Welcome back to the Starting 5. The Starting 5 is written multiple times per week by Adam Spencer to keep you up-to-date on all the news and events in the world of college hoops. You can follow Adam on Twitter at @AdamSpencer4 and @SDSBasketball.
There’s a new No. 1 team in the country this week after Duke took down Gonzaga 84-81 in Las Vegas on Friday night. The Coach K farewell tour is off to a rollicking start, as the Blue Devils have looked unbeatable.
Gonzaga’s 36-game regular-season win streak has come to an end and now the Blue Devils sit atop the polls. I think Purdue, the No. 2 team in the country now, should have stayed ahead of Duke, but it’s hard to find too much fault with the rankings after the Blue Devils took down the nation’s No. 1 team.
Paolo Banchero was once again a superstar, scoring a game-high 21 points to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Here’s a sequence that shows just how much of a game-changer he can be:
But, he dealt with cramping issues again. That’s something that needs to be addressed. He missed part of the game with Kentucky to start the season with cramps, and he missed more time in the second half against Gonzaga.
For all of his skill, the best ability is availability. Duke needs to be able to count on him in these close games against elite teams. Imagine how good he could be if he could stay on the court more consistently and without cramps.
Duke plays at Ohio State on Tuesday night as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Can Banchero avoid cramping issues in that game?
Friday night’s contest felt like a Final Four or national championship matchup. Even with the cramping problems, Banchero looked like a top-3 NBA Draft pick. Gonzaga will be just fine, don’t you worry.
What a great showcase of college basketball we got to witness on Friday night!
Jabari Smith is everything advertised and more. The freshman sensation at Auburn is hitting his stride after getting a few games under his belt. He had a heck of a 3 games in the Bahamas, including in Auburn’s final game against Syracuse.
He’s got a ton of confidence. He steps into this shot and drains it, then picks up a technical foul for taunting the Syracuse bench:
That’s an NBA-ready shooting stroke. He also plays instinctive defense:
Now, let’s all enjoy this highlight video of Smith doing things that no 6-10 person should be able to do:
He’s the key to Auburn’s success this year, plain and simple. Yes, the Tigers have some solid players, and will be even better when Allen Flanigan comes back. But, when it comes to competing for an SEC title, Smith is the guy who can take the team to the next level.
Now, let’s move on to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The Big Ten is off to a rocking start in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge this year, winning both games on Monday night. First up, it was Iowa handing Virginia its third loss of the year, going into Charlottesville and escaping with a 75-74 victory.
I still think this is a team that is going to miss Luka Garza a lot. This was the Hawkeyes’ first real test of the season, and while it was a nice win, this is a down year for Virginia.
Still, we should appreciate Keegan Murray and Jordan Bohannon while they are still in Hawkey uniforms. Look at Murray snapping this poor defender’s ankles:
Bohannon and Murray also connected on this great alley-oop:
They combined for 38 of Iowa’s 75 points. That’s something they’re going to have to do consistently to win. But, for now, the Hawkeyes are 6-0 with a trip to tip off Big Ten play at No. 2 Purdue on Dec. 3. Yikes. That’s a tough conference opener.
Next, let’s take a look around the rest of the college basketball landscape.
Kansas lost.
Yes, I’m a Jayhawks hater as a Mizzou graduate, but we still need to discuss what happened with Kansas in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando this week. In a field that included Alabama, Miami, Iona and Kansas, the Dayton Flyers ended up winning the title.
That happened after Dayton shocked the Jayhawks 74-73 on Friday in the semifinals of the tournament. Mustapha Amzil played the hero against the Jayhawks. After Malachi Smith got his shot rejected, Amzil picked it up and fired up a prayer:
To make the story even better, that was Amzil’s first shot attempt from the floor in the game. He had gone 2-for-4 from the free-throw line and snagged 5 rebounds in his 15 minutes of action off the bench. But, now, that shot will be remembered for a long time in Dayton.
Kansas has only itself to blame for the loss, too. When you only make 9 of 20 free-throw attempts, you deserve to lose. Big man David McCormack also got into foul trouble and couldn’t stay on the court. That’s a recipe for disaster for the Jayhawks.
The Jayhawks will be fine moving forward, but this game against the Flyers showed that perhaps they’re not the national title contender some thought they were prior to this tournament.
Next, let’s take a look ahead at the next few days of college basketball action.
With the Big Ten/ACC Challenge happening this week, there are plenty of great games to watch. But, I can only pick 5 of them for this section, so here are the 5 games I can’t wait to watch between now and Friday:
Will the Big Ten or ACC win the challenge this year? These games will be pivotal for each league. Oh, and Florida-Oklahoma should be fun, too. Plenty of great basketball to watch this week, even though there aren’t as many tournaments as there were last week.
Enjoy the Starting 5? Have a question? Want to yell at me about something? Follow me on Twitter @AdamSpencer4 or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.
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