In seven days, we will have college basketball!
In the meantime, let’s be grateful for the charity exhibitions that we were able to witness this past weekend.
Below are my five main thoughts after a weekend of sampling college basketball — in October!
In no particular order:
Kansas’ Lack of Depth Is a Concern
It was only an exhibition game, but the Jayhawks still had four different players — Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar, KJ Adams, and Hunter Dickinson — log at least 35 minutes in Sunday night’s loss at Illinois. That’s not sustainable over a 40-game season. The development of the Jayhawks’ bench will be one of the biggest keys for this program in 2023-24.
Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. Looked Like an All-American
This is the player who put 29 points and 10 rebounds on UCLA last November in Las Vegas. In Sunday night’s charity exhibition against Kansas, the 6-6 Shannon scored 28 points on 13 shots and played incredibly efficient basketball. Shannon also had only one turnover in 35 minutes of action.
Arkansas’ Perimeter Depth Is Ridiculous
The Razorbacks are going to be an incredibly difficult team to prepare for because they have so many different people on the perimeter who can be a focal point on offense. In Saturday’s charity exhibition win over Purdue, Arkansas had six different perimeter players — El Ellis, Tramon Mark, Davonte Davis, Khalif Battle, Jeremiah Davenport, and freshman Layden Blockner — log eight or more minutes. Those five players combined to score 51 of the Razorbacks’ 81 points in a four-point overtime victory.
Tennessee Pulled Me Back In
I don’t care if it was a charity exhibition in October — what the Vols did on Sunday was extraordinary. Tennessee went to East Lansing without its starting backcourt — Zakai Zeiger (knee) and Santiago Vescovi (personal) — and still beat Michigan State. The one-point win served as a breakout game for the Vols’ two transfers — Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado) and Jordan Gainey (USC Upstate) — who combined for 48 points against the Spartans. As soon as I’m out, they pull me back in!
St. Joe’s Has a Big Man
The Hawks haven’t been nationally relevant in a long time, but this rendition of St. Joe’s looks like it has a chance to be at the top of the Atlantic 10 standings. A big reason why is redshirt freshman Christ Essandoko. The 7-foot, 285-pound big man had seven points, 15 rebounds, and two blocked shots in St. Joe’s 10-point win over Manhattan on Saturday at Hagan Arena. A physical specimen, Essandoko initially committed to Providence out of high school before winding up on Hawk Hill. This was a steal for Billy Lange.
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Jon Rothstein is not a FanDuel employee. The reporting of Rothstein is not subject to FanDuel’s verification and does not represent the views or input of FanDuel. Betting based on Rothstein’s reporting will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always do your own due diligence and use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Broadcast Network since 2016. He joined FanDuel in 2022 as a Content Creator. Rothstein is also the host of the College Hoops Today Podcast via Compass Media Networks.