Court Vision: An early contender for game of the season, triple-doubles appreciation

Let’s get straight to the good stuff.

1. Baylor vs. St. John’s, a buzzer beater and the best game this season

“Game of the season” — even this early on — is not a superlative I hand out lightly. But there’s just no other way to describe Baylor’s 99-98 double-overtime win against St. John’s on Thursday night. It was the exact kind of palpitation-inducing, stand-up-and-scream-at-your-TV game that makes college basketball so fun.

For any of you poor souls who either A) were watching another eye-bleeder of a “Thursday Night Football” game, or B) went to bed early, St. John’s stormed out to an 18-point first-half lead. Rick Pitino’s team basically could not miss. But then Baylor, mostly behind Norchad Omier’s bully ball, plus a combination of Jeremy Roach and Jayden Nunn jumpers, chipped away. Finally, with under three minutes left in regulation, the Bears took their first lead of the night. Roach — the Duke transfer, and one of Baylor’s three high-profile additions this offseason — stepped to the line for a one-and-one that would ice the game, only to miss the first free throw, allowing Kadary Richmond enough time to hit a teardrop at the other end and send the game to overtime.

After a back-and-forth slog, Baylor led by five with 1:36 left. Then Richmond, who by this point was limping, went back into takeover mode, scoring five straight to force a second overtime.

Which is when things got really fun. St. John’s hit three of its eventual 14 3-pointers in double OT, and after the teams traded baskets, the Johnnies still led by five with 18 seconds left. The win was all but guaranteed. Then VJ Edgecombe — Baylor’s five-star freshman guard, playing back in his native Bahamas — drained a prayer of a 3 with six seconds left to make it a one-possession game. Baylor fouled on the ensuing inbounds, and after Zuby Ejiofor, who finished with a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds, missed both free throws, it left Roach enough time to hit the winner:

 

For St. John’s, it’s a tough loss, but Pitino’s team, in the long run, is going to be just fine. Richmond — who finished with 14 points, seven assists and four rebounds — still doesn’t look totally comfortable, which should be nightmare fuel for the rest of the Big East.

And Scott Drew’s Baylor squad has rebounded as well as possible from that opening night disaster against Gonzaga. The Bears still have plenty to clean up, but the offseason additions of Roach and Omier — who combined for 44 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, including half of Baylor’s points in the two overtime periods — are clearly paying off.

I’ll take a rematch of that one in March, please.

2. Triple-doubles on back-to-back nights? Yes, really!

Let’s start with the latter of the two — Kam Jones’ 17-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist masterpiece vs. Purdue. Not only was this the first triple-double by any Marquette player since Dwyane Wade in the 2003 Elite Eight, but it was Jones’ first career game with either 10 rebounds or 10 assists. So, truly a breakout effort, the kind that puts the country on notice and puts Jones in any way-too-early National Player of the Year conversations. We would also be remiss not to mention that this was Jones’ first game since learning of the death of his old high school coach, and it’s beautiful that he dedicated a night like that to someone he held so dear.

Jones led Marquette in scoring the past two seasons, but can we talk about his passing? The 6-foot-4 senior had never averaged more than 2.4 assists per game for a season, but he’s more than doubled that as a senior, with six dimes a night. He’s averaging a career-high 22.6 points per game, tied for the sixth-most amongst high-major players.

Purdue cut its deficit to three points early in the second half, at which points Jones scored or assisted on six of Marquette’s next seven successful possessions. He started out with this feed:

Then this ridiculous, contorting finish:

And finally an, “LOL try to stop me” pick-and-roll layup:

All of that before he scored eight of Marquette’s last 13 points, to put the game on ice. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about Jones this season — and Marquette, for that matter. The Golden Eagles have been one of the most fun teams to watch the first month.

But that other triple-double that caught my eye? The one that, at least nationally, hasn’t gotten nearly the love? Jaland Lowe going for 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against VMI on Monday. I get that the caliber of competition isn’t the same, but look at this dime. There just aren’t many guards in the country capable of making a cross-court, one-handed (Lowe is a lefty, so this is at least his dominant hand) pass through three defenders off a live dribble:

And as for Pitt, fun fact: The Panthers are one of just 12 teams, as of this writing, with a top-25 adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency rating, per KenPom. The others include the top four teams in the country, plus six other ranked squads. But Jeff Capel’s team isn’t being talked about in nearly the same light, despite already owning two top-100 wins. Maybe that’s because the Panthers don’t have a singular star. Ish Leggett, who won ACC Sixth Man of the Year last season, has been the most consistent scorer, and college journeyman Damian Dunn has rediscovered his old form. (He played four seasons at Temple and a fifth at Houston).

With three straight high-major foes on the docket, we’re about to find out just how “for real” Pitt is, but as of today, I feel confident saying the Panthers are the ACC’s third-best team, behind only Duke and North Carolina.

3. Put some respect on …

Marquette and Pitt aren’t the only teams I’ve been impressed with that still aren’t getting the love they probably should be. Three others:

Xavier: Wake Forest beat Michigan, and Xavier beat Wake Forest … but it’s Michigan that’s ranked? Huh? The rankings will work themselves out, but Sean Miller’s squad is easily my pick for “most aesthetically pleasing” team. The Musketeers just play a gorgeous, modern version of basketball; they’re leading the nation in assist rate, at 77.3 percent. Yes, the most-experienced high-major team in America shares the ball well. They are 13th in 3-point percentage, with Indiana State transfer Ryan Conwell leading the way at a blistering 52.6 percent on 7.6 attempts per game. Among Xavier, Marquette, Creighton and UConn, the top of the Big East is gonna be a bloodbath. Inject it straight into my veins.

Texas Tech: I can’t remember the last time a team in KenPom’s top 10 was unranked entirely. Texas Tech is a victim of the dreaded “ain’t played nobody” affliction that so many teams deal with in the nonconference, but, news flash: neither has UConn or Iowa State or Creighton or Cincinnati. I know KenPom’s efficiency rankings are still somewhat predictive in nature, but there are six teams with a top-15 offensive and defensive ranking — and the other five, outside of TTU, are all ranked in the top 12. Make it make sense! New Mexico transfer JT Toppin has been a stud, he’s currently eighth in KenPom’s NPOY rankings and one of the best glass-cleaners in America, but Grant McCasland’s entire team rocks. The Red Raiders lead the country in effective field goal percentage.

Indiana: Ranked 16th nationally and tops of any Big Ten team, Indiana isn’t getting totally disrespected, but should we be talking about this team in an even loftier light? Mackenzie Mgbako has looked incredible, especially as a supersized 3-man next to Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau; he was really the swing guy for IU this season, because if he couldn’t stretch the floor, this whole experiment might not have worked.

Mgbako won’t shoot 63.6 percent from 3 all season, but between his deep shooting and his interior finishing, he’s been an ideal fit between those aforementioned bigs and Myles Rice. The Washington State transfer has been similarly awesome, albeit a little turnover-prone. I put Indiana right there with Purdue and Illinois as my Big Ten favorites, and it’s entirely possible Mike Woodson’s team rises into the top 10 if it wins the Battle 4 Atlantis next week.

4. Let’s talk about Alabama

It’s not time for a full-throated discussion about Alabama — the Crimson Tide just dropped 100 points on No. 25 Illinois, and that was with preseason All-American Mark Sears sitting basically the last 12 minutes — but something just doesn’t seem totally right about Nate Oats’ team. “So you think Alabama sucks, huh?” Sigh. No. But for a team that had a reasonable case to be No. 1 in the preseason, with a returning All-American, three incoming top-35 recruits and a high-profile transfer big, the pieces haven’t all fit quite like expected.

Obviously, some of that goes back to Sears, who — according to Oats — asked not to be put back into the Illinois game because his teammates were playing so well. That’s noble, and about the best thing a legitimate leader can do. But his struggles are the reason that was even plausible.

Per CBB Analytics, Sears isn’t hitting his above the break 3s at nearly a similar rate as last season. His 44 percent mark on such 3s last season ranked in the 94th percentile nationally; presently, his 30 percent rate is in the 48th percentile, or about half what it was. Sears is too good a shooter to struggle like this all season, and I’d comfortably bet on him and Oats rectifying those woes. But I’m more interested in Sears’s struggles at the rim. He was in the 99th percentile last season in shots at the rim, with 5.6 per game, but he’s getting to the cup only 3.2 times a night this year — and he hasn’t been particularly effective when he has, shooting almost seven percent below the national average in such situations.

As for the team at large, the issue seems pretty simple: Alabama just isn’t shooting it as well. Last season: 37.3 percent from 3, 77.2 percent on free throws. This season? 30.8 percent from 3, 71.4 percent on free throws.

Given the way Oats wants to play, there’s always going to be some shot variance with the Crimson Tide’s results — usually in a good way — but four Bama players had career-best 3-point seasons last year. That simply hasn’t matriculated. (Jarin Stevenson, who canned five 3s vs. UNC in the Sweet 16, is 0-for-16.) I’ve said before that I’m a big believer in the law of averages, and Alabama is going to be fine, but it might be more of a “very good team that can make the Final Four” than “elite team that should be a national title front-runner.” Same, same … but different.

Alabama’s tough nonconference schedule

Date Opponent Score

Nov. 15

L 87-78

Nov. 20

W 100-87

Nov. 26

TBD

Nov. 27

TBD

Dec. 4

TBD

Dec. 14

TBD

5. Before Feast Week, the game of the weekend is…

Duke at Arizona. C’mon. Another chance for Caleb Love to play the Blue Devils? It’s delicious.

Because I’m clearly feeling list-y, the three things I’m most watching for (live from the McHale Center) are:

How does Khaman Maluach combat Arizona’s versatile frontcourt? Duke’s 7-foot-2 center has been solid — 9.5 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game — but Tommy Lloyd can throw multiple looks at the freshman. Tennessee transfer Tobe Awaka has been an absolute monster on the glass — he’s top 10 in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate, per KenPom — but he’s only 6-foot-8. Then there’s Motiejus Krivas, the 7-foot-2 Lithuanian, one of the few players in the sport who can physically match Maluach, but he’s played only 13.3 minutes per game while rehabbing an offseason ankle injury. Maluach doesn’t have to carry the interior load alone, Maliq Brown and Cooper Flagg will both be in the mix, but how the freshman responds in a road environment could be crucial.

Will we get Good or Bad Caleb Love? Love in Arizona’s first two games: 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, while shooting 45.8 percent overall and 38.5 percent from 3 (on 13 attempts). Love against Wisconsin: 6 points, two rebounds, two assists, while shooting (hold your nose) 15.4 percent overall and missing all six 3-point attempts. Oh, and he fouled out in 25 minutes. Duke knows Love, and it has to hope it doesn’t get the guy who has averaged 16.9 points vs. Duke in eight career games.

Which team hits 3s? Outside of its loss to Kentucky, Duke has made 11, 17 and 16 3-pointers in its three wins (all against sub-150 ranked teams). Arizona, meanwhile, has made 20 3-pointers all season, shooting an abysmal 27.4 percent from deep. That would easily be the worst of any of Lloyd’s Arizona teams. KJ Lewis and Trey Townsend, especially, need to get going in that regard, or it’s tough to see how Arizona has the scoring to keep up with a Duke team averaging 88.5 per game.

For that last reason especially, give me Duke, even on the road. Plus, it’s only poetic that if Love got the last laugh against Mike Krzyzewski three seasons ago, Duke gets one final win against him. I don’t make the rules.

 (Photo of Marquette’s Kam Jones: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)



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