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Well ESPN’s 24 Hours of College Basketball is over (which was actually very cool except for the ESPNU studio host - who the hell was that guy? - and the prominent presence of Dickie V) and we are getting our first national glimpses of some top 25 teams. Last night saw the national debuts of #1 UNC, #15 Oklahoma, Davidson and unranked Kentucky. Hopefully, Friday will have in store for us a Duke-UCLA matchup so we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that Michigan and/or Southern Illinois doesn’t knock either of them off. In the meantime, both games last night were at least interesting (if not entirely competitive).

The UNC-Kentucky game was simply never in doubt. From the moment Deon Thompson made a steal at the top of the key and drove the length of the floor for a layup to make the score 6-2 (yes, I said 6-2), the game was UNC’s. Judging by what I’ve read on A Sea of Blue (the SB Nation Kentucky blog), Kentucky fans were less than thrilled with their performance and this season is a wash for the Wildcats. The reality of this game was that we learned far more about the Tar Heels than we did about Kentucky. Kentucky is a team that is lacking an identity and Billy Gillespie is still trying to juggle lineups and find the right mix. I do think Kentucky will contend for the SEC crown and make the tournament when all is said and done. What we learned about UNC on the other hand is that when they are focused and giving their all-out effort, they are going to be very VERY hard to beat. (This obviously upsets me, but I think we have to get used to it. At least it isn’t Syracuse or Duke.) Without Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Ginyard, one the reigning National Player of the Year and the other an outstanding returning starter, UNC absolutely throttled Kentucky. They won by 19, it really wasn’t even that close and really if they kept the intensity up throughout the whole game it would have probably been even uglier. Deon Thompson made himself a viable number one option on a team that already had two or three of those (Hansbrough, Lawson and Ellington). Lawson is finally healthy froom the ankle injury last year. Ellington looked just about as good as I’ve seen him last night and Danny Green continues to be one of the best all around players in the country that not that many people know about. The freshmen that Roy Williams has added are certainly impressive young players and will be able to contribute on this level immediately. On top of all this, everyone will just get better over the next month with Hansbrough getting limited minutes at the most. When he gets back, this team will be darned near impossible to beat if Roy keeps them focused and firing on all cylinders because they can win just about any way they need to. I don’t like UNC, but I think they will be fun to watch this year. It will almost be like watching the 2007-08 Patriots. I hated them every second of the season, but damn were they talented.

Quick related note before I get to Oklahoma-Davidson: I feel the same way about Tyler Hansbrough. I think he is annoying. I hate the way the media fawns over him and I hate that dumb look he always has on his face. But, the dude can play ball and I think he is great for the game of basketball. He is a stand-up kid, plays harder than just about anyone out there, he’s stayed all four years just to be a part of a winner even though he would have easily been drafted last year and he adds a wrinkle to his game every year. He really is a workhouse type of player and even though I hate his guts, I really respect him and what he brings to the table. He is a great face of college basketball. Now, if we could something about that awful Mike Brey outfit he had on last night.

On to the other marquee game last night: Oklahoma-Davidson. I didn’t get to watch much of this game, but caught the highlights this morning and did get to watch the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. Early in the second half, this game had all the makings of a blowout by OU. The were up 18 and cruising. This is where I turned it off, not having a vested interest in the game and finding my stomach not really up to watching Davidson yet as a Georgetown fan (yes, even after all these months). As a Georgetown fan, however, I especially should have known better given what Stephen Curry is capable of doing. And of course, he did it again, putting up 44 on OU and bringing the game back to within single digits and as close as three points before OU was able to hold on for a four point win. Just a couple of comments on this game.

1) Stephen Curry may just live up to the hype. This is a very good OU team, certainly a Big 12 contender, and a very well-coached team with Jeff Capel at the helm. Add to that the fact that Curry is the target of defenses every time he sets foot on the floor and he was still able to put up 44 points (easily more than half his team’s points). Unreal. He has the best shot in college basketball and everyone will be hard-pressed to stop him all year. I was going to make the point that Davidson was overrated this year because of their trip through the tourney last year, but I think I’m going to shy away from that now. Despite the fact that Davidson success hinges essentially on one player, they should never be underestimated and can beat just about anyone on a given night if Curry is firing on all cylinders.

2) Blake Griffin is also very VERY good. He put up 25 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. Yes, Davidson does not have a great inside game, but those are legit numbers. He’s big and athletic and can do just about anything out there and he puts forth a Hansbrough-esque effort out there every game.With Griffin leading the way, OU is a real threat, especially with Jeff Capel pulling the strings.

Overall, getting to see three of the top National Player of the Year candidates in one night (ok, so Hansbrough was hurt and wearing that awful suit-t-shirt combo) was a pretty good way for ESPN to conclude their 24 hour kickoff of the college basketball season. I’m almost as excited as Dickie V about this college basketball season.

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