-Jim Root
Now that fans (and media) are allowed back at games, we at the Weave want to attend every game we can. Unfortunately for me, there’s only one Division I program in Las Vegas, severely limiting my opportunities. So as the city became the epicenter of college hoops during Thanksgiving week, I cannonballed into the deep end of the college basketball pool.
In eight days, I attended 17 games, saw 13 D-I teams play live (plus Chaminade), and generally just injected liquid hoops into my veins like an addict on an insane bender — you know, typical Vegas behavior. Here’s a small(ish) takeaway on every Division I team I saw (my apologies, Silverswords), ranked from best to worst.
1. Duke
What a damn game, folks. Two heavyweights hurling haymakers back and forth, punches and counterpunches, every player on the court stepping up at various moments – that’s basketball bliss. I WANT MORE!!
Paolo Banchero was absolutely dominant in the first half. His somewhat surprising willingness to take (and make) threes stretched the Gonzaga defense to its limits. That opened driving lanes for Duke’s guards, ultimately leading to Mark Williams having an alley-oop extravaganza inside.
But really, Williams’ presence on the other end was the game-changer. He quickly racked up five blocked shots, and after the game, Coach K raved about how many more he altered throughout the contest. Similar to those altered shots, his greatest impact (at least in my opinion) was not explicit in the box score.
He made Drew Timme work. Timme still had a nice game, but Williams’ stout positioning made every finish a challenge, and the buckets felt difficult to the point that “throw it inside to Timme” ceased to be a go-to option for the Zag offense. Timme did not feel like the same cheat code he has been in basically every other game.
GIF of the week:
Williams held up one-on-one, allowing the Blue Devils to stay home on Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton down the stretch. He has now allowed just six points on 14 post ups this year, an outrageous rate that puts him in the 93rd percentile nationally as a post defender.
He is not tailor-made for every matchup. But Williams was exactly what the doctor ordered in this one, and he dominated on both ends of the court.
2. Gonzaga
NOTE: I was not in person to see Gonzaga shove UCLA into a locker and give the Bruins a collective swirly, so that is not factored in here.
Gonzaga not only played its first single-digit regular season game since December 2, 2020, but it also lost its first regular season game since February 22, 2020. Ah, back when COVID was an illusory worry that had not taken over our lives…
And yet, it felt like a successful night for the Bulldogs on many ways. They did not play well for large stretches but hung around (and took the lead) against an elite foe. Anton Watson was a defensive destroyer. Andrew Nembhard racked up 11 assists.
Most importantly, though, Gonzaga found offense even when Drew Timme was faced with a daunting matchup. Julian Strawther fully emerged as a bona fide star, burying key shots at crucial points of the game to keep Gonzaga within striking distance. Multiple times, he silenced a swelling Duke crowd surge with cold-blooded calmness.
GIF of the week:
If he continues to grow as a star on the wing, Gonzaga can continue to challenge the sky-high ceiling that last year’s squad showed. The Bulldogs may face Duke again in New Orleans, and you can bet Strawther’s contributions will be paramount to reversing Gonzaga’s fortunes in round two.
3. Arizona
Well alright then, Tommy Lloyd!
Arizona entered this year with plenty of intrigue. The exceedingly international roster and foreign-friendly new boss seemed like an ideal fit, but without any on-court evidence, hype around the Wildcats remained tempered. Yes, they blew out their first three opponents by 39, 54, and 52 points, but drawing definite conclusions from those contests felt premature.
These two games in Vegas, though? Particularly the Sunday night demolition of Michigan? Yeah, that was legitimate.
Sean Miller left the cupboard well-stocked, something Lloyd has openly acknowledged, and the Wildcats are enormous at four spots. Few teams can match the immense 2 through 5 group they possess: 6’6 Bennedict Mathurin, 6’7 Dalen Terry, 6’11 Azuolas Tubelis, and 7’1 Christian Koloko are all huge for their particular positions.
That has weaponized a defense that engulfed a potent Michigan attack, and the ‘Cats have yet to allow a team to score better than 0.89 points per possession. Unsurprisingly, Arizona now ranks 2nd nationally in 2P% defense and is up to 11th in KenPom’s Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. That defense is the bedrock for a team that I believe is “national title contender” good.
Defense begets offense.
GIF of the Week:
It’s no accident that the Wildcats rank 6th nationally in average possession length. When they secure a defensive board or swipe a turnover, there’s a clear directive to quickly look up court for easy opportunities.
That attack has been led by Kerr Kriisa, a hyper-competitive, loud-mouthed Estonian with the game to back up his gab. His unparalleled swagger sets the tone for the Wildcats, and his eyes are constantly darting around the court hunting the perfect pass. His union with Lloyd has been perfect; his coach told him he was “the most European-American coach in the game” when re-recruiting him from the portal.
Arizona is legit – so legit that I added a 95/1 future during the Wichita State game (the Shocker comeback felt a bit fluky due to ice cold Arizona shooting). The Wildcats’ pure joy while dismantling Michigan reminded me of Dayton’s ebullient energy at Maui in 2019, and that team quickly rose to the nation’s elite.
4. Wisconsin
We owe Johnny Davis a loud, coordinated “we’re sorry” for excluding him from our Top 100 players. He was the best player at the Maui Invitational, overshadowing guys that we did rank – Marcus Sasser, Will Richardson, Kyler Edwards, Tyrece Radford. His outburst early in the Houston win set the pace, and he made massive plays late in that one and the championship that helped clinch the Badgers’ title.
Wisconsin’s system requires at least one guy who can score late in the shot clock, and Davis absolutely has that ability.
GIF of the week:
Tyler Wahl was also a revelation, getting key bucket after key bucket in both the Houston and Saint Mary’s victories. Gard mentioned how important it was for Wahl to have to lead the team against Providence without Davis available, even in a loss:
“I think the other big thing for Tyler was when Johnny didn't play last week against Providence. Even though we lost the game, Tyler had to step in and really do a lot of things and did them well…I think that gave him a boost of confidence and I made sure to point that out to him and to the team.”
The Badgers will have some droughts, but Brad Davison is clearly fearless, the defense is stout, and Davis and Wahl proved they can get to their spots when it counts.
5. Houston
Wisconsin beat Houston – yes, that definitely happened, I saw the final scoreboard and everything. But after a lifeless first half, Houston dominated the second half, and if we’re in the trust tree, I still have a lot more faith in the Cougars this season. That probably does not make me unique, but it’s the trust tree, so you have to support me and make me feel smart!
This is such a vintage Kelvin Sampson team. Multiple shot-makers at guard (Kyler Edwards showed especially well here), length and intensity on the wing, a four-man frontcourt rotation that batters opponents into submission, and a maniacal collapsing man-to-man scheme that forces opponents to take the only shot available: challenged jumpers.
Playing from behind is not Houston’s strength, though, so digging a 20-point halftime hole doomed them against a methodical, savvy foe like Wisconsin.
The unique element for this Houston team, compared to many in the past, is having real scoring in the frontcourt, rather than predominantly garbage men. Josh Carlton has a decent set of post moves, and Fabian White is a multi-level threat. His pick-and-pop game destroyed Butler early, and that’s something that Sampson will work to further weaponize in the future.
GIF of the week:
6. Michigan
The lasting thought for Michigan was something along the lines of, “this team is still figuring out who it is.” The offensive pecking order should read “1. Hunter Dickinson, 2. Everyone else,” but the towering center took just 19 shots combined in both games (two of which were threes). If he took 19 in each game, I would not complain. Subsequent to this event, Dickinson took just six shots against Tarleton State in a distressingly close game for the Wolverines.
And look, I get it. UNLV fronted and doubled, knowing full well that Dickinson would eat them alive if allowed to attack standard post defense. But finding more ways to get him the rock is paramount to this team’s success.
On the bright side, Moussa Diabate is a total monster and the key that unlocks the Wolverines’ upside. He was electric against UNLV, and as I tweeted at the time, Michigan just feels more dangerous when he’s out there causing mayhem. His game is not perfect yet, but he makes highlight reel plays on both ends of the floor.
GIF of the week:
The best version of this Michigan team includes Diabate playing alongside Dickinson, though the spacing of those lineups is not ideal.
7. Saint Mary’s
It feels entirely too cliché, but the striking part of Saint Mary’s was simply how smart the Gaels play on both ends of the court. It’s everything, really: shot selection, ball movement, defensive rotations, etc. Every player save freshman Augustas Marciulionis is back from last year, and they all seem remarkably comfortable in the system and their roles as a result. In Coach Randy Bennett’s words:
“…they will hold each other accountable and it could be really direct…they're comfortable in their own skin. They're comfortable with each other. They trust each other.”
After the win over Oregon, wing Alex Ducas was asked what makes the Gaels such lethal shooters. His answer was not about practice, but rather, the kind of shots they take:
“I think a big part of (it)…is our shot selection. We go back to each game and see right shots and wrong shots and even shots that can be cleaned up a little bit.”
Play inside-out through a big, pass up a good shot to get a great one – the Saint Mary’s way.
GIF of the week:
8. Wichita St.
My pal Ky also saw Wichita play live, so check out his recap here.
The Shockers definitely lack size in the paint, and it was never more obvious than against the Redwood Forest that is Arizona. I do not think Wichita cares, quite frankly. Wichita battles tooth and nail for every loose ball and every possession, refusing to go away no matter the deficit – the Shockers erased double-digit deficits in both contests in Vegas.
No play encapsulated the Shocker experience quite like this one.
GIF of the week:
Down nine in overtime, 6’2 Craig Porter skies over 6’11 Azuolas Tubelis to rip down an incredible board. He quickly finds Etienne, who throws a shot up through the T-Mobile rafters…and it drops down perfectly through the net. Time and again, the Shockers could have folded, but that is simply not in their DNA — something I expect to see throughout this season.
9. Texas A&M
The Aggies are an odd bunch. They come at you in waves, throwing out 11 players for consistent minutes – an edge that clearly showed itself late against Notre Dame, each team’s third game in three days. They dictate tempo with a three-quarter-court 1-2-2 meant to slow you down, quickly dropping back into man-to-man once the press is broken. They help quickly and rotate like demons, hoping to speed foes up and encourage them to make careless passes or take panicky shots. And when the momentum turns, they can put some runs on you.
They lack an offensive identity, though, which is how you can go from up 16 on Wisconsin to down 16 to Wisconsin in a matter of about 20 minutes (during which Texas A&M scored just 19 points). Precise ball movement can shred the active (sometimes over-active) defense – aka how Wisconsin scored 51 in that same 20-minute span. It’s a high-risk, high-reward style that is strongly dependent on matchups. For example, I think Saint Mary’s surgical attack would have picked them apart in much the same way, but Memphis might turn it over 35 times against the Aggies.
The lasting image for me, though, will be Quenton Jackson’s skywalker hops.
GIF of the week:
10. Notre Dame
Along with Oregon and Butler, Notre Dame left Maui Vegas with the disappointing “only beat Chaminade” portfolio. The Irish were incredibly close to a vastly different outcome: Cormac Ryan missed a game-tying free throw in the dying embers of the Saint Mary’s quarterfinal loss, and who knows what would have happened in overtime.
Because Mike Brey plays such a thin rotation – seven guys, only two bigs – Notre Dame frequently rolls with a four-guard lineup. The groups with Nate Laszewski at center are particularly intriguing in short bursts because the threat of his shooting opens up the floor. Per Hoop Lens, Notre Dame is scoring 1.08 points per possession when Laszewski plays without Atkinson, compared to 1.01 PPP in all other lineups. It’s early, but those numbers make sense.
This is with Atkinson at center, but it shows how the Notre Dame ball movement cut up the Texas A&M pressure – at least until the Irish ran out of gas.
GIF of the week:
11. Oregon
The easy recipient of the week’s Most Disappointing Team award. The Ducks were essentially DOA against quality competition, managing just 15 and 19 points in the first half against Saint Mary’s and Houston, respectively. They never made any sort of run, either, trailing by 10+ for the entirety of the combined 40 minutes of second halves.
Frigid shooting was a part of that, but the Ducks’ disjointed offense did not generate many quality looks (especially against Saint Mary’s). The lefty backcourt trident of Will Richardson, De’Vion Harmon, and Jacob Young has plenty of individual talent, but none of the three truly excel at creating for others, and the new roster has clearly not fully taken to Dana Altman’s scheme. Quincy Guerrier was mostly invisible aside from an occasional 3P heave.
The Ducks need to generate points with their defense to survive until the offense gels, but even that rarely worked.
GIF of the week:
12. UNLV
The Runnin’ Rebels are a work in progress; even Kevin Kruger admits this. But his optimism about where they can get to is valid, in my extremely professional opinion.
After missing the season opener, Jordan McCabe’s presence was massive for the Rebels. He controls the game at point guard, steadying the ship when things get out of control and setting the table for capable teammates like Bryce Hamilton, Michael Nuga, and Donovan Williams.
Oh, and he has some serious passing pizzazz. These back-to-back plays had my eyebrows raised all the way to my (somehow still there) hairline…
GIF of the week (a two-fer):
Like Wichita, the Rebels defend with a fiery zeal that helps compensate for their lack of size. That’s a terrific quality for an underdog, especially if the offense continues to evolve.
13. Butler
The Bulldogs are in trouble. It’s not entirely their fault, considering the extensive injury list that seems to grow every day (Indy Star writer David Woods asked Kevin Sweeney and I if we had any eligibility left). But the overall concerns here, for me, relate more to the talent level. Everyone is back from last year, and while that team had injury issues of its own, it was also simply not that good.
Put it this way: for two consecutive years, a freshman guard outside of the 247 top 150 has established himself as the team’s go-to guy. Last year it was Chuck Harris, and this year, it’s Jayden Taylor. Doesn’t that tell you something about how good (or not good) the incumbents are?
Taylor poured in 21 points against Chaminade as Harris (and others) sat out, and perhaps those two can be the cornerstones Butler needs to build around for the next few years.
GIF of the week:
