A monster slate of games on Saturday may go down as the best day of the men’s college basketball regular season. After plenty of hype, the packed day of hoops delivered, with a pair of highly competitive top-15 showdowns, three more undefeated teams suffering their first losses and some electric finishes. Things started with a bang with an impressive comeback win from Kansas on the road at Indiana and continued from there, all the way until a late-night battle that saw Tennessee get all it could handle from North Carolina State.
Here’s a look at what we learned from Saturday’s biggest games.
Purdue’s guards show out
Purdue’s matchup with Arizona served as a perfect litmus test for the Boilermakers’ improved sophomore backcourt. The No. 1 Wildcats are deep, physical and athletic at guard, the types of players that have traditionally caused problems for Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. Instead, the Boilers’ sophomore duo balled out, combining for 53 points and taking over the game en route to yet another signature early-season win for Matt Painter’s club.
Smith’s emergence from game manager to elite playmaker has been evident throughout the season, and he continued his outstanding play of late with 26 points. He effectively attacked Arizona’s deep drop coverage in ball screens to keep the offense flowing without as many Zach Edey post touches, getting to spots and making tough shots. Meanwhile, Loyer lit it up from deep in the first half to help the Boilermakers gain separation and also brought it defensively with four steals. When these two guards play as well as they did Saturday, there isn’t a team in the country that can beat Purdue.
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Desperate Michigan State gets a huge win
Negativity has surrounded Michigan State all season, beginning with a stunning opening night loss to James Madison and continuing with an 0–2 Big Ten start. In all, it was the worst start to a season for a top-five preseason team in two decades, and Michigan State badly needed a big win to turn the tide and make something out of its nonconference slate. The Spartans got just that Saturday, blitzing a top-10 Baylor team from the opening tip for a blowout 88–64 win in Detroit. It was a display so good that coach Tom Izzo called it “one of [MSU’s] better performances in a long time” postgame.
From the opening tip, Michigan State showed a level of urgency that it hasn’t had all year. Its defense was disruptive against a dynamic Baylor backcourt, forcing six turnovers from talented point guard RayJ Dennis and limiting freshman Ja’Kobe Walter to just nine points. And offensively, Tyson Walker posted an efficient 25, while the Spartans’ young bench players provided their best overall contributions of the season. We’ll see how sustainable this performance was, but if nothing else it allows Spartans fans to take a deep breath and reset at 5–5 through 10 games.
Kentucky’s youngsters outduel North Carolina
Somewhat overshadowed by the No. 1 vs. No. 3 showdown in Indianapolis was this top-15 blue blood battle in Atlanta, won by Kentucky in a back-and-forth affair between two of the more explosive offensive teams in the sport. With big man Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso back in action, Kentucky played more traditional two-big lineups than the small-ball looks we saw from the Wildcats earlier in the season. That took away a bit of the three-point firepower that Kentucky has flashed at times this year, but helped the Wildcats grab 18 offensive rebounds to win the battle of the boards by double digits. Plus, Kentucky’s bench guards in Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard continued their strong play, tallying 28 combined points. That helped the Wildcats to their best win of the season, adding to a résumé that also features a win over Miami.
Memphis earns its spot in the Top 25
After criticizing voters in recent weeks for a perceived lack of respect for his Memphis team, Penny Hardaway should see the Tigers comfortably in the rankings come Monday after yet another impressive win, this time over No. 13 Clemson. St. John’s transfer David Jones continues to play like one of the nation’s best wings, pouring in 22 points for his fourth straight 20+ point outing, and the Tigers continue to get outstanding point guard play from Jahvon Quinerly (17 points, six assists, one turnover).
Perhaps the scariest thing about this Memphis team is that more reinforcements are coming. Nae’Qwan Tomlin, an essential piece of Kansas State’s Elite Eight team a year ago, is set to join the TIgers in the coming days after departing KSU earlier this month in the wake of an arrest in October. Tomlin is one of the best defensive big men in college basketball, and he also possesses some of the same playmaking ability offensively that the Tigers had last year with DeAndre Williams. If he integrates smoothly, Tomlin could make this a legitimate top-15 team with Final Four upside.
Kansas survives tough road test
Through 11 games, it has become obvious that Kansas will have some ugly moments offensively. That’s the reality of playing with two bigs, a point guard who defers to others and a lack of wing shot-making. But the Jayhawks have also proven that they’ll be an extremely difficult dragon to slay, and showed that late-game toughness yet again to escape Bloomington with a 75–71 victory over Indiana.
The Jayhawks trailed by as many as 13 in the second half, but clawed back just as they did after facing second-half deficits against Kentucky and UConn earlier this year. Fifth-year wing Kevin McCullar Jr. had yet another monster performance with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, while the frontcourt duo of Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams Jr. combined for 31. At some point, KU’s lack of shooting will catch up to them in a big game, but this group continues to find ways to win and has built quite the résumé as nonconference play wraps up.
