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What we learned in college basketball: UNC, Gonzaga among teams with work to do
PORTLAND, Ore. — Now we have the data.
The results.
The knowledge of what's happening in men's college basketball after a wild week across the mainland, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Mexico.
The race for the Final Four is on, and there are too many candidates to count. The player of the year chase is likely going to be dominated by a big man — but which one? There are plenty to choose from.
This is what we learned:
North Carolina has to work on late-game execution: The No. 1-ranked Tar Heels were flirting with disaster against Portland in the opener of the PK Invitational. The Tar Heels had plenty of chances to beat Alabama in any of the four overtimes or regulation in the third-place game Sunday. But careless possessions cost the Tar Heels. The loss to Iowa State was a matter of not defending the 3-point line, as Caleb Grill made seven of them and scored 31 points. But UNC coach Hubert Davis was hardly upset over going 1-2 here in Portland. The Tar Heels won't have much time to address issues, as they play at Indiana on Wednesday.
Purdue deserves to be in the top five, maybe even No. 1: The Boilermakers won the PK Legacy by beating West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke to take home the title. Zach Edey proved to be unstoppable in the post, but he's also become an elite passer. The Boilermakers no longer have an athlete and special talent like Jaden Ivey. But the guard play — especially Ethan Morton and freshmen Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith — might be better than last season's early-season No. 1 team. The Boilermakers are only going to get better as the season progresses. This team sneaked up on everyone outside of that locker room. But the Boilermakers are going to be a contender for the Final Four.
UConn might be the most talented team in the Big East: The Huskies won the PK Invitational after knocking off Iowa State Sunday night. Dan Hurley has a loaded roster with plenty of options. Adama Sanogo is a force inside. Tristen Newton, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson can all make shots. And Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan are holding their own to buffer Sanogo. This is a high-level March team.
Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger gets the nod for best post-game celebration thus far: After beating No. 1 North Carolina, Otzelberger ended a euphoric locker room celebration by going shirtless and being doused with water among his crew. The Cyclones are a cohesive group that is going to be trouble in the Big 12. Otzelberger can coach!
Alabama's Brandon Miller was the best pro prospect in Portland: The Tide freshman has some Kevin Durant in his game and is a special talent. He disappeared at times during the North Carolina game, but his ceiling with this Tide team is sky-high. Jahvon Quinerly's return from an ACL — quicker than imagined — is a huge boost for the Tide. Alabama is going to be in the thick of the SEC title chase.
Duke's Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach are going to be the two key Blue Devils: Filipowski can score in a variety of ways and plays way above his age. He was a constant presence in major situations throughout the weekend. Roach is the clear leader of the Blue Devils. He tweaked his foot against Purdue, but returned. The Blue Devils need him on the floor in every facet.
Michigan State just needs to get healthy: The Spartans are down Malik Hall and Jaden Akins, but ended up going 2-1 in Portland. If they had been healthy, they had the talent to win their side of the bracket. That's the statement.
Gonzaga needs to find consistent guard play: Drew Timme can't do it alone. Malachi Smith, Nolan Hickman, Rasir Bolton and Hunter Sallis all had moments, but none have been consistently good so far. That needs to change.
Xavier's Jack Nunge is a star: He can score in a variety of ways and played like a first-team all-Big East player in Portland.
Villanova and Oregon are in a deep, deep hole: The Wildcats were down Cam Whitmore and Justin Moore with no timetable for a return. Nova left 0-3 after losing to an Oregon team that was down to six scholarship players. Both teams are in desperate need of quality wins to revive their NCAA Tournament résumés. Yes, even before December.
Arizona's Kerr Kriisa and Oumar Ballo may be two of the most improved players in the country: The pair were critical in leading the Wildcats to a thrilling Maui Invitational win over Creighton earlier in the week. Ballo was dominant, averaging 21 and 10. Kriisa showed tremendous moxie throughout the week. This Arizona squad isn't going anywhere and could be a serious contender for a No. 1 seed again.
Arkansas and Creighton are going to be a good watch: The Hogs still don't have Nick Smith Jr., but once they do, look out. They are as entertaining as any team end-to-end. And the Bluejays can score with any team in the country. Ryan Nembhard is one of the most important guards in the country.
St. John's earned a relevant win over Syracuse: Even though the Orange are struggling mightily, St. John's needed a credibility win, and this counted as one when they took home the Empire Classic in Brooklyn. Now the Red Storm has to continue to win the games they should going forward.
Tennessee's big win over Kansas to claim the Battle 4 Atlantis title: This will go a long way for the Vols and the SEC. The Vols had the one blip against Colorado in Nashville. The team that won Atlantis was the one that played so well in the televised pay-per-view exhibition against Gonzaga. If that team continues to show up, the Vols will be an SEC title contender for sure.
The wildest shot of the season so far was converted by Kansas' Bobby Pettiford: He converted an offensive rebound in an agile, wild way that beat Wisconsin at the buzzer in the semifinals at Atlantis. That was his only bucket. The Badgers responded to beat USC and leave the tournament 2-1. The response proved Wisconsin is again a serious player for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Orlando, Paradise Jam, Cayman Islands: Oklahoma won in Orlando over Ole Miss. That might not be an NCAA résumé-win, but Porter Moser needed that for this group to have confidence going forward in the toughest league in the country. Drake won the Paradise Jam and the Bulldogs are every bit the title favorite in the Missouri Valley. Kansas State knocked off LSU to win a title in the Cayman Islands. Jerome Tang waited at Baylor for the right coaching opportunity. He's seizing every moment at K-State.
Read more:
- New threat in the Big 12? Iowa State topples UNC
- Blue bloods reign at a thrilling Champions Classic
- Ranking the top 50 players in college basketball
- Jon Scheyer's journey Duke's head coaching job
Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on the Big Ten Network, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.
