Quick Takes: Sooners shock Wichita State

Oklahoma freshman guard Trae Young tallied 29 points and 10 assists on the road Saturday at Wichita State – a game the visiting Sooners won 91-83.  The nation’s leading scorer, Young put his stat line together at a place where the Shockers rarely lose (only once last year).  It’s a triumph that figures to pay big dividends down the line.  Non-conference road wins against quality opponents generally rank high on the Selection Committee’s seal of approval.

Elsewhere, we had upsets all along the seed list, and a few near misses – with Xavier escaping East Tennessee State at home in the final seconds.

Here are a few other Quick Takes worth mentioning …

Quick Takes: Baylor back at it again

One of these preseasons, I’ll learn.  Maybe.  Despite losses and questions, the Baylor Bears will make a favorable early impression and climb the Seed List.  Count on it.  I just need to leave my notes where I can find them next October.  Exhibit A: This year’s den of bear cubs, which started at No. 28 (final 7 seed) on our preseason list, vaulted up to No. 20 this morning (update not posted; Thanksgiving edition planned) after a rather fine trip to Kansas City.  The Bears head back to Waco with wins over Wisconsin and Creighton. Pretty good stuff, I’d say.  Next up? A couple of teams you may have heard of – Xavier and Wichita State.  If Baylor ends up 7-0 after those two (adding in the wins they just garnered), the Bears will have one of the best early resumes in the country.   Even a 1-1 finish puts them in great standing as December arrives.

Other Quick Takes of mention for today:

Quick Takes: Golden road win for Gophers

Winning away from home has always mattered to the Selection Committee. True road wins?  Those are like pure gold, especially outside the conference.  That’s why Minnesota’s victory at Providence on Monday will resonate throughout the season.  The Golden Gophers dominated the paint -and the second half.  Expect both teams to be threats in March.  It was an NCAA-level game.

Other Quick Takes from Monday:

Quick Takes: Five tasty weekend matchups

Between Thursday and Friday, three eleven seeds won.  We also had the usual 12 over 5-seed.  And yet, the first two days of the 2017 NCAA tournament feel rather chalky.  Maybe that’s because the twelve seed, Middle Tennessee State, was actually favored to win its matchup with Minnesota.  Also, were we surprised to see Xavier beat Maryland? Or Rhode Island trip up a less-than-healthy Creighton?  If there was a surprise, it’s USC.  The Trojans rallied from double-digit deficits twice, beating Providence in the First Four, and then SMU on Friday.

While the results might leave us a little hungry, the Round of 32 looks might tasty. My Quick Takes on the weekend’s top five matchups …

Gonzaga vs. Northwestern – We could rename this game: Ultimate Underdog vs. New Kids on the Block.  While Gonzaga is respected for its consistent excellence, the Bulldogs have never reached a Final Four and remain many people’s pick as first No. 1 seed to lose.  Thus, the pressure is squarely on the Zags, who struggled to score against South Dakota State (shooting 39 percent overall and 27 percent from 3).  The good news: Gonzaga no longer relies on its offense to carry the day.  Flipping the page, Northwestern might be the feel good story of the year. They survived a late rally by Vanderbilt to win their first-ever NCAA tournament game in their first-ever appearance. And who doesn’t enjoy those sidelines shots of Doug Collins and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, right?

Bracketology: Wichita State punches its ticket

Wichita State took care of business Sunday in St. Louis, locking up the Missouri Valley’s automatic bid, and with it, a ticket to the Big Dance.  Winners of 15 straight, the Shockers enter the 2017 tournament on quite a roll.  Advanced metric models like their profile more than the RPI.  We’ll know more about how the Selection Committee views them when seeding is revealed on Sunday.  Regardless of where they fall, the Shockers will be a dangerous opponent.

Bracketology   |   Seed List

Meanwhile, Illinois State begins a long, arduous wait.  The Redbirds’ body of work is complete.  All they can do is watch what unfolds in places like the Big 12, Big Ten, Atlantic 10, SEC, and even the Pac-12.  They’ll be rooting for league favorites to advance.