College Basketball Three Pointer: Notes from Cincinnati, Arizona, and Indiana

By Michael Schneid

Last night was one of the most exciting nights of college basketball in the history of the month of November. A tremendous double header in Chicago, that featured three of the best players in the country (all of whom are freshmen) and our new number one team, Michigan State. VCU got a big win on the road at Virginia and Wisconsin held off Florida at home.

Our newest article feature, calling Three Pointer, will feature points on three teams. Today, our focus is on a trio of teams who have won their first games, in various ways - whether its two blowouts, a close call, or grinding a few games out at home.

• Arizona: TJ McConnell is the missing piece. Arizona's roster is one of the best in the country. They have shooters (Johnson and York), they have athletic wing players who can shoot and get to the basket (Ashley and Gordon), they have a capable big (Tarczewski), now for the first time, Sean Miller has a pass-first PG in TJ McConnell. McConnell does not have selfish, shooting mentality that Mark Lyons had last season. The transfer from Duquesne is averaging just 4 ppg but 7 apg. That number will continue to increase as he becomes more and more familiar with his teammates. While Lyons previously focused on scoring, the focus at PG is all on creating and maintaining chemistry and moving the ball to find the best options.
  
• Indiana: Good to be battle tested. The Hoosiers eeked out a win over LIU Brooklyn and it was a good test for a young team. Indiana will go as far as Will Sheehey takes them. After a miserable first half, Sheehey finished with a line of 19 points, 7 rebs, 6 assts, 3 steals. It's a small sample size (2 games) but IU leads the nation in rebounds per (55 rpg). Their most developed freshman is clearly Noah Vonleh, who is averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds.
  
• Cincinnati: The development of senior Justin Jackson is a great story. Having seen him first hand, as a freshman he was raw and had no offensive moves at all. Now, he is Cincy's number two option and best defender and rebounder. Jackson recorded his first career double-double (10 pts, 10 rebd, and 4 blocks), in a way over NC State. His energy will drive the Bearcats as he is clearly always the hardest working player on the floor. Sean Kilpatrick is the go-to scorer, eclipsing 20 points in both games but it's nice to see role players step up, guys like Jackson, Titus Rubles, freshman Jermaine Lawrence. Cincy will need to utilize its depth and maximize their talents.