Welcome to another edition of Fast Break, where we ask our panel of experts a series of questions for them to answer on the run. Alex Squadron, Jeff Goodman and Hoops HQ Editor-in-Chief Seth Davis have cooked up their answers in order to whet your appetite for the feast to come. So lace ’em up and let’s go.
Okay, we’re three weeks into the season. What team has surprised you the most and what team has disappointed you the most?
SQUADRON: I’d say Marquette has surprised me the most. We knew the Golden Eagles were good, but not this good. I was amazed watching them easily handle Purdue earlier this week. Kam Jones is obviously phenomenal, Stevie Mitchell appears to be rising to another level and their overall team defense has been suffocating. (As of this writing, Marquette is averaging 12 steals per game, good for 11th in Division I, and has a top 10 defensive rating, per KenPom). And as Hoops HQ Editor-in-Chief Seth Davis explains here, head coach Shaka Smart hasn’t been utilizing the portal like so many other highly ranked programs. A win for continuity!
Not that expectations were through the roof, but I’ve been disappointed in USC so far. After Eric Musselman’s squad upset Gonzaga in a preseason charity exhibition, I figured it would coast through an easy non-conference schedule to begin the season. I was wrong. Yes, the Trojans are 4-1, but they barely survived against Idaho State and UT Arlington and lost to Cal in a game they were favored to win by almost 10 points.
GOODMAN: I’ll also take Marquette as my surprise team. I didn’t even have Shaka Smart’s team in my preseason Top 25, but I am eating my words now. I just wasn’t sold on the supporting cast, and didn’t think Kam Jones would be this good – especially at making his teammates better. I knew he could score, but he’s done everything for the Golden Eagles. They have wins in College Park over Maryland and against a Purdue team that defeated Alabama.
My disappointing team is Villanova. I didn’t expect the Wildcats to be an NCAA tourney team, but I also didn’t expect them to be 3-3 with losses to Columbia at home, St. Joe’s and a Virginia team with an interim coach. Kyle Neptune is in trouble and needs to figure this out quickly.
DAVIS: I ranked Auburn 14th in the preseason, so I thought the Tigers would be good. I didn’t think they would be this good this soon. Johni Broome is a bona fide national player of the year candidate and Bruce Pearl has yet another deep, long, athetic roster that is built to run, press and win. The Tigers are playing in the loaded Maui Invitational and then they travel to Duke on December 4. So we’ll find out just how good they are real soon.
On the flip side, South Carolina is off to a shaky start. Last season the Gamecocks were picked to finish last in the SEC and had a great year, but they’ve dropped games to North Florida at home and they were not remotely competitive at Indiana. It is really hard to sustain success at a place like South Carolina because of NIL poaching. (Ohio State, for example, took Meechie Johnson.) They’ve got Xavier and then Michigan or Virginia Tech next week in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, so I’ll be curious to see how and whether they can bounce back.
Who’s the best team in the country and why?
SQUADRON: I have Gonzaga slotted at number one through the first three weeks of the season. Undefeated (5-0) with statement wins over Baylor and San Diego State (on the road). The Zags have the top offensive rating (per KenPom) and have held teams to just 61 points per game on 38 percent shooting. With senior guard Ryan Nembhard, who is averaging 9.4 assists (third in Division I), running the show, this team has outstanding chemistry and weapons all over the floor. Elite talent, experience and depth.
GOODMAN: As of this moment? I am not sure if there is one, but I guess Gonzaga is as good of a choice as anyone because the Zags have most of their team back, added depth and beat the brakes off Baylor. I wish Iowa State played someone thus far instead of tomato cans because I think they could be right there with Gonzaga. The Cyclones also have a ton back from a team that was really good a year ago.
DAVIS: I’ve still got Kansas atop my AP ballot, so until someone knocks them off, I’ll stick with the Jayhawks. I can’t wait to watch them square off with Duke in Vegas.
Next week is going to be wall to wall college hoops for Feast Week. If there’s one matchup you would like to see happen, what would you pick and why?
SQUADRON: We have a chance to get Auburn vs. UConn in the championship of the Maui Invitational. Two national title-contending teams, both of which would be undefeated in this scenario. Playing on a massive stage, the Tigers would have a chance to hand the Huskies their first loss since February 20. The last time these teams met was during Feast Week in 2021, when Dan Hurley’s squad won a double-overtime thriller, 115-109. This would be Bruce Pearl’s shot at revenge.
GOODMAN: Kansas vs. Duke. I think we could be looking at a preview of the national title game in San Antonio. Cooper Flagg and the young Blue Devils against a veteran Jayhawks team. A Hall of Fame coach against a young up and coming star in Jon Scheyer. In Sin City. I’ll be there and might even hit a blackjack table or two.
DAVIS: Houston and Alabama are playing next Tuesday night at the inaugural Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. There are eight teams playing in this thing and next year it goes up to 16, with each school getting a whopping $1 million for their NIL collectives. The Crimson Tide have maybe the toughest nonconference schedule I have ever seen, but I’m mostly curious to see how well the Cougars bounce back from that loss at semi-home to Auburn. The big question is whether Milos Uzan, the transfer from Oklahoma, can step up his point guard play as a replacement for All-American Jamal Shead.
If there’s one player you think our readers should be sure to check out that they probably haven’t seen before, whom would you choose?
SQUADRON: I’m guessing you remember Josh Hubbard a little from last season, but if you haven’t tuned in to a Mississippi State game this year, please fix that. As expected, the 5-foot-11 sophomore guard has been absolutely electric. He is currently averaging 21.8 points and shooting 60 percent from three (on over seven attempts per game). Must see TV.
GOODMAN: BYU freshman Egor Demin. I know the Cougars haven’t played anyone yet but this kid has the size, skill and upside to go along with production. He’s a tremendous passer with terrific court vision, and shoots it well from the perimeter. The NBA guys also love him.
DAVIS: Indiana is playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis and I think they have a legit Big Ten Player of the Year candidate in Myles Rice, the transfer from Washington State. Rice is an elite point guard who has a tremendous feel for how to run a team. Gonzaga and Arizona are also in the field, so Rice and the Hoosiers will have plenty of opportunities to show how good they are.
Finally, you’ve got three coaches — active or retired, living or dead — that you could invite to your house for Thanksgiving. Who’s coming to dinner?
SQUADRON: John Wooden, Coach K, Gregg Popovich. Endless stories, advice and wisdom and you know Pop is pulling up with great wine!
GOODMAN: Jerry Tarkanian for sure. He’s No. 1 because of the stories from his days in Vegas, and his overall success. That would be elite entertainment. My second is Bob Knight. He’s another one that was elite as a coach and didn’t have any BS to him. The General would also have some stories and he and Tark might go at one another because Knight was also known to be squeaky clean while Tark was, um, regarded as the opposite. I never really knew Knight well so it would be cool to spend some time with him. John Wooden is the final one for me. Maybe the best to ever do it. Would love to hear all the stories of Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton and of course Sam Gilbert and the dynasty that Wooden orchestrated.
DAVIS: Hey Jeff, I can recommend a good book on Wooden if you’re interested! I would start with Rick Majerus. Yes, he will eat more servings than anyone else, but he was such a sweet guy, very well read and absolutely hilarious. All the grandmothers would swoon over him. Second is Al McGuire. He wouldn’t eat as much as Rick, but he would bring big cellophane bags and sneak food into his pockets to take home. But again, great storyteller, lovely person and I loved his pearls of wisdom. Finally, I’ll cross over to the women’s side and invite Pat Summitt. She was all class, super smart and someone has to keep everyone in line once the cocktails start flowing.
