While not as big of a slate as yesterday’s action, today was a somewhat normal day of games and one where we were able to get a better look at the teams in action. Sure there wasn’t a premier matchup like you would get with the Champions Classic but the games were fun and gave some takeaways. With that, let’s dive into my biggest takeaways from the second day of College Basketball.
Michigan is a legitimate title contender
Coming into tonight, the Wolverines had a roster resembling a title contender, through one game the Wolverines looked like that. Buffalo played a good game overall, despite getting off to a slow start, but Michigan played really well overall. Hunter Dickinson continued to just dominate on the interior, while Terrance Williams, Caleb Houstan, and Moussa Diabite were all good this season. The defense will need to improve in order to reach their ceiling but the Wolverines are in good shape to win the Big Ten and contend for a National Championship.
Seton Hall might be Villanova’s top competitor in the Big East
Coming into this season, the Big East is wide open but Seton Hall looked like it might be the team to beat in the league this season. First off, this defense is legit, they can switch pretty well defensively, Kadary Richmond is a star on that end and Ike Obiagu is a 7’2 shot-blocking machine. Add into that Bryce Aiken looks to be healthy, which is big, as Aiken is a high-level scorer who if he can regain that form that could add a new dimension to this Pirates roster.
Rutgers isn’t the same team from a year ago
After making the NCAA Tournament a season ago, Rutgers is almost certainly taking a step back this season and Wednesday looked to be the first sign of trouble. Ron Harper Jr and Geo Baker were less than fantastic, while they don’t have any real scoring beyond their starting-5 and the offense just is not run smoothly either. Sure, they could improve throughout the season, move the ball more and get better looks in the future, but I’m not optimistic given their struggles against Lehigh.
Antoine Davis can’t win on his own
Wyoming ran Detroit out of the gym, winning 85-47 and somewhat embarrassing Detroit-Mercy in the process. Antoine Davis was locked up on the offensive end and was held to only 16 points, while the rest of the team combined for the remaining 31 points, with only Madut Akek scoring in double-figures. While Davis has always been a high-volume player, if he has decent pieces around him, he can make it work. That doesn’t appear to be the case, and look for more teams to just try to take away Davis from having a big game.
Nice starts for Tony Stubblefield and Micah Shrewsberry
DePaul was missing Jalen Terry for this game but it didn’t really matter as they rolled past an albeit, not good Coppin State team, which is exactly what you are supposed to do. Javon Freeman-Liberty had a huge game in the process. Micah Shrewsberry and Penn State took care of Youngstown State in their opener, while Shrewsberry already seems to have gotten the best out of his roster, with John Harrar and Seth Lundy both having big games. Both former black assistants rolled in their first games, which long-term could lead to more diversity in coaching hires going forward if these two are able to get their feet off the ground at bottom-feeder programs in their respective leagues.
Henry Coleman could be Buzz Williams’ biggest addition at Texas A&M
This Texas A&M program has been dormant since Buzz Williams has taken over as Head Coach of the program but that might change rather soon. Adding in Henry Coleman already looks to be one of the biggest things Williams has done since being at A&M. Coleman erupted to the tune of 27 points and 7 rebounds in the Aggies 18-point win against North Florida. Sure, Coleman probably won’t do that every game but if he can live up to his four-star recruit billing, he could be the missing piece that gets Texas A&M back in contention for an NCAA Tournament appearance.