Overnight 5: Weekend Edition, February 19, 2023
Posted by Matthew Eisenberg on February 19th, 2023It’s only 1 week until the start of #championshipfortnight, 2 weeks until #championshipweek & 3 weeks until #selectionsunday. Let’s do a #weekend10 (@matteise contributing)…
1. On Sat the selection committee gave us their bracket preview. Despite 3 recent Ls, Purdue is still a #1 seed; B12 has 5 teams in top 4 seed lines; & Mick Cronin is agitated. That fall of Gonzaga? Zags sit at #15 overall.
2. Trailing 45-32 at half, KU outscored Baylor 55-26 to grab key B12 win. Baylor’s superb trio outdone by deeper KU team w/ Dajuan Harris leading charge. KU’s versatile scoring, Bill Self’s coaching & BU’s def woes all apparent during Bears’ meltdown.
3. Kentucky posts strong 2-0 week after beating Tennessee 66-54. Vols’ offense was again putrid, finishing 37% FG, 22% 3FG & 4-14 FT, again calling into question how far UT can ride? OTOH, can @KentuckyMBB finish strong & avoid NCAAT trip to Dayton?
4. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 26 pts, 12 reb, 5 blks & 3 stls in 71-68 @IndianaMBB W vs. Illini. TJD now avg’ing more than 20 pts, 10 reb, 3 asts & 3 blocks per game, something last done by Tim Duncan in ’97. Could 2/25 game @ Purdue have NPOY implications?
5. Nick Smith returned to Arkansas’ starting lineup & played 30+ min in 84-65 W @ Florida. In his 3rd game back, Smith finished w/ 10 pts, one of 5 Razorbacks in dbl-figures. If Smith can stay on the floor, will Muss Bus pick up steam heading into March?
6. After losing prev 4 games in which they posted 65 PPG, TCU beat Okla St 100-75 in Mike Miles’ 1st game back. @TCUBasketball shot 68% FG, owning a 50-20 paint pt edge. Frogs added 8-15 from 3 for complete performance. A healthy TCU is a dangerous TCU.
7. After 10-10 start this yr, @TexasTechMBB is 5-2 in last 7 following W @ WVU. Tech overcame 8-pt deficit w/ 8:27 to go, w Fardaws Aimaq controlling final 5 mins on way to his 1st dbl-dbl of season. How much will respect of B12 strength benefit RRs come Selection Sunday?
8. UNC falls to 1-5 in last 6 games w/ 77-69 loss at @PackMensBball. Heels were unproductive on both ends, w/ Bacot, Davis & Love going 14-43 & allowing NC St to shoot 65% 2H. Now 0-9 vs. Q1 opps, Heels have a stellar NIT resume.
9. Houston beat Memphis 72-64 to likely ascend to #1 in polls on Monday. Memphis’ turnover proneness reared its head to the tune of 18 miscues leading to 22 @UHCougarMBK points. Can Memphis get Kendric Davis back from injury in timely manner? Tigers host Coogs on 3/5.
10. Clemson’s 10-1 ACC start is a distant memory now at 11-5 following ugly L @ Louisville. While Tigers were +20 in paint, going 4-24 from 3 & a -15 FT difference were too much to overcome. This resume-cratering L + recent L @ BC make for a steep uphill climb for Tigers.
