Better re-think those preseason assumptions
On a night when college hoops’ top two teams escaped upsets, what’d we learn?
That Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are the key to Kansas’ season? Or that Kalin Lucas is Michigan State’s go-to guy? We knew all that going in.
Try this: Don’t forget recent history because Gonzaga and Memphis are actually good. Again. Re-think those preseason assumptions of who's good and who's not. There's no reason to adhere to what the rankings say when your eyes tell you different.
The old cliché still applies, I guess. The more things change – Gonzaga and Memphis both lost four starters from last season – the more they stay the same.
Al Goldis / AP |
As Raymar Morgan found out Tuesday, nothing's going to come easy against Gonzaga.
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Start with the Zags. Like Miami (Ohio) against Kentucky on Monday night, Gonzaga outplayed the No. 2 Spartans for most of the game, particularly along the frontline.
Sophomore center Robert Sacre played just 19 minutes due to foul issues, but finished with 17 points. Elias Harris (17 points, 9 rebounds) was effective as an undersized power forward who gave Draymond Green and Delvon Roe matchup issues. Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray didn’t shoot well (a combined 8 for 29), but had to do pretty much everything along the perimeter. And the bench surely gave Mark Few more options for later in the season when more hostile environments await.
Perhaps Michigan State isn’t the second-best team in the country. But hey, Tom Izzo said as much in the preseason, not that anyone was listening. The frontcourt was going to be an issue, which is why guys like Lucas, Durrell Summers and Raymar Morgan will carry the Spartans until then.
“It’s a big win for us because we didn’t play real well,” Izzo said. “Gonzaga took it to us for at least 30 minutes. I have a lot of respect for Mark and their program. They punched us in the mouth, picked us off the ground and punched us again.”
The same applies to Memphis and Kansas.
The Tigers lost their coach and most of their scoring from last season’s 33-4 squad. Yet they’re just as athletic and downright stingy on defense. Ask the Jayhawks.
“We’ve known for the past few days that they’re really going to give us a challenge and it proved to be right,” Aldrich said afterward.
Memphis coach Josh Pastner used just six players (well, seven, but D.J. Stephens played 1 whole minute), all of whom were aggressive on defense and fast in the open court. Will Coleman gave up 4 inches to Aldrich, but held his own in the post and even blocked one of Aldrich’s shots. Elliot Williams jacked up 18 shots – his potential game-winner was long – but that was because Kansas couldn’t stay in front of him.
The result made for one ugly game, though. Kansas went for .877 PPP, while Memphis was at .814. Neither team’s eFG% was above 50. The Jayhawks committed a turnover on nearly a third of their possessions. And without Collins and Aldrich – a combined 12 of 17 shooting for 30 points and 4 turnovers; the other 7 ‘Hawks were 8 for 26 and 16 TOs – it gets real bad.
Don’t expect anything easy against Memphis. Or Gonzaga. If a night like tonight didn’t convince you otherwise, you weren’t watching.
Follow me on Twitter (@BeyndArcMMiller) and get more college basketball news at NBCSports.com.
