NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga’s comeback, Villanova’s upset and other takeaways

Although the official start of the 2022-23 NCAA Basketball season was on Monday this week, the day that got the most attention was Friday, which had a loaded slate of matchups. It started early in the afternoon when a shorthanded Boston College team survived an upset bid by Antoine Davis and Detroit Mercy to open things up.

There were plenty of events on Veterans Day, including the Armed Forces Classic and other games. There were so many various results that Wisconsin beating Stanford in a battle of power conference opponents was an honorable mention that didn’t make the list.

Here are 10 storylines from Friday night that were most notable.

Drew Timme makes early National Player of the Year case

Playing outdoors on an aircraft carrier can create some difficult issues for shooters and that was the case when No. 2 Gonzaga took on Michigan State outside of San Diego. Neither team shot well overall but with All-American center Drew Timme on the Bulldog’s side, that should’ve given them a clear advantage.

Yet Mady Sissoko clearly outplayed Timme inside, which resulted in the underdogs leading by as much as 12 points in the second half. But the big man took over, scoring 14 of his game-high 22 points in the second half and leading Gonzaga to take the lead late and holding onto the 64-63 victory.

22 points and 13 rebounds were as good a performance in a big game as one can ask. It wasn’t as good as Oscar Tshiebwe’s 17 points and 20 rebounds in the Champions Classic last year but for now, the senior center has made an early claim for National Player of the Year. And with several big matchups coming up, Timme will have more opportunities in the national spotlight.