NCAA Men's D1 General Discussion

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Billy Dat

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I think we need a thread where we can talk about non-Duke, non-ACC games, especially in the pre-conference. Come conference time, maybe brevity's conference-specific threads will make more sense. Anyway, let's see if this sticks because there are so many good major inter-conference match-ups happening between now and the end of the year.

I'll kick us off with some quick takes on teams I have seen, and then we can naturally start talking about games, starting with tonight's Kentucky v MSU undercard.

Going in BartTorvik order because my KenPom isn't loading right now for some reason:

Houston - watched them against Auburn this weekend. They look on-brand, and interesting that so many freshmen will be playing major roles for them. Definitely impressed with the PG, Kingston Flemmings.

Illinois - I haven't seen the European Underwoods.

Michigan - saw a very small bit of their game against Kansas State. Dusty May still zagging with the 2-can't shoot-bigs line-ups. Is Cadieu miscast for this squad?

Gonzaga - haven't seen but the headline is that "The Zags are Back!"

Louisville - very impressed. They play fast, they have talent, they can shoot like crazy, they seem tough. Good for the ACC, glad we play them 2x.

UConn - also "back". Reed is a monster down low, Demary was a perfect fit as a transfer and is a bulldog, Ball and Karaban are as expected, veteran leaders who have been through the wars, Jayden Ross is really tough and looks just like Tyrese Proctor, freshman Braylon Mullins out injured but will be a shot in the arm around NYE...they are a force.

Purdue - love Braden Smith, TKR is back and looking tough, lots of classic Painter subs ala Mason Gillis ready to play Purdue bully ball. With Smith and TKR, they are in every game.

Florida - not out of the gate so great, we'll see how far the guards can come along to complement the beast frontcourt.

Arizona - well rounded team, very curious to see what they do in Storrs tomorrow night.

Kentucky - their mascot right now is the red cross. They need to get healthy. Interested to see how they look tonight against Sparty. But, lots of talent all over the place.

St. Johns - haven't seen
Iowa State - haven't seen
Vandy - haven't seen

Tennesse - haven't seen since we scrimmaged, their first big games will be in next week's Players Era event in Vegas

BYU - was very impressed with how they fought back against UConn this weekend. Dybantsa is more than an athlete, and he's a heck of an athlete. Riobert Wright, formerly of Baylor, looks good as their PG.

Kansas - very happy to be getting an in-person look at them tonight

Bama - Nate Oats ball in full effect, finding creative ways to shoot as many 3s as humanly possible.

UCLA - Haven't seen

You get the picture. Let's GO!
 
I watched a bit of Illinois vs Texas Tech which the Illini won. Stojakovic was really good and such a huge loss for Cal. Toppin had great numbers but also 6 TOs. Illinois had really good balance on offense while Tech only had two guys scoring and its defense was not up to last season’s standards (not surprising). Just based upon this game, Tech disappointed a bit and Illinois looked better than I expected.
 
I didn't see Arizona's win over Florida, but the most impressive team I've seen so far, hate to say it, is UConn. Demery and Ball is a solid, multidimensional and skilled backcourt. Karaban is a guy who makes winning plays and big shots, and is also very experienced. Tarris Reed has remade his body, is much quicker and bouncier than he was previously, and is a real load to handle down low now. When their prize freshman shooter Mullins is back from injury, this team will have even another weapon. Hurley already has the offense churning with all sorts of movement, sharp cutting, and solid screening actions. They're in midseason form already and it's going to take a major effort by a good team to beat them. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them take on Arizona in Gampel tomorrow night. Final 4-level matchup.
 
tommy said:
I didn't see Arizona's win over Florida, but the most impressive team I've seen so far, hate to say it, is UConn. Demery and Ball is a solid, multidimensional and skilled backcourt. Karaban is a guy who makes winning plays and big shots, and is also very experienced. Tarris Reed has remade his body, is much quicker and bouncier than he was previously, and is a real load to handle down low now. When their prize freshman shooter Mullins is back from injury, this team will have even another weapon. Hurley already has the offense churning with all sorts of movement, sharp cutting, and solid screening actions. They're in midseason form already and it's going to take a major effort by a good team to beat them. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them take on Arizona in Gampel tomorrow night. Final 4-level matchup.
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That will be interesting - especially to see how they negate Peat. Arizona looked good against Florida but the Gators guards were pretty average. Replacing Clayton is a huge problem because he bailed them out a bunch. I expect UConn to win and possibly by a good margin. If Zona wins or takes it down to the wire, I will upgrade them to title contender instead of top 15ish like I think it and Florida are right now.
 
AGDukesky said:
That will be interesting - especially to see how they negate Peat. Arizona looked good against Florida but the Gators guards were pretty average. Replacing Clayton is a huge problem because he bailed them out a bunch. I expect UConn to win and possibly by a good margin. If Zona wins or takes it down to the wire, I will upgrade them to title contender instead of top 15ish like I think it and Florida are right now.
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Wow I don't see any way there are that many teams better than Arizona and Florida. That's why they play the games!
 
tommy said:
Wow I don't see any way there are that many teams better than Arizona and Florida. That's why they play the games!
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To be fair to those teams, it was the first game of the season. I just think Florida is gonna lose several close games without better guard play. As for Zona, I think teams will defend Peat harder than Florida did and we will see how guys other than Bradley respond.

They are both clearly good teams and I haven’t seen all the candidates yet so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
 
My early returns on AR/MSU/KS/TTU/MI are similar. I'm thinking Duke will have a very strong collection of top 10-20 teams but no top 5 teams by the end of the year. By no means am I suggesting a need to schedule differently or an expectation to be undefeated. The TTU-Wake game might change my mind. There's a long way to go.
 
duke2x said:
My early returns on AR/MSU/KS/TTU/MI are similar. I'm thinking Duke will have a very strong collection of top 10-20 teams but no top 5 teams by the end of the year. By no means am I suggesting a need to schedule differently or an expectation to be undefeated. The TTU-Wake game might change my mind. There's a long way to go.
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I give Louisville a better chance at ending up as a top 5 team than the non-con opponents Duke has.

Agree with you though. I actually think it’s a non-con good schedule in that regard, provided that they win most of the games… which will still be tough!
 
RoyKent says...

Pope can’t beat good teams

Pope had $22 million and couldn’t land a star

Pope can’t land an elite high school player.

Mitch - cut your losses and end this please.
 
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Matt Norlander (@norlander.bsky.social)

Mark Pope has a $20 million problem and has to fix it ASAP. Kentucky is the sport's biggest blunder in the first 2+ weeks of the season, and the beloved alum is truly feeling some heat for the first time. Honeymoon phase is over in Lexington. Column from the Garden...
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