College Basketball Countdown Player Ratings and Recap: Syracuse Orange, Virginia Cavaliers, Oklahoma Sooners, and Memphis Tigers

Here are player ratings and recaps from three games that took place the last couple days during ESPN's College Basketball Countdown. I will also be doing separate posts for last night's Kentucky-Duke game, and Kansas-Michigan State game. The game's included in this post are Virginia's upset 
at George Washington, Oklahoma at Memphis, and Syracuse's come from behind salvaging against St. Bonaventure.


The usual disclaimer: This year I am recapping games in a similar fashion that soccer matches are recapped. Following a game, each player receives a rating 1-10 based upon their performance. Over the course of time you can see how they are playing in stretches, and how the team overall is performing based upon the form of their players. I think this is an effective way to evaluate basketball games. Especially when, at the end of the season, it is not always the most talented team that wins, or the team that had the most victories during the season, but the team that is experiencing the greatest of run of form. 

Monday 11/16


6 Virginia @ George Washington

Virginia Cavaliers

C Mike Tobey 5

Tobey was great in the first half. He scored all of his 10 points. He consistently showed a left handed hook shot while posting up, which was impossible to guard due to his size, and even hit a 3pt shot. If just grading his first half than Tobey would have an eight or nine. However, he completely disappeared in the second half, failing to score a single point. His struggles were not limited to the offensive end in the latter half though, he was terrible on defense. He provided no bite under the basket for the Cavaliers. George Washington consistently drove the ball to the basket, and had no problems scoring, because Tobey was never a threat. How does a 7'0 center not record a single block playing 30 minutes? Tobey's performance underneath the basket is important because he is replacing Darion Atkins, who was named an All-ACC Defensive Team player last season. The lack of a rim protector lost this game for Virginia. Now, Tobey stayed foul trouble free, but again, that is because he never threatened shooters in the paint, and ultimately he did nothing in the second half despite playing most of it. In addition to his 10 points, Tobey also grabbed seven rebounds.

F Anthony Gill 5.5

Gill ended up playing only 23 minutes last night, because he was consistently in foul trouble. He picked up his second foul with more than 10 minutes to play in the first half, and ended the game with four fouls. Even when on the court Gill was not especially effective. He ended the game four for eight from the field, and hit three free throws, scoring 11 points total. He added five rebounds total. Gill needs to play more than just 23 minutes, and be a more dynamic player, on offense and defense, for this team to play up to their potential.

G Darius Thompson 3

Darius Thompson, the Tennessee transfer, played well in the opener. He scored 12, while rebounding six balls, and adding four assists. He also grabbed three steals. He was not nearly as effective against George Washington however. Thompson got into foul trouble early against GW, and that continued in the second half. He played 23 minutes (which was equal to the opener when he only fouled once), and scored only five points, with two rebounds, and an assist. Thompson only shot two for six from the field, and made one of four threes.

G Malcolm Brogdon 9.5

I made a note late in the first half. It was a comment that Brogdon was not taking charge late in the half with Virginia down. That note was erased in the second half. Brogdon led the charge down the stretch, and if the Cavaliers had gone on to win, he would have been the only reason why.. He was absent from my preseason All-ACC first team, but this game has caused me to rethink that assessment. Brogdon finished the game with 28 points on 9-18 shooting. He was also 9-10 from the free throw line, making making many free throws late in the game in clutch situations. Brogdon also picked up eight rebounds, and led his team with four assists. He also only turned the ball over once all game. There are only two reasons why Brogdon did not earn a perfect-10. 1) Virginia lost, and 2) he shot only one for five from three point range. Brogdon is at his best driving to the basket, that was on display in this game, but he needs to be an effective shooter from range as well. Virginia lacks shooters, which means the ones they have need to be reliable.

G London Perrantes 3

Perrantes had a very disappointing game. He scored five points, playing 33 minutes. He shot only two for eight from the field, 25%, and one for four from beyond the arc, also 25%. Perrantes also turned the ball over, a team high, three times, and assisted teammates on only two occasions. Futhermore, Perrantes has the reputation of being a lockdown defender, but he did not look like it this game, despite grabbing two steals.

F Isaiah Wilkins 3

Isaiah Wilkins was the first man off the bench for the Cavaliers. However, he did not make much of his opportunities. Wilkins scored zero points, and took only one shot. He also turned the ball over twice in fourteen minutes. He also was not an asset on defense. He got exposed when helping on defense, and was late rotating to players on switches. He also over committed defending on the perimeter, and was beaten off the dribble. He was not impressive.

G Devon Hall 4

Devon Hall led the bench in minutes played, 19. He shot only one for six, and missed all three of his three point attempts. He would often dribble into trouble in the lane, and miss layups in traffic. On the bright side, Hall was a good ball handler. He finished the game with two assists, and no turnovers.

F Evan Nolte 5

Nolte is not a player I am very high on. I skewered him in my ACC Preview. However, Nolte scored some in limited minutes. He shot two for three, and made one of his two 3pt attempts. He lead the bench with five points. Nolte probably would have played more, but he picked up four fouls in just seven minutes. Nolte gives the team the ability to ditch their usual three guard lineup, and insert a traditional small forward. It will be interesting to see how Thompson and Nolte's minutes will be distributed when neither gets into foul trouble.

G Marial Shayok 4

Shayok is supposed to be a potential shooter off the bench for Virginia. However, he was just one for three from the field, and missed his only three point shot. He was also not an asset on defense.

C Jack Salt N/A

Salt picked up one of Virginia's two blocks. He did not play enough to be rated this game. However, he should of. He exhibits an aggressiveness beneath the basket that Tobey lacks on defense. #FreeSalt

Team Rating: 5.10

Virginia will lose their top-ten ranking next week after losing to unranked George Washington. This game opened up many questions that the Cavaliers now need to answer. Who will be their secondary scorer next to Brogdon? Who will hit three point shots? Who will be the team's rim protector? Is Tobey capable of defending under the basket? Who will replace Anderson on both sides of the ball? Tobey and Gill have a lot of potential on the offensive end. However, Tobey is an abysmal low post defender despite his size, and Gil needs to avoid foul trouble. Meanwhile, the backcourt is full of a bunch of scrubs besides Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon looks like one of the best players in the ACC, and as a result this team should be better than they showed in this game. However, he is leading an otherwise mediocre team, and I am beginning to question how high they can finish in the ACC.

Tuesday 11/17

8 Oklahoma @ Memphis

I considered not recapping this game. I was watching, that is, I had it on. However, I was not paying as close attention as I usually do when viewing games I go on to recap. I ultimately decided to include this game in this post though, because I didn't get a chance to preview the national landscape beyond the ACC, and these are both teams I like this season.

Oklahoma Sooners

F Ryan Spangler: 8

Spangler spent most of the game playing under the basket for Oklahoma, though he is only 6'8. The only players bigger than him, Khadeem Lattin and Jamuni McNeace, played only a combined 16 minutes. Despite his lack of size, Spangler is a gritty player down low. He finished the game with 11 points and 12 rebounds, including four rebounds on the offensive end. He was 5-10 shooting, missing both of his 3pt attempts. He also blocked two shocks. Somehow, despite playing down low, Spangler turned the ball over four times. Oklahoma as a team turned the ball over an astounding 19 times.

F Khadeem Lattin: N/A

Lattin started, but played only seven minutes. Due to the scrappy, back-and-forth nature of this game, I barely noticed he was not on the court, and didn't care about his absence.

G Isaiah Cousins: 6

Cousins is one of Oklahoma's trio of good guards. He played fairly well this game, making some clutch shots. However, there are definitely some areas for improvement. Cousins scored 13 points, shooting 5-13 from the field, and made three of his nine 3pt attempts. He finished the game with six assists, but also turned the ball over four times, again the team turned the ball over almost once every two minutes. Cousins also picked up four fouls.

G Buddy Hield: 9.5

Hield surprisingly returned for his senior season. In a time when more players than ever are leaving college early to enter the NBA, Hield is one of few players who came back to college despite knowing he would have been picked. As a result, he is one of the favorites to be College Basketball's best player this season. Buddy reinforced this idea during Oklahoma's opening game. Hield scored a game high 30 points. He shot 9-19, and made 50% of his 3pt attempts, 4-8. He also shot 8-10 from the free throw line, many of which came late in the game when the Sooners were closing out their win. He played best down the stretch with the game on the line. Hield also grabbed eight rebounds, had six assists, and three steals. I was particularly impressed with Hield's athleticism as he went up to challenge Memphis' bigs for rebounds. The only problem with Hield's performance was his four turnovers, which isn't surprising considering how many the team accumulated.

G Jordan Woodard: 8

Woodard played a little less than fellow starting guards, Hield and Cousins. That is because he was most often in foul trouble. He scored 15 points, in 30 minutes played. He shot 5-11 from the field, and 2-3 overall. He also finished the game with nine rebounds, and seven assists. Shockingly, he turned the ball over just once. Woodard is Oklahoma's point guard when he is on the floor with the other guards, leading the team in assists a year ago. He showed again this game that he is very good at running this offense.

C Jamuni McNeace: 2

McNeace is a redshirt freshman, who gives the team additional size. He was not effective this game. In only nine minutes, he turned the ball over three times, and fouled three times. He also scored three points, and grabbed two rebounds.

F Dante Buford: 7

Buford is another redshirt freshman. He played 23 minutes in this game, and often was the only forward beside Spangler. Buford made some good contributions on defense. He grabbed eight rebounds, blocked two shots, and also grabbed a steal. He also only fouled on one occasion all game, which may be his most impressive stat this game. Buford only scored five points, but was two for four, and made one of his two 3pt shots. Buford needs to be a bigger factor on the offensive end if he is going to be receiving 20 minutes or more, but he proved to be a good contributor despite being undersized at the four position—he is listed at 6'7 225lbs.

G Christian James: 5

James is a true freshman playing behind a veteran lineup of guards who will receive most of the minutes each game. However, he got in there against Memphis, and took some shots. He was 2-7 from the field, and one of two from three. He scored seven points total, making him the team's fifth leading scorer.

Team Rating: 7.2

This was a very difficult opening game for Oklahoma. Most teams opened their season against a Lehigh, or South Alabama, or Fairfield, etc. but, Oklahoma traveled to take on an underrated Memphis team on the road, and ended up defeating them, while coming from behind. Oklahoma's trio of guards proved to be more dangerous than they were a year ago thanks to the return of dominating shooting guard Buddy Hield, and Ryan Spangler is a nice big man. Damon Buford is also a nice addition to this team, and makes for a solid fifth player. The question I have for Oklahoma is size. How will they deal with bigger teams—I'm picturing Kansas with Ellis, and potentially, hopefully, Diallo, especially if Spangler gets into foul trouble? Also, there is limited depth to this Oklahoma team. Three players played 35 minutes or more, and a fourth played 30, and would have played more if he was not in foul trouble. The top four players on this Oklahoma team are great, and if judging them just on the strength of Spangler, Hield, Cousins, and Woodard, Oklahoma would be a top-five team. However, there is limited talent behind them. That said, I was more impressed with Oklahoma than I have been with fellow top-ten teams: Virginia and Iowa State.

Memphis

I'm going to make this brief. I do like Memphis, I think they're a little underrated considering the love SMU is getting. I would, of course, love them more if Austin Nichols did not transfer, coincidently to Virginia, I believe. But, they are still a highly talented team with some good incoming players.

F Shaq Goodwin: 7

Goodwin is a solid big man. He averaged 9.6 points and 7.1 rebounds last season. He is essential to the team on the defensive end. Against Oklahoma he grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked FIVE shots. He also scored only seven points on 2-7 shooting, and was additionally only 3-7 from the line.

F Dedric Lawson: 8

Freshman, Dedric Lawson, steps into the role previously occupied by Austin Nichols. Lawson, who was a top-50 recruit, is a long forward who can play facing the basket. He led Memphis with 22 points, but only shot 6 for 15, and one for five from three point range. Lawson went to the line an astonishing 15 times, and scored nine points from the stripe. Lawson's biggest effect on the game was rebounding, especially on the offensive boards. 10 of his 15 rebounds came on the offensive end. He grabbed a couple of steals, and blocked three shots. Lawson did turn the ball over a team high four times. Lawson is one of the most talented newcomers in the AAC, and should get better over the course of the season as he learns to be the team's go-to player.

G Markel Crawford: 6

Crawford played 22.7 minutes as a sophomore last season, but he joins the starting lineup this year. This game he scored 12 points, tied for second on the team, while shooting six of nine. He turned the ball over three times.

G Ricky Tarrant: 4

Tarrant is a graduate transfer from Alabama. He scored 13.1 points for the Crimson Tide last season. He has not been as successful thus far this year though. Tarrant shot only 2-10 from the field this game, scoring eight points, and went 1-6 in Memphis' opener against Southern Miss. He is shooting only 1-8 from three point range. This game he did lead Memphis in assists, five, and did not turn the ball over.

G Avery Woodson: 5.5

Woodson played the most minutes last season of any returning player. Against Oklahoma he shot 4-11, and 4-9 from the arc, scoring 12 points. He is a 3pt specialist shot 37.7% from that range last season, and little else.

F Trahson Burrell: 6

Burrell played big minutes off the bench for Memphis. He went 5-10, scoring 10 points, and grabbed six rebounds. Burrell is a versatile player, who could replace one of the guards when Memphis wants to play bigger, or play alongside Goodwin or Lawson.

F KJ Lawson: 4

Lawson is another freshman. He is Dedric's brother, although a year older (Dedric was a part of the 2016 class). KJ played 19 minutes this game, but was not as productive as Burrell. He scored six points on 2-10 shooting, while grabbing five rebounds, getting a couple steals, but also recorded three turnovers, and fouled four times. KJ gives the team another versatile forward off the bench, and should be a regular part of the rotation.

G Jeremiah Martin: 3

Finally, Jeremiah Martin came in as a reserve guard. He shot 0-3 from the field, and finished with only a single point. He did dish two assists though.

Team Rating: 5.0

Memphis put up a determined effort against Oklahoma, but ultimately, they shot too poorly to pull out the win. Memphis shot just 34.6% from the field, and 23.1% from 3pt range, furthermore, they shot 58.1% from the line, while taking 31 free shots there. Memphis stayed in the game exclusively due to their offensive rebounding, 23 of their 48 rebounds were offensive, and Oklahoma's 19 turnovers. Memphis has a lot of potential, they have a good recruiting class, and some veteran guards who should lead this team, but they need to make shots. Their ability to get second chance opportunities on the offensive glass will pester teams all year, but they need to take advantage of them. Dedric will be the star of this team due to his explosive ability and size, but it is the guards who will determine how well this team performs. They need to step up, and consistently deliver points.

Syracuse vs St. Bonaventure

Syracuse Orange[men]

C DaJuan Coleman: 3

The good news is Coleman managed to stay out of foul trouble. He fouled once all game. The bad news is he still only played 14 minutes. Coleman was not effective early in the game, and was quickly pulled in favor of Chinoso Obokoh—briefly, and ultimately Tyler Lydon who played under the basket most of the game. Syracuse did at least try to get their big men involved early. Their first two plays were designed to Coleman. However, Coleman's first shot was an awkward runner far from the basket, and he missed it badly. This likely led to him missing significant time. Coleman also did not look comfortable in the middle of the zone; he made a number of errors on the defensive end. He came out multiple times on ball handlers, or following a pass, and left a huge hole in the middle, which the Bonnies attacked. Coleman looked as though he did not trust the zone, which is a massive red flag when you're a Syracuse center. Coleman did come back in the second half, once Syracuse had taken the lead, and finished the game with four points, four rebounds, and a block. It is too bad Coleman sat a majority of the game. Syracuse was out rebounded 33 to 43, and Coleman's size, and rebounding ability would have been an asset in combating the rebounding discrepancy. Coleman rebounded a ball once every three and a half minutes he was on the court, which was a much better rate than any Syracuse player other than Tyler Roberson. Also, no St. Bonaventure player had a better rate than Coleman, and they out rebounded the Cuse by 10.

F Tyler Roberson: 5

Although Coleman stayed foul trouble free, Roberson did not. In fact, Roberson picked up his second foul before the 15 minute mark of the first half, and he eventually fouled out late in the game. Despite this Roberson ended up playing almost 30 minutes, and he led all players with 12 rebounds. Five of his rebounds were on offense too. Unfortunately though, Roberson was not effective on offense. He scored only six points, shooting two of five from the field, and two of five from the free throw line. Roberson needs to be a factor on offense for Syracuse to be competitive against good team. He has good offensive potential, because of his combination of size, strength, and athleticism, even though he is not very skilled. He has yet to show anything offensively this season.

F Malachi Richardson: 6

Richardson is proving to be a pretty consistent shooter for Syracuse. He scored 15 points this game (he scored 14 in the opener), shooting 5 for 11, though only 2 for 7 from 3pt range. Richardson only got two rebounds this game, struggling as the Orange did as a whole on the glass. However, he did show a good handle once again, and was better passing the ball, ending the game with three assists, and lowering his number of turnovers to two (from five). Richardson fell in love with the three early in the game, which lowered his shooting percentage beyond the arc. But, he did show glimpses of his all around offensive game, driving to the basket, and hitting pull up jumpers from mid range.

G Michael Gbinije: 8

This was a much better performance from Gbinije. He showed, particularly in the second half, why I thought he would be an All-ACC performer this season. He is incredible at driving to the basket, and making plays offensively. He took a variety of shots this game, taking threes when he needed too, but also scoring at the basket, and beating defenders off the dribble. This led to his shooting percentage rising. In total he scored a game high, 23 points, shoooting 8 for 14 from the field, and 3 for 7 from beyond the arc. He also recorded six assists, and lowered his number of turnovers to three this game.

G Trevor Cooney: 6

Cooney had mixed results this game. Throughout the first half, he was terrible. He took too many bad shots, often shooting threes early in the shot clock, and occasionally driving into traffic, when he did drive into traffic he threw the ball up for a difficult two. Yes, Cooney did end up with 18 points. However, he shot 4 of 12 from the field, and 2 of 8 from 3pt range. He piled points on at the end of the game at the free throw line, where he shot 8 of 11. Despite another mediocre game offensively, Cooney was great on defense, especially late in the game. Cooney stole the ball six times. At one point he stole the ball on two consecutive possessions, each time earning a trip to the charity stripe. Cooney was phenomenal helping Syracuse close out this game. However, he needs to become a better halfcourt-offense player.

F Tyler Lydon 6

Tyler Lydon was the only bench player to exceed seven minutes. He ended up playing 31, while Coleman sat on the bench most of the game. That means Lydon was usually positioned underneath the basket in Syracuse's 2-3 zone. This was not a position he looked comfortable in. He had trouble communicating with his wings, when he moved out of the middle. Lydon has a lot of great tools on the offensive side of the ball, which he showcased this game. He made both of his three point attempts. He also set up those threes by pump faking from the top of the key, and either dribbling forward and pulling up for a mid range jumper, driving all the way to the basket, or passing out to the wing. In total, Lydon scored 13 points, shooting 3-5, and making all five of his free throw attempts as well. Lydon also did well to avoid foul trouble, as he only fouled twice all game despite playing in the middle of the zone.

G Franklin Howard N/A

Howard came in and played more minutes than last game. He even picked up a couple of assists, but was not a significant contributor.

G Kaleb Joseph N/A

Despite showing some signs of improvement last game, Jospeh played only four minutes...and into the Boeheim doghouse he goes?

C Chinoso Obokoh N/A

Despite player exceptional defense, and Coleman playing limited minutes, Obokoh only played a single minute before being withdrawn.

Team Rating: 5.95

It was A Tale of Two Halves for Syracuse against St. Bonaventure. In the first half, they looked completely inept on offense. They too often settled for poor shots either in traffic, or outside early in the shot clock. Then they scored 50 points in the second; often utilizing ball penetrating to get the ball to the basket. Syracuse, Michael Gbinije, needs to focus on getting the ball inside, and driving to the basket. Whenever Gbinije decides to take the ball to the hoop, he does. Kaleb Joseph is also good at getting to the basket. This will open up the perimeter, and give Cooney and Richardson better opportunities. Syracuse all needs to rebound better. There is no excuse for allowing St. Bonaventure to out rebound you by 10; that is embarrassing. This may mean Syracuse places more of a commitment to DaJuan Coleman's playing time (unless they are limiting his minutes because he is still coming back from injury), as Coleman can be a terrific rebounder on both sides of the ball. The second half of this game was a step forward for Syracuse, but they still have a ways to go before they are ready for the ACC season.