U.S. College basketball - Season 2017-18 - First review (October and November 2017)

Several NCAA basketball games, watched in streaming or on YouTube, were already on my list in late 2017:

 

Michigan State Spartans vs. Ferris State Bulldogs: 80-72 (played on 2017-10-26)
Score at the half: 35-38.

 

This exhibition game held at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan started with a great dunk by Spartan player Miles Bridges (6'7", guard/forward, age 19) right after the jump ball... Nevertheless, Ferris State played quickly in the first minutes of the game and the Bulldogs were quite efficient on both ends of the court. The scoreboard suddenly showed 2-12, forcing MSU's legendary coach Tom Izzo (23rd year at the head of the Spartans) to take a first timeout with just 4 minutes played in the first half. Jaren Jackson Jr. (6'11", forward, age 18) played tough in defense and had two impressive blocks to keep the Spartans in the race. Miles Bridges and Cassius Winston (6'0", guard, age 20) also put some great efforts to bring their team back in the game at 9-12 when Ferris State's coach Andy Bronkema took a timeout. A few moments later, Jaren Jackson Jr. tied the game at 13-13 on a two-handed slam and even put his team in front after a nice offensive rebound a few seconds later: 16-15. Michigan State continued their run and managed to dig a gap: 21-15. Among the Bulldogs, senior point guard Drew Cushingberry (6'3", guard) played well in transition but his mates missed too many shots from long range. There was clearly much more speed on the Spartans' side but Ferris State stayed rather close: 24-20. Miles Bridges fell and hit the floor heavily on a defensive play. The Spartans' star walked out of the court with some ice on his eyebrow. D'angelo Hughes of Ferris State scored to make 24-23. The Bulldogs kept doing well and took the lead again: 24-25 and even 24-27 on a nice hook shot by junior center Zach Hankins (6'10", center). Tall men Nick Ward (6'8", forward, age 20) and Jaren Jackson Jr. did an excellent job under the basket for MSU and allowed their team to stay competitive. Noah King (6'4", forward), DeShaun Thrower (6'1", point guard) and Drew Cushingberry gave some speed to the Bulldogs' game and their team was ahead at 28-32 with a bit more than 2 minutes left in the first period. Zach Hankins for Ferris State and Jaren Jackson Jr. for Michigan State had spectacular plays in the paint, which pleased the fans present in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans looked surprised by the outstanding performance of their NCAA Division II opponents. Despite some last efforts, Tom Izzo's Spartans remained behind at the break 35-38.

Back from the locker room, Miles Bridges who took a hard fall on a shot fake in the first half came on the floor with some stitches and bandages above his eyebrow.

 

Again in the start of the second half, the big men showed their talents: Jackson Jr. for the Spartans and Hankins for the Bulldogs (37-40). Miles Bridges, who looked fit and well again, tied the game at 40-40 on a three-pointer. Early in the second period, several calls by the referees made some fans and players displeased, including Bulldogs' Zach Hankins who got in foul trouble. Miles Bridges, with much athleticism, changed direction in fast break and finished the action with a strong dunk to make 46-43. What a play! Small player D'angelo Hughes hit shots from downtown to give Ferris State the lead again: 46-48. A really good game was taking place in East Lansing on that night! Spartans' talented guard Cassius Winston gave some fresh air to MSU at 49-48 and 51-48. Winston truly navigated the Spartans' offenses early in the second half and even helped his team make 55-50. Ferris State struggled but the Bulldogs definitely looked more tired than their hosts. Bridges, Jackson Jr. and Winston had some spectacular plays again and Michigan State took a larger lead: 58-52. Drew Cushingberry gave some impulse to his team again but it seemed to get tougher and tougher for the Bulldogs. Anyway, Hankins made 58-56 on a nice lay-up and then dunked the ball to make 60-58, keeping the Bulldogs not too far behind. Although the Spartans recorded several turnovers and missed many opportunities to finish the work under the rim, the game remained pleasant. The game was tied at 60-60 on a basket by DeShaun Thrower but he missed the bonus afterwards. Matt McQuaid (6'4", guard, junior), Cassius Winston, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges did a better job for MSU afterwards but the Spartans' defense never looked perfect. It was a 4-point game (65-61) with just 5 minutes before the final buzzer. After 73-63, the guests from Big Rapids, Michigan faced difficulties to score and Tom Izzo's squad secured the win by developing quick plays. Ferris State's coach Andy Bronkema took a new timeout at 78-65 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the contest. It did not change anything: Zach Hankins hit free-throws to reduce the gap but it was too late for the Bulldogs anyway. The tall Ferris State center finished the game with some good stats: 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. The Spartans could slow things down in the last seconds of the game and eventually deserved the win: 80-72 was the final score. A special mention also goes to Bulldogs' point guard Drew Cushingberry who had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in the contest.

 

 

Best scorers:
Michigan State: Joshua Langford 2, Cassius Winston 26, Miles Bridges 19, Nick Ward 9, Jaren Jackson Jr. 14, Lourawls Nairn Jr. 2, Matt McQuaid 6, Gavin Schilling 2.
Ferris State: Noah King 13, Markese Mayfield 6, Drew Cushingberry 13, Peter Firlik 2, Zach Hankins 12, DeShaun Thrower 6, D'angelo Hughes 14, Jaylin McFadden 6.

 

 

Arizona Wildcats vs. Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds: 91-63 (played on 2017-11-01)
Score at the half: 47-31.

 

This preseason game held at the McKale Center in Phoenix, Arizona in front of a huge attendance of 13,800 on All Saints' Day was the occasion for the college basketball observers to discover the new Arizona Wildcats' roster. The Wildcats of coach Sean Miller, who has been at the head of Arizona Univeristy's basketball team for 9 season and has had 6 NCAA tournament appearances with the Wildcats so far, faced Eastern New Mexico (NCAA Division II) of coach Tres Segler. The Wildcats quickly took the lead in this game: 11-6 with some impressive plays by Arizona's big man DeAndre Ayton (7'1", forward, age 19) from Nassau, Bahamas. The Cats kept doing well and even benefited from ENMU's turnovers and mistakes. Canadian swingman Emmanuel Akot (6'7", guard, age 18) also proved to be efficient from long and mid-range for the Arizona Wildcats. The scoreboard showed 21-8 and 25-10 after 10 minutes in the game. Wildcats' strong Serbian center Dusan Ristic (7'0", age 22) and Deandre Ayton connected well. Their mate Allonzo Trier (6'5", guard, age 21), who teamed with head coach Sean Miller to help Team USA earn the gold medal in the 2015 FIBA U19 Championships, was also well present for Arizona. On the Greyhounds' side, Shawn Shelton (6'7", guard, senior) and his pal Jamani Pierce (6'7", forward, senior) had the chance to show their full potential and helped ENMU stay in the race. Boosted after some amazing drives by their other guard Lamarquis Thompson (6'3", senior), the Greyhounds came back at 34-21 with less than 5 minutes to go in the first half. Lamarquis Thompson and Devin Pullum (6'1", guard, freshman) were pretty efficient from long range for the visitors but the scoreboard nevertheless displayed 47-31 for Arizona at the half.
Bahamas national team member Deandre Ayton looked fantastic: he had 31 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal at the end of the game. There is something like a mix of Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Deandre Ayton's profile. Ayton shows some FAN-tastic skills. He looked quite athletic and impressive again early in the second half. ENMU's guard Shawn Shelton put an end to a nice action with a beautiful dunk and therefore slightly reduced the gap at 62-47. The Greyhounds could not avoid a new nice Wildcats' run afterwards. The home team had a rather large 20-point lead (67-47) with 10 minutes left in the contest. The Cats literally cruised through the second half and kept digging the gap: 80-47 on a powerful dunk by Ayton who consequently asked his coach to sit back on the bench after complaining about aching joints (knee or ankle, not sure). Wildcats' coach Sean Miller took no risk at all and substituted Deandre Ayton. The scorebard showed 82-54 with 5 minutes left in the game. After a few last spectacular plays by Wildcats' guards Brandon Randolph (6'6", age 19) and Allonzo Trier, the game was over with a nice win for the hosts: 91-63.

 

Best scorers:
Arizona Wildcats: Deandre Ayton 31, Brandon Randolph 14, Allonzo Trier 10, Alex Barcello 7, Dusan Ristic 7, Emmanuel Akot 10, Ira Lee 9, Keanu Pinder 3.
Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds: Jamani Pierce 15, Maurice Coleman 12, Lamarquis Thompson 8, Zach Parker 8, Shawn Shelton 12, Devin Pullum 7, Isaac Maldonado 2.

 

 

Texas Christian Horned Frogs vs. Belmont Bruins: 87-76 (played on 2017-11-29)
Score at the half: 42-31.

 

TCU's Slovak player Vladimir Brodziansky (6'11", forward, senior) hit three three-pointers in the very first minutes of the game to offer his team a convincing lead. He was helped by his mate JD Miller (6'8", forward, junior), also pretty efficient from mid-range, to dig a first gap at 15-6. Belmont's coach Rick Byrd took a first timeout but no real solution could be found. The Horned Frogs, recording 5 appearances in NCAA tournaments since 2006, still dominated their guests. TCU players grabbed more offensive rebounds than their opponents. Belmont's Austin Luke (6'3", guard, senior) served his mate Seth Adelsperger (6'11", center, sophomore) inside and therefore managed to challenge TCU a few times. Austin Luke is a great guard who creates. It was nevertheless not enough for the Bruins to get closer since JD Miller made 28-14 and was then followed by his mate Vlado Brodziansky who hit a new three-pointer to make 31-14 for TCU. Although coach Jamie Dixon's Frogs led by 11 points at the half (42-31), the Bruins had challenged their hosts thanks to some nice efforts made by Mack Mercer (6'9", forward, junior) and left-handed guard Dylan Windler (6'7", junior). Right before the break, TCU's guard Jaylen Fisher (6'2", guard, sophomore) also entered in action with some nice dishes to JD Miller and Vladimir Brodziansky.
After half-time, TCU started in a stronng manner again. The scoreboard displayed 50-35 after some nice plays by Kenrich Williams (6'7", guard, senior), Jaylen Fisher and JD Miller for the Horned Frogs. Belmont's Austin Luke, a great shooter and creator but also an excellent student, could be an interesting prospect and a very useful guard in a European club next season. Another Bruins' talented player, Amanze Egekeze (6'8", forward, senior), hit threes to bring his team back in the game: 55-43. TCU's young player Kouat Noi (6'7", forward, freshman, born in Sudan) had some highlights afterwards and, via 65-49 and 67-58, the Frogs were still on top despite the Bruins' strong opposition. Beside Austin Luke, other Belmont players like Kevin McClain (6'2", guard, junior) who had a couple of good shots against TCU or Seth Adelsperger who plays tough in defense and looks very athletic could end up in Europe in the next few seasons. TCU's Egyptian player Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed (6'9", forward, senior) had a good sequence and helped keep his team ahead at 74-64. Jaylen Fisher came back on the floor and, despite new attempts by Belmont's forward Amanze Egekeze, succeeded in playing right and keeping his team on the right track... Vladimir Brodziansky, who reminds me a little bit of Slovak (I should write Czechoslovak) basketball legend Stanislav Kropilak from 1980s, looked unstoppable (22 points, 5/6 from three-point range, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal) and slammed the orange to make 79-70. The Horned Frogs controlled the end of the game and Desmond Bane (6'5", guard, sophomore) finished the job from the free-throw line (6/6) and on an ultimate dunk for TCU. Final score of this very enjoyable game: 87-76 for the Horned Frogs. Thanks to this win, TCU returns to the Associated Press Top 25 rankings for the first time in almost three years. Let me underline the fact that Belmont's 21-year-old player Dylan Windler had a sensational game: the swingman born on Sep. 22nd, 1996 in Indianapolis, Indiana recorded 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the game against TCU.

 



Best scorers:
TCU Horned Frogs: Vladimir Brodziansky 22, JD Miller 16, Jaylen Fisher 7, Desmond Bane 12, Kenrich Williams 11, Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed 6, Kouat Noi 8, Alex Robinson 5.
Belmont Bruins: Amanze Egekeze 15, Dylan Windler 17, Seth Adelsperger 6, Austin Luke 6, Kevin McClain 15, Mack Mercer 5, Tyler Hadden 2, Nick Hopkins 10.

 

(Pictures: Rey Del Rio/Getty Images; MLive.com; Musco Sports Lighting, LLC; theatlantic.com; GoFrogs.com and The Tennessean)