The biggest of the early season tournaments are coming up, but there is something to take from the ones that took place this weekend. In each case, the winner is a team that we’re trying to gain a sense of for one reason or another, and this could be just the early boost they need. Sometimes, that’s what a tournament can do for a team – with a big early win or two, the team gets a boost that sends them on their way.
So it may be for Iowa State, Temple and Texas Tech, all of who won tournaments with Sunday victories.
Iowa State has a new look this year after losing their top four scorers from last season’s team. Perhaps most of all, though, they lose the great leadership of Monte Morris, who was always one of the most underrated players in the nation, a steady hand at the point who just knew how to win. Donovan Jackson has been the go-to guy thus far, and a new cast has to emerge to support him as the season goes along.
On Sunday, the Cyclones ran out to a 39-21 halftime lead against Boise State, another team that has continued to win lately even as one good player after another moves on. They blew a lot of that lead in the second half, with Boise State going on a series of small runs to eventually get within five, then four briefly in the final couple of minutes. The Cyclones held on for a 75-64 win to take home the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which relocated to Myrtle Beach this year.
The Cyclones are now 3-2 after starting the season with a blowout loss at a rejuvenated Missouri, then losing by 18 to Milwaukee in a bit of a head-scratcher (although the Panthers are 4-1 after beating CAA contender Elon yesterday). This just might be what gets them going as they slow down – they have just two games over the next 17 days – before facing arch-rival Iowa in Iowa City, which of late has given us some thrillers.
Temple won the Charleston Classic with a 67-60 victory over Clemson in one of the last games of the night. The Owls had an uncharacteristic season a year ago, struggling to a record, with injuries not helping as Josh Brown played in just six games. Two seasons ago, Brown had a 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, and as the point guard you know his loss caused a gaping hole in the lineup as well as the locker room. With his return, guys like Shizz Alston Jr., Quinton Rose and Obi Enechionyia, the last of who became a consistent double-double performer last year, are all ready to be better. Alston is shooting a scorching 57 percent from the field thus far, including 9-16 from long range.
Temple’s non-conference schedule is challenging just like it was in the John Chaney era, and Fran Dunphy has never been one to schedule soft. The Owls have Big 5 foe La Salle coming up, then South Carolina, Wisconsin, Big 5 foe Villanova and Georgia (road) are among the noteworthy games before American Athletic Conference play.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, made a statement with a dominating 85-49 win over Northwestern to win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. The Red Raiders ran out to an early lead, ultimately going up by 16 at the half, and they never relented and took advantage of Northwestern having no energy. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come that Northwestern turned in a late lineup card and thus started the game with a 1-0 deficit.
Chris Beard’s team has a lot of experience with nine juniors and seniors, and they may go about ten deep as thus far, ten players average at least 13.5 minutes a game. Keenan Evans had 25 points on Sunday to lead four players who scored in double figures, and the Red Raiders shot nearly 61 percent from the field while holding the Wildcats below 27 percent, and they out-rebounded Northwestern 35-24.
Texas Tech has a visit from Wofford coming up, then has Seton Hall and Nevada as their toughest tests the rest of the way before Big 12 play. If this weekend is any indication, they may be ready to be more of a factor in the Big 12 than some expect.
In this overall discussion, we can’t forget Vermont, who won the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase after coming back from 17 down to edge Northern Kentucky 66-64. But much is already expected of the Catamounts, and rightly so as they return a lot of last season’s team that became the first to ever go undefeated in America East play. For Iowa State, Temple and Texas Tech, this weekend is perhaps a bit more important in the context of a needed early boost for the team.
Side Dishes
In the consolation brackets of these tournaments, there was one game not to be missed, although it probably was by many since it was the seventh place game in the Charleston Classic. There, Ohio and Indiana State needed four overtimes before the Bobcats took home a 96-94 win. It’s a tough loss for the Sycamores not only because of the extra sessions, but because they led by 16 at the break and still had the last shot to win in regulation after Ohio stormed back with a 24-8 run to close regulation. That game topped the double overtime thriller Drake pulled out over Drexel in the third place game in the Paradise Jam.
The most noteworthy non-tournament game was USC‘s visit to Vanderbilt, and it was a good one. The Commodores had a ten-point lead in the second half, but Jordan McLaughlin had other ideas as he scored 35 points on 12-19 shooting, including the game-tying three-pointer that sent the game into overtime, and USC was in control a lot of overtime in a 93-89 win.
Florida State (3-0) and Illinois (4-0) each continued nice starts with double-digit wins on Sunday, with the Seminoles’ coming over Colorado State in Jamaica.
Tonight’s Menu
The tournaments are about to pick up, and that includes today’s action.
- In the Maui Invitational, we begin with Marquette taking on VCU, then Wichita State plays California, Notre Dame draws host Chaminade, and Michigan takes on LSU to close out the day.
- The Gulf Coast Showcase has UMKC taking on Manhattan, Missouri State playing Georgia Southern in a fine first round matchup, Penn takes on Northern Illinois and in Estero, FL.
- In the Cayman Islands Classic, Louisana takes on Iowa, then South Dakota State takes on Wyoming, Richmond plays UAB and Buffalo plays Cincinnati.
- The MGM Resorts Main Event begins with Eastern Kentucky battling Prairie View A&M, then Eastern Washington takes on Georgia State before two 3-0 teams close out the entire day of action as Ole Miss takes on Utah.
- At the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center, semifinal action begins with a clash of former Big 12 foes Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, followed by in-state rivals Penn State and Pittsburgh.
- In semifinal action at the Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center, UCLA takes on Creighton, then Baylor takes on Wisconsin.
- In non-tournament action, the big game of the day is North Carolina visiting Stanford.
