The initial games are in the books for teams across the country.
Let’s review this past week, and preview the week ahead.
Week 1 Quick Hits
ACC – Four ACC teams (North Carolina, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville) suffered losses in Week 1. The rest of the conference is undefeated. UNC lost a 3 point game at Kansas. The Tar Heels were down 15 at halftime, but made it a game, and actually took the lead with 6 minutes left. Overall, I’d be encouraged if I was a UNC fan. The Tar Heels were said to lack inside strength, but they won on the boards 40-39, and had 31 FT attempts. Wake Forest improved to 3-0, with a 72-70 win this afternoon against Michigan. Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg missed most of the 2nd half of his 2nd game (against Army) with cramping issues.
Big 12 – While UNC rallied from being down 20 against the Jayhawks, KU still won. Kansas had 5 players in double figures against UNC. They put up 92 points, despite going just 6 of 21 from 3. Baylor entered the year ranked #8 Nationally, and lost their season opener by 38 to Gonzaga. As ugly as that game was, they did beat #16 Arkansas 72-67 their next time out. Five Baylor players in double figures against the Razorbacks. Really poor shooting in both game for Baylor though. #4 Houston lost to #11 Auburn Saturday night, 74-69. In that game, the Cougars were outscored by 10 in the 2nd half. The box score was largely even, with the only thing sticking out is that Auburn made 53% of their FG attempts, while Houston made just 41.4%. Arizona State is playing Gonzaga as we write this, with the Sun Devils down just 4 in the 2nd half.
Big East – Villanova, Butler, and Seton Hall lost games. Villanova’s lost being a 10 point loss at home to Columbia. Everyone else is undefeated. UConn scored 92 in both of their first games against Sacred Heart and New Hampshire.
Big Ten – Michigan (as mentioned above to Wake Forest), Northwestern, UCLA, and Washington have losses. The rest of the conference is undefeated. UCLA lost 72-64 to New Mexico. In that game the Bruins were 5 of 23 from 3, and had 24 turnovers. Wisconsin is 3-0, and averaging 84 points per game. Nice win for Ohio State over Texas, 80-72. Buckeyes were up from beginning to end.
SEC – Arkansas (as mentioned to Baylor), Missouri, South Carolina, Texas (as mentioned to Ohio State), and Texas A&M each have a loss. A&M lost 64-61 at UCF. The story there was UCF got to the line 31 times vs. just 14 for A&M. Alabama put up 198 points (99 per) in their first two games.
Local Schools
Coppin State – Eagles start 0-3. Had a competitive 15 point loss vs. Wake Forest, but followed that up with a 42 point loss at High Point. Then a 11 point loss to Rider.
Loyola – The Greyhounds are 1-1. They had a 3 point loss to Columbia (who again beat Villanova by 10), and a blowout win vs. Division 3 Lancaster Bible.
Morgan State – The Bears are 1-2. They beat D3 Frostburg State, lost by 5 at home to Mercyhurst, and by 18 at Longwood.
Mount St. Mary’s – The Mountaineers are 1-1, beating Notre Dame of Maryland (D3), and losing at Maryland by 34. The game at College Park got away from them, but it was a competitive effort for about 12 minutes.
Navy – A decent opening week for the Midshipmen. They had a 7 point loss at Saint Joseph’s, and they beat Harvard 85-80.
Towson – The Tigers split their first two games. They had a 7 point loss at Saint Mary’s. In CollegeInsider’s Pre-Season Mid-Major Top 25, Saint Mary’s was 5th, and Towson was 16th. Towson lost on the boards 41-30. In their second game, Towson blew out Penn State Wilkes Barre.
UMBC – The Retrievers are 1-1, beating Penn State York by 39, and losing to Penn State by 49. UMBC gave up 60 points in the 2nd half to the Nittany Lions, and lost on the boards 50-35. UMBC was just 19 of 65 (29.2%) from the floor.
Games Of Note This Week
All Percentages Are From ESPN’s Match-Up Predictor.
Michigan State vs Kansas – The 2-0 Fighting Tom Izzo’s face the Jayhawks. The Spartans are given a 36.6% chance of pulling the upset vs. #1 Kansas. Game at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Duke vs. Kentucky – The Wildcats are currently ranked #23 Nationally. They’re given a 29.3% chance of winning vs. #7 Duke.
Towson at South Carolina – The Tigers on the road against an SEC school. Towson is given a 20.2% chance of winning.
Coppin State at UMBC – The Retrievers are a 85.7% favorite here in a match-up of local schools.
Florida at Florida State – The Gators are currently ranked #21. The Seminoles have started 2-0, and are given a 37.8% chance of winning at home here vs. their in-state rival.
Alabama at Purdue – #2 Alabama travels to West Lafayette for a game against Big Ten favorite and #14 overall Purdue. ESPN’s predictor currently has Purdue as a 52.5% favorite of getting the home win.
Marquette at Maryland – #18 Marquette comes to College Park. We will have more on this game later this week.
Arizona at Wisconsin – The Wildcats are #10 Nationally. As mentioned above, Wisconsin has started 3-0. The Badgers are given a 33% chance of upsetting Arizona.
Ohio at Memphis – An under-the-radar game between favorites in the Mid-American, and American Conferences. Memphis a big favorite here at home.
Wake Forest at Xavier – ACC at Big East.
Articles To Read:
CBS Sports: Top 25+1
CBS Sports: November Madness: Top In-Season Tournaments
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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.