DINERO TALKS
Antony Dinero
Marathon Money
It's never easy, but watching as much of the Tip-off Marathon is an annual tradition around these parts. The coffee pot always make an appearance, too, but natural adrenaline often suffices to keep me awake.
The game I like to play in carrying over knowledge from previous seasons and seeing how it translates against early lines is one that can't be missed. Too profitable.
So, yeah, I watched High Point come back on Hawai'i around dawn after putting in my pick after 2:00 p.m. ET. There was some dozing off after my eldest went off to Kindergarten during Iona-Wofford, a loser since the Gaels simply couldn't keep the Terriers from game-changing offensive rebounds. If the java had done the trick after halftime, maybe things could've been different, but probably not.
In all, the majority of games shown on the ESPN family of networks over the course of 29 hours made the cut. A few of the Fox games and some available via internet stream got in the mix. You can see the documented results right here.
Go ahead, Ice Cube, rhyme about how the Lakers beat the Supersonics. It was that type of day.
The marathon began with a split in Florida-Miami since the total came in but I didn't see the Hurricanes coming. It concluded with LSU surviving Texas Tech in OT with a frenzied finish, but failing to hold serve as a home favorite. In between, there were lots of hits and notes I'll share from an eventful period that has come to signal the true start of the college basketball season.
Duke and Kentucky, half of my projected Final Four, cashed rather easily in dominant performances that will be the talk of the basketball world until LeBron James and the Spurs renew acquaintances in Cleveland on Wednesday night. That's how you know college hoops is here. It barges down the door and somehow commands attention. The 2014-15 version was ushered in by two of the big guns. The brand names came through.
The Blue Devils never trailed against Michigan State. Big Blue Nation watched their Wildcats trail Kansas for the final before the first media timeout hit.
Playing his first real competition, Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor looked every bit the part of No. 1 NBA prospect, showing off true skill around the basket. Justice Winslow has boundless energy, while Tyus Jones is as smooth as advertised. Mike Krzyzewski's latest recruiting class will team with his holdovers to form his deepest team in years, so if you're a Duke hater, you're in for a long season.
John Calipari is already in midseason form selling his current guys and future recruits on the only vision that makes sense for a coach who obsesses constantly about effort and defensive discipline -- platooning. Since he can already land more All-Americans than anyone else, he wants to. The dillemma of how to dole out minutes isn't a daunting one, especially if he can spin it correctly and reap the benefits.
"We don't have subs," Calipari told ESPN's Andy Katz. "We have reinforcements."
Calipari is going to ride the guys who play the hardest and defend with the most vigor, but if he can generate competition for minutes, efforts like the one that held the Jayhawks to 12 second-half points in a 72-40 rout will be within the realm of possibility on any given night. Will Kentucky go undefeated? Probably not.
Is that question laughable after watching what the loaded Wildcats did to the nation's fifth-ranked team? Probably not.
Utah and San Diego State put together an eye-opener in the marathon's sleeper of an elite matchup. Although neither team managed to even hit one-third of their shots, often creating truly ugly stretches of play, if you can appreciate defense and the art of contesting and denying position, you saw two very dangerous potential spoilers. It's rare to see teams bring that type of passion on that side of the ball in the college game, especially this early in a season, but the Utes and Aztecs certainly made an impression in playing to a 53-49 decision. Expect both to be major factors in their respective conferences, though Utah needs Delon Wright to pick up his agression on offense and play to his potential.
Toledo nearly pulled off a massive upset for the mighty MAC, leading VCU in Richmond for much of one of the day's highest-scoring contests. If it weren't for future NCAA all-time steals leader Briante Weber returning to the Rams lineup without much rust and his anticipation skills intact, Shaka Smart may have joined former boss Billy Donovan's as an upset victim. The Rockets still managed to cover, thanks to some clutch 3-point shooting from Julius "Juice" Brown, a lead guard who can play with anybody.
Other teams and players that stood out Tuesday include Xavier, which is averaging 95 points through two impressive victories and has scored a special freshman in Indianapolis product Trevon Bluiett. He averaged over 35 points as a prep last year and won a third state title, so maybe the fact he's shooting 65 percent while averaging 19 points in college shouldn't register as a huge surprise. Get used to hearing about him.
A guard who stood out while watching Quinnipiac and LaSalle via internet stream was new Explorers guard Jordan Price, who started his college career at Auburn. Price actually tied an SEC record with 11 consecutive 3-point makes during his time on the Plains, but looks like a much different, more confident player in his new digs. Since LaSalle badly needs a guy who wants to be the guy, he should be heard from a lot this season as Dr. John Giannini seeks out replacements for departed guards Tyreek Duren, Sam Mills and Tyrone Garland.
Colorado looked like world-beaters in tearing Auburn apart in the second half, capitalizing on Tigers injuries and the altitude edge it carried by mercilessly roughing up the visitors from the SEC, handing Bruce Pearl his first loss. The Buffs came around at an opportune time, right after a disappointing ending to a certain Monday night football game that left behind some bankroll carnage.
Fools Gold?
There's since been plenty of rejuvenation on that front, because this time of year always presents some great opportunities. The NBA even yielded a 4-1 night. If the Hawks had held off the Lakers after erasing a 15-point halftime lead, there might have been a chance at early retirement, but I had some bad karma working against me. It probably wasn't wise to make that crack on Twitter about Nick Young's return moving the line and being a sign of an impending apocalypse. Swaggy P had a nice return, too, surprisingly playing 40 minutes and supplying a significant boost.
For the first time all season, the Hawks lost a home game and the Lakers got on the board with a road win. Guess you can't win them all. You can try to though.
Antony Dinero
Marathon Money
It's never easy, but watching as much of the Tip-off Marathon is an annual tradition around these parts. The coffee pot always make an appearance, too, but natural adrenaline often suffices to keep me awake.
The game I like to play in carrying over knowledge from previous seasons and seeing how it translates against early lines is one that can't be missed. Too profitable.
So, yeah, I watched High Point come back on Hawai'i around dawn after putting in my pick after 2:00 p.m. ET. There was some dozing off after my eldest went off to Kindergarten during Iona-Wofford, a loser since the Gaels simply couldn't keep the Terriers from game-changing offensive rebounds. If the java had done the trick after halftime, maybe things could've been different, but probably not.
In all, the majority of games shown on the ESPN family of networks over the course of 29 hours made the cut. A few of the Fox games and some available via internet stream got in the mix. You can see the documented results right here.
Go ahead, Ice Cube, rhyme about how the Lakers beat the Supersonics. It was that type of day.
The marathon began with a split in Florida-Miami since the total came in but I didn't see the Hurricanes coming. It concluded with LSU surviving Texas Tech in OT with a frenzied finish, but failing to hold serve as a home favorite. In between, there were lots of hits and notes I'll share from an eventful period that has come to signal the true start of the college basketball season.
Duke and Kentucky, half of my projected Final Four, cashed rather easily in dominant performances that will be the talk of the basketball world until LeBron James and the Spurs renew acquaintances in Cleveland on Wednesday night. That's how you know college hoops is here. It barges down the door and somehow commands attention. The 2014-15 version was ushered in by two of the big guns. The brand names came through.
The Blue Devils never trailed against Michigan State. Big Blue Nation watched their Wildcats trail Kansas for the final before the first media timeout hit.
Playing his first real competition, Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor looked every bit the part of No. 1 NBA prospect, showing off true skill around the basket. Justice Winslow has boundless energy, while Tyus Jones is as smooth as advertised. Mike Krzyzewski's latest recruiting class will team with his holdovers to form his deepest team in years, so if you're a Duke hater, you're in for a long season.
John Calipari is already in midseason form selling his current guys and future recruits on the only vision that makes sense for a coach who obsesses constantly about effort and defensive discipline -- platooning. Since he can already land more All-Americans than anyone else, he wants to. The dillemma of how to dole out minutes isn't a daunting one, especially if he can spin it correctly and reap the benefits.
"We don't have subs," Calipari told ESPN's Andy Katz. "We have reinforcements."
Calipari is going to ride the guys who play the hardest and defend with the most vigor, but if he can generate competition for minutes, efforts like the one that held the Jayhawks to 12 second-half points in a 72-40 rout will be within the realm of possibility on any given night. Will Kentucky go undefeated? Probably not.
Is that question laughable after watching what the loaded Wildcats did to the nation's fifth-ranked team? Probably not.
Utah and San Diego State put together an eye-opener in the marathon's sleeper of an elite matchup. Although neither team managed to even hit one-third of their shots, often creating truly ugly stretches of play, if you can appreciate defense and the art of contesting and denying position, you saw two very dangerous potential spoilers. It's rare to see teams bring that type of passion on that side of the ball in the college game, especially this early in a season, but the Utes and Aztecs certainly made an impression in playing to a 53-49 decision. Expect both to be major factors in their respective conferences, though Utah needs Delon Wright to pick up his agression on offense and play to his potential.
Toledo nearly pulled off a massive upset for the mighty MAC, leading VCU in Richmond for much of one of the day's highest-scoring contests. If it weren't for future NCAA all-time steals leader Briante Weber returning to the Rams lineup without much rust and his anticipation skills intact, Shaka Smart may have joined former boss Billy Donovan's as an upset victim. The Rockets still managed to cover, thanks to some clutch 3-point shooting from Julius "Juice" Brown, a lead guard who can play with anybody.
Other teams and players that stood out Tuesday include Xavier, which is averaging 95 points through two impressive victories and has scored a special freshman in Indianapolis product Trevon Bluiett. He averaged over 35 points as a prep last year and won a third state title, so maybe the fact he's shooting 65 percent while averaging 19 points in college shouldn't register as a huge surprise. Get used to hearing about him.
A guard who stood out while watching Quinnipiac and LaSalle via internet stream was new Explorers guard Jordan Price, who started his college career at Auburn. Price actually tied an SEC record with 11 consecutive 3-point makes during his time on the Plains, but looks like a much different, more confident player in his new digs. Since LaSalle badly needs a guy who wants to be the guy, he should be heard from a lot this season as Dr. John Giannini seeks out replacements for departed guards Tyreek Duren, Sam Mills and Tyrone Garland.
Colorado looked like world-beaters in tearing Auburn apart in the second half, capitalizing on Tigers injuries and the altitude edge it carried by mercilessly roughing up the visitors from the SEC, handing Bruce Pearl his first loss. The Buffs came around at an opportune time, right after a disappointing ending to a certain Monday night football game that left behind some bankroll carnage.
Fools Gold?
There's since been plenty of rejuvenation on that front, because this time of year always presents some great opportunities. The NBA even yielded a 4-1 night. If the Hawks had held off the Lakers after erasing a 15-point halftime lead, there might have been a chance at early retirement, but I had some bad karma working against me. It probably wasn't wise to make that crack on Twitter about Nick Young's return moving the line and being a sign of an impending apocalypse. Swaggy P had a nice return, too, surprisingly playing 40 minutes and supplying a significant boost.
For the first time all season, the Hawks lost a home game and the Lakers got on the board with a road win. Guess you can't win them all. You can try to though.
