You can only learn so much from the first week of the college basketball season, which is typically full of high-major teams either winning big or dancing with disaster at home against less talented competition.
With the exception of Michigan State’s big win over Arkansas and x, this year has presented more of the same.
Despite that, basketball’s back! There’s real games to talk about! Let’s do that:
Winners
- Tom Izzo and Michigan State sent a statement in Saturday’s 69-66 win over Arkansas at home. The Razorbacks boast one of the most talented teams in the country, as is usual with John Calipari-coached teams. Led by plenty of returners and star freshman Cam Ward, the Spartans (stop me if you’ve heard this before) outworked the Razorbacks on the glass and generated a few more possessions in the process, which proved key when the game went down to the wire. If Michigan State can challenge a team like that, it should serve as a message that Izzo’s Spartans should be taken seriously in their Big Ten title defense.
- Ben McCollum, one of multiple new coaches in the league this year, is doing his thing at the high-major level after experiencing incredible success in the Division-II ranks. The Hawkeyes combine one of the country’s most efficient offenses with a stout defense, slowing the game down to their pace while still converting on enough opportunities to put 101 on the scoreboard. It’ll be interesting to see how other teams around the league handle new-look Iowa as the season goes on.
- Darian DeVries and Indiana got a statement win in a 100-77 blowout over Marquette on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. It was a remarkable turn for a program that’s spent much of the past decade in the wilderness as the Hoosiers shot the ball well and often from beyond the arc while shrugging off the Eagles’ defensive pressure to generate look after look to keep pushing the lead.
Losers
- UCLA has looked shaky to open the 2025-26 season, just skating by with close wins at the Pauley Pavilion over Eastern Washington and cross-town Pepperdine. Now, those aren’t KenPom sub-300 basement dwellers, but you’d hope for more with a team that looks to finish right around the top of the Big Ten standings when all is said and done. There’s time for the Bruins to string together some performances in the non-conference, but they’ll face a serious test this week against Koa Peat and Arizona in Inglewood.
- Buzz Williams had his Xfinity Center debut spoiled by cross-DMV rival Ed Cooley and Georgetown as the Hoyas firmly put the Terrapins away. Maryland wasn’t without its moments in the game, including an ill-fated comeback attempt late, but Georgetown just proved to be too much. There’s still room to get a good non-con win, but this is one Maryland really should’ve had given the homecourt advantage and talent on the roster.
- Washington fell to Baylor in Waco. Honestly, this is a fairly understandable loss given that the Bears look solid and the Huskies are still sort of coming into their own under Danny Sprinkle, but someone has to lose a game. Washington could be fine, this wasn’t a must win.
