Now That's What I Call Madness!

Peach Jam, a Pro-Am and a trip that will make you say “oh damn.” Who says college basketball isn’t a year-round sport?

Let’s dive in!

THREE POINTERS

1. Peach Jam Day 3 Standouts

Peach Jam’s third day concluded Tuesday and basketball fans were treated to a slew of star performances from future college players. Here are a few names to track for the remainder of the event and beyond:

• Future Wisconsin Badger Gus Yalden tallied 35 points and 17 rebounds for City Rock on 14-20 from the floor. Yalden plays like a polar bear doing ballet, but it works. Big Ten fans would be wise to remember the name, and it won’t surprise me if Yalden continues to rise up the class rankings.

• Another future Big Ten name to monitor is Michigan State-bound Jeremy Fears. Fears dropped 12 points and 11 assists for Indy Heat, marking his second consecutive 10-assist game, off the heels of a triple-double. Fears has the look of a true floor general and has produced repeatedly for Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Cup.

• Kentucky commit Rob Dillingham exploded offensively for 29 points, along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists for CP3. Dillingham has a smooth offensive package, creating openings for himself and his teammates off the dribble with ease.

• Milan Momcilovic, who committed to Iowa State over the weekend, notched 19 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists for Team Herro. At 6-8 with a sweet shooting stroke, Momcilovic possesses a skill set that can fit in anywhere. He’ll be an instant impact type in Ames.

2. Moneyball Pro-Am takeaways

July can be a dreary month for college fans looking to get some insight into their team’s roster for next year, but Michigan State fans can get a sneak peek by attending the Moneyball Pro-Am.

Paying tribute to legendary Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane, this event offers men who think they are smarter than their team’s coach a chance to yell loudly fans an early glimpse at their favorite team months before the season.

Historically this meant a chance to see future NBA stars compete with current and former college players at all levels from the area, with the occasional ex-Spartan NBA star guest. Draymond Green, Denzel Valentine, Gary Harris and Bryn Forbes have all made recent appearances.

It’s certainly a fun way to involve the community and give fans a chance to interact with college players in an intimate basketball setting. It also opens the door up for sloppy play, bad habits and (knock on wood) injuries. Years ago, there was a level of competitive energy that made this event worth attending repeatedly all summer long. This year feels … different.

I attended the event yesterday for the first time in years, and there were some takeaways specific to the Michigan State players that participated:

• Incoming freshman center Jaxon Kohler led all scorers with 42 points. Kohler is one of two candidates to start at center for Michigan State, along with junior Mady Sissoko. Kohler’s offensive arsenal is legit — he’s fluent in baseline spins, fadeaway jumpers and hook shots over both shoulders, but he appears to be 6-8 on his tippy toes and may struggle to keep up defensively in the post-heavy Big Ten.

• Sophomore guard Jaden Akins could be a star. Akins won the eye test award in the three games I watched, totaling 31 points and leading his team to victory in the evening’s marquee game. Akins dazzled with flashes of athleticism and shooting touch last year when given opportunities, but Tuesday night, he showed acumen as a passer and off the dribble. There isn’t a player on the Spartan roster with a higher upside, and it won’t surprise me if he steals a larger share of the guard rotation minutes from AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker by March.

• As a whole, the event seemed a bit “down” compared to years past, and it remains to be seen if that has anything to do with the caliber of Michigan State’s roster for next season. Attendance was small, with the game being played at a local high school gym at roughly 20 percent capacity. There are no surefire NBA players, but it was still surprising to see the lack of buzz at an event that has drawn a full house in previous installments. Maybe this is a post-pandemic norm. Or maybe it reflects a deflated Michigan State fan base. Or maybe, even, it was just a Tuesday night and families in mid-Michigan had better things to do with their time than watch AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker play “your turn, my turn.”

3. The Greatest College Hoops Adventure

Sports Illustrated writer and resident Field of 68 parallel parking expert Kevin Sweeney hypothesized a college hoops trip for the ages:

In two short weeks, anyone insane enough to actually embark on this sort of quest would get a front row (or nosebleeds) seat at the following games:

• Kentucky vs. Michigan State

• Duke vs. Kansas

• Texas vs. Gonzaga

• Baylor vs. Virginia

• UCLA vs. Illinois

• The Maui Invitational

  • Matchups TBDField includes Arizona, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Creighton, Louisville, Ohio State, San Diego State and Texas Tech

• PK85

  • Matchups TBD

  • Field includes Oregon, Alabama, Michigan State, North Carolina, UConn, Villanova, Iowa State, Portland, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Portland State, Purdue, West Virginia, Xavier

For anyone scoring at home, 60 percent of Jeff Goodman’s way too early Preseason Top 25 are represented in these games, and that percentage jumps even higher when you set the cutoff to his Top 10 (80 percent). There would be no better way for an insane college basketball fan with unlimited time and money to get a look at the best teams in the country in a 14-day span.

Then again, maybe it’s not that crazy:

If anyone plans to actually do this, contact us at The Field of 68 to share your story.

BUY OR SELL

Everyone’s favorite breakout team

If you don’t have double-digit people in your personal life who have publicly endorsed Creighton as a national title contender, then we clearly don’t run in the same social circles.

But if the Blue Jays are EVERYONE’S favorite underdog, are they really an underdog?

Our team debated if Creighton should really be taken seriously in the upper echelon of national championship candidates for next season.

Make sure to subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube.

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you go back and read that Dan Dakich story that you bookmarked earlier this week again:

• 5-star forward Justin Edwards will decide between Kentucky and Tennessee on Monday.

• Virginia’s Reece Beekman could be on the verge of stardom.

• North Carolina is very excited to have Pete Nance.

• 16-20 has been released on our Top Frontcourt Duos countdown.

• Matchups have been reported for the Roman Main Event next season, headlined by Baylor vs. Virginia and UCLA vs. Illinois,

• Michigan commit Youssef Khayat shines for Lebanon’s national team.

• Saint Mary’s adds a new non-conference opponent.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend to tell a friend.