-Ky McKeon
I went to Portland, Oregon for the 2nd Phil Knight Invitational; it had been five long years since last stepping foot in the Rose City. In 2017 I made the pilgrimage to PK80 with ole Matt and Jim as simple fans, but for PK85 I was a big, bad, cool media guy.
Rather than recap individual games in detail (there’s plenty of good write-ups out there), I want to run through all 16 teams and give some takeaways.
The tournament was split into two brackets, the Phil Knight Invitational and the Phil Knight Legacy. North Carolina was the presumed favorite in the Invitational and Duke was supposed to capture the Legacy title – neither happened. Instead, it was UConn who took home the Invitational hardware, upending Iowa State in the championship, and Purdue who knocked off Duke just after taking down Gonzaga. Those two champions were indeed the most impressive schools of the bunch and were rewarded for their efforts with spots in the top ten in the AP poll.
Phil Knight Invitational
Alabama
Alabama had a tough trio of contests and was a part of the presumed best opening game. Unfortunately, injuries to Malik Hall and Jaden Akins made the Tide’s first round match with Michigan State a bit anti-climactic, but nevertheless Alabama impressed. It followed its Sparty beatdown with a tough loss to UConn and then a thrilling a 4-OT win over North Carolina. The Tide left Portland with two Q1 wins under their belt.
Brandon Miller was the highlight for Alabama. The freshman phenom averaged 18.7 PPG and looked unstoppable at times. His 6-9 frame plus length and shooting ability should make him a surefire lottery pick this summer. It was also nice seeing Jahvon Quinerly’s confidence grow over the course of the tournament. Oats had been easing his star guard back into the fold, but he looked every bit himself against UNC when he scored 21 points, grabbed 6 boards, and dished out 8 assists in 44 minutes.
Overall, Bama is a team to be reckoned with. The Tide are extremely athletic, long, and talented and compete at a high level on both ends of the floor.
Iowa State
Arguably the most surprising team of the tournament, Iowa State left Portland 2-1 with wins over Villanova and North Carolina. The Clones’ Nova win over Nova was way more comfortable than the overtime result suggests – ISU held a 16-point lead in the second half. Unfortunately, that win might not age well with Nova in the dumps.
The win over UNC was truly impressive, though. Head coach TJ Otzelberger is proving once again to be a wizard in the non-conference portion of the schedule, and he’s winning with way less talent (on paper) than the majority of his Power 6 peers. The Clones simply outwork their opponent. They are relentless on the defensive end, and it helps having two rim protectors on the back line in Osun Osunniyi and Hason Ward.
Freshman point guard Tamin Lipsey looks to be ahead of schedule, and he’s a menace on the defensive end. Bonnies transfer Jaren Holmes has taken on the high usage Izaiah Brockington role, and Caleb Grill exploded for 31 points on 11/15 shooting against UNC. This is a tournament team.
Michigan State
Sparty’s tournament was underwhelming, but that was in large part due to injuries. Izzo was without two of his best players in Hall and Akins, and Joey Hauser was essentially playing on one leg. Michigan State’s opponents were also lackluster (relatively speaking). After Alabama, the Spartans played an Oregon team that was more decimated than they were and then played non-power Portland.
That Portland game is actually kind of sneaky. Due to tournament scheduling, Sparty had to play at Chiles Center (Portland’s home gym), which means it should be counted as a true road game. With the way Portland has played this year, that could end up being a Q1 win, and it’s a virtual lock to be a Q2 victory.
I wasn’t too impressed with Michigan State. AJ Hoggard leaves a ton to be desired, and his leadership qualities are questionable. Hauser is a fine shooter and that’s really it. Tyson Walker was terrific and by far Michigan State’s best player over the 3-day stretch.
North Carolina
The most disappointing team of PK85 was hands down the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC left Portland 1-2 with zero Q1 wins, and it was nearly an 0-3 weekend. The Tar Heels were down five points to Portland midway through the second half of their opening game before pulling out a late win. They then blew a seven-point lead with just under five minutes to play to lose to Iowa State and capped off the tourney with a 4-OT loss to Alabama.
It was a disappointing performance, but it was also an incredibly frustrating one. The talent on this roster is obvious, and at points in all three games UNC seemed to be in control. But late game execution killed them. Head coach Hubert Davis is to blame, as are his star guards – particularly Caleb Love.
Davis’s decision making and play-calling down the stretch of the Alabama game was awful, and after the ISU game he made the blatantly incorrect statement that the Clones had never played a 1-3-1 zone prior to playing UNC (they play it, like, all the time).
Love was arguably worse. People that didn’t watch him play this past weekend will look at his stats and go, “wow, 23 points per game – not bad!” But people who were in the gym know how terrible he was. In the Alabama game, Love made so many selfish plays down the stretch, it would make any playground ballhog blush. UNC had the ball three or four times at the end of the game with chances to win it, and more times than not it came down to Love dribbling 100 times and forcing a tough step-back.
Love had 34 points against Alabama. He shot the ball 36 times. His O-rating over the last two games was 81 and 95. For UNC to get back to where it should be (atop the national totem pole), Davis needs to reel in his star.
Oregon
Oregon gets a semi-pass for its 1-2 performance. The Ducks had one competent guard due to injuries and then lost star forward N’Faly Dante for the Villanova game. Given the injury trouble, Oregon fared pretty well. It kept the game close against Oregon and then controlled Villanova wire-to-wire despite having six scholarship players.
The Ducks could be dangerous once healthy. They are one of the biggest teams I have seen in person – 7-0 freshman Kel’el Ware is a certified freak. His presence plus Dante and Nate Bittle gives them a frontline that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country.
Oregon needs its players back. Will Richardson needs help in the backcourt, and Quincy Guerrier should not be playing the 3. Thankfully, two Q1 losses won’t doom the Ducks’ NCAA Tournament hopes. They’ll just hope they can weather the storm while their players are on the mend.
Portland
The Pilots left PK85 with just one win, but they also left with everyone’s respect. After scaring the crap out of UNC, Portland took down Villanova with relative ease and nearly beat Michigan State after a late-game flurry. This is the best Portland team we’ve seen since 2010, and all the credit in the world is due to Shantay Legans, a wizard of a coach who has turned this program around immediately.
Portland’s offense is potent. The Pilots’ shooting is deadly, they get to the line at a very high rate, and they take high percentage shots. Scoring 1.12 PPP against UNC, 1.20 PPP against Villanova, and 1.22 PPP against Michigan State is an impressive feat for anyone, let alone a “middling” WCC squad.
Expect Portland to be feisty in conference play. While the Pilots likely won’t be repping the WCC in the NCAA Tournament, they’ll give opponents hell and have a real shot at finishing in the top three of the league.
UConn
UConn was the best team I saw all weekend (with slight apologies to Purdue). None of the Huskies’ games against Oregon, Alabama, or Iowa State were ever in doubt – they thoroughly dominated each and every one.
There are no weaknesses on this team. They are huge, they can shoot, they can score, they can defend. Per KenPom, UConn ranks top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the only team in the nation that can claim that.
How are they doing it? For starters, 7-2 freshman Donovan Clingan is way ahead of schedule. He won PK85 MVP despite playing less than 20 minutes per game. When he’s on the floor, UConn is unstoppable. He can score on anyone in the post, he grabs every rebound, and he is one of the best shot deterrers in the country. Through eight games Clingan has an O-rating of 125.7 and a 15.4% block rate. Absurd.
East Carolina transfer Tristen Newton is also much better than I initially gave him credit for. I thought he might struggle with a step up in competition, but he’s proven me wrong. He’s very poised with the ball in his hands and at 6-5 gives UConn a ton of length at the point of attack. His transfer buddy Joey Calcaterra (San Diego) is also much better than advertised. Then you have All-American candidate Adama Sanogo, budding star Jordan Hawkins, athletic freak Andre Jackson, and stretch 4 Alex Karaban. This team is just loaded. We’ll see if Dan Hurley can finally get over the hump in the Dance.
Villanova
I have nothing nice to say about this team. Villanova is now 2-5 with losses to Temple, Michigan State, Iowa State, Portland, and Oregon. The Cats have dropped from 19 to 55 in KenPom and look utterly hopeless.
Part of my ire is based on betting, of course. You see, I took Villanova -3 against Oregon on Sunday. The Ducks had six scholarship players available and were missing arguably their best player and a significant part of their backcourt. Villanova not only lost the game, but it was also basically behind the entire contest. There’s just no excuse for that.
Chris Arcidiacano playing 30 minutes per game is a problem, but it’s far from the only one. Kyle Neptune didn’t add any size in the portal, and his team is being destroyed on the interior. Now, of course we know that Cam Whitmore and Justin Moore are out of the lineup. That matters, but they cannot save this team – especially Moore who likely won’t be back until February, if that. Whitmore is going to be a stud, but he isn’t worth 10 points to the line.
Nova is in a bad place right now, and it will likely miss the NCAA Tournament and finish sub-.500 in the Big East unless something drastic changes.
Phil Knight Legacy
Duke
Duke went from looking invincible the first two games of the season to having some major question marks.
The Blue Devils barely survived Oregon State in the opening round of PK85, as they had clearly never seen a zone before in their lives. That’s the same Oregon State team that lost to Florida by 13 and Portland State by 10 in the same tournament. Duke was 16/60 from the field, which is up there for worst shooting performances in program history.
The next game was better. Duke looked more itself and beat a very good Xavier team. Jeremy Roach was excellent, scoring 21 points on 9/15 shooting. But in the final game, Duke was dominated by Purdue.
What’s wrong with Duke? Well, Dereck Lively isn’t that good, for starters. He’s just not an effective college player at this point and is racking up 6.7 fouls per 40 minutes. Lively had a couple bright spots, but he was largely a nobody over the weekend. Fellow freshman “phenom” Dariq Whitehead has also been terrible, though maybe we can afford him an “off injury” excuse. His O-rating is 82.2 right now, and never once did I notice him at the PK85.
Kyle Filipowski was solid, as he’s been all year, and Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell were hot and cold throughout. Overall, it’s a young team still clearly trying to figure things out. Duke will be very good in March, but right now it’s a work in progress. Inconsistent guard play combined with a slower start than anticipated by a few of its star freshmen has stalled the Dukies out of the gate. Also, the jury is still out on Scheyer as a head coach; we need a bigger sample size.
Florida
The Weave was high on the Gators entering the season, but it’s clear this team is still ironing out some things. With a 1-2 performance at PK85, Florida has zero Q1 wins through seven games.
Florida’s opening match with Xavier was much closer than the final score indicated. It was largely a back-and-forth affair, but a couple large miss-dunk / 3-points on other end swings sealed the Gators’ fate. Xavier shot 10/20 from deep against Florida, which was perhaps a bit of an anomaly. But the Muskies were getting good looks. This Gator team should be nails on the defensive end with its length and size, but as of today it ranked 66th nationally in KenPom in defensive efficiency.
A blowout loss to West Virginia was the real eye opener. It appears chemistry is still a work in progress on the roster, and it’s more than a bit strange that Kowacie Reeves can’t get on the court. He was very efficient in Florida’s first three games, and the Gators’ analytical staff has to be well aware of that. Something clearly is happening internally.
Trey Bonham has been a bright spot for Florida thus far, though Kyle Lofton has really struggled on the offensive end. Big man Colin Castleton had a rough tournament, scoring just 8.7 PPG on 10/26 shooting. Whatever is wrong with Florida needs to be corrected quickly if it wants to compete for a Tourney bid. A massive home game against UConn looms large on December 7th.
Gonzaga
Relatively speaking, this year’s version of Gonzaga is “down”. But Gonzaga’s down year is still a top ten team. Yes, Purdue whooped this squad in Portland, but the Zags were up double digits on Xavier for a significant portion of that game, and they still have a 16-point win over Kentucky and a now-impressive Michigan State victory. This team is fine.
Gonzaga is going to be scary later this season. Early “struggles” can likely be explained by inexperienced players taking on larger roles. Nolan Hickman had three terrific games in Portland after a rocky start to his season; he is going to be a stud for the remainder of the year. Julian Strawther finally broke through against Xavier, and he should be one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters going forward.
Drew Timme is still a top five player nationally; Mark Few is still a top ten coach. Anton Watson is quickly figuring out his role and should be much improved as the season goes along, as should Malachi Smith who is still adjusting from Chattanooga. This team has plenty of upside and plenty of reason to be thought of as a national title contender. While the defensive end could stand to be shored up, there’s arguably no better offensive team in the country.
Oregon State
The Beavers tricked me by playing Duke close, and Wayne Tinkle’s press conference made me think twice about having them in the dumpster. Freshman point guard Jordan Pope is a stud, unfortunately his teammates are not.
OSU never led in either the Florida game or Portland State game. The latter contest is, of course, the most worrisome. Twice now have the Vikings daddied the Beavers, beating them by double digits on both occasions.
Oregon State might be Cal this year, but it’s hard to see it winning many more Pac-12 contests. It appears to be another season in the cellar for Tinkle and Co., but at least we can give the Beavers the “inexperience excuse”. Few teams in the country have less experience and continuity than OSU.
Portland State
First off, if you’ve never seen PSU head coach Jase Coburn coach a game, you’re missing out. There might not be a more energetic coach in the country – he’s wonderful and his attitude is contagious.
The Vikings left the PK85 with a win, which is one more than expected going in. Kudos to PSU for competing and putting up a bit of a fight against Gonzaga and West Virginia. This team is exciting to watch – they play as energetically as their coach implies and rank 9th nationally in tempo.
A tough schedule has kept Portland State off the public radar, but this team could make serious noise in Big Sky play.
Purdue
Along with UConn, Purdue was the most impressive team of PK85. No team had a better slate of wins than the Boilers who beat West Virginia by 12, Gonzaga by 18 and Duke by 19. Purdue dominated its opponents in every facet, putting the nation on notice.
Everyone is well aware of Zach Edey, the 7-4 behemoth that roams Purdue’s middle. He ranks #1 in KenPom’s Player of the Year award and is currently averaging a ridiculous 21.7 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 2.7 BPG and should be the frontrunner for Player of the Year. But his supporting cast has been excellent.
Freshman point guard Braden Smith isn’t just one of the best freshmen in the country, he’s one of the best point guards period. He’s tough, he’s a leader, he makes smart plays, he takes good shots, he’s everything you want and more in a lead guard. Additionally, his fellow freshman Fletcher Loyer has been lighting the nets on fire from deep.
The Boilers are a scary team right now. Like UConn, they don’t have an obvious weakness, and the rest of the college basketball world should be VERY nervous that a team as young as Purdue has already hit its stride.
West Virginia
Admittedly, West Virginia was the team I saw the least while in Portland, so apologies to the great Bob Huggins. This team has shot up the analytics rankings, sitting now at #28 after starting the year #73. Huggins always seems to do more with less, but in the preseason, it was a real question if he could do it with a group that looks like a jumbled mess on paper.
Transfer Erik Stevenson is having his best year ever. He’s shooting over 48% from deep while leading the Mountaineers in usage. In a blowout against Florida, Stevenson put up 15 points and grabbed 7 boards. Fellow transfers Tre Mitchell and Emmitt Matthews are also playing well, and the defensive effort of Kedrian Johnson, among others, has made WVU a tough opponent.
Xavier
Xavier’s schedule did it no favors, but the Musketeers performed admirably, beating Florida and staying competitive with Duke and Gonzaga.
Sean Miller has himself a squad capable of competing near the top of the Big East. Colby Jones has the size and skill to be a pro, the Freemantle / Nunge combination up front is one of the nation’s best, and transfer point guard Souley Boum is running the offense beautifully. Credit also to senior Adam Kunkel who proved he was much more than just a shooter against Florida and Duke. His absence was felt against Gonzaga, and his Muskies will hope to have him back in the lineup ASAP.