NCAA Basketball: Five takeaways from thrilling Tuesday evening
Jan 3, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Jordan Shepherd (13) dribbles on TCU Horned Frogs guard Jaylen Fisher (0) during the second half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. TCU won 60-57. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
What can we take away from Tuesday night’s crazed NCAA basketball action?
Tuesday was one of the best night’s of college hoops so far this season, as there was a remarkable four hour window that featured a top 25 upset, two near upsets and a late night dramatic overtime thriller.
It started with two seven o clock games between Wisconsin and Indiana, and North Carolina and Clemson. The Badgers and Hoosiers competed in the only top 25 match-up of the night, with Greg Gard’s team stealing a quality road win and solidifying their status a Big Ten favorites.
Meanwhile, North Carolina and Clemson played an up-and-down affair that resulted in the Tar Heels winning in overtime. Joel Berry II scored 31 points and the Tar Heels made the proper plays down the stretch to avoid a two game losing streak.
Then came the night caps. Kentucky drilled Texas A&M at Rupp Arena and TCU squeaked by Oklahoma, 60-57, in Fort Worth, but the two best games of the evening came in Lawrence and Lubbock.
Kansas State nearly snapped Kansas’ 49-game home win streak, however, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk completed a “walk-off” win with a coast-to-coast buzzer beater.
(He didn’t travel or anything…)
And then, Texas Tech knocked off No. 7 West Virginia by one in overtime. The Red Raiders blew a five-point lead down the stretch of regulation, but were able to ultimately pull out the win thanks to a corner three from Anthony Livingston.
After watching five games in one night, and with so much going on in such a short period of time, I decided to create five takeaways from Tuesday night’s action. It was truly a crazy night in college hoops.
Dec 31, 2016; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Jaron Blossomgame (5) goes up for a shot against Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Konstantinos Mitoglou (44) and center Doral Moore (4) in the first half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
5. It’s time for Jaron Blossomgame to knock down his 3’s
Jaron Blossomgame is by far the best player on Clemson’s roster. He’s the team’s leading scorer at 17.8 points per game and he scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting last night against UNC.
But in order for the Tigers to reach their full potential before March, Blossomgame needs to start being more efficient from beyond the arc.
Last year, as a junior, Blossomgame drilled a career high 45 percent of his three-pointers. This year, in his final season of college hoops, the forward is hitting just 16 percent (!) of his trifectas (a career low).
While it certainly isn’t the reason the Tigers lost last night, better shooting from Blossomgame would help open the floor for the rest of the Tigers in future games. It would give Avry Holmes and Shelton Mitchell more opportunities to penetrate. It would give Marcquise Reed better looks from beyond the arc. And it would give players like Donte Grantham, Sidy Djitte and Elijah Thomas more room to operate in the post.
Blossomgame could be operating at an even higher level than currently is. And that will only help the Tigers qualify for the Big Dance.
Jan 3, 2017; Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Anthony Livingston (21) celebrates his winning 3 point basket against the West Virginia Mountaineers in overtime at United Supermarkets Arena. Texas Tech defeated #7 West Virginia 77-76. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
4. Texas Tech is highly underrated nationally
Coming into conference play, I was higher on the Texas Tech Red Raiders than most. The Red Raiders haven’t proved me right yet (winning one game at home in conference play is only a step in the right direction), but they looked like a team that is here to stay in the Big 12.
The Red Raiders shot 51 percent from the field, drilled 54 percent of their threes and had 16 assists on 25 field goals. Most impressively, they only turned the ball over 13 times against ‘Press Virginia.’ Think about that: West Virginia is forcing nearly 25 turnovers per game, which is first in the nation.
And the Red Raiders turned the ball over just 13 times.
That’s remarkable.
Texas Tech is old, tough, deep and balanced. They don’t have one star that can carry the team, but they don’t lack offensive punch either. Zach Smith and Anthony Livingston are studs in the post, while Devon Thomas and Keenan Evans give Chris Beard a solid starting guard duo. In addition to those four, the Red Raiders bring Niem Stevenson in for scoring and Shadell Millinghaus for additional hustle plays.
And that’s without even mentioning Justin Gray, Matthew Temple and Aaron Ross.
Tech is not going to blow opponents away with their athleticism and skill level, but they’re 17th in the country in points allowed (61.1), as they defend at one of the highest levels in the nation.
The Red Raiders are 12-2 with their losses coming against Auburn and on the road at Iowa State. They aren’t in the mix to win the league, but an upper half finish in the Big 12 is very realistic.
Jan 3, 2017; Bloomington, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) drives to the basket against Indiana Hoosiers forward De’Ron Davis (20) at Assembly Hall. Wisconsin defeats Indiana 75-68. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
3. Ethan Happ is the best player on Wisconsin
If you haven’t already noticed, last night was confirmation that Ethan Happ is indeed the best player on Wisconsin’s roster.
While Nigel Hayes was making poor decisions with the basketball and Bronson Koenig battled first half foul trouble, Happ showed off his full arsenal. His footwork, awareness, high IQ, passing ability and touch is incredible, and Wisconsin actually opted to run their offensive through him down the stretch of the game.
And it worked.
When defenses collapse on Happ (they have to because he’s so efficient), that leaves an extra player open on the outside. The Badgers hit 10 threes mainly because of Happ’s play in the post. Indiana’s defense was more concerned about his moves on the block than about Koenig, Vitto Brown or Zac Showalter on the perimeter.
Happ doesn’t get the buzz of Hayes or Koenig. Those guys receive the national attention because they both have been around the program for three plus years and played in the National Championship game a couple seasons ago. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t re-adjust how we view Wisconsin’s pecking order. Happ is the best player on this roster.
Jan 3, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger reacts on the sidelines against the TCU Horned Frogs during the second half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. TCU won 60-57. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
2. What a difference a year makes in Norman
In 2015-16, the Oklahoma Sooners were riding high with Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard. They finished the regular season with a 24-6 record and recorded 25 wins after completing the Big 12 tournament. Then the Sooners made a run through the NCAA Tournament, resulting in an appearance in the Final Four where they lost to the eventual national champs.
Flip the script to 2016-17, and Oklahoma is having massive difficulties. Sure, Woodard has been dealing with an undisclosed illness and a leg injury, but even with him in the lineup, the Sooners have struggled. Lon Kruger’s team is currently 6-7 and are in 8th place in a deep Big 12. They’ve lost five straight games (all against quality opponents) and have zero quality wins on the season.
Last night, they were defeated by TCU, 60-57, without Woodard. Oklahoma does have some promising players in Christian James, Khadeem Lattin, Kristian Doolittle and Kameron McGusty, but they are young and inexperienced. They only have two players averaging in double figures and Dante Buford, who was supposed to be a breakout player, is only putting up 2.9 points per game.
A turn around is not in sight for the Sooners. They could very well finish 8th or 9th in the Big 12 a year after making the Final Four.
Jan 3, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks players celebrate after a score during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 90 to 88. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
1. Baylor has a shot at challenging Kansas in the Big 12
No, Baylor did not play on Tuesday night — they host Iowa State on Wednesday. However, Kansas did show some vulnerabilities against Kansas State at Phog Allen Fieldhouse that make it reasonable to think that the Bears could challenge the Jayhawks.
First of all, I am not diminishing Kansas State as a team. The Wildcats lost one game by one point at a neutral site before last night and were very impressive on Tuesday.
But Kansas also showed very little resistance on defense at times. They gave up 88 points, let Kansas State shoot 51 percent from the field and only forced nine turnovers.
"… It is the poorest defensive team that we've ever had."
Full quote from Bill Self, blasting #kubball's defense. pic.twitter.com/ATK5hgDSbF
— Scott Chasen (@SChasenCJ) January 4, 2017
Now maybe it’s just an overreaction or maybe Self is trying to drive home a point after a near loss, but it’s not a good sign that the coach believes his players are not taking pride and are not tough on the defensive end.
In Baylor’s case, they’re the complete opposite. They’re long, athletic and aggressive on the defensive end, and have excellent chemistry on offense. Scott Drew is a fantastic coach (not on Bill Self’s level, but still great) and has done a terrific job with his veteran team.
Also, when Baylor does match-up with Kansas, the Bears have the size to overpower the Jayhawks’ front court. Landen Lucas has played better since Udoka Azubuike’s season ending injury, but they still need Carlton Bragg Jr. to be better and the Jayhawk bigs don’t nearly have the physical traits of Jo Lual Acuil Jr. and Johnathan Motley.
Even though the Jayhawks are still the heavy favorites to win their 13th straight league title, the door has been slightly opened for Baylor. Can the 2nd ranked Bears continue to prove themselves? That’s the real question.
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