For The Love Of The Bracket

I think it’s pretty hard to lose a college basketball game when you do THAT in the first half

I really do not understand how Baylor did not get a single preseason AP Top 25 vote. I would have had them in mine. Really excited for their first big test against Texas next weekend

This would be the perfect year for Boston College to end their NCAA Tournament drought. Seeing this version of Money Williams in March would be incredible

We need to give a major shoutout to Queens. This team just beat Winthrop in Rock Hill on Monday, flew all the way out to LA, and just took down LMU on Wednesday in a game that ended after 12 AM EST. Grant Leonard is a heck of a coach. And they play again on Friday!

If you’re looking for a mid-major to root for that is going to play high scoring games because they have a great offense and a bad defense, look no further than Loyola Marymount

Tuesday will not be as interesting. Only 1 game all day involving 2 D-I teams that has a spread under 10 as I’m typing this, which is Duquesne being -9.5 vs Purdue Fort Wayne. Great opportunity for a mid major to shock the country in a buy game and get all eyes on them

2 great games late last night between Illinois State-Saint Mary’s and Seattle-Hawaii, both of which came down to the wire. A really nice win for Mickey McConnell in his head coaching debut. Hawaii winning at the buzzer is a chef’s kiss for a great first day

Really really good win for Davidson yesterday, who goes all the way across the country to Pullman and absolutely dominates Washington State on their home floor. They held a 52% to 21% advantage in 3 point shooting. Maybe the Wildcats can challenge for the top of the A-10

All 5 BYU starters finished in double figures, but it was most encouraging to see that the guy they need to take over, Rob Wright, went for 33 on 9/15 shooting. They may still have depth issues, which really killed them last year, but they should be 5-0 before they play in Maui

I was very shocked when I saw BYU had 10 points in the first 10 minutes of their game against Ohio State, especially with it practically being a home game in Salt Lake City. But it was just a slow start as they get the win behind a 60 point second half

Have to shout out the team with the best win yesterday: East Texas A&M, who open the season on the road at Oklahoma and get a 68-64 win. That will always feel good, but has to feel even better when you started 2 freshmen. The Sooners were missing Xzayvier Brown, but yikes

Game of the day yesterday had to be UT Martin and Tulane. Was watching this on my phone at the games, and there was drama at the end of regulation, first OT and second OT! A nice win for Tulane behind 40!!! from UL Monroe transfer Krystian Lewis

If I had to bet who will be KenPom’s #1 offensive team this season after the first full day of the season, give me Illinois. A ridiculous 120-45 win over FDU in a game they shot 83 FGA and had 51 3PA. They had 7 different guys make 2+ threes. Heck of a start

Shoutout the MAC in the first half of the MAC-Sun Belt challenge. Every MAC team was on the road yesterday, and yet they still won the round 7-5. Impressive wins for a lot of them, but the one that stood out to me was UMass winning at Troy

A bit of a shocker as Memphis takes down Iowa State at the Sanford Pentagon. The Tigers’ backcourt was fantastic, and Jayden Reid’s 26 points make him look like a major pickup. Definitely concerned for Iowa State, especially for the worry of will Tamin Lipsey be eligible all year

No harm no foul for the worries that arose from Florida’s exhibitions as they take care of Miami in their opener. Did not see much of this game, but Thomas Haugh was great as expected. A great start for the #1 team in the country

Also a shoutout to McNeese. Retaining Larry Johnson was so huge for the Cowboys, and he showed he might have even taken a step forward for his great season last year. Definitely one of the best mid major players in the country

-I think the 1 team that catches my eye the most from all the Field of 68 games is Murray State. A 30 point thrashing of Tennessee State is a heck of a start, showing why they are one of the best mid majors in the country. They should be 5-0 before facing NC State in the Bahamas

Here are my other takeaways from yesterday: -The Field of 68 bringing back the 24 hour marathon is so great for the sport, and they did a fantastic job with it yesterday. An absolute no brainer to continue doing that yearly moving forward

This was also a big win for the Bruins because they don’t have the strongest non con, with their only other standout game being against Gonzaga in December. I think they easily looked like the best of the 4 teams they played yesterday, and now they get a stretch of buy games