Now that the college basketball season is finally here, it’s time to bring back the daily collection of links needed to catch you up on the happenings of the night before.
While you were asleep: 24-hour college basketball marathon links
BYU puts up 112 points in their win at Stanford
Proponents of the changes to the way in which the game will be officiated must have loved this one, as the Cougars and Cardinal combined to score 215 in Palo Alto. Tyler Haws (31 points) and Matt Carlino (25) led the way for BYU, who with the victory picked up a non-conference victory that could prove valuable come March. Chasson Randle led Stanford with 33, but the attempt to run with BYU didn’t work out too well.
Wichita State takes care of business at home
Fred Van Vleet played very well for the Shockers, who beat Western Kentucky by the final score of 66-49. The sophomore finished with 17 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists against the two-time defending Sun Belt tournament champions.
Saint Mary’s caps a 3-0 night for the WCC
West Coast Conference teams are now a combined 15-0 on the season thanks to the Gaels’ 85-63 beating of Akron early Tuesday morning. Brad Waldow scored 16 points to lead the way for Saint Mary’s, who pulled away after leading by seven at the intermission. Of note moving forward was the performance of James Walker III, who finished the game with 15 points (11 in the first half). If he can be a consistent double-figure scorer alongside Stephen Holt, Saint Mary’s could prove to be closer to Gonzaga and BYU than many believe them to be.
New Mexico State holds off Hawaii, 95-88
This contest featured five technical fouls, one of which coming as a result of Hawaii calling a timeout when they had none remaining. In the end New Mexico State’s work inside of the arc and on the glass proved to be the difference, with five Aggies scoring 15 points or more.
And now for the morning reading material:
Boston College has a special teammate in 15-year old Robo Arcand (NESN)
Arcand’s been fighting leukemia, but he hasn’t done so alone. And just as he’s benefitted from their assistance, Steve Donohue’s program has received benefits as well.
UMass’ Cady Lalanne will be an important piece for UMass (Hoopville)
With LSU bringing its stable of solid big men to Amherst later this morning this is a good read on Lalanne, who’s looking to build on his outstanding performance against Boston College on Sunday.
More chatter about how displeased some coaches are with the new points of emphasis (Washington Post)
Once again, there will be growing pains when it comes to the move to “clean up” the game and limit contact both on and off the ball. But that doesn’t mean some coaches won’t pass up the opportunity to voice their displeasure.
Remember Grinnell’s Jack Taylor? His goal is to be remembered for more than scoring 138 points in a game (Associated Press)
When you score as many points in a single game as Taylor did last season, people tend to look at you as some kind of “carnival act.” Taylor’s aim in 2013-14 is to change that by being more productive on a consistent basis.
Zay Henderson’s broken hand leaves Murray State with eight available scholarship players (West Kentucky Star)
Steve Prohm’s squad will have to depth issues to deal with during the early portion of the season, with reserve forward Zay Henderson going down with a broken hand. The Racers will add Clemson transfer T.J. Sapp at the end of the semester, but this is a group that can’t afford any more roster issues.
Elite freshmen are all the rage, and a few will take center stage at the Champions Classic tonight (USA Today)
The freshmen are a big reason why there’s more excitement for both the college basketball season as a whole, and tonight’s Champions Classic in Chicago. Newcomers at Duke, Kansas and Kentucky will all be on display at the United Center (as well as some tough veterans at Michigan State).
Who should be blamed for Oregon’s Dominic Artis and Ben Carter selling team-issued sneakers? (Complex)
There’s no doubt that the two players, who were suspended for nine games apiece, violated an NCAA rule. But is there more blame to be passed around in the aftermath?
Video of the Morning: How did two Wichita State fans keep their energy levels up during the Shockers’ win over Western Kentucky?
It’s obviously too late for any advice on how to remain awake for the entire 24-hour college hoops marathon, but keep this in mind for next year (if you’re a fan of such beverages).
