The NCAA Basketball season has gotten off to its unofficial start thanks to secret scrimmages and charity exhibitions. Here’s what matters.
Welcome to the first Rauf Report of the new NCAA basketball season! Every Monday and Friday, we’ll dissect what matters and what doesn’t from the games of the week or weekend.
Now is as good a time as ever to get started, given the amount of “secret” scrimmages (that we somehow know everything about), exhibition matchups and high-profile charity games. We’ve gotten a good look at just about everyone, and while it’s important to remember that the results should be taken with a massive grain of salt, there are meaningful takeaways to be had.
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Here are the five most important of those takeaways from the last week or so:
Purdue’s backcourt play is still an issue
Purdue is going to be this year’s most scrutinized team solely because of how last season ended. In fact, the Boilermakers might even face more scrutiny than the 2018-19 Virginia team did. That UVA team went on to win the national championship. Now, Matt Painter’s squad has similar expectations on it.
That’s why Purdue’s loss to Arkansas over the weekend was problematic. It’s not that Purdue lost — there is no shame in losing on the road to a very good Razorbacks team in overtime — but rather how it lost. The Boilermakers turned it over 20 times in defeat, and its backcourt rarely looked comfortable against Arkansas’ length and athleticism. Braden Smith recorded seven turnovers on his own.
And yes, it’s exhibition season, so there is obviously some rust to shake off. That’s one of the major advantages of these games! But this also isn’t out of character for Purdue.
The main reason for the loss to Fairleigh Dickinson was because of an inability to handle FDU’s pressure. Purdue turned it over 16 times against the Knights and allowed the pressure to disrupt much of its offense. In fact, that was the main cause of the Boilermakers’ entire late-season slide. They went 7-5 in their final 12 games following a 22-1 start, nearly blowing big leads in several of those victories once opponents applied late pressure.
There’s no doubt that Purdue is going to be very good again, especially with Zach Edey back to lead this experienced group. Yet, last year’s big weakness — handling pressure — still appears to be an issue. If so, it’s something opponents will look to exploit. The Boilermakers must improve in this area if they’re going to have any chance of following the 2019 Virginia blueprint.
Tennessee’s offense looks legitimate
Tennessee’s offense has let it down many times in the Rick Barnes era dating back to when Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield led the program’s resurgence. That resurgence has been based on defensive supremacy and enough offense, yet the Vols have typically lacked the kind of shooting and offensive playmakers that can pull a team out of a rut.
Those ruts — particularly struggles to score in the half-court against good teams — have cost Tennessee several key games. It’s largely why it hasn’t advanced past the Sweet 16 under Barnes. (It’s even been discussed in a few past Rauf Reports!)
Remember this past March against FAU? The Vols led for a good portion of the game, including the first 10 minutes of the second half. But they weren’t able to put the Owls away and scored just six points in nine minutes. Suddenly, a six-point lead turned into an insurmountable 10-point deficit.
Tennessee seemingly tried to address that weakness this offseason by bringing in Dalton Knecht from Northern Colorado and sharpshooter Jordan Gainey from USC Upstate. In an exhibition road win over Michigan State on Sunday, those two combined for 48 points and 10 assists while shooting 7-of-16 from 3-point range, in a game where Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler didn’t play.
Gainey showcased the deft shooting and playmaking touch Tennessee was hoping he’d bring. Knecht showed the all-around prowess that made him such a highly coveted transfer. He also provided the highlight of the game:
Tennessee’s identity isn’t going to change, nor should it. But Knecht and Gainey provided the kind of offensive pop the Vols have lacked, which is an excellent sign for them moving forward.
Don’t hit the panic button on FAU
Speaking of Florida Atlantic, the Owls’ secret scrimmage performances have raised some concerns. They lost by 16 points to North Carolina last weekend before reportedly losing by 12 to UCF this past Saturday.
On its surface, yeah, that’s pretty alarming!
But it’s far less concerning when you learn that Alijah Martin, perhaps FAU’s best player, did not play in either game. Dusty May has also been experimenting with different lineups and scenarios given there is so much we already know with this roster. The Owls return essentially everyone from last season’s Final Four run, so it’s not like this is an unproven group.
Now, there is a line of thinking that these results indicate FAU will take a step back and that last season’s run was a fluke after all. And yes, the Owls did benefit from playing a region of chaos — facing FDU instead of Purdue in the second round was indicative of that. But that completely discounts how good they were all last season.
That March run validated their regular season. FAU was really, really good all season long before being woefully underseeded. Were the Owls one of the four best teams last year? Probably not, but they weren’t a No. 9 seed.
Florida Atlantic is pretty much a known commodity. When Martin returns and the games actually count, I fully expect the Owls to play at the level we expect.
Elliot Cadeau might be an upgrade over Caleb Love
North Carolina is up there with Purdue as one of the most intriguing groups to watch in 2023-24 after last year’s disappointment. That’s why their dominant win over FAU was such a surprise. The Heels followed it with a dominant win over St. Augustine’s, as expected, in their exhibition.
RJ Davis was the most dominant player during that two-game stretch, yet almost all the buzz in Chapel Hill centers around freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau.
The five-star prospect graduated high school a year early to join the Tar Heels and will start next to Davis in the backcourt, filling in for the departed Caleb Love, now at Arizona. Cadeau is even donning Love’s old jersey number. And he appears to be giving his UNC offense exactly what it needs.
Love’s poor shot selection and decision-making drew the ire of Carolina fans a season ago. Conversely, Cadeau has showcased the elite feel and high basketball IQ that helped him become such a highly-rated prospect. His vision and downhill drives may have unlocked a new dimension to this offense, and we’re learning that he’s a highlight waiting to happen:
We’ll see if this level of impact translates to the regular season. There is a long line of early enrollees who have struggled to make the adjustment to the college game and flamed out before making any real impact.
But Cadeau appears to be different.
He’s not someone who needs to be scoring 20 points to be effective; he makes his impact with his passing and ability to control the game while picking his spots to score. That’s exactly what this UNC team needs next to Davis and Armando Bacot, at least on paper. Don’t be surprised if Cadeau is a legitimate difference-maker from the get-go.
College basketball’s ‘preseason’ keeps growing
I just want to take a moment of reflection to note that these games are essentially forming a legitimate preseason for college basketball. Yes, there are still those exhibition games against Division II and Division III schools, and it’s still jarring when someone notable loses to a team from those levels (hello, St. John’s). But those are basically glorified practices.
On the other hand, there are now several games featuring top-25 caliber teams, being played in near-full arenas, and being broadcast nationally. The feeling of flipping from Tennessee-Michigan State to Illinois-Kansas on Sunday was reminiscent of the NFL preseason: big matchups and notable storylines, even if the results don’t count.
It felt like real basketball.
I understand those calling for these to be real games. The appetite for more high-profile matchups during the first month of the season is always a good thing. But coaches and programs are more likely to schedule these games when there’s no risk involved, and many contests raise significant money for charity. Even as exhibitions, we have more people caring about college basketball in October. These games should elevate the level of play — and fan interest — when the season tips off next week.
Indeed, this new preseason is here to stay and will only become more prominent as it’s promoted by programs and TV networks alike. And while the secret may be out on ‘secret scrimmages,’ it feels like a good thing for the sport.