Analysis

At Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. We’re about to find out a lot more about these power conference hopefuls, especially Syracuse, which has welcomed back native son Gerry McNamara as the new head coach after wasting a few years with Jim Boeheim’s top aide Adrian Autry. The recently-suffering Orange backers would be happy if McNamara brought his same Siena squad that scared the heck out of Duke in the first round of the Dance last March, and are cautiously optimistic after a couple of tune-ups past New Haven and Central Connecticut, really destroying the latter by 53 last Friday when hitting 64% from the floor and an even more-startling 71% (17 of 24!) beyond the arc, which would be difficult enough in a shootaround without any defenders on the floor. Tagging along with McNamara from Siena’s high-scoring outfit last season is 6-5 wing Gavin Doty, a volume shooter and 18 ppg scorer for the Saints and leading the way in the early going for the ‘Cuse while scoring at a 16 pg clip, and there is hope that Carmelo’s son, 6-5 sophomore Kiyan Anthony, might be on the verge of a breakthrough after scoring close to a point-per-minute when on the floor in the opening two wins. Meanwhile, Darian DeVries is a year further long in his Indiana rebuild, though in truth maybe not as he spent the offseason remaking a roster that wasn’t big enough to compete at the top of the Big Ten and made wholesale additions in the portal. It’s effectively a new Hoosier team, much as it is for McNamara’s Orange, with transfers like ex-Duke G Darren Harris (scored 23 in last Thursday’s blowout of Bellarmine) and ex-Villanova G Bryce Lindsay (14.5 ppg the first two) appearing to be the linchpins of the new-look Hoosiers. Many Big Ten insiders, however, expect IU to be a work in progress leading up to Big Ten action, and if McNamara really has something going on with the ‘Cuse, this one figures close.
Play Syracuse

Too soon to panic at Purdue? Perhaps so, but this is nonetheless the first time the Boilermakers have started a season 0-2 in 50 years, when legendary Fred Schaus (!) was still head coach in the 1976-77 campaign. Now, Purdue did get to the Big Dance that season, so history says all hope shouldn’t be lost, and no shame in losing the opener vs. Gonzaga in Las Vegas, but allowing heavy underdog Valpo to hang around and hang around last Friday until the Beacons stole a decision in double-OT has them a bit concerned at Rick Mount’s alma mater. Matt Painter’s immediate concern is 3-point shooting that went south (just 5 for 28) vs. Valpo and wasn’t much better vs. the Zags, now missing 39 of 49 beyond the arc...if it persists, a shortcoming that might make it harder to expand margins on capable foes. An even better contender from the same Missouri Valley, Illinois State, seems as much, with three starters back from an inspiring NIT semifinal run last March. After watching Valpo’s Rakim Chaney burn the Riveters for 35 last Friday, high-scoring Redbird G Johnny Kinzinger (23 ppg) might be thinking he can do similar, and while Purdue continues to search for its three-point stroke, Ryan Pedon’s bomb squad has hit better than 50% beyond the arc in the early going, including a gallant OT loss at a difficult Saint Mary’s venue.
Play Illinois State

How times change...just a few years ago, Eastern Washington’s season-opening three-game road swing would have been a road trip thru the Pac-12. Now, the Eagles have traversed three leagues (ACC-Stanford, Big Ten-Oregon and tonight the new Pac 12-Oregion State) against the same opponents. As usually the case for Big Sky members, including some of its better sides, one must wonder about the step-up in class, and Dan Monson’s Eagles were reminded of their uphill climb against these sorts when getting blasted by the Ducks in their last outing. Even as it is among the top Sky contenders, Monson’s team is going to be in trouble vs. higher-class foes if it can’t better its early-season three-point shooting that sits at only 25%, while defense (allowing nearly 58% FGs!) and rebounding have left much to be desired in the early going as well. Moreover, until Monson develops reliable second and third-scoring options beyond lone returning starter F Alton Hamilton (15 ppg), EWU will be swimming upstream against higher-caliber foes. We’ve seen enough of the Beavers in the first week to classify them as such, as new HC Justin Joyner (via Dusty May’s title-winning Michigan staff last season) has landed some under-the-radar nuggets from the portal, especially ex-Fresno F DeShawn Gory (17.5 ppg), ex-Buffalo G Daniel Freitag (16 ppg), and ex-San Francisco G Legend Smiley (also 16 ppg), among Joyner’s five double-digit scorers who have kicked-on nicely from the off. Two blowout wins, scoring 99 ppg, and hitting almost 53% from the floor have made OSU a team to watch in the “new Pac,” and it seems a good idea to keep riding the Beavers until further notice.
Play Oregon State

Usually we don’t get too involved in these big-spread November games but occasionally make an exception when the heavy favorite looks like it might be a wrecking machine. Meet Tennessee, which SEC sources are suggesting might have one of the deeper squads vet HC Rick Barnes has had in Knoxville, and perhaps giving a preview of coming attractions in an opening night blowout of Wofford. Sure, the Vols will eventually be facing much better than the Terriers, but foes of that caliber (which would include tonight’s Radford) will have trouble keeping pace with the waves of weapons Barnes will send on the floor. How deep is Tennessee? Consider that two of the top catches in Barnes’ heavy and very-decorated portal haul, ex-VCU G Terrence Hill, Jr and ex-Wake Forest wing Juke Harris, weren’t even in the starting lineup for the opener before combining for 24 points off the bench. Instead, it was rugged 6-8 soph PF DeWayne Brown II, one of only two returnees on the roster, proving the man of the match vs. Wofford when scoring 17 while devouring a beastly 17 rebounds in the romp. Keep in mind that Hill and Harris are among five portal adds who scored between 15 and 21 pg last season, confirming the potency and firepower at Barnes’ disposal. Meanwhile, the visiting Highlanders are built for the Big South, not the SEC, and losing contact in an opening California Bay Area road trip at both Cal and USF suggests Radford is likely to be well out of its depth against one of the legitimate big boys of college hoops.
Play Tennessee

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