5 Takeaways/Thoughts From NCAA First Day
1. There is a great deal of parity in college basketball. I am not breaking any news here, but I do think I have pinpointed a couple of reasons why such parity exists. The first is that the lack of full court pressure and the increased number of three pointers attempted drastically narrows the gap between the "David's" and Goliath's." The second reason is that the overall level of competition in college basketball has increased significantly. Yes, there are the so called "blue chippers" but then just about everyone else is cut from the same cloth. In essence, the average player from Wisconsin is not dramatically better or more talented than the average player from a mid-major, say Middle Tennessee State. That didn't used to be the case. Of course there are the Lonzo Ball's and the Jayson Tatum's of the world who were bound for the NBA the second they set foot upon a college campus, but they are rare. Everyone else comes from the same talent pool causing there to be the parity that we see.
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2. I feel for Vanderbilt's Matthew Fisher-Davis. I really do. With his team up 1 point with 15 seconds remaining, Fisher-Davis inexplicably fouled Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh, who stepped up to the line and made both free throws to end Vanderbilt's season. Why did he foul? I don't know and quite frankly I don't think he does either. His coach was frantically yelling and maybe, for a split second, he blindly followed the instructions he "thought" his coach was employing. Either way it was a massive mistake, and one that wouldn't have happened had Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew not used his final timeout with seven minutes remaining. The lack of timeouts also came back to bite the Commodores when Riley LaChance launched a thirty-footer rather than running a play when they trailed by just a single point. Either way my stomach hurt for Fisher-Davis as I watched that sequence unfold. Moral of the story: Know the time and score at all times and SAVE YOUR TIMEOUTS.
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3. Who replaces Tom Crean at Indiana? I believe there are a handful of coaches in this tournament who are essentially auditioning to replace Crean as the head honcho of the Hoosiers. Archie Miller at Dayton, Gregg Marshall at Wichita State, Chris Mack at Xavier, and Tony Bennett at Virginia are all in the running. Ultimately though I think this is Steve Alford's job if he truly wants it. The UCLA coach would be a perfect fit in Bloomington. He played there under Bob Knight back in the heyday of Indiana basketball and has UCLA back in the national spotlight after nearly a decade of mediocrity. Also, Alford's son plays for him at UCLA, but he graduates this year. Alford might look to start anew and Indiana, his alma mater, would be the perfect place. ****Crazy thought, but if Brad Stevens, the head coach of the Celtics, were interested he should be priority number one for Indiana. Stevens likely isn't going to leave Boston, but at one point I am sure, while he was coaching a mid-major in Butler, he dreamt of being the head coach at Indiana.
Ojo's (50) shoes have to be at least size 22. Look at them! They look like mini submarines.
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4. Florida State has some dudes. If there was a contest of which team in the tournament was the most intimidating as they get off the bus, Florida State would win hands-down. They not only have a bevy of NBA talent: Dwayne Bacon (6'7"), Jonathan Isaac (6'10"), and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, but they also have some grown men. Michael Ojo is 7'1" 304 pounds, Christ Koumadje is 7"4" 233 pounds, and Mfiondu Kabengele is 6'10" 235 pounds. If you're a high school recruit and happen to be over 7 feet or over 300 pounds, Leonard Hamilton and Florida State will most likely be interested.
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5. Chris Collins and Northwestern have arrived. Many thought he couldn't do it -- Northwestern had never made the NCAA Tournament. In just his fourth season in Evanston, Collins not only led the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, but also to their first win. If he stays and is committed to building a program, I think that Northwestern could eventually become "the Duke of the midwest." They are an elite academic institution in a power conference and reside in fertile recruiting territory. There is no reason why Northwestern couldn't become the next national powerhouse.
