Past Week Review
There have been many storylines in the past week, including the #1 team in the country going down. Here is my take:
Unranked (and 3 loss!) UCLA upsets #1 Kentucky
This is a real shocker, and in no way did I (or anyone) see this coming. One thing I learned is that this year's UK team is nowhere near last year's UK team. Last year's team blew out a better UCLA team, giving up single digit points in the first half. I'm not sure what the problem was for the Wildcats, as it didn't look like the same team that beat Duke easily. Star guards Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis were a combined 7-28 from the field. Ulis played injured, and Kentucky sorely missed Marcus Lee, who played just 4 minutes due to an injury early in the game. UCLA showed massive potential with this win, although we all knew they had the talent to be a really good team. For the Bruins, it's just a matter of putting up consistent results. Overall, this is a big wakeup call for Coach Calipari and Kentucky, and an absolutely huge win for UCLA.
Duke blows out Indiana
I thought this would be closer that some expected, especially after a hot offensive start and an early lead for the Hoosiers. However, Indiana couldn't stop Duke at all. According to the Indy Star, it was Duke's "most efficient offensive game against a major-conference opponent in 20 years." Brandon Ingram dominated, Grayson Allen dominated, Amile Jefferson looked great, and overall, Duke's offensive guys looked like they were back in high school. Although it was a good win for Duke, it is becoming clear that Indiana is a streaky and inconsistent team. The biggest thing that impressed me for Duke wasn't their offense but their defense. They played great defense against an Indiana team with a fantastic offense.
Big 10 beats ACC in ACC-Big 10 Challenge
This was another surprise, as the Big 10 was clearly better top to bottom (they won 8-6 overall), with big performances from Wisconsin (nice win over Syracuse), Michigan State (good win vs Louisville) and Purdue (double digit win at Pittsburgh). The ACC was heralded as the best conference in the country going into the season, but beyond the top 3 (North Carolina, Duke and Virginia), they were disappointing. The Big 10 looks like they are again the best conference in the country.
UNC beats Maryland
The Tar Heels played fantastic in Marcus Paige's return to action... Paige showed no rust in scoring 20 points on 7-12 from the field, and Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson were impressive inside. UNC also had a lot more depth than the Terrapins, bringing four talented players off the bench, while Maryland's bench seemed lackluster, and a big downgrade from the five starters. Maryland's five starters are great offensively (especially Melo Trimble and his 23 points plus 12 assists), but defense could become a problem, the same way it was a problem last year. However, as losses go, this is about as good of a loss as you can have if you're Maryland, on the road against a top team who just got their best player back. North Carolina fans should be happy, as it looks like they have shaken off their early disappointment against Northern Iowa, and are a legitimate top 5 team.
Unranked (and 3 loss!) UCLA upsets #1 Kentucky
This is a real shocker, and in no way did I (or anyone) see this coming. One thing I learned is that this year's UK team is nowhere near last year's UK team. Last year's team blew out a better UCLA team, giving up single digit points in the first half. I'm not sure what the problem was for the Wildcats, as it didn't look like the same team that beat Duke easily. Star guards Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis were a combined 7-28 from the field. Ulis played injured, and Kentucky sorely missed Marcus Lee, who played just 4 minutes due to an injury early in the game. UCLA showed massive potential with this win, although we all knew they had the talent to be a really good team. For the Bruins, it's just a matter of putting up consistent results. Overall, this is a big wakeup call for Coach Calipari and Kentucky, and an absolutely huge win for UCLA.
Duke blows out Indiana
I thought this would be closer that some expected, especially after a hot offensive start and an early lead for the Hoosiers. However, Indiana couldn't stop Duke at all. According to the Indy Star, it was Duke's "most efficient offensive game against a major-conference opponent in 20 years." Brandon Ingram dominated, Grayson Allen dominated, Amile Jefferson looked great, and overall, Duke's offensive guys looked like they were back in high school. Although it was a good win for Duke, it is becoming clear that Indiana is a streaky and inconsistent team. The biggest thing that impressed me for Duke wasn't their offense but their defense. They played great defense against an Indiana team with a fantastic offense.
Big 10 beats ACC in ACC-Big 10 Challenge
This was another surprise, as the Big 10 was clearly better top to bottom (they won 8-6 overall), with big performances from Wisconsin (nice win over Syracuse), Michigan State (good win vs Louisville) and Purdue (double digit win at Pittsburgh). The ACC was heralded as the best conference in the country going into the season, but beyond the top 3 (North Carolina, Duke and Virginia), they were disappointing. The Big 10 looks like they are again the best conference in the country.
UNC beats Maryland
The Tar Heels played fantastic in Marcus Paige's return to action... Paige showed no rust in scoring 20 points on 7-12 from the field, and Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson were impressive inside. UNC also had a lot more depth than the Terrapins, bringing four talented players off the bench, while Maryland's bench seemed lackluster, and a big downgrade from the five starters. Maryland's five starters are great offensively (especially Melo Trimble and his 23 points plus 12 assists), but defense could become a problem, the same way it was a problem last year. However, as losses go, this is about as good of a loss as you can have if you're Maryland, on the road against a top team who just got their best player back. North Carolina fans should be happy, as it looks like they have shaken off their early disappointment against Northern Iowa, and are a legitimate top 5 team.
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