Quite an interesting night of hoops yesterday, with some surprising results and some REALLY impressive performances.

Big Kalk!

This has to be its only talking point, because I have never seen something like this before. Ryan Kalkbrenner, senior 7’1 big for Creighton, is known as one of the best players in the sport, and has been for a few years, however no one could expect the performance we witnessed last night. If you haven’t seen it, you should look it up on YouTube, you will not be disappointed. Kalk finished with 49 points on 20/22 shooting from the field. That’s 91% shooting on a nearly 50 point game. He also had 11 rebounds and 3 blocks, which is unsurprising as the multi year reigning Big East DPOY. The last player with 20 made field goals on at least 90% shooting in a D1 game was Bill Walton in the 1973 Championship, for some context on how unbelievable this is.

Best Games

Now, back to the regularly scheduled programming! There weren’t too many tight games today, but still some very interesting results.

In our one big upset, Villanova fell at home to Columbia, 90-80. I mean, WOW. I’m not going to mince words here, Kyle Neptune has to go. It’s that simple. The number of bad losses the Wildcats have had since he took over is absurd, and this feels like the last straw, unless he somehow turns this around and they make it to the tournament. I feel bad for Eric Dixon, the leader of this Nova team, as there’s nothing he can do. He put up 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, on 11/16 from the field and 5/7 from three, and they still lost. Look for that to be a common theme throughout this season for him, a great performance in a game that they shouldn’t have lost. For Columbia, Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is building off his good season last year, starting this one with 22 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals, leading the Lions.

Another game I have to talk about, obviously, is the Virginia win over Campbell, 65-56. First off, I told you all Campbell would cover the spread. Despite it being a lil too close for comfort for UVA fans, there were some clear bright spots. The play of the freshmen is the most obvious one. Jacob Cofie had a spectacular 16 point game, with his only missed shot being a late shot clock tough three. His IQ was on full display, to the point where it didn’t feel like it was his first collegiate game. Fellow freshman Ishaan Sharma only played 8 minutes, but hit two threes, and looked like a dynamic offensive weapon. Shooting 57% from the field is also something that Cavaliers fans will be very happy about, as we all remember the horrific offense from last season. Ron Sanchez with his first win, and it really felt just like the same old UVA out there.

The last game I’ll mention is the reigning national champs in their opening night. UConn took down Sacred Heart with ease, 92-56. Starring for the Huskies were the sole returning starter, Alex Karaban, who had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 blocks, as well as highly touted freshman Liam McNeely, with an 18 point and 10 rebound double-double, and sophomore guard Solo Ball, who dropped 16 in the beginning of what could be a breakout campaign. It looks like they haven’t missed a beat, and a 3 peat is a legitimate possibility… We’ll get a real take once we see them play some true competition.

Other Top Performances:

• Mackenzie Mgbako put up a stellar performance to start off what many think will be a breakout sophomore year, finishing with 31 points and 9 rebounds in Indiana’s 80-61 victory over SIUE. He shot 76% from the field, making this performance even more impressive.
• Minnesota center Dawson Garcia kept consistent with his stat stuffing 23-24 campaign, beginning the 24-25 season with 30 points and 8 rebounds on 78% from three, and led the Gophers to a 80-57 victory over Oral Roberts.
• San Diego State sophomore Miles Byrd was a player many thought would step into a larger role due to the departures after last season, and he did just that in game one, leading the Aztecs to a 63-58 victory over UCSD, stuffing all aspects of the stat sheet. He scored 20 points on 7/12 shooting, along with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. 9 stocks (steals+blocks) in a game is not normal, clearly Dutcher is working his magic in San Diego.
• UT Rio Grande Valley put up a fight against Creighton despite Kalkbrenner’s historic performance, losing 86-99. This fight was led by Hasan Abdul Hakim, who showed out with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
• Last but not least, LSU junior forward Jalen Reed was off to a hot start, with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 8/9 shooting from the field, in a 95-60 win over ULM. On a team full of newcomers, his continuity will be vital for the Tigers early on.

Jake’s Best Bets! (Current Record 2-1)

What a brutal beat on Georgia Tech yesterday, won by 23 when the spread was -23.5. If that’s my only loss, I’ll take it. Not as many bets I love today, but I’ll give you two!

• Montana State +17.5 @ Wisconsin

This one just feels too big to me. Montana State isn’t bad, and I am not at all sold on Wisconsin’s talent, as well as some of the newcomers who I think still need more time to adjust to the new program.

• Niagara +28.5 @ Michigan State

Put simply, I don’t think Michigan State is 30 points better than the almost all D1 teams, and Niagara isn’t good, but isn’t entirely horrible either. I think this Spartan team can be quite good, but it’ll take some time for them to get to that point.

Hoping for two more wins!

(P.C. Creighton MBB, E.C. Me!)