Non-conference play is not over entirely, but for most, conference play is here. That means early impressions are being formed of many teams for one reason or another, and Saturday was a day full of them. It was also a day that saw the top-ranked team go down, as well as the only other undefeated teams when the day began. It means that for the first time in about 70 years, every Division I team has lost a game before January.
In other words, we’ve had quite a start to conference play. With that, we have notes on many of the day’s games.
Butler 101, Villanova 93: When you shoot the lights out from long range, you can beat anyone, and Butler did that. Take nothing away from a good Butler team, but they just couldn’t miss at times, shooting 60 percent from the field including 15-22 from long range, winning despite a 13-4 turnover edge in favor of the Wildcats.
Xavier 77, DePaul 72: The Musketeers had to dig deep for this one, trailing by as many as 16 points.
Marquette 74, Georgetown 65: The Hoyas battled, but are 0-2 in early Big East play.
Duke 100, Florida State 93: This was every bit as entertaining as the high score might lead you to believe. Duke battled foul trouble all game long to pull this one out, with Trevon Duval making big plays late after being one of the Blue Devils beset with foul trouble. They allowed Florida State to go 15-32 from long range, so the defensive issues remain. Oh, and it was another 30-20 game for Marvin Bagley III (32 points, 21 rebounds).
North Carolina 73, Wake Forest 69: The Tar Heels manage to hold off the Demon Deacons thanks in part to a 49-34 rebounding edge and another big game from Luke Maye (17 points, 15 rebounds).
Virginia 59, Boston College 58: The Eagles certainly appear to have improved markedly this year, having knocked off Duke and given Virginia all they can handle on the road. But the Cavs still pulled this out by being better down the stretch.
Arizona 84, Arizona State 78: The Wildcats are starting to look more like the team many thought they would be before the season, and making the trip to the Bahamas look more and more like an isolated stretch.
Cal 77, Stanford 74: A big second half, especially in the final minutes, gives Cal a big road win in this rivalry, something that has been very hard to come by for them over the last couple of decades.
Oklahoma 90, TCU 89: Trae Young does it again with 39 points and 14 assists. This time he helped Oklahoma stop TCU’s 17-game winning streak dating back to last season, and in Fort Worth no less.
Wichita State 72, UConn 62: The Shockers win their first American Athletic Conference game, and on the road at a school that should be one of the conference powers. Instead, the Huskies look primed to once again be no better than a fourth-place team. At the very least, they’re not better than the Shockers, Cincinnati or SMU.
Houston 76, Temple 73: Quietly, Kelvin Sampson is turning the Cougars into one of the American Athletic Conference’s better programs, and they’re 2-0 right now.
Alabama 79, Texas A&M 57: The Aggies have been a bit short-handed, but they were manhandled in Tuscaloosa. Give Alabama credit for playing very well, breaking away in the second half after the Aggies remained within striking distance in the first half.
Arkansas 95, Tennessee 93 (OT): A nice win for the Razorbacks to start SEC play against the team that has the best RPI in the conference.
Florida 81, Vanderbilt 74: Last season, the Gators just couldn’t beat the Commodores, so this is a welcome development for a team that appeared to be trending in the wrong direction as non-conference play drew to a close.
Saint Mary’s 74, Brigham Young 64 (OT): A really good start to West Coast Conference play for the Gaels, as they go on the road and knock off the Cougars with a big overtime.
San Diego 74, Pepperdine 66: If you’re looking for a team who might be able to challenge the three-headed WCC monster of Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and BYU, San Diego looks like that team as the Toreros are now 11-3 overall and 2-0 in early conference play.
Boise State 83, UNLV 74: An impressive road win for the Broncos to go to 2-0 in early Mountain West play, getting 32 points and 12 rebounds from Chandler Hutchison.
College of Charleston 73, Towson 62: A battle of contenders to open up CAA play goes to the home team and preseason favorites behind the duo of Jarrell Brantley (24 points) and Joe Chealey (21).
Middle Tennessee 63, UAB 60: This was as good as advertised, but in the end, it was too much Nick King (30 points, including 19 in the final 11 minutes) for UAB to handle.
UNC Greensboro 71, Wofford 67: This was all Wofford in the first half, then UNC Greensboro shut down the Terriers in the second to start Southern Conference play with a win.
