Analysis

We’re about to find out a lot more about the heavy reload job that Luke Loucks has done at Florida State, with a king-sized portal haul resulting in a near total revamp of the Noles roster. So far so good, and while the blowout of nearby Florida A&M was expected, the romp past a solid Sun Belt entry like Troy suggests Loucks might be onto something with his new mix. It’s still early days, but enjoying his time in Tallahassee thus far is 6-11 ex-Colorado Sebastian Rancik, already scoring at a brisk 21.5 pg pace, while other transfers like ex-Cincinnati wing Shon Abaev and ex-Mizzou G Anthony Robinson II are already scoring in double digits as well. Add in impressive debuts for touted frosh newcomers like 7-footer Marcus Ponder, 6-6 Brandon Bass, and 6-2 Martay Barnes, and FSU fans have something to look forward to these days besides who will be replacing Mike Norvell on the football sideline next season. Still, if experienced lineups mean anything, then the top-ranked Gators loom as a worrying matchup for Loucks because Todd Golden still has several pieces on hand who were involved in Florida’s national title run two seasons ago, including vet frontliners Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Rueben Chinleyu, while G Denzel Aberdeen is a boomerang transfer who played a role in the title run before spending last year at Kentucky. In all, Todd Golden retained 11 players from a year ago, a staggering level in this day and age in college hoops, and this mix has won a lot of games vs. top-shelf foes the past couple of years. The Gators also beat a solid Miami last week in Tampa when Haugh reminded of his prowess with a 19 & 10 showcase. Until we see the new-look Noles beat the sorts of foes this Gator core has bested the past couple of years, some of those on the road, we’ll start to take FSU a bit more seriously.
Play Florida

At the Tyson Center in Sioux City. Iowa has opened the season stifling Lipscomb and Eastern Illinois, allowing only 50.5 ppg in the process. Much like McCollum's team did last year in his Hawkeyes debut, the year before at Drake, and for many years prior to that at NW Missouri State. Though McCollum's recent star Bennett Stirtz is now in the NBA with the Thunder, don't feel sorry for the Hawkeyes, who returned more scholarship players (nine) from a year ago than any other Big Ten entry. Post-Stirtz, McCollum has a hybrid "total basketball" offense in which the plays can originate anywhere on the floor, all components capable of directing the attack. Versatile Illinois State transfer G Ty'Reek Coleman seems the most Stirtz-like, while McCollum's son Ben is a heady redshirt frosh who exhibits unsurprising basketball smarts, and already averaging double-digit scoring. On the other sides, we know that Mike Young's Virginia Tech teams will always have offense, and getting high scorers Amani Hansbverry (19.5 ppg early) and Ben Hammond (18 ppg) to stick around Blacksburg for another year was a plus. Yet the Hokies have been doing no better than the middle of the ACC pack lately because defense and rebounding haven't always up to par. If those remain shortcomings for the Hokies, rest assured McCollum will exploit them.
Play Iowa

A boo and a hiss to Villanova, which has announced that it is bowing out of the traditional Philadelphia "Big Five" games after this season, an incalculable blow to local hoops traditions. Even Eagles-centric WIP has taken it share of callers wanting to bash the Wildcats for what many in the Delaware Valley believe to be a mortal sin akin to cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, though 'Nova has telegraphed this punch for a few decades now after being the first Philly side to push for moving the Big FIve games to home courts and campus sites and away from the venerable Palestra save, for the games when Penn would be the host. Still, wherever the venue, clearing hefty imposts in Big Five games is tricky even without the added incentives of the anti-Villanova forces this season, though fair to ask if the visiting Explorers are capable of staying within earshot. Perhaps so, as HC Darris Nichols did regain the services of former Texas A&M transfer Rob Dockery, who resisted a portal move for another shot with Tom Gola's alma mater. Transfer G Kam Burton (12 ppg) is one of several portal adds already making contributions, and we won't dock La Salle too much for getting blown out by highly-ranked Houston in the opener. After all, we don't think (at least yet) that 'Nova is quite as good as the Cougars, especially after losing the opener to Notre Dame. At the moment, after three double-digit scorers departed after last season, Kevin Willard is looking for some new leaders among his various high-profile holdovers and portal adds to emerge; perhaps it will be Ohio State transfer F Devin Royal, scoring right about where he did (13.5 ppg) with the Buckeyes. Getting a handy W should be no problem for the 'Cats, but as we're talking about a price near the mid 20s for 'Nova to clear, that's a lot of Main Line lumber to chop.
Play La Salle

At United Center, Chicago. The State Farm Champions Classic has become an early-season college staple, with Michigan State, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky often rotating opponents each year in an ESPN neutral site doubleheader, with Rece Davis and friends taking time between games to announce the newest college football playoff rankings. (Though we wonder how this annual rite of passage might look in the future with the football side expanding its playoff to 24 teams for next season...stay tuned). On the court, while the Spartans are always a formidable foe, Tom Izzo has lost a lot of these major intersectional showdowns in recent years, but he's never far from posting wins, either. Easy wins over Quinnipiac and Toledo (rather impressive in the latter) signify it’s probably business as usual in East Lansing, and some regional insiders really like the looks of new weapons like frosh G Jasiah Jarvis (already averaging double-digit scoring) and 7-2 Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke, who gives Izzo a legit rim protector for this season. Mixed with plenty of experienced weapons including star G Jeremy Fears, taking points with Izzo is always tempting. Bonke’s presence also provides needed size to help deal with Jon Scheyer’s intimidating bigs like 6-11 jr. Patrick Ngongoba II (19 ppg in the early going) and ballyhooed 7-2 frosh Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, while 6-8 soph F Dame Sarr (14 ppg) looks ready to assume a more-featured role. The presence of the accomplished Fears, however, might give Izzo a slight edge in the backcourt, and even if Izzo often loses these sorts of intersectional showdowns in pre-league play, he’s usually close, like last year’s tight 66-60 setback to the Boozer-led Dookies at the Breslin Center. It might be splitting hairs to call for a Blue Devils win and Spartans cover, but we’ve seen that scenario evolve before in these featured early-season games.
Play Michigan State

The heat is on Penny Hardaway at Memphis, as his favorite son status in the city can only insulate him so much if the Tigers regress on the hardwood like they did last year, when down to 13-19. Well, early indicators suggest Memphis might be in the midst of a resurgence, with combative wins over favored sides like ranked Iowa State at Sioux Falls and well-regarded VCU right out of the chute. Hardaway, sensing trouble looming, hit the portal hard while looking for a new mix, and might have hit the jackpot with ex-Northwestern G Jayden Reid, who has lit the lamp for 29 ppg in the first two games while proving almost unguardable for both of those well-regarded foes. Penny’s collection of portal all-stars includes practically everyone making contributions, and there isn’t a team in the country who has already claimed a pair of scalps the caliber of the Tigers’ foes. For many teams, hitting Vandy in front of Veteran’s Day would induce cringes, but the Memphis victim’s list suggests that the Tigers should at least not be spooked by the Dores and their No. 22 ranking. Which some in the SEC feel is a bit of a slight after Vandy was a nose away from reaching the Sweet 16 last March and returns much of the same look, including Wooden Award candidate G Tyler Tanner (18.5 ppg), a likely first-round NBA draftee whenever he decides to turn pro, and now with a new running mate this season is ex-Washington State bombardier Ace Glass (14 ppg), who will be Mark Byington’s designated dagger-thrower, and already on six triples thru two games. Conclusion? Evidence suggests Memphis shouldn’t be out of its depth vs. Vandy if it could beat Iowa State and VCU.
Play Memphis

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.

No content available for this event at this time.