Hats off to Charlotte, which beat Michigan last week and has started its season strong behind sophomore Shawn Lester and junior Pierria Henry. Conference USA is wide open this year with Memphis leaving, and Charlotte, Southern Miss and East Carolina are all trending in the right direction. The 49ers have not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2001, but for those of you too young to remember, they went to the Final Four in 1977 behind Cornbread Maxwell where they lost to eventual champion Marquette. Charlotte has games with Florida State and Georgia Tech before league play starts, so they have a few more chances to make some noise.
Desert uprising not surprising
Herb Sendek’s Arizona State Sun Devils are 6-0 for the first time since Byron Scott, Fat Lever and Alton Lister were playing back in 1980-81. And, wow is the combo of Jahii Carson and Jordan Bachynski a great one. Bachynski had a double-double in each of his first six games after having five in 89 games over his first three seasons. Carson is an impossible matchup now that he is making three-pointers. Looking for something to watch late-night Thursday after all the turkey is done and you’ve loosened the belt a few notches? Check out the game on ESPN2 at 11 PM Eastern with Doug McDermott and Creighton meeting Carson, Bachynski and ASU. Last year when these teams played McDermott had 29 and Carson 34 in a Las Vegas game. Look for those same kind of fireworks in Anaheim.
Broncos scoring in bunches
Boise State is leading the nation in scoring, and this isn’t football. The Broncos are led by Aussie Anthony Drmic, who in his first year averaged 12 points, last year
averaged 17 and is near 25 a game right now. The Broncos made the NCAAs last year for the first time since 2008, but have yet to win an NCAA Tournament game in six tries. Former Gonzaga assistant Leon Rice is doing a great job there, so look for his team to be in the mix. Boise has games with Utah, St. Mary’s and Kentucky, so they have a chance to make people stand up and take notice.
No pause for the Minutemen
The big news last week was Michigan State earning the number-one ranking for the first time since 2001. The amazing thing is that since the last time they topped the polls, MSU has made three Final Four appearances. In each of those three seasons, Coach Izzo’s squad had a balanced scoring attack – all players averaged less than 15 points a game. So if a balanced scoring attack can win a lot of games and stay under the radar (back-to-back Final Fours without a #1 ranking!), what team this season might be able to open some eyes come NCAA Tournament time? Well, after a 6-0 start, UMass is ranked in the top 25 for the first time in 15 years and has five players averaging double digits in points. Cady Lalanne is the real deal down low and guard Chaz Williams is a two-time first-teamer in the A-10. If these guys stay healthy, watch out for the Minutemen.
– Bill Frieder
Former Michigan and Arizona State head coach Bill Frieder is an analyst for WestwoodOne’s coverage of NCAA Basketball. In his weekly blog Boxed Out, Bill scours the box scores to bring you interesting stories from the world of college basketball.
