I Know What You Are Thinking...Lets Clear This Up

What an amazing tip off marathon we were treated to this season! If you didn't get a chance to catch some of the earlier games hopefully you were at least able to weigh in on some of last evening's games. If not, then I am sure you are dying to ask, "Mastermind, Michigan St. and Kansas did the same thing Kentucky did, why aren't we hearing about them being overrated?" On the surface, this is a very valid question. However, there are a few factors in both games that set them apart from Kentucky's loss. Aside from those two games, there are a few other points in the night session of the marathon that I would like to address also.

The Good...

1. The biggest factor here is that Michigan State and Kansas were up against good teams. Don't get me wrong I don't take any team lightly or take away anything that Miami of Ohio did against Kentucky, but Gonzaga and Memphis are a much different level of competition. I will agree that both the Bulldogs and the Tigers may be down a little bit from their past couple of seasons, but they are still fantastic ball clubs that have legitimate shots to win their conferences again this season.

2. This doesn't apply to Michigan State who was at home, but Kansas was on a neutral court. Play that game at Phog Allen Field House and Kansas wins by 10. Move it to Memphis, and they escape with a quality road win.

3. The stars for both teams shined tonight. For Michigan State Durrell Summers, Kalin Lucas, and Raymar Morgan combined for 56 of the Spartans 75 points. For Kansas Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry, and Sherron Collins combined for 41 points and Aldrich added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

The Bad...

1. Well Michigan State...20 turnovers is not really something most teams aim to achieve. I hate to single out any players but Draymond Green and Delvon Roe did not rise to the occasion tonight. Although Green had 10 rebounds, he added only 6 points and was responsible for 5 of the Spartans turnovers. Roe on the other hand, had no bright spots with no points and 4 turn overs while playing in foul trouble all night before fouling out. Michigan State is going to need production out of these 2 if they are hoping to return to where they were last season.

2. Kansas did you take a lesson from MSU? The number one team in the country shouldn't be committing 21 turnovers against anyone. Tyshawn Taylor played 33 out of 40 minutes for Kansas and had a whopping 7 turnovers to only 5 assists and managed just 2 points. The Jayhawks may not be a 3 point shooting team but they attempted only 5 and made just 1, which could present a problem when they are playing in come from behind situations which, believe it or not, they will eventually be in.

The Other...

1. Memphis played hard and came painfully close to upsetting the number 1 team in the nation. This should be a huge boost for a program that took massive hits in the off season, has all young players, and a new head coach. Elliot Williams had a monster game, throwing down 21 points and somehow managing to not pick up a single foul in 39 min. Memphis showed tonight that although things may have them down, they are definitely not out.

2. The score of the Tennessee-UNCA game can only be described as...you know what I don't even have a word for it. A 75 point win for the Volunteers is just ridiculous. Every player on the Tennessee roster with the exception of one scored in this game. Now I didn't get a chance to watch this one but something tells me maybe Bruce Pearl should have a pulled his boys off a little sooner in this game. Although I guess he is still controlling his players a little better than his Football counterpart on the other side of the university.

3. I won't go into specifics here but the Georgetown-Temple game was one of the worst displays of basketball I have ever had to witness. The Hoyas played horrible basketball with their fouls and turnovers and the Owls played just a little bit worse which you will notice is clearly reflected in the score. Lets hope we don't have to see another game like that again this season, my eyes can't handle it