NCAA Basketball: 8 takeaways from the first week of the 2018-19 season

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 06: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks shoots the ball against the Michigan State Spartans during the State Farm Champions Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

1) Starting the season with the Champions Classic was a great idea

Instead of starting the season with a bunch of meaningless games on a random Friday, the powers that be made the smart decision to start the 2018-19 season on a Tuesday with the Champions Classic – and it was spectacular.

The Champions Classic always felt like the start of the season anyway, but making it official added a certain hype and excitement around opening night that made it feel more like an event.

That is what had been lacking in the sport. It’s easy for college basketball to be overshadowed with it starting during the stretch run of football season, and that used to happen every year. The season just kind of started and the casual fan may not know it until he saw highlights on SportsCenter that night.

For that reason, Tuesday night was perfect. There was no football and opening night was an event that had everyone’s attention – and that’s what the sport needed.

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