Reviewing Week 2, and previewing the week ahead.
Week 2 Quick Hits
ACC – Duke dropped their first real challenge of the year, 77-72 to Kentucky. Cooper Flagg had 26 points, and 11 boards, but the Blue Devils were just 4 of 24 from 3. Wake Forest is 4-1, after losing 75-60 to Xavier. Pittsburgh improved to 4-0 with a 24 point blow out of West Virginia. Florida State had a 13 point loss to in-state rival Florida. Duke is still 4th overall in the KenPom ratings, North Carolina is 14th, and Pittsburgh is 19th.
Big 12 – The Big 12 has 6 teams in the AP Top 25. Kansas followed up their win over UNC, with an 8 point win against Michigan State. Arizona let up 103 points at Wisconsin. Arizona State had a competitive 8 point loss to Gonzaga. The game was tied at the half. Gonzaga got to the line more often, and converted once there. The Zags also won on the boards. In the KenPom ratings, there are 7 Big 12 teams in the Top 16 overall.
Big East – Marquette won at Maryland, and the Golden Eagles are 4-0. Kam Jones is an elite college guard. Xavier had the aforementioned big win vs. the Demon Deacons. In the KenPom rankings, UConn is 5th overall, with the 7th rated offense, and 7th rated defense.
Big Ten – Purdue had the big win of the week, taking down Alabama 87-78. Only 3 turnovers for the Boilermakers. Indiana is 3-0, and they’re coming of a 16 point blowout of South Carolina. The Hoosiers were 27 of 33 at the line. We mentioned Wisconsin’s win over Arizona State. Rutgers and Illinois are both undefeated and now ranked. Purdue is the only team in the Big Ten that’s in the KenPom Top 20.
SEC – The SEC has four teams (Auburn 4th, Alabama 8th, Kentucky 9th, and Tennessee 11th) who are ranked in the AP Top 11. In the KenPom rankings, Tennessee is 6th, Alabama is 10th, and Texas A&M 15th are the top ranked SEC teams.
Local Schools
Coppin State – Three more beatings for the Eagles who are now 0-6. They were relatively competitive in their 17 point loss at Virginia, but destroyed the next two times out at UMBC, and at Miami.
Loyola – The Greyhounds fell to 2-2 with a 26 point beating VCU. Loyola made just 33% of their FG attempts.
Morgan State – The Bears are 3-2, as they won both of their games (U of DC, and NJIT) this past week. The schedule gets harder now, with three games (NC A&T, Buffalo, and Towson) where the Bears will be underdogs between now and Sunday.
Mount St. Mary’s – The Mountaineers had a good week, winning both of their games (@Bucknell, and St. Francis) to improve to 3-1. The win vs. Bucknell was in Double OT, and the Mountaineers had 5 players in double figures.
Navy – The Midshipmen fell to 1-3 with losses to Rider, and Campbell.
Towson – The Tigers began their week with a disappointing 26 point loss at South Carolina. In that game, TU was just 16 of 54 from the floor. Towson did rebound from that loss though, and beat James Madison. Dylan Williamson had 22, and four other Tigers each had 9. Towson is now 2-2.
UMBC – The Retrievers are 3-2. They beat up Coppin, and then dropped an 8 point game to Saint Peter’s.
Games Of Note This Week
All Percentages Are From ESPN’s Match-Up Predictor.
Gonzaga at San Diego State – The Mountain West hosts the West Coast Conference. The Aztecs are 2-0. Gonzaga is a 10.5 point favorite, and given a 70.6% chance of winning.
Hampton at UMBC – The Pirates are just 1-3, but they’re typically a solid program. Been in the CAA for a couple of years now. The Retrievers are 64.6% favorites here.
Purdue at Marquette – Interesting game here. Purdue coming off the big win vs. Alabama. Marquette winning at Maryland. Marquette is a 58.6% favorite to win.
Illinois at Alabama – The Fighting Illini are ranked 25th in the AP, and the Crimson Tide are 8th. Alabama is a 60.5% favorite to get the home win.
Baylor at St. John’s – #13 at #22. Rick Pitino has The Red Storm ranked in his 2nd year with the program. Baylor is a 67.3% favorite here to get the road win.
Syracuse at Texas – ACC at SEC. Texas is a big favorite at home.
Virginia at Tennessee – ACC at SEC. Tennessee is a big favorite at home.
Oregon at Oregon State – Former conference foes, still in-state foes go at it. Oregon State is 4-0, and in the WCC this year. Oregon is 4-0, and in their first year in the Big Ten. Oregon is a significant favorite here.
Duke at Arizona – #12 at #17. The Blue Devils are 3-1. The Wildcats are 2-1. Duke is a 54.3% favorite here.
Articles To Read:
CBS Sports: Top 25+1
ESPN: Judging 5 Early Over-Reactions
ESPN: Power Rankings
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.