Five things I think I know after night one of college basketball

Day one of college basketball is in the books, and it is time to let the opinions fly. We have waited for an entire offseason for this, and I feel like the build-up over the last month has been greater than any other season in recent memory. Over 100 games were played on opening night, now let’s be honest with each other, many of them were not the most competitive matchups, but we play the hand we are dealt.

Most of the nation’s top teams were playing, so that provided us with plenty to watch. And after weeks of speculation, we actually have tangible action to draw from. Here are five things I think after night one of college basketball.

1. Houston is the best team in the country

Ok, so this one isn’t so far-fetched; they are pretty universally thought of in the top three. But a quick look through the others, and I have the least amount of questions about the Houston team, and it starts with their guards.

By 2022-23 college basketball standards, Houston has both high-level guard play and depth. Marcus Sasser returns as a potential All-American after missing all but 12 games last year. Tramon Mark returns after missing all but seven games last season. They offer two-way ability as well as the ability to create offense in the half-court. Jamal Shead led the American Conference in assists last year; he is the paint touch point guard who can heat up the ball on defense. Those three are as good as any guard trio in the country.

Then you have a depth of bigs. and not just any bigs, big, strong, and physical bigs. Freshman Jarace Walker is being talked about as a possible one-and-done forward, and J’Won Roberts can slide his feet, dunk the ball, and play physically around the rim. Emanuel Sharp, Reggie Chaney, Terrence Arceneaux, and Ja’Vier Francis will come off the bench to provide depth.

I wonder about UNCs depth, their ball movement on offense, and how Pete Nance and Armando Bacot can co-exist. With Gonzaga, they have a slew of depth, but I have questions about their rim protection and their guard’s overall decision-making. This is not to say those are issues with those two teams, but with Houston, I don’t really have those questions heading into the season.

Granted, it was against an inferior opponent, but Houston shot 38 percent from three, turned North Colorado over 23 times, and won the rebounding battle 43-31. This is vintage Kelvin Sampson basketball.

Just for the sake of conversation, after night one, Baylor might be my number two team.

2. Maxwell Lewis could be the sophomore who climbs draft boards

Maxwell Lewis had some buzz coming off last season. The 6-foot-7 wing fits the NBA positional prototype with long arms and natural shooting touch. And he showcased a lot last season. Lewis shot 36.3 percent from three and 80.4 percent from the free-throw line. The question, however, he only played 19.5 minutes per game with two starts.

Lewis has clear shot-making shops; he can gather off movement or knock it down from a standstill, spacing the floor in the corner. He is also an opportune perimeter defender, aggressive in the passing lanes that led to solid counting numbers, given his time played last season. Shot selection and decision-making will be necessary improvements from him this season.

Last night, the Pepperdine sophomore started the season just as you would want. Against Rice, he scored 29 points in 30 minutes of play. Lewis was 12-for-15 from the field and 5-for-7 from three. For good measure, he added six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.

3. Are Justin Powell and Mouhamed Gueye the best 1-2 punch in the Pac-12?

Washington State, really? I mean, they haven’t been relevant in college basketball since Klay Thompson left in 2011. Well, Kyle Smith has the Cougars over .500 in his two seasons at the helm. Washington State has not been .500 or above in consecutive seasons since Ken Bone did it in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

But let’s get back on track. Mouhamed Gueye was ranked No. 15 in the 2021 On3 150. A 6-foot-11, five-star recruit came back for year two after a promising 7.4 point, 5.2 rebound freshman season. Justin Powell transferred in from Tennessee. This will be his third school in three years, but after his freshman year at Auburn, there was some NBA draft buzz surrounding him. The 6-foot-6 Powell averaged 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and shot 44.2 percent from three that year.

Night one went well for the pair against Texas State, the defending Sun Belt regular season champs. In an 80-something to 60-something win, Powell finished with 14 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds, going 3-for-5 from three. Gueye had a double-double of his own with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The sophomore center was 8-for-12 from the field.

In a league that boasts the UCLA duo of Jaime Jacquez and Tyger Campbell or Arizona’s Azoulas Tubelis and Kerr Kriisa, keep an eye on Pullman, Washington, with their pairing of Justin Powell and Mouhamed Gueye, there is a potential for excitement.

4. Cason Wallace is the best freshman guard in the SEC

For my money, Cason Wallace was the best on-ball and perimeter defender in high school basketball last year. But why does that matter? This is the SEC. Sure, but it was Wallace’s two-way toughness that caused him to end up as On3s No. 1 ranked point guard in the final 2022 On3 150.

Nick Smith has brought a lot of hype, and rightfully so, with him to Arkansas, and to be fair, he did not play last night because of an injury. However, Cason Wallace did play, and he showed he has not missed a beat coming from high school.

With returning point guard Sahvir Wheeler out, Wallace was handed the keys to the car in his first college game. The freshman finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals. He was 7-for-11 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and finished with only 2 turnovers. Kentucky beat a Howard team that finished last season second in the MEAC 90-something to 60-something.

Nick Smith is incredibly talented and will have flashes of brilliance this season; he is too talented not to. However, there could be some growing pains for him the way the Arkansas team is structured around him. Wallace steps into a situation with a lot of talent already in place; he will not need to be the man. However, in times like on Monday night, Wallace is more than capable of stepping up and being the man.

With Brandon Miller, Julian Phillips, Nick Smith, Anthony Black, Cason Wallace, and others, the SEC is loaded with talented freshmen. The race for conference Freshman of the Year could be fun.

5. Tyrese Hunter should be in the conversation for best PG in the country

There has been a lot of talk this college basketball pre-season about how down the point guard position is in college basketball. And I get that; I probably even agree with it. However, in all the discussions, I have not heard much talk about Texas sophomore Tyrese Hunter.

Hunter transferred this off-season from Iowa State after starting all 35 games for them last season and helping to lead the Cyclones to a Sweet 16 birth. Hunter was the Big-12 Rookie of the Year after averaging 11.0 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.0 steals.

There were clear questions, coming into this season, about Hunter’s shooting. Word coming out of Austin in the pre-season was this was a point of emphasis in the off-season and to expect something significantly better than the 27.4 percent he shot from three last season.

Hunter will have an interesting cast of guards he will have to get used to playing with, New Mexico State transfer Sir’Jabari Rice and returner Marcus Carr. But good players tend to figure things out when talent is around them. Hunter started his season off with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 31 minutes and 6-for-8 shooting.

For Texas to live up to its top 25 pre-season ranking, the guard play will have to be stellar.