I'll forgive you if you didn't greet the new season by turning your devout attention to Valpo tussling with Arizona, St. Johns vs. William and Mary or Mississippi State pitted against a directional Kentucky. Like so many college basketball seasons before it, this one started with three largely unremarkable and forgettable games.
Arizona was the only ranked team in action and their performance was just about as underwhelming as the evening's viewing menu, finishing the Crusaders by a final margin of 9. If you were looking for someone to step up and fill Derrick Williams shoes for the cats, you're going to have to keep looking for now. Solomon Hill managed only 4 rebounds and 8 points in 24 minutes of action. Jesse Perry did come through with a double double, recording 14 points and ten boards. Kyle Fogg managed to be the other bright spot racking up 16 points. Does that make them number 16 in the nation? At this point in the season that's hard to define, but Arizona certainly didn't bring any of the lines into focus.
While Mississippi State's victory wasn't any more resounding than Arizona's, Dee Bost picked up where he left off last season with 23 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and a block. We're talking Eastern Kentucky, but still. St. Johns had the most complete team performance of the night, beating William and Mary 74 to 59 without Coach Steve Lavin, who is still recovering from prostate cancer surgery.
Not a terribly exciting Monday, but this Friday's lineup is just a tad bit more enticing...yes, I'm talking Carrier Classic.
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