- Keith Appling has been off to a hot start this season for Michigan State, but make no mistake the heart of the Spartans’ offense is Gary Harris. Tom Izzo wants him to take at least 15 shots a game. If Harris is knocking down shots from the perimeter, it will open up more of the floor for Michigan State specifically Adreian Payne. Harris was voted the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and will be under constant pressure to perform at a high level.
- A big question mark heading into this season for Ohio State was whether Amir Williams could finally step up and become an offensive threat on the post. So far, Williams has performed well. He is averaging 9.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks a game. Last year, the Buckeyes never really had a true post threat as Evan Ravenel saw time and even DeShaun Thomas would play some five. It will be crucial to the Buckeyes’ success that Williams produces down low, especially against Big Ten foes.
- Losing 2014 point guard prospect Quentin Snider was a big blow to John Groce and his Illinois program. Snider was deemed the point guard of the future once Tracy Abrams last. However, Illinois may have found their future point guard internally already. Jaylon Tate has played extremely well in backing up Abrams this season. Tate actually leads the conference in assist to turnover ratio. The Chicago product may have gotten lost in the shuffle next year, with Oregon State transfer Ahmad Starks becoming eligible and Snider was also suppose to be on campus. Now, Tate looks like the key guy to run Groce’s offense for future seasons.
- It’s a given that AJ Hammons is a valuable piece to Purdue. So its understandable why Matt Painter wants his team to feed Hammons more on the post. Purdue has been struggling with their three-point shooting, making Hammons low-post scoring even more crucial. Purdue heads to Anaheim to take on Oklahoma State in the Old Spice classic next week. Hammons will need to have one of his better scoring games to keep Purdue competitive in this one.
- Michigan handled Long Beach State easily in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in Thursday. But the bigger news for Michigan may have been that their main competition in Puerto Rico lost. Both Georgetown and VCU fell in their first games, opening up the bracket significantly for the Wolverines. Michigan will take on Florida State and a win would set up a date against either Charlotte or Northeastern. This may not have been the path Michigan envisioned, but the road to a tournament championship certainly seems brighter.
Max Jakubowski (14 Posts)Max Jakubowski is in his first year writing for RTC. He is currently a student at Syracuse University. Max is originally from Chicagoland area. Besides his passion for college basketball, Max enjoys the Chicago high school basketball scene as well. Follow him on Twitter at @airmax11267