The chaos of males’s faculty basketball has been on full show in current weeks, from the insanity of Feast Week to Kentucky’s loss to Clemson on Tuesday, to Creighton’s upset of No. 1 Kansas on Wednesday.
Among the many highlights of this week’s SEC/ACC Males’s Problem and Massive 12-Massive East battles had been a number of, high-level performances from a handful of stars. A few of these efforts had been generated by acquainted faces, however a pair of freshmen — one who is likely to be the most effective participant within the nation, and one other who had barely performed up to now — had been the clear headliners.
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What ensued was one other reminder that this sport is at its greatest when new stars emerge and demand our consideration. These gamers who excelled for his or her groups on Wednesday are worthy of recognition now, and within the coming months main as much as the NCAA event.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and Joe Lunardi put a bow on two of the largest early-season days in males’s faculty hoops, breaking down the celebs, an upset and why we ought to be apprehensive about one specific energy convention.
Six stars from Wednesday evening
Cooper Flagg and Isaiah Evans, Duke Blue Devils22 factors, 11 rebounds, 4 assists (Flagg); 18 factors, 6-for-8 from past the arc (Evans) in Duke’s 84-78 win over Auburn
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Duke’s Isaiah Evans drains 6 treys within the first half
Duke freshman Isaiah Evans turns it up with six 3-pointers within the first half vs. Auburn.
Duke obtained large manufacturing from two members of its vaunted freshman class — one anticipated, the opposite fully out of nowhere. However coach Jon Scheyer wanted each Flagg and Evans handy Auburn its first lack of the season. Early on it regarded as if the Tigers would possibly run Duke out of its personal fitness center. So Scheyer turned to an unlikely supply: Evans, who had performed 44 minutes whole in his first seven video games — together with zero minutes towards Kansas, Arizona and Kentucky. However the No. 15 recruit from the 2024 class hit six 3s within the first half, scoring 18 factors in simply 11 minutes to assist Duke proper the ship and take the lead.
Then it was time for Flagg to take over. He had 16 factors after halftime, profiting from matchup points and constantly attending to the rim. After late-game struggles towards Kentucky and Kansas, Wednesday was an opportunity for Duke’s younger roster to step up and make an announcement. — Borzello
Pop Isaacs, Creighton Bluejays27 factors, 7 rebounds, 4 assists in Creighton’s 76-63 win over Kansas
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The numbers behind Creighton’s upset win over No. 1 Kansas
Take a look at the most effective stats and tidbits from Creighton’s takedown of No. 1 Kansas on Wednesday evening.
Isaacs confronted quite a lot of points within the first month of the season: He was held out of the season opener after present process hip surgical procedure final spring, and he was restricted on the Gamers Period Pageant in Las Vegas due to an sickness. If Wednesday featured a totally wholesome Isaacs, although, Greg McDermott will probably be very pleased with the Texas Tech switch shifting ahead. Isaacs was the staff’s go-to man in each halves towards Kansas. He hit three early 3s within the first seven-plus minutes to set the tone, however it was his back-to-back 3-pointers early within the second half that gave Creighton some separation. Two extra buckets a few minutes later answered a pair of Kansas mini-runs.
If Isaacs will be the staff’s high perimeter scorer to stability out Ryan Kalkbrenner down low and Steven Ashworth on the level, a totally wholesome Creighton ought to return to its elite offensive methods after some early-season stumbles. — Borzello
Liam McNeeley, UConn Huskies17 factors, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks in UConn’s 76-72 win over Baylor
Liam for THREEEEE! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/m7n1NbBXVD
— UConn Males’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) December 5, 2024
Wednesday was a vital sport for UConn. The Huskies beat Maryland-Japanese Shore over the weekend, however their three losses in three days on the Maui Invitational had been nonetheless contemporary of their minds. They had been additionally nonetheless with out All-American ahead Alex Karaban, who’d sustained a head damage in Maui. That opened the door for five-star freshman McNeeley to take over because the staff’s main offensive choice.
McNeeley actually received going after halftime towards Baylor, getting back-to-back baskets early to present UConn the lead. He was one of many staff’s emotional leaders, he performed with assertiveness and aggressiveness — all the pieces coach Dan Hurley wanted to see from his staff after final week. — Borzello
Mark Sears, Alabama Crimson Tide20 factors, 7 assists, 2 steals in Alabama’s 94-79 win over North Carolina
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Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Sport Highlights
Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Sport Highlights
Throughout a wild four-minute stretch within the first half towards UNC (16:12 to 12:18), Sears — a preseason AP All-American and SEC participant of the yr — scored 9 factors and recorded assists on a pair of 3-pointers to assist Alabama take a 21-14 lead. North Carolina by no means closed the hole.
It is a stark distinction to final week, when the Tide had been both tied or down at halftime in all three of their video games within the Gamers Period Pageant. They averted the identical state of affairs towards the top-25 Tar Heels by showcasing their offensive capabilities, in addition to the challenges all opponents will encounter this season when coach Nate Oats’ squad will get an early lead and its greatest participant impacts the sport the way in which Sears did. — Medcalf
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State Cyclones24 factors, 2-for-4 from past the arc, seven assists in Iowa State’s 81-70 win over Marquette
He is Completely Feeling It.#Cyclones | #C5C | @kg2times pic.twitter.com/ULWK1lM2IX
— Iowa State Males’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) December 5, 2024
In November, Kam Jones made his case within the nationwide participant of the yr race. However on Wednesday he was not the most effective participant on the courtroom in Marquette’s matchup with Iowa State. As a substitute, it was Gilbert, who guided Iowa State to a top-five victory over the Golden Eagles. This type of efficiency is changing into the norm for the previous UNLV switch: He has scored 23 factors or extra in three of the previous 4 video games. He is additionally shot 59% from contained in the arc and 82% from the free throw line this season.
It has been an unbelievable begin for a participant who hopes to guide Iowa State its first convention regular-season championship since 2001, and its first Ultimate 4 look since 1944. Gilbert’s effort Wednesday was convincing. He is enjoying like one in every of America’s greatest proper now for a top-10 staff. — Medcalf
ACC does itself no favors vs. SEC juggernaut
The ACC spent a lot of the offseason lamenting its Choice Sunday snubs from March. The convention had put solely a 3rd of its groups within the 2024 NCAA event, in comparison with 57% of each the Massive 12 and SEC, and 43% of the Massive Ten.
Most galling to ACC supporters was the convention persevering with to outperform its numbers within the event itself — a constant sample within the NET period and in direct distinction to the development of getting fewer groups and lesser seeds within the bracket. The ACC has despatched 51.7% of its NCAA groups to at the very least the Candy 16 since 2019, tops amongst all conferences, in comparison with the Massive Ten’s bottom-end 11.4% in that class.
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Extra with much less versus much less with extra, if you’ll.
In search of to completely proper the ship, projected ACC bubble groups made a concerted effort to schedule higher within the 2024-25 season — particularly, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Clemson, Miami, Syracuse and Notre Dame of their respective nonconference slates.
There was just one downside: You continue to must win video games. And the just-concluded ACC-SEC Problem has been nothing in need of catastrophe for the ACC. Past the league’s dismal 2-14 displaying throughout the 16 video games Tuesday and Wednesday, groups that the convention most wanted to indicate up merely didn’t.
At this level, the ACC will probably be hard-pressed to exceed its 2024 bid whole, even with California, Stanford and SMU added to the combo.
The SEC, then again, is rolling towards an all-time season. In 2011, the Massive East despatched a file 11 of its 16 groups — together with eventual champion UConn — to the event. The SEC is on tempo to have at the very least 12 of its newly configured 18 groups on the board in March 2025.
If and when it occurs, we might do nicely to recollect this primary week of December. — Lunardi
The large Tuesday upset
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Clemson followers storm the courtroom after upsetting No. 4 Kentucky
Clemson followers storm the courtroom after the Tigers stun No. 4 Kentucky 70-66.
This was an enormous win on Tuesday for Clemson. Ian Schieffelin (20 rebounds) was improbable on the glass, whereas Jaeden Zackery and Chauncey Wiggins each hit large photographs within the second half. The Tigers have now received every of their previous 4 video games towards AP top-five opponents; in response to ESPN Analysis, they’re solely the third staff ever to take action and the primary since UTEP from 1985 to 1992.
So what went fallacious for Kentucky? Put merely, its exterior photographs weren’t falling. The Wildcats made three of their first six 3-pointers after which made simply 4 the remainder of the sport. After making one trey on the primary possession of the second half, they made only one over the subsequent 19½ minutes, a stretch that did not finish till Lamont Butler made one with two seconds left within the sport. For an offense that leans closely on its capturing prowess, issues actually turned slowed down late within the contest within the half-court sport. Otega Oweh tried to get his personal shot, Jaxson Robinson tried to get his personal shot and so did Andrew Carr and Butler. However none of these guys is supposed to be a main shot creator on a constant foundation. Brad Brownell’s protection confirmed up, and Kentucky’s shooters did not reply.
The Tigers are coming off an Elite Eight look, however they did not obtain a lot hype getting into the season. Now, they’re 8-1, with the lone loss coming in a real street sport at Boise State. They’re fairly clearly a top-four staff within the ACC, and that is the kind of win that may have endurance come Choice Sunday. — Borzello
