An impactful weekend for college hoops heavyweights

A power conference expands, two more transfers find homes, and U18 Team USA shows off future stars. Plus: A preseason darling goes philanthropic.

June 13, 2022

Did Steph Curry’s 43-point performance steal your attention from college hoops the past couple of days? Can’t say I blame you. The “Death Lineup” is dead, and its undoing places Golden State’s title hopes solely on the shoulders of the Baby Faced Assassin. Thus, when Steph goes nuclear, it’s understandable if you tune in with a singular focus.

Thankfully, we at the Field of 68 Daily have you covered. A handful of big storylines broke over the weekend, including one regarding the conference where Curry’s unexpected co-pilot played his college ball. That’s where we’ll begin.

Let’s get to the news.

THE STARTING FIVE

1. The Big 12 (officially) goes all-in on basketball

Starting in 2023, the Big 12 will feature four new programs:

While the moves for BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston have been expected for about a year, the league made the news official Friday morning. All four schools have found success on the gridiron recently — but the expansion also sends massive shockwaves through the college hoops landscape.

Consider the Big 12’s history over the past decade:

  • It ranked first in KenPom’s conference rankings in seven of the last 10 seasons.

  • In that same timeframe, it has never sent less than five teams to the Big Dance and has notched seven bids in five separate tournaments.

  • Between 2016 and 2022, the Big 12 had five Final Four teams and claimed two National Champions (and also a Kansas team that was a number 1 overall seed lock in 2020).

  • The moves will also ensure that 12 schools are (eventually*) in the Big 12 . . . a novel concept!

(*You know, once Oklahoma and Texas head to the SEC.)

It’s crazy that, despite the SEC’s best efforts, the Big 12 has positioned itself to grow even stronger as a basketball power. Here’s the lowdown on its new members:

  1. BYU enters the league with a rising star at the helm in head coach Mark Pope. Pope established himself as an offensive mastermind during his days at Utah Valley, where the Wolverines put up staggering numbers for a WAC school. Specifically, his scheme relies heavily on dribble-hand-offs, ball screens, 3-point shooting, and offensive rebounding. These emphases have yielded the nation’s 7th, 23rd, and 50th best offenses through his first three seasons in Provo.

  2. After making nine straight NCAA Tournaments, Cincinnati has been on the outside looking in for the last two. That slide should end soon, as Wes Miller prepares for his second year with the Bearcats At his first job, the youngster turned UNC-Greensboro into a SoCon stalwart — during Miller’s tenure, the Spartans won two conference tournaments with their suffocating defense. Last season, Cincinnati exhibited some of that same ferociousness, ranking 11th nationally in defensive 2-point percentage, per KenPom.

  3. Speaking of defense, no one coaches it better than Kelvin Sampson. Houston runs “no middle” concepts that erase open looks at the rim. Thus, it’s no coincidence that the Coogs have ranked 8th, 9th, 21st, 11th, and 13th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric over the past five seasons. Using defense as its bedrock, Houston has morphed into one of the most consistent programs in the country. Look no further than its Final Four berth in 2021, and its Elite 8 run this past March without best player Marcus Sasser.

  4. UCF is the weakest of newcomers . . . but hey, they starred a really tall dude and almost beat Duke that one time!

2. For Jon Scheyer, life sure is Grand

On Saturday, the Blue Devils landed their second perimeter player in as many weeks in Illinois transfer Jacob Grandison. In the recruitment, Jon Scheyer beat out home state programs UCLA and USC for the services of the fifth-year senior.

Grandison meets several of Duke’s biggest needs.

As detailed last week, Scheyer’s inaugural roster is green even by Duke’s standards. With Grandison, the first-year coach gets a proven guy with four years of D-I experience under his belt — none more important than the last two. At Illinois, he played for a top-4 team in 2021 and a top-20 team in 2022; his reps in high-stake games will be invaluable for a young team that sits in a media pressure cooker.

Turning to the hardwood, Grandison most affects the game with his long-distance sniping. The 6-6 wing works masterfully to get open, confidently nailing 3s off the catch.

His skillset will quench the Blue Devils’ thirst for spacing like a cold LaCroix on a humid, summer day.

Additionally, Grandison gifts Duke with lineup flexibility, particularly on the defensive end. While he likely starts at the 3, the veteran can play small ball 4 in a pinch — a definite need if a speedier team tries to exploit Duke’s twin tower tandem of Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively.

3. Creighton gives back

Over the weekend, Creighton continued its stellar offseason. But this time around, the staff wasn’t mining for gems on the recruiting trail or closing on coveted transfers. Instead, the men’s basketball program focused its efforts on serving the Omaha community.

On Friday, Creighton held its 5th Annual Abilities Camp, an event designed for children with special needs “from ages five to eighteen,” per WOWT, a local Omaha news station. The camp offers “a range of agility activities and games all related to basketball” for those in attendance.

In the slower days of summer, programs can sit back and enjoy meaningful moments like this. Redshirt-freshman Mason Miller told this to WOWT:

“It’s a really big thing in this world. All the different situations that people live in. For me it’s something in my family. We’ve struggled with it a little bit [having a cousin with autism], but it’s a really good experience to have, especially for the community and everything.”

Certainly, this experience won’t be forgotten by either the players or the campers.

4. Save it for a Ramey day

The Arizona rumors proved true as Texas transfer Courtney Ramey committed to Tommy Lloyd and the ‘Cats on Friday.

After losing three of its four best shooters (by percentage), Arizona’s need for a guard like Ramey became obvious. The 6-3 super-senior has made almost 200 3s in his career, thriving as a catch-and-shoot threat in both spot-up situations and off of screens.

Equally as important, he projects as a stingy defender for ‘Zona. Yes, most fans remember the Wildcats’ wildly fun, uptempo offense from last season. But they also could lock down their foes when needed. In Ramey, Arizona gains an athlete capable of throwing opposing guards and wings out of rhythm. His previous coach Chris Beard had high praise for his defense at the end of last season:

 

Ramey’s presence (and Campbell guard Cedric Henderson) offsets some of the negative impact felt by Dalen Terry and Bennedict Mathurin’s departures.

5. How good Can Kel’el Ware be for Oregon?

The USA’s under-18 team ran through the FIBA tournament for gold. A handful of players turned in impressive performances, from Villanova commits Mark Armstrong and Cam Whitmore to UNC commit G.G. Jackson to Duke commit Jared McCain.

But none stuffed the stat sheet more than Oregon’s incoming freshman Kel’el Ware. The top-10 recruit stands at 7-feet tall and weighs in at a more-muscular-than-it-sounds 210 pounds. Considering his measurables and his pedigree, you might assume that he’s destined for stardom . . .

. . . until you remember the number of highly-touted rookies to underwhelm in their Oregon careers. Observe some recent Ducks who also achieved five-star status: Bol Bol, Troy Brown, Louis King, C.J. Walker, and current players N’Faly Dante and Nathan Bittle. None out of that group became a lottery pick or made an All-Pac-12 team.

Can Ware reverse the trend? I think so.

For starters, the big man plays with a motor that churns at 7000 RPMs, soaring for rebounds and skying for lobs. His second bounce leads to a surplus of extra possessions, which he often punctuates with put-back dunks.

But defensive upside sets Ware apart from his one-and-done predecessors. The 7-footer makes emphatic blocks look effortless, exhibiting precise timing and instincts. And throughout the tournament, he flashed the ability to slide his feet on the perimeter.

If he adjusts quickly to Dana Altman’s defensive scheme, he can instantly become the best freshman in the conference.

ICYMI

Transfer and coaching news

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Cut of a champion

So, does something like this come with a signed David McCormack jersey, or what?

PREVIEWING THE NBA DRAFT

The ultimate Swiss Army knife

On the court, Jeremy Sochan adapts to different roles as swiftly as he changes hair colors. The 6-9, 230-pound forward fulfilled every assignment Scott Drew gave him for the Baylor Bears this past season.

The Polish-American-Englishman both battles with towering centers and exhibits impressive handles and passing. Add in overall toughness and a nice-looking 3-point shot, and you get a versatile athlete that every NBA team wants. Watch the video below for Terrence Oglesby and Rob Dauster’s comprehensive breakdown.

(Also, don’t forget that The Field of 68 is holding a mock draft this Thursday at 7:30 pm ET. It’ll be streamed LIVE here.)

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THE FAST BREAK

What to read while you’re waiting two minutes for your Taco Bell Defy order

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