Opening Day of College Hoops Preview/Picks/Top-25

Holy Santa Claus shit, you guys. College basketball is finally here. We have Gus Johnson doing what Gus Johnson does. We have games in Japan and China and South Dakota. Sure, South Dakota is part of America, but it feels like it’s as close as Japan or China.

We have games starting at 11 am Eastern today, so get your bets in early. There’s not a lot of games to discuss for Saturday or Sunday because the football schedule is still dominating the weekend. However, today is our day.

Before we take a look at the best games of the day. Let’s recap some things you need to know so you don’t sound like a dumbass this year. There are rule changes, some of which are major. The obvious one is the shortening of the shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds. Don’t think this automatically means overs will be hitting all the time. The 30 seconds will benefit strong defensive teams that can press and make offenses waste more time. On top of that if a weaker team doesn’t have a guy who can create his own shot, expect a lot of bad shots/shot clock violations.

Other rule changes include not resetting the 10 second clock to get the ball over half court with just a few exceptions. So, those timeouts with nine seconds won’t give them a full 10 seconds again. Those are the two that you need to remember when looking at pace of play.

Now, onto the games for Friday.

The best game on the slate is Gonzaga vs Pittsburgh in Japan. This game kicks off at 7pm with one of the two favorites for National Player of the Year in Kyle Wiltjer. Expect Pitt to ugly this game up as they are outmanned and want to make it as physical as possible. In years past that wouldn’t be a bad idea against Gonzaga, but with the frontcourt the Bulldogs have this year it plays into their hand. I’m curious to see how a new backcourt blends for Gonzaga, but Wiltjer will be too much for Pitt.

The Pick: Gonzaga -4.5

Colorado vs Iowa State (-8); Sioux Falls, SD, 5 pm

I’m not afraid to admit my love for this Iowa State team despite the loss of head coach Fred Hoiberg. The fact the Cyclones have a point guard coach in Steve Prohm and a top-3 point guard in Monte Morris is almost unfair. Along with the fact Jameel McKay is eligible the entire year, the Cyclones’ defense won’t be shit. Colorado has a star in Josh Scott, but he’s not going to be enough to push the Buffs over here.

The Pick: Iowa State -8

Temple vs North Carolina (-9.5); Annapolis, MD, 7 pm

The big news the last week has been the loss of Marcus Paige for at least three weeks to a fractured finger in the non-shooting hand. It’ll be key to see how Roy Williams utilizes his lineup and rotation and the development of Nate Britt. Temple has two strong players in Quenton DeCosey and Jaylen Bond. DeCosey is a bigger guard who looks to score in the paint while Bond is a 6’8” forward with little range. DeCosey will be trouble when Justin Jackson isn’t in the game.

The Pick: Temple cover 9.5

So, there you have the three games to watch today. If you’re wanting a late night game, Texas vs Washington is worth watching to see the Longhorns under Shaka Smart at 10pm. Heading into the season, here is the Top-25 after injuries/suspensions/etc

1. Kentucky
2. Kansas
3. Iowa State
4. Maryland
5. Oklahoma
6. North Carolina
7. Villanova
8. Duke
9. Cal
10. Gonzaga
11. Arizona
12. Michigan
13. Virginia
14. Michigan State
15. Butler
16. Wichita State
17. Texas A&M
18. Baylor
19. Vanderbilt
20. UConn
21. Florida State
22. Utah
23. Rhode Island
24. Dayton
25. Cincinnati

Follow me for all your college hoops talk @barstoolreags

PS: Episode 5 of Storm the Court Podcast here to help you pass the time at work/school.