We are officially a week into this season and we officially have our first Top-5 team to fall to an unranked opponent this season, as Michigan lost to Seton Hall. We also had the biggest unexpected blowout, as BYU beat Oregon by 32 points. Those two results have plenty of talking points as is, but let’s dive into the rest of the Day 8 roundup.
Seton Hall is a legit threat to Villanova atop the Big East
I have previously said that I think Villanova will run away with the Big East and win it by 3 games, which now I stand to be corrected. Seton Hall is a legitimate threat to win the Big East, the defense for this team is incredible, Ike Obiagu is a shot-blocking machine, while the guards are the right mix of aggressive wings, who force turnovers and the most fun part is that when they get beat defensively, they are able to be fine as Obiagu will block any shot in the paint. Offensively, the emergence of Bryce Aiken has been huge, while the wings can all create their own shot.
Michigan will be fine but need improvement from their freshmen
Michigan will be a Top-10 team down the road and might win the National Championship, but they weren’t what they will be in March in this game. Eli Brooks and Hunter Dickinson had good games but their younger players struggled. Caleb Houstan had 4 points on 1-9 shooting, Diabite and Bufkin struggled while the team struggled shooting-wise as well. Houstan will be a lottery pick and will be playing better throughout the season, but this may not have been his game. The Pirates are a great defensive team and made it tough for Michigan, but one loss to a good Pirates team won’t have me too overly concerned with this team.
BYU is a legitimate Final Four threat
Coming into this game, I thought Oregon would win this game running away but I was dead wrong. The Cougars handed Oregon a blowout loss, as they won by 32 points in Portland. Alex Barcello still has not missed a single shot (don’t fact check this), Te’Jon Lucas has brilliantly stepped into a role of a starting point guard while moving Barcello to a more beneficial off-ball role. This team has depth on the wing, shooting, size, and decent front-court play that is exactly what you would want. Add to that a new sense of toughness and physicality and this BYU team has a chance to make a Final Four.
Oregon has major depth concerns
The Ducks starting five is pretty good, the small-ball lineup with Williams and Guerrier at the frontcourt paired with a three-headed backcourt has this team extremely athletic, switchable, and filled with scoring, but what happens when they go to the bench is of some concern. N’Faly Dante is still not himself coming back from a major knee injury, Franck Kepnang, Nathan Bittle and Isaac Johnson are all 7’0 centers who can’t score and that’s the extent of the bench. Sure, this team can win games with their starting-5, but it might be time to break some of this lineup up a little bit. Also, adding in just a halfway decent wing who can not be a liability would also help.
Virginia continues to struggle
The Cavaliers lost by 20 at Houston and honestly, it really shouldn’t be a surprise because frankly, this Virginia team isn’t a good basketball team. The defense has regressed with Jay Huff no longer there to block every shot, while the offense lost its four best offensive pieces over the offseason. It was always going to be a down year for Virginia but there’s legitimate concerns over whether this Cavs team can make the Tournament, which is not ideal.
Memphis impresses in their first decent matchup of the season
Memphis has looked good thus far but has done so playing less than stellar competition, but playing against Saint Louis would give them some potential for danger. The Tigers instead were impressive, pulling away from the Billikens winning handily. Emoni Bates is a legit high-level scorer, Jalen Duren is an athletic freak, who blocks shots with ease, while the experienced pieces fit nicely. This won’t be their biggest test but it was one that could have caused an upset and the Tigers avoided that with ease.