What we found out on opening day: Isaiah Collier is the
USC freshman guard Isaiah Collier was as promoted. The country’s No. 1 hire scored 15 of his 18 points in the very first half of the No. 21 Trojans ’82-69 win over Kansas State in a Hall of Popularity series game at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena Monday night. Collier made 7 of nine shots, and included three rebounds and a game-high six helps. He has six turnovers, however, and fouled out with 4:50 to play.
“Definitely excellent to get my feet damp with the college game,” Collier stated. “So, I mean, I found out a lot tonight, as far as the crowd and just staying engaged in the game.”
The Trojans restricted the Wildcats, coming off an Elite 8 run, to 31.0% shooting from the field, 24.2% from beyond the three-point arc. Kansas State forward Arthur Kaluma, a transfer from Creighton, was 0-5 from 3-point land while North Texas transfer Tylor Perry, who shot 41.3% from three-point territory over the last 2 seasons, to just 4-12 from the arc. He led Kansas State with 22 points.USC freshman Bronny James, who suffered a heart attack event over the summertime, took a trip with the Trojans but enjoyed the game from the bench in sweats. He did not participate in warmups and his dad LeBron James stated in Miami his kid would undergo an examination later on this month and, if cleared, would start experimenting the Trojans in anticipation of playing this season. — Paul Gutierrez
N’Faly Dante and momentum from last season in Oregon’s win
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The former five-star recruit finally enjoyed a true breakout project last season, averaging 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds, both career-highs. He took his game to a various level down the stretch of 2022-23, putting up 14.3 points and 12.2 rebounds in his final 6 healthy games, including five double-doubles. In Monday’s 2023-24 season-opening win over Georgia, it was more of the same for Dante. The center completed with 16 points and 21 rebounds and was entirely dominant in the paint and on the glass. Oregon has really struggled in nonconference play the last 2 seasons, so Monday was a step in the best direction. — Jeff Borzello
play 0:21 Wooga Poplar drills 3 in Wooga Poplar drills 3 in The bigs will run amok again in
2024(and 2025 and 2026 …)As my observant colleague Mr. Borzello has actually shown, Dante taped a mighty getaway for Oregon versus Georgia in the 2023-24 season’s very first D-I vs. D-I game. Dante’s lead was quickly followed by the typical suspects in the paint: Zach Edey, Armando Bacot and Hunter Dickinson all rampaged against rather overmatched competitors. By now we’re accustomed to seeing dominant big males filling box scores and All-American teams. But it deserves recalling how this photo has shifted.The NBA was still utilizing multiple first-round picks per year on college players that don’t shoot 3s as just recently as 6 years ago. Not a lot any longer, though the periodic Dereck Lively or Jalen Duren do still take place. The common denominator there, and with others like Mark Williams, Day’Ron Sharpe and Isaiah Jackson, has been a typical age under 20. Conversely, veterans in the paint like Edey( 21 years of ages), Dante(22 ), Dickinson (who does shoot threes and turns 23 this month)and Bacot (showing up on 24 )remain the college game and wreak some wonderful havoc.– John Gasaway play 1:48 Radford Highlanders vs. North Carolina Tar Heels: Full Emphasizes
Radford Highlanders vs. North Carolina Tar Heels: Full Emphasizes
The breakout buzz on Wooga Poplar is genuine Throughout the offseason, there was
constant buzz coming out of Coral Gables surrounding the possible development of Miami junior guard Wooga Poplar. Coach Jim Larrañaga seemed to verify that at ACC Media Day, informing ESPN that Poplar” looks like a pro. He appears like a first-round draft choice … He’s in for a big year. “While it’s only one game, Poplar is showing the offseason reports right. He led
the Hurricanes to a 101-60 triumph over NJIT, scoring 21 points and going 5-for-9 from 3-point variety. With ACC Gamer of the Year Isaiah Wong leaving last spring, Larrañaga needs somebody to step up and fill his shoes on the boundary. Poplar appears like he will be that guy.– Borzello play 0:21 Markus Burton eradicate defender for and-1 Markus Burton eradicate defender for and-1 North Carolina has some work to do to avoid a repeat of
last season The Tar Heels entered their season opener figured out to put last season’s historic miss– they were the very first preseason No. 1 team to miss out on the NCAA tournament– and they struggled
. Early in their ultimate 86-70 win over Radford Monday night, UNC needed a late second-half push to retreat after the Highlanders cut the result in 56-55 with 14:56 to play.I don’t know how much you can draw from that shaky start in a season opener. But Radford’s backcourt of Kenyon Giles, Bryan Antoine and DaQuan Smith integrated to score 49 points, getting to the lane with ease before UNC determined how to clamp down. Against more gifted teams, those spaces will be expensive– UNC’s opponents made 48.4 %of their shots inside the arc in 2015– if Hubert Davis doesn’t work it out.– Myron Medcalf ACC freshman guards make declarations While the majority of Monday’s freshman focus centered around USC’s Isaiah Collier or Kentucky’s newcomers, it was two under-the-radar ACC point guards who had statement-making debuts. First up, Notre Dame’s Markus Burton, who
notched 29 points on Monday, going 11-for-20 from the field while likewise finishing with 4 rebounds and four assists. He took over in the 2nd half versus Niagara, scoring 16 points in a six-minute span in the last 9 minutes.Not to be outdone, Pittsburgh freshman guard Carlton”Bub “Carrington posted the program’s first triple-double given that 1998(18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists )to help the Panthers cruise previous North Carolina A&T. Jeff Capel has a group that on paper looks quietly competitive in the middle of the pack of the ACC
this season– especially if Carrington can run the show at the point player area.– Borzello John Calipari’s playing the long game Although Kentucky had a hard time from 3(9-for-29) in its 86-46 win over New Mexico State on Monday, it’s the variety of efforts that matters.Under Calipari, Kentucky’s 3-point attempts have never surpassed 32% of its general field goal efforts in a season, per KenPom. On Monday, the Wildcats attempted 45
%. They’ll need to fall for Calipari to trust his shooters to keep taking them. However the sheer volume could mean Calipari will enable this group to play with more freedom on the perimeter than previous groups.
— Medcalf Will Wade beats his previous team in his McNeese launching Last season, the Cowboys completed 11-23 (6-12 in the Southland Conference ). Then, the school employed Will Wade this offseason. He won’t be offered for a lengthy stretch to serve out his 10-game suspension and two-year show-cause– handed down from the IARP for his connection to the FBI investigation of college basketball in 2017. But with a fleet of