The 2019-20 NCAA basketball term kicked off on Tuesday, and a handful of exciting narratives led to results that didn’t disappoint.
The best duration of the year, that is the several months where NCAA basketball finds its place in the spotlight of the sports world, began in fine fashion on Tuesday as the 2019-20 campaign commenced. Hours upon hours of battles provided something for perhaps everyone.
Heavyweights going toe to toe. Shocking upsets. Massive blow-outs. Tilts that went beyond 40 minutes. Early stanza conference contests. The only thing lacking, from my selfish point of view, is that my alma mater, Syracuse, didn’t compete, as the Orange will host No. 11 Virginia, the defending national champions, on Wednesday evening.
Oh well.
First and foremost, the 2019 Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City featured No. 1 Michigan State versus No. 2 Kentucky, as well as No. 3 Kansas against No. 4 Duke. Not only are these groups among the powerhouses in collegiate hoops, but this event also marked the inaugural instance in the Associated Press poll era that a match-up entailed No. 1 and No. 2 on opening day. That’s pretty cool stuff.
While both meetings contained a ton of sloppiness, this pair of affairs certainly possessed intrigue, as all four are legitimate Final Four contenders and have line-ups that include members of the Wooden Award preseason top-50 watch list. Ultimately, the Wildcats and their tremendous guards beat the Spartans, while the Blue Devils’ mix of experienced veterans and talented freshmen edged the turnover-prone Jayhawks, a crew that committed nearly 30 miscues yet only fell by two points.
In the stunning department, Pennsylvania got by Alabama in Nate Oats’ debut at the helm of the Crimson Tide, and UC Riverside crushed Nebraska in head coach Fred Hoiberg’s initial game with the Cornhuskers. Illinois, meanwhile, required an extra session to take care of Nicholls State.
Speaking of overtime, No. 20 Saint Mary’s emerged victorious, 65-63, versus Wisconsin in a fun duel. Others in that category are Georgia Tech surprisingly over N.C. State in an Atlantic Coast Conference clash, while Yale squeezed by Stony Brook, George Mason conquered Navy, and Morehead State defeated Samford in double overtime.
Additional ACC collisions on the docket had No. 5 Louisville besting Miami, and Virginia Tech outmaneuvered Clemson. This league expanding to 20 conference bouts has ACC participants going at it in November and December, which is awesome.
A bunch of units won in convincing form, such as No. 7 Maryland, No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 10 Villanova, No. 12 Seton Hall, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 14 Memphis, No. 16 Baylor, No. 19 Xavier, UMBC, Providence and Northern Kentucky.
Finally, Texas redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Jones scored a career-high 20 points as the Longhorns trounced Northern Colorado, 69-45. Jones had missed most of the last two campaigns as he received treatment for leukemia.
College basketball is back, and it’s beautiful.