Around the NCAA in opening night 2013

[FerryFor50]

Kentucky has its hands full with UNCA so far. Guess it's not fair to have to play UNCA this early. At least we're starting to have a UNC we can root for...

Syracuse is also in an early fight with Cornell. Silent G has already played some minutes and contributed.

UConn is swatting the Twerps.

Michigan us shaking off the rust against UMass Lowell. (No McGary)

[FerryFor50]

Kentucky is pulling away now..

Syracuse is down to Cornell by 6 at the half. Silent G has been relatively silent..

[FerryFor50]

NC State is struggling a bit with App State. Is it really Appalachian's state?

[duke4ever19]

Maryland and Boston College are the first ACC teams in the loss column.

[duke4ever19]

I'm checking out the 2013-14 Heels. They are up big, but Oakland is almost comically bad.
There is not much to take from the game because it looks more like fools gold.
IC is loving it though.

[FerryFor50]

I'm checking out the 2013-14 Heels. They are up big, but Oakland is almost comically bad.
There is not much to take from the game because it looks more like fools gold.
IC is loving it though.

I dunno... Tokoto is looking real good. He didn't look this good last year even against bad teams. And JMM looks like the player he should have been the past few seasons. Will be interesting to see UNC against Kentucky...

[duke4ever19]

I dunno... Tokoto is looking real good. He didn't look this good last year even against bad teams. And JMM looks like the player he should have been the past few seasons. Will be interesting to see UNC against Kentucky...

Oakland is shooting 20% from the field. They have many opportunities to make wide open shots. Brick city.

I'm not taking anything from UNC's play, they are doing some good things (ball movement in particular), but Oakland isn't a challenge, at least on this night.

[FerryFor50]

Oakland is shooting 20% from the field. They have many opportunities to make wide open shots. Brick city.

Oh I know they're stinky. But that hasn't stopped UNC from looking real sharp on offense...

[davekay1971]

Oh I know they're stinky. But that hasn't stopped UNC from looking real sharp on offense...

Pretty easy to look sharp against a terrible team that's totally overwhelmed. Not dismissing UNC's performance, just qualifying it with the competition. I feel much more comfortable taking positives away from Duke's game tonight...beating the snot out of a Bob McKillop coached Davidson team isn't as easy as we made it look tonight. I get the feeling Oakland, at least the way they're playing tonight, could make a whole lot of teams look good. UNC, and their fans, get hope for life-without-PJ tonight...but not much else.

[FerryFor50]

Pretty easy to look sharp against a terrible team that's totally overwhelmed. Not dismissing UNC's performance, just qualifying it with the competition. I feel much more comfortable taking positives away from Duke's game tonight...beating the snot out of a Bob McKillop coached Davidson team isn't as easy as we made it look tonight. I get the feeling Oakland, at least the way they're playing tonight, could make a whole lot of teams look good. UNC, and their fans, get hope for life-without-PJ tonight...but not much else.

I hope you are right, but they still looked sharp in the first half. 2nd, not as much.

[Dukehky]

Joel James is a monster. Skill wise he's kind of like Marshall, except stronger, not as fast/jump as high. The difference is that Marshall doesn't get many minutes whereas James has to play a lot... I think Jabari is going to eat McAdon'ts lunch. Isiaah Hicks hasn't played as much as I thought he would. I thought he would be a big part of the team especially with PJ and L-Mac out. I like Hicks, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Oxford Webb HS

[FerryFor50]

Joel James is a monster. Skill wise he's kind of like Marshall, except stronger, not as fast/jump as high. The difference is that Marshall doesn't get many minutes whereas James has to play a lot... I think Jabari is going to eat McAdon'ts lunch. Isiaah Hicks hasn't played as much as I thought he would. I thought he would be a big part of the team especially with PJ and L-Mac out. I like Hicks, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Oxford Webb HS

Hicks would have played more if Tokoto hadn't looked so good tonight.

[FerryFor50]

Oakland has come to life a bit. UNC has come back to earth a bit.

[BD80]

Oakland was facing a down year, lost key players from last year's team and lost its best returning player to injury. Has been a tourney level team, but not this year. Not even close.

[davekay1971]

Oakland winning the second half! :rolleyes:

[El_Diablo]

For the first 40 minutes of Sportscenter, a box taking up the corner of the screen loudly proclaims:

UPDATE
ANDREW WIGGINS
16 PTS
IN DEBUT
5 Kansas Def.
LA Monroe 80-63

The hype around this kid is ridiculous.

[jipops]

For the first 40 minutes of Sportscenter, a box taking up the corner of the screen loudly proclaims:

UPDATE
ANDREW WIGGINS
16 PTS
IN DEBUT
5 Kansas Def.
LA Monroe 80-63

The hype around this kid is ridiculous.

KU also had 15 turnovers which is worth noting.

[TexHawk]

KU also had 15 turnovers which is worth noting.

Starting PG Naadir Tharpe was suspended for this game for playing in an unauthorized scrimmage over the summer. (Backup KU big man Jamari Traylor played in the same scrimmage, but he wasn't suspended... yay NCAA.) As a result, freshman backup PG Frank Mason was forced to start, in his first NCAA game. He got two fouls in 2 minutes, leaving Connor Frankamp as the only somewhat capable PG left able to play. Frankamp is going to be a stud, but he's not a college point guard yet. The stats don't show those two guys turning the ball over (1 TO between them), but they continually put their big men in poor position to do something with the ball (Traylor had 4 TOs, Wiggins and Ellis had two each).

15 turnovers sounds like a lot, but it's about on par with the average Bill Self season in Lawrence. Especially in the first game, without your point guard. Since 2007, I believe KU averages between 12 and 14 turnovers per game.

[allenmurray]

Maryland and Boston College are the first ACC teams in the loss column.

Maryland in the ACC. Thankfully we won't have to say that anymore after this year.

[Indoor66]

"Kentucky’s Julius Randle is more physically imposing. Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins is more dynamic. But no one’s more ready than Parker (http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2013-11-09/opening-night-college-basketball-jabari-parker-duke-kentucky-kansas-north-carolina-scores-results-new-rules-ncaa-georgetown)."