11.10.23 Slate Primer

Welcome to the daily slate primer, where we rundown last night’s action and preview the day to come.

Last Night’s Recap

• James Madison vs. Kent State is the early favorite for game of the year. The Dukes and Golden Flashes traded improbable comebacks in a double overtime thriller that will go down in MAC/Sun Belt Challenge lore. JMU was down five points with 3.8 seconds left and miraculously forced overtime. Kent State was down 5 with 14.7 seconds in OT and miraculously forced double overtime. Ultimately, the Dukes came away with a 113-108 victory, snapping Kent State’s 23-game home win streak. This JMU team is for real, folks.
• Michigan State cruised to victory against Southern Indiana, but the Spartans shot 1-11 from three, which actually increased their total shooting percentage from 5% to 6%. Tom Izzo’s crew needs to figure it out offensively before they play Duke on Tuesday.
• Saint Mary’s dominated New Mexico, 72-58. The Lobos were without Jaelen House, which is significant, but we don’t think it would’ve mattered much in the outcome. Aidan Mahaney finished with 25pts and sophomore Harry Wessels burst onto the scene with 12 of his own as the Gaels avenged last year’s loss. Saint Mary’s is a legitimate national title contender this season.
• Georgia Tech escaped with a 88-85 win over Howard, thanks to 27pts from Miles Kelly. The Yellow Jackets will be a work in progress this year, but averaging 86 points through two games is promising for Damon Stoudamire’s squad. Howard is the presumed MEAC favorite and they looked the part behind 22pts from Shy Odom.
• Middle Tennessee and Stephen F. Austin went to overtime, as we said they probably would in yesterday’s primer. The Blue Raiders are now 31-2 in their last 33 home games – pretty good!
• Utah Valley and Sam Houston State went to overtime as well, with UVU taking home a 79-73 win. Todd Phillips picked up his first win against a D1 opponent.
• Wichita State is now 2-0 under Paul Mills. Mills is now 32-5 in his last 37 games dating back to last year. He’s one of our favorite under-the-radar hires of last cycle.

KenPom’s Thrill Score Top-10 | 11.10.23

Look at this doozy of a lineup. Yesterday’s slate didn’t have much pop nationally, but it gave us a game of the year contender. Tonight? The brand names are here. Arizona travels to Cameron Indoor. Tennessee heads to the Kohl Center. The national runners-up go to Provo. These are the types of matchups people have been clamoring for and we’re hopeful they can live up to the hype.

10 things we’re excited to watch:

• Caleb Love back at Cameron Indoor. Surely he’ll get a wonderful reception.
• Tommy Lloyd vs. Jon Scheyer – the future of the sport.
• Zakai Zeigler vs. Chucky Hepburn
• Reece Beekman vs. Riley Kugel
• Wade Taylor IV & Tyrece Radford vs. Roddy Gayle & Bruce Thornton
• The defensive slugfest between BYU and SDSU
• Matt Allocco vs. Tyler Thomas
• Casey Alexander vs. Bob Richey (SearchSzn Special)
• Yale vs. Gonzaga
• Andy Kennedy vs. Brad Brownell

Storylines to watch:

The beginning of a beautiful home-and-home.

Shoutout to Tommy Lloyd and Jon Scheyer for agreeing to do this. Coach K’s successor has not shied away from tough competition in the early going. Traditionally, the Blue Devils would take any opportunity they could to host a buy game and collect an easy win. Not anymore. Scheyer is lining up top tier opponents to prep his squad for ACC and tournament play and we’re here for it. Not only do we get Caleb Love’s return to Cameron Indoor this year, but also what is likely Cooper Flagg’s first road game at McKale next year. These games aren’t for the faint of heart, which is why the college basketball community is thankful for them.

Tennessee’s tough road test.

The Volunteers head to a Big Ten arena for the second time in three weeks, after their exhibition game at Michigan State. The Vols were without Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler that day and still managed to come away with a victory. While that was just an exhibition, it was a great way for Rick Barnes to get his team some tough road environment experience. They’ll be more than prepared for the raucous crowd they’re sure to meet at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin looked impressive in their 105-76 win over Arkansas State in the opener. It was only the third time in the last 10 years they’d scored 100+ in a game. Are both of these teams shedding their defensive identities for a more offensive-minded approach? Probably not, but it’d be fun to see these two teams play in the 80s for a change.

Chris Holtmann’s big opportunity.

We don’t think it’s hyperbole to say this is one of the most important games of the season for Chris Holtmann. A win over Texas A&M will quell any doubts that he’s the right man for the job in Columbus. The Buckeyes have an opportunity to knock off one of top teams in the SEC and give themselves (and the B10) a massive resume building win. Buzz Williams is often criticized for the lack of quality opponents on the Aggies non-conference schedule, so this is one of the tougher tests they’ve faced in recent years as well. A win for either program will go a long way towards their NCAA tournament seed line in March.

The Senior Tiger Bowl.

Memphis vs. Missouri will feature two of the oldest teams in the country. There’s a good chance nine out of the ten starters who take the floor tonight are seniors or grads. Nick Jourdain will be the lone junior if he starts again for Memphis.

These are two programs looking to take that next step. Missouri is ahead of schedule in year two under Dennis Gates. Mizzou won 25 games last year and have already seen the fruits of their success on the recruiting trail. Gates has that program on a rocket ship towards consecutive tournament births for the first time in a decade. Memphis has had a steady climb under Penny Hardaway, with last season being the best of his tenure. Memphis brought in one of the best (and oldest) transfer portal classes in the country. Penny’s group is older than four (!) NBA teams right now. Which group of old tigers will get the win in CoMo?

Belmont vs. Furman (SearchSzn Special)

For our friends that enjoy the coaching carousel, this is the game for you. Casey Alexander and Bob Richey are two of the most successful mid-major coaches in the country and we get to see them face off tonight. There’s a good chance these two compete for similar jobs in the near future, so you know their agents are hoping their guy wins. This game headlines a fantastic mid-major slate.

Another awesome mid-major slate.

• Furman vs. Belmont
• Charleston vs. Duquesne
• Princeton vs. Hofstra
• Samford vs. VCU
• Southern Miss vs. Akron
• Wright State vs. Colorado State

Plenty to watch tonight if you’re not into the big brands!

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