College Basketball is Back!!! Here’s what I’ve noticed thru Week 1 with all the teams in the Big Ten.
The Real Deal
Week one is the first opportunity for fans to watch star recruits and transfers for the first time, and watching those players beat up on a Charleston Southern-type team to boost your overconfidence is college basketball tradition. All that being said here are some stray thoughts on how good some impact freshmen and transfers looked in their debut.
The Freshman
- Jett Howard is absolutely the real deal. Howard put up 21 points with 5 made threes and 5 assists in Michigan’s win against IPFW. Howard is a scoring force and will be right there with Hunter Dickinson for leading scorer as well as All-Big Ten considerations for the Wolverines.
- Malik Reneau might already be Indiana’s second best player. Reneau is a stud in the low post with great footwork and a skillful turn and face game. His polish is amazing for a freshman and he abused lower quality big men to score 15 and 9 points off the bench in his first two games. The fit between Reneau and TJD will be big going forward as IU’s best lineup could be with both of them out there. Reneau hit his only 3 point attempt against Bethune Cookman and if he can hit 3s consistently that can go a long way for him and TJD being able to share the floor together.
- Brice Sensabaugh has been a highlight for Ohio State with 14 points and 17 points through the first two games. Sensabaugh has shown a real skill at slashing, finishing at the rim, and a sweet midrange game. His three point shooting isn’t there in the first two games but he has shown plenty of scoring ability to compensate for that. With Sensabaugh, Justice Sueing, Tanner Holden and fellow freshman Roddy Gayle Jr, the Buckeyes have plenty of scoring on the wing.
The Transfers
- Sam Griesel returns home to Nebraska after playing four seasons at North Dakota State. Griesel has scored 40 points thru two games while grabbing 8 rebounds and 3 assists a game. Griesel looks to be the guy to fill the scoring void that Bryce McGowens leaves behind. Nebraska is full of big minute transfers like Juwan Gary, Blaise Keita, Emmanuel Bandoumel, and Griesel as Hoiberg overhauled the Cornhusker roster this offseason.
- Terrance Shannon is one of the higher profile transfers in the country let alone the Big Ten. After a modest showing in Illinois’ exhibition, Shannon scored 24 points going 13-15 from the free throw line in their opener against EIU. Illinois looks good (more on them later) and Shannon is on the right path to the All-Big Ten predictions people had for him in the preseason.
More Impact Transfers:
- Jahmir Young for Maryland
- Cam Spencer for Rutgers
- Dawson Garcia and Ta’Lon Cooper for Minnesota
- Max Klesmit for Wisconsin
- Camren Wynter for Penn State
It’s Just One Game
Now not everyone immediately succeeds. Sometimes it will take a few games for a freshman to get used to the speed of the college game. Or sometimes a transfer will need some time to build chemistry and find their role. Week one is all about overreacting to the good and not overreacting to the bad. Here’s a few guys from your favorite team to not be worried about yet.
- Jaelin Llewellyn
- RJ Melendez
- Freshman guards Skyy Clark, Jalen Hood Schifino, Bruce Thornton
Teams that caught my eye
Iowa is super balanced and everyone is a breakout
Coach Fran McCaffery is showing once again why he is such a good offensive coach. After losing top 5 pick Keegan Murray and 13 year veteran Jordan Bohanon, Iowa’s offense keeps chugging along with 89 and 112 points in their two opening games leading them to be once again a top 5 offense according to kenpom.com through the first week. The Hawkeyes are balanced with all 5 starters scoring in double figures in their first game. Iowa has multiple breakout candidates with Kris Murray, Patrick McCaffery, and Payton Sandfort all taking major leaps while Tony Perkins and Filip Rebraca look very comfortable in their roles. Shoutout to Connor McCaffery for taking a step back and letting players like Sandfort, Murray, and his younger brother Patrick be able to step up.
Illinois is deep and dangerous
Watch out! Coach Brad Underwood has Illinois right back to the upper tier of the Big Ten. Illinois lost a lot from last year’s regular season Big Ten Championship team. With Curbelo, Grandison, Plummer, Cockburn, Frazier and others gone, some people were asking would Underwood and the Illini have staying power at the top of the Big Ten. Turns out the lllini
Purdue’s Freshman Guards are ready to compete now
Much was made in the offseason about Purdue’s guard situation with Jaden Ivey, Eric Hunter Jr., Sasha Stefanovic and Isaiah Thompson all gone. Freshmen Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are now the two starters and both impressed in their debuts.
Ohio State’s three point shooting might be their downfall
Ohio State looked great in their wins against Robert Morris and Charleston Southern but I am not sure about their three point shooting going forward. We know Justice Sueing isn’t a 3 point shooter, Zed Key is inconsistent from distance, and the Buckeyes’ 4/15 effort against Charleston Southern is concerning.
Going Small
One interesting note is that several teams around the Big Ten are leaning away from the traditional plodding center that often defines the Big Ten. Michigan State, Penn State, Nebraska, Minnesota, and sort of Ohio State. How will these teams fair against bigs like Hunter Dickinson, Zach Edey and Cilff Omouryi.
Spotlight Teams
Starting next week I will be covering one team a week in the Big Ten as the weeks spotlight team. I will cover all 14 teams so stick around for your favorite team. Week 2’s spotlight team will be Michigan State.