Eight takeaways from a day that set up the season's biggest game
A sterling comeback for one of the state of Iowa's flagship teams. A frustrating near-miss for the other. Here are eight takeaways from a busy day in college hoops in which the Hawkeye State featured prominently in the action:
1. Monday could feature the rarest of all games: No. 1 vs. No. 1
The last time the No. 1 team in the AP poll met the No. 1 team in the coaches poll, Ohio State edged Wisconsin by a single point nearly nine years ago.
A 1-versus-1 matchup could happen again Monday night when 11-time reigning Big 12 champion Kansas hosts top challenger Oklahoma.
When top-ranked Michigan State fell at Iowa earlier this week, it opened the door for a new No. 1 team to emerge. The Jayhawks (12-1) entered the week ranked No. 2 in the AP poll and the Sooners (12-0) entered the week ranked No. 2 in the coaches poll.
Both Kansas and Oklahoma made strong cases to ascend to No. 1 on Saturday by notching victories over fellow Big 12 contenders.
Fueled by an energetic home crowd and an early scoring barrage from Wayne Selden, Kansas disposed of 23rd-ranked Baylor 102-74 in the Big 12 opener for both teams. By the time Bears coach Scott Drew called his second timeout, Kansas already led 24-4 and Selden already had tallied 11 of his game-high 24 points.
Oklahoma's margin of victory was much smaller, but the opponent it defeated was a bit better. Senior guard Isaiah Cousins tallied all 15 of his points in the second half, leading the Sooners to a come-from-behind 87-83 victory over No. 11 Iowa State in a game the Cyclones led by double figures in the first half.
When Buddy Hield sank a pair of free throws with four seconds left to put Oklahoma ahead by four, he didn't just clinch a victory for the Sooners. He also ensured that ESPN's Big Monday will more than live up to its name this week.
No. 1 vs. No. 1? Oklahoma vs. Kansas? Hield vs. Selden? This should be as anticipated a college basketball game as this season has produced so far.
2. Iowa belongs in the top 25 on Monday after back-to-back big wins
The lingering question in the wake of Iowa's one-sided victory over top-ranked Michigan State on Thursday night was what exactly the Hawkeyes proved by winning. Were they Big Ten contenders like they appeared to be that night or did they merely take advantage of the vulnerability of a Spartans team weakened by the loss of injured star Denzel Valentine?
It's probably too soon to draw sweeping conclusions one way or the other, but Iowa certainly validated itself further on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit and defeated 14th-ranked Purdue 70-63 in West Lafayette.
The key to the comeback was Iowa's trapping 1-2-2 press, which bothered a Purdue team whose point guards are its biggest weakness. The Boilermakers sank only 8 of 26 second-half field goal attempts and committed 10 of their 14 turnovers after halftime.
Whereas Jarrod Uthoff scored 16 of Iowa's 20 first-half points, the Hawkeyes' standout forward received more help in the second half. Uthoff finished with a team-high 25 points, but guards Peter Jok, Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons had a combined 26. Walk-on Nicholas Baer buried the game's biggest shot, a three with 6:30 to play to give Iowa a 51-48 lead that it maintained the rest of the game.
3. Lack of concrete information makes Caris LeVert's injury more worrisome
When Michigan announced Saturday morning that leading scorer Caris LeVert had suffered a "lower left leg injury," the wording of the release seemed purposely vague. Michigan coach John Beilein did little to clear up the confusion after his team dominated Penn State 79-56 in its first game without its injured star.
Beilein confirmed LeVert's injury happened when he stepped on an Illinois player's foot with three minutes to go in that game, but he would neither speculate on the extent of the injury or a timetable for the 6-foot-7 guard's return. Asked whether LeVert had undergone an x-ray, Beilein said only, "He’s had all kinds of information coming his way.”
The vague responses from Beilein suggest Michigan is concerned LeVert could be out for awhile. LeVert suffered a stress fracture in his left foot as a sophomore and then missed the latter half of last season when he broke that same foot.
Michigan dismantled Penn State thanks to torrid 3-point shooting and another strong interior game from Mark Donnal (16 points), but the Wolverines will have a tougher time in future games replacing LeVert's 17.6 points and 5.2 assists. Up next for Michigan is its toughest three-game stretch of the season: at Purdue, home against Maryland and at Iowa. Yikes.
4. LSU takes a small step toward salvaging its season in its SEC opener
After a dreadful opening two months in which it played a soft non-conference schedule yet somehow dropped five games, LSU needs to accomplish something spectacular in SEC play to get back into NCAA tournament contention. The Tigers took a small step toward that goal Saturday night when they recorded by far their most impressive victory of the season.
LSU won at SEC contender Vanderbilt 90-82 thanks to an uncharacteristically solid defensive effort and brilliant performances from Ben Simmons and Keith Hornsby. Simmons had 36 points and 14 rebounds by attacking the rim aggressively and consistently getting to the foul line. Hornsby added 23 points by knocking down four of LSU's five 3-pointers.
One win over a Vanderbilt team that has struggled in recent weeks won't save LSU by itself, but it's nonetheless an encouraging sign for the Tigers. They had previously dropped the only five games they had played against teams ranked 140 or better in KenPom. The victory was also important for LSU because of what the Tigers have next on their schedule. They host Kentucky and visit Florida, two more games in which they'll be underdogs.
5. Butler's defensive issues are becoming alarming
On Thursday, Butler blew an 11-point halftime lead at home against Providence because it surrendered 56 second-half points. On Saturday, Butler fell for a second straight time because it allowed Xavier to shoot 56.4 percent from the field. How did Bulldogs coach Chris Holtman feel about this development? As you might expect, he was not pleased.
“We’re not guarding the ball, we’re not defending the 3, we’re not defending the post and we’re not rebounding,” Holtmann told the Indianapolis Star. He later added, “The way we’ve defended these two games, to be honest with you, I don’t know who we’re beating in the Big East."
It's far too soon for Butler to panic considering it's two weeks removed from a win over Purdue and its two losses came against top 15 competition, but its issues at the defensive end certainly are a concern. The Bulldogs struggled to keep Xavier out of the paint or off the offensive glass, two big reasons they're 161st in KenPom's defensive efficiency rankings.
To begin the game, Holtmann tried to inspire a better effort by changing his starting lineup, inserting Kelan Martin, Jordan Gathers and Austin Etherington and leaving Kellen Dunham, Tyler Lewis and Andrew Chrabascz on the bench. The adjustment didn't help. The Musketeers jumped to an early lead and led nearly from start to finish.
6. Joel Berry's emergence provides North Carolina with another weapon
Joel Berry's early turnovers were a major reason North Carolina trailed at halftime for only the second time this season on Saturday afternoon, but the sophomore point guard redeemed himself in the second half. Eleven of Berry's career-high 19 points came in the game's final 5:07, helping the seventh-ranked Tar Heels rally past visiting Georgia Tech for an 86-78 victory.
Berry's most important basket was a catch-and-shoot top-of-the-key 3-pointer set up when his defender left him to double team Marcus Paige. He then extended the North Carolina lead to five on the Tar Heels' next possession by driving into traffic, drawing contact from Georgia Tech's Adam Smith and sinking the runner and a foul shot.
A non-factor for stretches of an injury-plagued freshman season, Berry has emerged as another key perimeter weapon for North Carolina. He is averaging 12.1 points and 4.4 assists so far this season, easing the pressure on star Marcus Paige with his ability to handle the ball and score off the dribble or from behind the arc.
7. Everything's a struggle for Michigan State without Denzel Valentine
Three games without Denzel Valentine have made one thing abundantly clear: Top-ranked Michigan State needs its injured national player of the year candidate back soon if it has any hope of winning the Big Ten this season.
First the Spartans needed overtime to survive Oakland's upset bid. Then they were barely competitive in a one-sided loss at Iowa. And finally on Saturday, it took them until the final minute to put away a struggling Minnesota team that has already suffered home losses against Milwaukee, South Dakota and South Dakota State.
Michigan State's biggest issue against the Gophers was its inability to prevent second-chance opportunities, an area that probably had as much to do with Marvin Calrk and Javon Bess sitting out as it did Valentine's absence. The Spartans also struggled to knock down shots against Minnesota's 2-3 zone for stretches, but 20 points from Bryn Forbes and 17 from Matt Costello were enough for them to eke out a victory.
The bad news for Michigan State is that Forbes and Costello probably aren't enough to lead the Spartans past some of the Big Ten's better teams, especially away from home. The good news is that Valentine may be back as soon as Jan. 10 against Penn State, so Michigan State may only need to survive one more game against middling Illinois before getting its star back.
8. South Carolina continues to gradually gain credibility
South Carolina's soft non-conference schedule made it difficult to earn respect before SEC play, but the Gamecocks did all they can to gain recognition. They completed the non-league portion of their season with an 86-76 victory over Memphis, elevating their record to 13-0 entering their SEC opener against Auburn on Tuesday night.
The main reason South Carolina defeated the Tigers was a formidable defense that forced 15 turnovers and limited Memphis to 31.1 percent shooting. The Tigers got to the foul line 36 times in a extremely tightly called game, however, their starters combined to shoot 9-for-36 from the field.
The question with South Carolina remains whether it can score efficiently enough against a set defense to maintain its torrid start against SEC competition. The Gamecocks got to the foul line a staggering 63 times on Saturday, but shot just 31.6 percent from the field and sank only 4 of the 17 3-pointers they attempted.
Why is 24th-ranked South Carolina ranked so far behind No. 3 Oklahoma or No. 17 SMU? It's because Saturday's win over a middling Memphis team is one of the most notable victories the Gamecocks have secured so far this season. South Carolina doesn't have any KenPom top 50 victories yet this season and the only top 100 wins it has besides Memphis came against Clemson, Tulsa and Hofstra.
PARTING SHOTS
• Is Texas Tech an NCAA tournament contender after its 82-74 home win over Texas? That seems premature given that the Longhorns were without Cam Ridley, but the Red Raiders are clearly much improved.
• Saint Louis won the A-10 in Jim Crews' first two seasons. The Billikens may finish without a win in his fourth one. An 85-57 loss to Rhode Island does not inspire confidence that Crews' team can be competitive in league play.
• In a league as tough as the ACC, NC State cannot afford losses like the 73-68 overtime upset it suffered at Virginia Tech on Saturday. That's the kind of result that could doom the Wolfpack to the NIT.
• Prediction: Northern Iowa will be the only NIT team with two wins over top 10 opponents. The Panthers fell to 9-6 after a two-point loss at Southern Illinois on Saturday evening.
• Maryland's 72-59 victory at Northwestern wasn't as close as the score indicates. The Terps led by 20 at halftime behind a big first half from Rasheed Sulaimon.
• Virginia remains a puzzle Notre Dame cannot solve. After a 77-66 victory on Saturday, the Cavaliers are 4-0 against the Irish as ACC foes and 9-0 against them overall since the early 1980s.
• What the heck Temple? The Owls followed up an impressive road win at Cincinnati with a 77-50 face-plant against Houston. Temple did not have a single scorer in double figures and went just 3-for-23 from behind the arc.
• Program that deserves more praise so far this season: Saint Mary's, which is trending toward a top-two WCC finish and a potential NCAA bid in what was supposed to be a transition year. The Gaels blasted San Diego 79-46 on Saturday night.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
