NCAA Basketball: 10 things to like and not like from week 1 of 2021-22 season

Boston College’s start

Boston College (3-0) is off to a flying start under new head coach Earl Grant. While it is not unusual for the Eagles to get off to a fast start — this is the third time since 2015-16 that they are 3-0 to start the season — they won just four games from last year and lost three starters and nearly 70% of their scoring from a year ago.

Granted, BC has not faced the stiffest competition — Dartmouth, Fairfield, and Holy Cross (SOS 314 per KenPom.com — but the Eagles are shooting the ball well (52.9% FG%, 39% 3-pointers), and newcomer TJ Bickerstaff and Quentin Post seem to have solidified the Eagles defensive rebounding issues. Plus, DeMarr Langford Jr. appears to have taken an enormous step in his development.

Pitt Basketball

Pittsburgh (0-2) in what could be a make or break year for Jeff Capel — however, he won’t get fired this year because he is under contract thru 2026-27. Pitt lost to WVU in the now annual Backyard Brawl and fell to a mid-major at home for the third consecutive year, this time to The Citadel (78-63).  I don’t know if the Panthers can recover, even though they have six more home games against mid-majors, as they are a disaster.

Pitt lost guard Nike Sibande for the year due to a preseason injury, and the Panthers’ other starting guard Ithiel Horton has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer. On the court, the Panthers are struggling on both ends of the floor. John Hughley and Femi Odukale appear to be the only ones capable of putting the ball in the hoop. They can’t shoot free throws and are turnover-prone. Defensively, the Panthers have a 110.9 rating as they haven’t gotten many stops and are really having a tough time defending the 3-point line.

Bob Huggins

Love him or not, Bob Huggins has had an illustrious coaching career. The 68-year-old tied Bob Knight for fifth-place on the all-time wins list (902) with West Virginia’s 74-59 victory over Pitt on Friday night.

Huggins needs one more victory to move into a fourth-place tie with Roy Williams. Next up for the Mountaineers is Elon on November 18 for the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic.