College Basketball Kick-Off

The 2012-13 college basketball season kicks off tonight. While everyone is aware of the marquee match-ups on a carrier (Michigan State vs. UConn and Georgetown vs. Florida), other must see games (Ohio State vs. Marquette and Maryland vs. Kentucky), and mid-major delights (Creighton vs. North Texas) here is a look at three under the radar games.

Virginia at George Mason:

It’s not everyday that a team from a BCS conference steps foot into the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA, especially one from within the state of Virginia. George Mason will look for revenge after their 20 point loss to the Cavaliers last year. With state bragging rights at stake, not to mention an opportunity for a mid-major upset on opening night, Paul Hewitt will attempt to take advantage of an under-manned Tony Bennett squad. UVA is coming off a trip to the NCAA tournament; however they lost the services of Mike Scott, one of the most efficient players in the ACC, who also used 29.8% of his team’s possessions. UVA also lost starting point guard, Jontel Evans to start the season due to a foot surgery. Last year the Cavaliers had the 6^th most efficient defense according to kenpom.com, while playing at a snails pace of 60.6 possessions per game (338 out of 345 teams). Bennett will be forced to start 3 freshman, including Taylor Barnette, a previous UCF signee. Junior Joe Harris will be asked to carry the load early in the season. Will the weight be too much early on? Hewitt and George Mason certainly hope so. The Patriots lose Ryan Pearson, the CAA POY, but return two starting guards in Junior Byron Allen and Vertrail Vaughns, and reserve Sherrod Wright. George Mason will try to jump on the Cavaliers early and ride the home crowd momentum to an in-state upset.

Bucknell at Purdue: – Life after Robbie Hummell begins today in Mackey Arena. Unfortunately the Boilermakers do not get to ease into the 2012-13 season, but instead open with one of the top low to mid major teams in the Bucknell Bison. The Bison are coming off a 25-10 season in which they upset Arizona in Tuscon during NIT play and return 4 starters including 6-11 Mike Muscala. Muscala will battle Cj McCollum for Patriot league player of the year and comes off a junior season in which he had a 117.4 offensive efficiency rating (tops in the Patriot League). This experience could cause a young Purdue team problems as Matt Painter will ask his 7 foot freshman big man, A.J. Hammons to slow down Muscala. Purdue returns sharp shooter D.J. Byrd as well junior guard Terone Johnson who stepped up once Kevin Barlow was suspended. Bucknell comes into the game as 6.5 point underdogs, but it would not be a surprise if this experienced team snuck out of Indiana with a victory against a young Boilermaker squad. 

Briante creating HAVOC

Florida Gulf Coast U at VCU – Shaka Smart and VCU begin the year in a new conference (Atlantic 10), but will bring the same havoc style of play behind guards Briante Weber and Darius Theus. Weber was the county leader in steal percentage last year (7.0%) while Theus averaged 8.7 ppg and 4.7 apg. VCU also features one of Luke Winn’s breakout sophomores in Treveon Graham, who averaged 7 ppg in limited minutes last year and also a highly ranked recruiting class led by Jordan Burgess, the younger brother of former Ram Bradford Burgess. All this returning talent and athleticism suggests that an unknown Atlantic Sun squad should be in trouble, but that might not be the case. FGCU is predicted to finish 3^rd in the Sun Belt and return all five starters which include Sherwood Brown, a 6-3 senior who averaged 13 ppg and sophomore point guard Brett Comer, a high school teammate of Austin Rivers. The Eagles also add a 6-9 Iowa State transfer, Eric McKnight who will make an immediate impact in the Atlantic Sun. VCU is definitely in another class than FGCU, but look for the Eagles to give the Rams a game before bowing out to the havoc pressure created by Smart and his team. 

The Plus One:

Bringing athleticism back to Tempe

The long awaited arrival of Jahii Carson, freshman point guard for Arizona State kicks off on Saturday against Corliss Williamson and his Central Arkansas squad. Herb Sendek and ASU have fallen on hard times after the departure of James Harden with Carson being forced to sit out last year after the NCAA ruled him academically ineligible. Carson brings some much needed speed and athleticism to a team that averaged 61 ppg last year (304^th in the country). Sendek has been quoted as saying he wants to play faster with Jahii at the point, but he also said that last year. Ironically, during Carson’s junior year he de-committed from Oregon State. At the time, the Beavers played a relatively slow pace averaging 62.5 possessions in 2009-10, but now they are one of the fastest teams in the country and averaged 71.4 possessions per game last year (15^th in the country). Just some food for thought.

Enjoy opening day of the 2012-13 college basketball season.