McNeese, Gonzaga, and More: College Hoops Recap
Recapping McNeese's win over North Texas, Gonzaga’s powerful showing against San Diego State, and High Point’s offensive showcase.
Monday kicked off our week with some incredible games across college basketball. McNeese and North Texas went head-to-head in an elite mid-major battle. San Diego State and Gonzaga was prime time TV. Wichita State and High Point both fended off fellow mid-major opponents to stay undefeated. Let’s recap yesterday’s activity.
McNeese 68 - North Texas 61
Starting off with McNeese, this is hopefully the bounce back win the Cowboys need to get things going. They’ve started off 1-2 with an initial loss against South Dakota State in the Field of 68 Showcase on the first day of the season. McNeese looked dysfunctional in that game, shooting just 39% overall and 26.8% from beyond the arc. In their 68-61 win over North Texas yesterday, they shot a bit better, going 44.2% from the floor, but regressing to 23.5% from 3pt. We should give them the benefit of the doubt as North Texas has one of the best defenses among any mid-major team in the country.
Sincere Parker has been the star of the show thus far for the Cowboys. The Saint Louis transfer posted 18 points and two rebounds off the bench in their win over the Mean Green, and he is now averaging 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds on the season. Christian Shumate has to get it going. He’s averaging just 8.2 points through the first four games of the season. DJ Richards Jr is also averaging just 8.2 points, while shooting just 31.2% from the floor and 29.1% from 3pt. If McNeese wants to get things rolling, these two have to step up and start playing to their full potential that we’ve seen previously.
For North Texas, their defense was stout per usual. However, they have to figure out their offensive weapons as they shot just 31.5% overall and 36.4% from 3pt. If you watched our recap of week two or read our Top 25 Week Three rankings article, you know I am concerned about how long their defense can keep them in games when their offense is lacking. Whether or not they can start to increase their shooting capabilities will determine the ceiling of this team that could very well be carried to a postseason berth by their defense.
Gonzaga 80 - San Diego State 67
Coming in, San Diego State was already without Reese Waters, but Miles Byrd eventually left and Pharaoh Compton battled cramps. Gonzaga was relentless on the offensive end. The Zags shot 42.1% from the shoot and despite just a 5-20 performance from 3pt, they continued to get to the line where they attempted 31 shots and finished 27 of them.
For San Diego State, Nick Boyd led the way with 23 points and nine rebounds. BJ Davis had 15 points, while Wayne McKinney III had 11 off the bench, but no other player scored double-digits. By the end of the game the Aztecs ran out of gas and finished shooting just 37.7% and 32% from 3pt.
For Gonzaga, they entered the game #3 in the country and they proved why. Ryan Nembhard finished with a double-double of 19 points and ten assists. Graham Ike had 23 points and nine rebounds, while eating up San Diego State in the paint. This team very well could win the National Championship in 2025.
San Diego State has some time off before their gauntlet of a schedule which starts off with #14 Creighton next Tuesday, then Oregon the following day. We’ll keep tabs on the Aztecs injuries, but hopefully the extra time off will allow them to rest up and regain health going into next week.
High Point 80 - American 73
High Point moved onto 5-0 after their 80-73 win against American. The Panthers were without star Kezza Giffa, but this team is deep enough that anyone can step up on a given day. Abdoulaye Thiam finished with 22 points, three rebounds, Kimani Hamilton with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and D’Maurian Williams with 21 points, three rebounds, and three assists. As a team they shot an incredible 56.9% overall and 42.9% from 3pt.
There’s some improvements that need to be made on the defensive end for High Point. American shot 55.8% from the floor, but the Panthers offense was the key in this one. Prior to the game yesterday, they ranked 54th in the country in Defensive Field Goal Percentage, holding opponents to just 37.4% shooting. Overcoming poor defensive games with your offense or vice versa is what makes good teams great.
The Panthers will take on Missouri State this weekend as they look to keep the momentum going.
Wichita State 70 - Monmouth 66
The Wichita State Shockers moved to 4-0 on the season following their 70-66 win over Monmouth who falls to 0-5. Corey Washington led the way with 20 points, eight rebounds, one steal, and one block. It was a poor shooting night from beyond the arc where Washington was the only Shocker to hit a three point shot. All other players shot 0-11 from beyond the arc. Thankfully for the shockers, they still managed to shoot 44.4% overall and battle through despite being outrebounded 41-34.
A key to the Shockers success moving forward will be their bench production. Xavier Bell had 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and four steals off the bench. However, no other player off the secondary unit scored. Bell is as consistent as it gets with his 11 points per game average which helped Wichita State’s #86 in the country rating for bench points per game coming into yesterday’s game. However, consistency from others will be imperative.
The Shockers will take on Saint Louis this Friday as they look to remain undefeated.
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