Week 1 College Basketball Takeaways
The countdown to March Madness can begin, as the regular season has started. Throughout the first week, freshmen have taken the country by storm. Some new-look teams have excelled, while others have struggled, and UConn is still elite. While it has only been one week, some trends don't appear to be going away anytime soon.
Freshmen Are Taking Over The Country:
This freshman class is the most hyped-up group since the 2018 class that featured Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Bol Bol. Cooper Flagg, the number one recruit in this class, has been talked about for multiple years as a future star in the NBA, and it is understandable. He is a two-way monster, as he is an intense defender, who has a great feel for the game on offense. His teammate Kon Knueppel, is a knockdown shooter who can also put the ball on the floor and create for himself. The two Duke stars are set to be lottery picks in the 2025 NBA draft.
Flagg was the prized possession of this class, but countless players are having great starts to the season as well. Rutgers landed two top-four recruits in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Bailey hasn't played yet due to injury, but Harper has been fantastic so far. He is a 6'6 point guard who knows how to use his body, and get to his spots on offense. He is averaging 22 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game this season, and has led Rutgers to a 2-0 start. Both Harper and Bailey are expected to be top-five picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Both the Rutgers duo and Duke duo were expected to be great right away, but there have been plenty of surprising freshmen as well. After going scoreless in his first game at Auburn, Tahaad Pettiford let the world know who he is after an elite performance against Houston. He scored 21 points off the bench against a top-five defense in the country, and was the main reason Auburn came out with the victory. V.J. Edgecombe was the top recruit for Baylor, but Robert Wright III has been the more impressive player so far. He is a pure point guard who can run the offense, as well as get his own shot with his quickness. BYU's Egor Demin has been maybe the best of the entire group, as the 6'8 point guard is averaging 19 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 9 assists a game. He has been fantastic as he has dominated at every level on offense.
Tre Johnson from Texas is averaging 28.5 points per game to start the season. Maryland's Derik Queen had 22 points and 20 rebounds in his debut. UConn's Liam McNeeley is averaging a double-double to start the season. The list of freshmen playing great to start the season goes on and on. There is a strong chance this season gets defined by the freshmen, as there are so many playing at an elite level.
UConn Should Be The Favorite Once Again:
UConn has been the most dominant team in college basketball over the last two years. They have won back-to-back national titles, and through one week, they should be favorites to win once again. They played Sacred Heart and New Hampshire to start the year, and won both games by 36 or more points. UConn is supposed to win those games, but it's the way they won them that impressed. As the games went on, they picked up their intensity, and shut down their opponent's offense. They looked like a team that is out to prove something, not a team coming off back-to-back championships.
Their schedule is fairly easy to start the year, but they have a three-game stretch vs. Baylor, Texas, and Gonzaga at the beginning of December. If Uconn goes out and convincingly wins those games, then they should be the favorites to win the title once again. After losing four of five starters from last year, they replenished their roster with transfers and internal development. Alex Karaban, who is their lone returning starter, has looked like a top-ten player in all of college basketball. Their five-star freshman Liam McNeeley has been great so far. Solo Ball has fit right in as the starting point guard. Tarris Reed Jr. has been a great addition via the transfer portal. They have not lost a step, despite most of the rotation being new players, or returning players taking on larger roles. Until UConn shows signs of regression, there is no reason to bet against them this season with their current roster. They are loaded once again, and Dan Hurley is one of the best coaches in the sport.
Kentucky Is A True Contender:
Plenty of teams rebuilt their roster this off-season using the transfer portal, and Kentucky was one of those teams. After the departure of long-time head coach John Calipari, the university hired Mark Pope to be their new head coach. Pope went to work in the transfer portal, and acquired numerous big names. He brought Jaxson Robinson with him from BYU. He grabbed strong perimeter defenders in Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh. He got the best shooter in the country in Koby Brea. He signed an array of big men with different skill sets, and got a floor general in Kerr Kriisa. Pope re-loaded Kentucky with proven veterans, as opposed to four and five-star freshmen like Calipari used to. Through two games this season, they have looked better than anyone could have hoped for, considering none of these players have played together before.
In their first game against Wright State, the Wildcats won 103-62, and had six different players score double-digit points. In their second game against Bucknell, they won 100-72 and had five different players score double-digit points. They are averaging 26.5 assists a game, 30 three-point attempts per game, and 12 three-point makes per game. They push the pace all game long, and let it fly from deep without hesitation. They look like a team that had played together for multiple years, not a team that was put together in a few months. Kentucky will play Duke this month, and that will be a great test to truly see where they are at. A win against Duke would be a statement win for the Wildcats, as they would put teams on notice. They have everything a title contender needs, and if they continue to click like they have been, it would not be a surprise to see them hoist the trophy in April.
Returning Players Taking Leaps:
While plenty of notable names transferred over the off-season, or left school for the NBA, some players stayed at school and have taken major leaps in larger roles.
Ryan Kalkbrenner was viewed as a possible second-round pick in last year's NBA draft, but he returned to Creighton. With Baylor Scheierman leaving for the NBA, Kalkbrenner entered the season as Creightons best player, and his first game of the season couldn't have gone better. He had 49 points in the season opener along with 11 rebounds. That is a dominant game, but what makes it even more impressive, is the fact that he only missed 2 shots in the entire game, and went 2-2 from three in that game. Every point was needed that night, as Creighton won by 13, in a game that was tight up until the end. He followed that game up with 24 points and 6 rebounds while missing just one shot. Kalkbrenner has been elite to start the season for the Bluejays, and they will need him to be all year long.
UConn lost four of five starters from their championship team last year, and they almost lost five, but Alex Karaban decided to return instead of entering the draft, and he has been their best player this year. Through two games he is averaging career-highs across the board with 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 5.5 blocks a night while shooting 61.5% from three. He has been the best player on both ends of the court for UConn in each game, and looks like a first-round lock for the 2025 NBA draft. He is the leader of this team now, and it shows when watching them. UConn hasn't lost a step through two games, and Karaban is a major reason for that. He had been mainly a 3-and-D wing for the Huskies, but he has more responsibility this year on offense, and he has been even better than expected.
Kam Jones had a chance to leave Marquette for the NBA this summer, but he returned to school to run the show. Without Tyler Kolek, the Golden Eagles needed someone to step up on offense, and Jones has been great through three games. He is averaging a career-high 23 points per game, while shooting 53% from three, but he is averaging 6.3 assists a game, which is a career-high by a large margin. Jones has always been a talented scorer, but he has never been much of a playmaker, as it was never needed with Kolek. Now that he has the ball in his hands more, he has to get everyone involved, as opposed to just looking for his shot. Last season he averaged just 2.4 assists a night, and as mentioned earlier, he is averaging 6.3 a game this season. He has taken control of the offense and has taken leaps in every aspect of his game.
Jones, Karaban, and Kalbrenner are just some players who decided to return to school and take on larger roles, and have flourished thus far. It is still very early, but based on the small sample size, it is clear these three are in for great seasons.