough losses, but to opponents outside the conference. Braden Smith continues to be a dawg for Matt Painter and is a legit threat to repeat. Now, the real threat comes from the same state. Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans have proven to be great wins over Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio State. Jaden Adkins scored 13.6 points per game. Jeremy Fears Jr. is killing it with distribution of the rock to the right places. At 3-0 in the conference, Izzo has himself in great position to make a run in March. The second team is Michigan, where first year coach Dusty May has the Wolverines at 4-0 in the conference. They just beat UCLA on their own floor. Vlad Goldin followed Dusty May from FAU to Michigan to lead the Wolverines to the top of the conference. So, who wins? Illinois is the most impressive team. With big wins and star power. I believe the Fighting Illini will win the conference a be a legit title contender.
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