Opening night of college basketball season rarely disappoints, and it certainly didn’t on Tuesday night.
There were a variety of interesting results throughout the SEC, with traditional powers Florida and Kentucky both suffering somewhat concerning losses to powerful ACC squads.
Let’s run through some thoughts from the action around the league.
Tennessee 86, Lenoir-Rhyne 41
After making a few sloppy errors in the first half, the Vols came out and held Lenoir-Rhyne to just five points in the first 15 minutes of the second half while continuing to play with great energy.
I know there’s only so much you can take away from a win over a Division II school, but Tennessee could have easily gone on autopilot and used their superior talent to score enough to win.
However, Grant Williams and company had other plans in looking like a team on a mission.
All five starters scored between 11 and 18 points, and that type of balance is what should continue to carry this Final Four contender.
Noteworthy Stats
- Vols held Lenoir-Rhyne to 20.9 percent shooting
- Admiral Schofield came close to a double-double with 13 points and 9 rebounds
- Kyle Alexander had 14 points and a game-high four blocks
South Carolina 65, USC Upstate 52
The Gamecocks used a 20-0 run in the first half to get back on track after the exhibition loss to Augusta.
But as I mentioned on Twitter, there are still some glaring concerns with this South Carolina team.
Frank Martin’s squad struggled in three areas that it must improve in to move up the SEC standings this season: overall shooting, 3-point shooting, and turnovers.
South Carolina shot 33 percent from the floor, went 0 of 18 from beyond the arc, and turned it over 19 times.
Noteworthy Stats
- Keyshawn Bryant led the way with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds in 21 minutes
- Hassani Gravett had a team-high 12 rebounds
- Chris Silva racked up a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds
Alabama 82, Southern 62
This felt like the type of game that could allow us to see the progress made by several of the younger players on the Crimson Tide, especially with Dazon Ingram sidelined with an injury.
And that’s exactly what happened, as Kira Lewis got the start at point guard and posted six points and seven assists in playing 29 valuable minutes.
Sophomore forwards Alex Reese and Galin Smith were also effective, and they could be X-factors for Avery Johnson and company this season. Smith had 10 points and four rebound while Reese notched eight points and connected on two 3-pointers.
Of course, we can’t forget about the always-efficient Donta Hall, who went 8 of 9 from the floor and finished with 20 points in his first game after setting a school record by shooting 72.6 percent last season.
Noteworthy Stats
- Alabama had 20 turnovers (not surprising without Ingram)
- John Petty scored 17 points and made 5 of 8 attempts from long range
Missouri 68, Central Arkansas 55
We probably still don’t know a lot about Missouri’s outlook this season, but what we do know is Mark Smith is going to make an impact.
The Illinois transfer, who recently received a waiver to play this season, did a bit of everything in his debut by scoring 19 points and earning a double-double by adding 10 rebounds.
Smith went 5 of 8 from 3-point land, which will make him an invaluable asset for this team after losing sharpshooter Kassius Robertson to graduation.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah Tilmon contributed 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting and picked up five rebounds (and four fouls).
Noteworthy Stats
- Kevin Puryear struggled from the floor in going 1 of 7 but grabbed 10 rebounds
- Missouri scored 38 of its 68 points in the paint
- Central Arkansas shot just 33 percent from the field
LSU 94, SE Louisiana 63
You know you’ve got talent when six players score in double figures and potential SEC player of the year candidate Tremont Waters isn’t one of them.
That’s what the Tigers showcased against SE Louisiana, with six players scoring between 10 and 17 points.
Freshman phenom Naz Reid led the way with 17 points in 21 minutes, and fellow newcomer Emmitt Williams earned a double-double by posting 12 points and 10 rebounds in only 16 minutes of play.
Waters finished with nine points and two assists.
Yes, LSU is every bit as talented as advertised.
Noteworthy Stats
- The Tigers got to the line 31 times (24 makes)
- LSU forced 20 turnovers and converted that into 24 points
- Will Wade’s squad notched 19 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points
Florida State 81, Florida 60
It’s hard to believe that this was only the second-most surprising result of the night.
The score indicated a 21-point win for the Seminoles, but in all honesty, it never felt that close. Florida State led by as many as 35 points and simply outmatched Florida in nearly all phases of the game.
We knew that it may take a little time for this Gators team to click due to all the new faces, and it would probably be a bit extreme to declare the season over after an ugly loss in November.
But there’s no doubt that some past problems must be corrected. Florida could never get everyone on the same page defensively, and that led to too many easy buckets for the home team.
What’s also concerning is that senior guard KeVaughn Allen did not score in 23 minutes of action.
If the Gators want to be an SEC contender, that can’t happen.
Noteworthy Stats
- Florida went 6 of 24 from 3-point land
- Deaundrae Ballard was the leading scorer with 13 points in 17 minutes
- Andrew Nembhard had 12 points and played 34 minutes in his debut
- Jalen Hudson struggled from the floor in hitting only 3 of 10 shots
Auburn 101, South Alabama 58
Just like last season, Auburn clearly came out with something to prove.
The Tigers scored early and often and went into halftime 10 of 18 from beyond the arc. They finished 18 of 38 from long range, and when they’re shooting like that, I’m not sure how you stop them.
Jared Harper once again showed why he may very well be the most underrated guard in college basketball, scoring 20 points and adding 13 assists while running the offense in his usual impressive fashion.
Chuma Okeke also showed his breakout potential by going for 20 points, nine rebound, and five assists. He may not be happy about the five turnovers, but those issues can be corrected for one of the top rising sophomores in the country.
Some other things that should make Bruce Pearl and company pretty happy: the Tigers had 24 assists, scored 33 points off turnovers, and picked up 26 second-chance points.
A matchup with a loaded Washington squad awaits on Friday.
Noteworthy Stats
- Six players scored in double figures
- Malik Dunbar had 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting
- Samir Doughty scored 14 points in his Auburn debut
- Bryce Brown added 12 points and hit four 3-pointers
Vanderbilt 92, Winthrop 79
Being in Nashville, I’ve seen a lot of Vanderbilt basketball over the years.
However, I can’t remember the Commodores ever being this fast and athletic at the majority of the positions on the court.
Star freshmen Darius Garland and Simi Shittu are undoubtedly the real deal, and they showed that in this one. Garland had 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, and Shittu earned a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards.
But it wasn’t just those two that showed why Vanderbilt could be an SEC sleeper this year. All five starters finished in double figures, with Matt Ryan (16 points), Saben Lee (12 points), and Joe Toye (12 points) all making valuable contributions.
Like with most teams that rely on underclassmen, there may be some bumps in the road for Bryce Drew’s team.
But by the time SEC play rolls around, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Commodores are in a position to make some serious noise in the league.
Noteworthy Stats
- Vanderbilt went 10 of 30 from 3-point range
- Clevon Brown added six points and six rebounds off the bench
- The Commodores shot 54 percent from the floor
Duke 118, Kentucky 84
I am speechless. I am without speech.
This game was all Duke all the way as Kentucky had no answer for the Blue Devils’ freshman trio of RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Zion Williamson.
I mean, this pretty much says it all:
Kentucky: 84 points
RJ Barrett + Zion Williamson + Cam Reddish: 83 points
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) November 7, 2018
The Wildcats were not good on the defensive side of the court, and how they respond from this national TV debacle will tell us a lot about their chances at getting a rematch with Duke come March.
There just weren’t a lot of highlights for what turned out to be the worst loss of John Calipari’s career.
Keldon Johnson had a team-high 23 points, and Reid Travis scored 22 points and added seven rebounds. Beyond that, there are legitimate concerns about who steps up in these types of games.
Calipari should have his team’s complete attention now, so the commitment on defense going forward will be worth watching.
Noteworthy Stats
- Tyler Herro contributed 14 points but struggled from 3-point range in making just 1 of 6 attempts
- Kentucky shot just 23.5 percent from beyond the arc
- Duke shot 54.4 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from long range
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.