Euphoria sets in for Evansville’s KJ Riley as the Purple Aces stun Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
Teams of the Week – Week 2 (November 11-17, 2019)
Evansville – Walter McCarty, in his second season as Evansville' head coach, played at UK and won a national championship with the Wildcats in 1996. John Calipari agreed to host the Kentucky legend, McCarty and his program, Evansville at Rupp Arena last Tuesday. Coach McCarty is not only a proud Wildcat, but he is also a native of Evansville and is really proud of his roots. Kentucky came into this contest at 2-0 after beating Michigan State in the Champions Classic and dismantling Eastern Kentucky. This earned Kentucky the #1 ranking in the polls. Evansville had only played Ball State at home and won 79-75. It was a good start to the campaign, but nobody expected what was about to come for the Purple Aces. Senior KJ Riley is a heck of a creator that can benefit shooters outside like Sam Cunliffe. KJ had a performance he will never forget by pacing the Purple Aces with 18 points, going perfect 8-8 from the line, and 2-2 from deep. Cunliffe poured in 17 points and had 6 dimes. The Aces did the unthinkable and stunned Kentucky, 67-64. Evansville was greeted by fans and students when they returned to Evansville. Quite a scene and quite a win for the program. McCarty has been interviewed by most of the major news outlets. “I don’t know if anything matches this, other than winning a national championship.” Evansville, my friends, is officially on the map in 2019-20 and have a memory for a lifetime.
BYU – Offseason expectations were high for BYU. Mark Pope was the ideal fit to fill in for Dave Rose. BYU got amazing news when Yoeli Childs returned to school after going through the NBA Draft process. Toward the end of summer, all of the positivity came crashing down with the news that Childs would be suspended for 9 games because the NCAA determined that he was not in compliance with the new rules instituted during the 2018-19 season regulating how student-athletes can sign with an agent and maintain their remaining eligibility. That meant a vastly important part of the Cougars schedule for an at-large bid was impacted by the suspension and expectations lessened. That leads us to Friday night when BYU went to Houston to face a talented squad and a team that we at Bracketeer.org are high on. BYU went out and performed very well behind transfers Alex Barcello and Jake Toolson, who have made a big impact. Also, TJ Haws and Kolby Lee are playing well. This game was a seesaw battle that saw BYU down by 1 late. A costly Houston turnover created one final chance for the Cougars to steal a road win. Haws took full advantage creating enough space to fire a 15-footer and watch it bounce off of the front iron and splash through the net! Unbelievable. BYU beats Houston at the buzzer in the battle of the Cougars.
Montana State – Bobcats started the season at Utah State and put a scare into the Aggies, but ultimately lost out late, 81-73. The result was still impressive and created confidence for this newish team led by former Bobcat great and new HC Danny Sprinkle. This past weekend the Bobcats traveled cross-country to Greensboro, NC to participate in the Spartan Invitational and play three games in three days against Appalachian State, UNCG, and Tennessee Tech. Of course, the big fish in this trio was UNCG. This game happened on Saturday and MSU came out ready to play, taking an early lead and managing to trade baskets with UNCG on their home court. The game came down to the final seconds. UNCG hit a driving layup to go up 66-64 with under three seconds to go. Bobcats were out of timeouts and needed a miracle. That is when star player, Harald Fray, took a couple of dribbles and launched an off-center shot from beyond the arc, and it Banked IN! The MSU bench stormed the court to hug him and UNCG was left in shock. The previous night MSU beat an improving Appalachian State team, 59-56 and in the finale took care of Tennessee Tech, 52-39. Bobcats are 4-1 for the first time since 2010-11. They’ve held opponents to 66 points or less in four straight games for the first time since Dec. 21, 2007 to Jan. 5, 2008. They allowed 40 points or less Sunday for the first time since Dec. 16, 2000. Watch out for MSU in the Big Sky this season. Hoops is getting fun in Bozeman again.
DePaul – This Blue Demons club has not been good at all over the past few decades. Once a proud program (only missed NCAA’s once between 1978-89), DePaul has been at the bottom of the new Big East since its re-creation. Coach Dave Leitao has been assembling talent in a variety of ways. Recruiting and transfers from different parts of the country have helped him amass a formidable roster this season. But the difficult part is getting them together. That brings us to last Monday night in Iowa City. DePaul going on the road to face a team who was in the Round of 32 last season and barely missed the Sweet 16, Iowa. DePaul’s Paul Reed was a man amongst boys out there on Monday. Reed dominated the Hawkeyes and finished with 25 and 12 boards. DePaul built a big 29-13 lead in the first ten minutes and never looked back. Blue Demons 93, Iowa 78. Heck of a statement for them. Later in the week DePaul hosted Cornell and took care of business, 75-54. With already one key win on the resume, it is time to start looking at DePaul as a true At-Large contender.
Penn State – After all of the struggles in this Penn State Basketball program over the years, it is time to recognize what the Nittany Lions have been building toward. Their first major test of the season came last week at Georgetown. Similarly to Penn State, Georgetown has put together a talented team and is looking to get back to the NCAA’s, and the Hoyas were at home. Penn State came in ready to show that this year they are the team to be taken seriously. Jumping out of the gate with a 22-7 lead, Penn State controlled the game throughout. Sophomore Myreon Jones really has stepped up this season, he poured in 21 points on five treys and played 27 minutes. He has really become a difference maker to support PSU’s star player, Lamar Stevens. Much like DePaul above, Penn State must be taken seriously for at-large chances.
Strongly Considered
Northwestern – Just a complete 180 performance after losing to Merrimack by 10. NW took down Big East title contender, Providence, 72-63
Kent State – Two impressive road wins. At Towson and At Wright State.
William & Mary – Big road win at Wofford. Also beat Hampton at home.
VCU – Will Wade revenge win at home over LSU. Also beat Jacksonville State.
Stony Brook – Swept the Islander Invitational after long travel. Impressive wins over North Dakota St., TAMUCC, and UTRGV.
Charlotte – Home victories over Davidson and Wake Forest. Big for the program and local bragging rights.
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