USA TODAY International Edition
Cram course on college men’s hoops play
The men’s basketball season drew its share of negative headlines as the NCAA’s other high- revenue sport – football – trudged to the finish line of its season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Those headlines included outcries from the likes of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and other top names in the sport condemning the NCAA for pushing forward with games in this COVID- 19marred campaign. Hundreds of games already have been postponed or canceled, and many teams have chosen to pause activities for safety precautions.
Another big headline involved Florida player Keyontae Johnson, who after collapsing on the court during a game Dec. 12 spent a week in the hospital following a medically- induced coma. He was released Dec. 22, but the cause of his collapse has not been announced and he is not playing.
In an effort to prevent the spread of
COVID- 19, the NCAA tournament has a singular bubble location – Indianapolis – while poised to return after last year’s abrupt cancellation due to the pandemic. That means that college basketball, the little brother of college sports, is ready for the main spotlight.
What you need to know ( records and statistics through Jan. 13):
Gonzaga could go undefeated
The No. 1 Bulldogs ( 12- 0) had their biggest game, against No. 2 Baylor, called off due to COVID- 19, but the ’ Zags capitalized on their other non- conference matchups by picking up wins over Kansas, West Virginia and Iowa. Coach Mark Few doesn’t have his best team talent- wise, but this group is a welloiled machine that leads the nation with 96 points per game and the No. 1 offensive efficiency, according to kenpom. com. Corey Kispert ( 21.1 ppg) is an AllAmerican wing who gives Few a go- to guy down the stretch. Knowing that only West Coast Conference opponents are in front of the Bulldogs, it’s hard to envision this team losing before March.
A smaller undefeated to know
The Drake Bulldogs ( 13- 0) of the Missouri Valley also are undefeated and will stay that way for the next two weeks while the program pauses activity due to coronavirus concerns. Although Drake’s non- conference schedule wasn’t spectacular, it’s impossible to ignore this strong start by coach Darian DeVries’ team. ShanQuan Hemphill and Roman Penn are the team’s best players.
The Big Ten is stacked
Five teams in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll are from this conference. No. 5 Michigan, No. 8 Iowa, No. 9 Wisconsin and No. 13 Illinois are all capable of reaching the Final Four. No. 19 Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan State and Northwestern aren’t far behind. The league is the country’s toughest, posting the No. 1 NET score and likely to ship around 11 teams to the NCAA tournament. Coach Juwan Howard has the Wolverines undefeated thanks to freshman Hunter Dickinson’s strong play ( 17.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg), while the Hawkeyes are even better than they were behind dynamic big man Luka Garza. The crucial return of veteran guard Jordan Bohannon, who missed last season with an injury, is a big reason why.
Kentucky could miss NCAAs
Coach John Calipari is one of the best molders of young talent. But this Wildcats group ( 4- 7) has gotten off to a rough start and could be in jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. UK lost six games in a row in non- conference play before starting 3- 0 in Southeastern Conference play. Surprisingly, shooting is an issue. The Wildcats rank 251st in scoring offense and 316th in 3- point field goals made.