College Basketball Opening Night: Isiah Debuts, Boeheim Gets No. 800, Cal Struggles

CGB has some post-game analysis on Cal's too-close-for-comfort 75-70 win over Murray State:

Give credit to Murray State. They battled us right through the first half, then came back from what seemed like an insurmountable late deficit to make everyone fritter. Their team is really good as rags indicated, probably one of the best mid-majors in the country. Don’t be shocked to see them earn a #14/#15 seed come March.

Still, from an aesthetic standpoint, it wasn’t the most impressive win in the world for the Bears, and Jerome Randle continued to struggle (4/12 shooting, again nearly a 1:1 assist-turnover ratio); Isiah Canaan battled him hard and really didn’t let him rest out there. The offense was out of sync, they were slow to run out on the 3 point line (they conceded everything from downtown to prevent the penetration to the paint, and gave up 24 points from downtown), and there were too many awkward-looking shots that I’d like to forget.

But hey, a win’s a win. The Bears now get ready to face Detroit on Wednesday before their showdown with Syracuse later this week.

No. 13 Cal got more than it bargained for out of the Murray State Racers on opening night but held on thanks to a late run in the 2nd hald for the 75-70 victory.

Jerome Randle led the Bears with 18 points and did his part not to look past the Racers, something he was concerned about beforehand.

“If you look ahead, you’re just setting yourself up for an upset,” senior point guard Jerome Randle said. “We have to get past these two games, then worry about Syracuse.”

Keep an eye on California Golden Blogs for all the post-game analysis.

Only 15,000 or so were in the Carrier Dome to see it, but Jim Boeheim became only the 8th coach in Division I history to earn 800 victories—all at Syracuse—after a 75-43 victory over Albany.  SBNation's Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician says the Orange used balance to put that infamous exhibition loss in the rearview mirror.

None of the Orange went nuts on the statsheet but the points were spread around.  Onuaku led the Orange with 14 points while Wes Johnson added 12 points and 8 rebounds. Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph all scored in double-figures as well. 

In his first game, freshman Brandon Triche scored 8 points, added  assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. Not too shabby for a true freshman not named Flynn.

Typical of the first official game of the season, it’s been a sloppy affair at the Carrier Dome, but Syracuse is in control against Albany at the half. The Orange shot 50 % for the half, while the Scoobies didn’t even make a quarter of their field goals. Turnovers have been an issue for both teams, as the Orange gave the ball up 14 times in the half, while the Great Danes amassed a mind boggling total of 20.

Arinze Onuaku is the leading scorer for the Orange, with 10. He’s 4 for 4 from the floor, and 2 for 4 from the line, though he actually hit two consecutive foul shots, which led to loud cheers among the Orange faithful. Guard Tim Ambrose is Albany’s leading scorer, also with 10, though he only shot 40% from the field in the half.

Carolina March, SB Nation’s North Carolina site, was impressed with how well the Tar Heels controlled the tempo against an FIU team that was far smaller. While UNC turned the ball over a lot more than Roy Williams would have probably liked, you have to remember it was the first real college game for many of his players.

The five freshmen, along with Tyler Zeller and Justin Watts, who got the most playing time combined for 12 made shots, 9 rebounds, and 11 turnovers. It was sloppy, nervous play you’d expect from a bunch of young players put on the court to run at the speeds UNC prefers to play at. Their games will get better, in the meantime they get to leave the Smith Center with their first win.

The Tar Heels may take some lumps early on, but things should get better as the season rolls on and the youngsters gain more experience.

SB Nation’s Ohio State blog We’ll Always Have Tempe was hoping to use tonight’s opener to get a gauge on the Buckeyes’ perimeter defense. Alcorn State didn’t present much of a test:

Ohio State seemed to stay in man coverage tonight, and held its own, which is exactly what you’d hope for against Alcorn State. That said, there were a few frustrating moments where ASU’s Jonathan Boyd was left open and able to take a few threes, which he drained.

Which leaves me to ask…. is Alcorn State really a game that will help us measure any progress in the perimeter defense? Paul Keels said on the radio broadcast that ASU had made just 2 of 6 shots behind the arc in its prior exhibition game, and was reputedly a drive, low-post oriented team. I’m not sure Ohio State limited the Braves’ outside game to the extent that it should have.

Evan Turner put up the second triple double in Ohio State history (14 pts, 17 rbs, 10 ast) in the Buckeyes’ easy 100-60 win over a completely overmatched Alcorn State squad. Turner was among four Buckeyes who hit double figures, led by Jon Diebler, who had 22.

Isiah Thomas’ FIU squad put up a better fight than was expected against UNC , as the Tar Heels won by only 16, 88-72. Roy Williams’ youngsters need to work on taking care of the basketball before their next game Wednesday against North Carolina Central. Carolina actually lost the turnover battle in a pretty sloppy game, as they coughed the ball up 23 times, against 21 Golden Panther giveaways.

Things have pretty much gone as expected in the first two games of the night. In Columbus, Ohio State is doubling up Alcorn State at the half, 56-28. The Buckeyes have been red hot, with Jon Diebler (16), Evan Turner (12), and William Buford (11) already in double figures. Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, both teams have made their share of mistakes, as there have been 18 total turnovers in the first half, but it's been all Tar Heels so far. They lead 46-30 thanks to a combination of good shooting (50% from the floor) and good D, as FIU is shooting 30% from the floor, mostly because they're afraid of confronting UNC's bigs.