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Starting 5: Alabama outlasts No. 1 North Carolina, Vols win Atlantis, Arizona gets Maui bump

Adam Spencer

By Adam Spencer

Published:

Welcome back to the Starting 5. The Starting 5 is written multiple times per week by Adam Spencer to keep you up-to-date on all the news and events in the world of college hoops. You can follow Adam on Twitter at @AdamSpencer4 and @BlueChipGrit.

1. Opening tip

Alabama rose to No. 11 in the AP Poll this week, tied with fellow SEC squad Arkansas, but I’d probably have the Crimson Tide in the top 10 after their showing at the Phil Knight Invitational in Oregon over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Having Jahvon Quinerly back at full strength is a massive boost for Nate Oats’ squad. In a thrilling 103-101 quadruple-overtime win over then-No. 1 North Carolina on Sunday, Quinerly played 44 minutes (his highest total of the year) off the bench, scoring 21 points to go with 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals:

That was a massive outing for Quinerly, who made up for some struggles by sensational freshman Brandon Miller, who scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, but also shot only 4-of-21 from the floor.

It was an off night for the elite freshman, for sure, but he has been incredible thus far in his Alabama career. He’s currently second in the SEC in points scored per game at 19.6, behind only Ricky Council IV at Arkansas.

He had a great performance in Alabama’s first win over a ranked opponent at the Phil Knight Invitational, scoring 24 points and grabbing 9 boards while going 4-of-7 from 3-point range in the Tide’s convincing 81-70 win over then-No. 12 Michigan State:

Mark Sears deserves a shout out, too, as he led the Tide with 24 points in the win over the Tar Heels. Charles Bediako was a menace in the paint, putting up 14 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Alabama’s only loss in Oregon was to the lowest-ranked team it faced, No. 20 UConn, where the Huskies’ size proved to be a problem.

But, exiting that elite tournament, the Tide now have a win over the No. 12 team and the No. 1 team. Interestingly, on Dec. 10, the Tide will get a chance to add another win over the No. 1 team to their résumé, as they’ll head to Houston to take on the currently top-ranked Cougars.

This team is scoring well and defending well this year. The Tide are going to be a problem come SEC play!

2. Home-court advantage

It’s safe to say the Tennessee Volunteers have put a bad loss to Colorado behind them. Rick Barnes took his team to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis and the Vols left with a trophy.

The title game was the most impressive game Tennessee has played thus far, taking down then-No. 3 Kansas in dominating fashion, 64-50. The Vols actually shot well from 3-point range, knocking down 12-of-27 from beyond the arc. Santiago Vescovi led the way with 20 points, making 5 3-pointers:

He’s going to need to keep shooting at a high level, especially from deep, if the Vols are going to live up to their massive potential. Per the KenPom rankings, the Vols have the No. 1 defense in America. But offensively, it’s a different story.

Currently, Tennessee is making only 39.7% of its field goals, dead last in the SEC. The Vols are averaging 71.7 points per game, good for No. 8 in the SEC. So that means the Vols are taking plenty of shots, they just aren’t making them at a high-enough clip.

They’ll be in every game moving forward thanks to elite defense. But if they can start to knock down even 42-43% of their field goals consistently, this team has a chance to be truly special.

Now for some other SEC headlines:

  • Arkansas got some good news and some bad news on Monday. First the bad news: Devo Davis is taking some time away from basketball, according to coach Eric Musselman. Now the good news: 5-star freshman Nick Smith Jr. made his debut. Yes, he only played 5 minutes and no, he didn’t score, but just look at this ovation:

  • Anthony Black, another 5-star freshman, made a name for himself at the Maui Invitational:

https://twitter.com/G0dGiven_/status/1594864472031727617

  • Now Smith will try to show his potential over the next few weeks before SEC play starts. Meanwhile, Wichita State transfer Ricky Council IV leads the SEC in scoring at 20.1 points per contest. Arkansas is trending toward being a very dangerous squad, particularly once the calendar flips to 2023.
  • LSU finished as the runner-up in the Cayman Islands Classic, but it wasn’t without some controversy. In the title game against Kansas State, it appeared the Tigers tied it at the last second to force overtime. Instead, as you can see below, a clock error resulted in LSU losing:

  • Obviously, that’s a brutal way to lose. If LSU had seen the correct time on the clock, it almost certainly would have gotten a shot off within that time frame. The clock operator cost LSU a chance to play 5 more minutes for an attempt at a victory. It’s a shame to see a game end like that.

Next, let’s take a look at some of the biggest non-SEC headlines.

3. Road trip

Oumar Ballo was a key backup to Christian Koloko on last year’s Arizona squad that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and won a Pac-12 Tournament title.

But this year, he’s showing he’s ready to become a superstar. No one had a better Maui Invitational than the Wildcats’ big man, who absolutely torched Creighton in the final. He finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds in the championship game, leading the Wildcats’ unstoppable offense in the 81-79 victory.

He’s making 76.8% of his shots thus far in 2022-23. No, that’s not a typo. He gets great position in the paint before he even gets the ball and is playing with supreme confidence:

Arizona has earned the coveted “Maui bump” after winning the prestigious tournament in Hawaii and is now up to No. 4 in the AP Poll. Remember the name of Oumar Ballo, because he’s going to be a guy who turns a lot of heads come March.

Now let’s move on to some top stories around the rest of the country:

  • Oregon was not kind to a pair of blue-blood ACC programs. North Carolina lost to Iowa State and Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational. We already discussed the Tar Heels’ quadruple-overtime loss to the Tide in the first section, but the loss to Iowa State was a bad one. North Carolina tumbled from No. 1 to No. 18 in the AP Poll – a massive slide for the top team. Duke got crushed in the Phil Knight Legacy event by Purdue, and big man Zach Edey was unstoppable. Duke has some size on its roster, but it doesn’t have a guy who is 7-4 and nearly 300 pounds. Edey was a beast in the paint:

  • Purdue has wins over Duke and Gonzaga and has a case to be in the top 3 in the AP Poll, even though the Boilermakers sit at No. 5 this week. If Edey plays like he has been so far this year, it’s tough to see many teams hanging with the Boilermakers. Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for the Heels and Blue Devils. They should both be fine moving forward, but both will have big games in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Speaking of that event…
  • The ACC got off to a roaring start in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Monday night, with Virginia Tech downing Minnesota 67-57 and Pitt routing Northwestern 87-58. Will the ACC hold on to win the contest? Here are my predictions for the rest of the challenge:
    • Maryland over Louisville
    • Penn State over Clemson
    • Illinois over Syracuse
    • Iowa over Georgia Tech
    • Wisconsin over Wake Forest
    • Virginia over Michigan
    • Purdue over Florida State
    • Duke over Ohio State
    • Miami over Rutgers
    • North Carolina over Indiana
    • Michigan State over Notre Dame
    • Boston College over Nebraska
  • For those keeping track at home, those predictions put us firmly at a 7-7 tie for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The swing games will be North Carolina at Indiana and Virginia at Michigan. The conference that wins those games will be in good position to take home the title.

Next up, let’s take a look at the upcoming schedule around the college hoops world.

4. Outlet pass

Feast Week might be over, but that doesn’t mean the quality games are over. Between now and Friday, there are several big-time games, including a few from the ACC/Big Ten Challenge! Here are the 5 games I can’t wait to watch between now and the weekend:

  1. No. 7 Creighton at No. 2 Texas (Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN) – The Longhorns have risen to No. 2 in the polls and will be eager to add another signature nonconference win after taking care of business against Gonzaga recently. Meanwhile, Creighton will try to build on a solid showing at the Maui Invitational with a win in hostile territory. This should be an incredible game of college basketball.
  2. No. 18 North Carolina at No. 10 Indiana (Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN) – Armando Bacot vs. Trayce Jackson-Davis will be a real treat, as they’re 2 of the best big men in the entire country. Yes, North Carolina just struggled mightily out in Oregon, but this is still a very talented squad. This could end up being the best game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
  3. No. 3 Virginia at Michigan (Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) – This Virginia team still plays at a glacial pace, but the offense is better than many casual fans might think. Reece Beekman has been electric. But the Wolverines are a talented team and will provide a tough true road test for the No. 3 team in the country.
  4. No. 25 Ohio State at No. 17 Duke (Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN) – The Blue Devils, as mentioned above, struggled in their final game out in Oregon, losing to Purdue by 19 points. A chance to get back to Cameron Indoor and right the ship against another ranked Big Ten squad is enticing, but the Buckeyes will be looking for a massive road win.
  5. Syracuse at No. 16 Illinois (Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) – This will be an interesting test for the Illini, as Syracuse brings its zone defense to town. Will Terrence Shannon Jr. and company settle for 3-point shots the way the Orange want them to? Or will the Illini get the ball inside to Coleman Hawkins and let him distribute?

Which teams will continue their strong starts and which will hit a slump before the start of conference play? This stretch of games, when guys are preparing for finals and battling the grind of the new season, tells us a lot about the makeup and fortitude of top teams. I can’t wait to see who thrives during this overlooked time of the college hoops calendar.

5. Buzzer beaters

Finally today, let’s answer some random questions before we go about our Tuesdays and get ready for the holiday season:

Which holiday tournament winner are you most impressed with?

I’m going to go with Tennessee here. We’ve discussed the Vols already, so you know why I’m impressed with them. If this squad can figure out its offense and improve those numbers, it will be a tough out for anyone come March. Beating reigning-champion Kansas is a feat that the Vols should be proud of. We’ll see if they can continue to build off of this success from the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Real or fake Christmas trees?

I honestly have no preference here. Real trees obviously smell better, but they require more maintenance. Some people have allergies to real trees, so I understand wanting to get fake trees. Fake trees are also probably a bit more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Where I do have a strong opinion, though, is colorful vs. white lights. I think Christmas is a joyful time, not some classy, stuffy affair. Thus, I prefer the multi-colored lights.

Enjoy the Starting 5? Have a question? Want to yell at me about something? Follow me on Twitter @AdamSpencer4 or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.

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