Welcome back to the Starting 5. The Starting 5 is written multiple times per week by Adam Spencer to keep you up-to-date on all the news and events in the world of college hoops. You can follow Adam on Twitter at @AdamSpencer4 and @BlueChipGrit.

1. Opening tip

It’s still early in the 2022-23 season, yes, but Arkansas had been waiting for a breakout performance from 1 of its 3 elite freshmen – Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh.

Wichita State transfer Ricky Council IV and Mizzou transfer Trevon Brazile had been carrying the day for newcomers to Eric Musselman’s squad as the freshmen found their legs in the college game.

Smith, a possible top-3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has yet to play as he works his way back from an injury. Black and Walsh have shown flashes, but finally, in the Hogs’ first game of the Maui Invitational on Monday, Black broke through.

What a performance it was. Black finished with 26 points (obviously a career-high as he’s only played a few games), adding 6 assists, 3 rebounds and a pair of steals:

He finished 3-for-5 from 3-point range, too. That was the most impressive part of his performance. In the video above, you can see that he’s not simply coming off of screens and doing catch-and-shoot 3s. He’s dribbling, creating his own shot and draining them.

And on a couple of occasions, he waits for the defender to close out on him then simply drives by him and finishes with an easy bucket or an electric slam in the lane.

Watching him play against Louisville in the 80-54 blowout win reminded me of a former No. 1 overall pick. At 6-7, Black has a lot of Cade Cunningham in his game. Cunningham was 6-8 and became an absolute star for Oklahoma State during his one collegiate season.

Cunningham was a better rebounder than Black is at the moment, but he shot 40% from 3-point range. Black is currently at 38.5% from long range.

I’ll be watching intently as the Hogs face their toughest test yet on Tuesday night against No. 10 Creighton. Getting back on the court right after his best game will be great for Black.

If he can build on it, he has the skills to eventually work his way into the top 5 conversation for the upcoming NBA Draft.

And the scary part for future Arkansas opponents is that, not only is Black just starting to hit his stride, Smith has yet to take the court. This team has a chance to be special.

2. Home-court advantage

When you have Oscar Tshiebwe on your team, you shouldn’t be out-rebounded by 10 in a game, even if you’re playing one of the best opponents in the country. Yet that’s what happened to Kentucky against Gonzaga in a “neutral-site” game in Spokane on Sunday night.

Tshiebwe isn’t to blame here, as he snagged 15 rebounds to go with his team-high 20 points. But the Bulldogs still managed to win the rebound battle 39-29.

The problem is it was a terrible night on the perimeter for the Wildcats. Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther grabbed 14 boards, nearly negating Tshiebwe’s contributions on the glass by himself. He also had 20 points, 1 of 3 Bulldogs to eclipse the 20-point mark:

If this Kentucky team isn’t going to play great defense and isn’t going to shoot the 3 well (the Wildcats went only 6-for-25 from deep on Sunday), it is going to run into major problems against better teams on the schedule.

Perhaps the Wildcats were doomed the second I picked them to win the national title? We’ll see if John Calipari can get his squad turned around before SEC play starts. It doesn’t look great right now.

Next, let’s take a look around the rest of the SEC:

  • D’Moi Hodge, a transfer from Cleveland State, was expected to be a stout defensive presence on Dennis Gates’ first Mizzou squad. But his offensive game has been an incredible addition to his skill set so far this year. He earned SEC Player of the Week honors this week. He’s now leading the Tigers, averaging 17 points per contest. He scored a whopping 30 points in Mizzou’s 105-80 rout of SIUE on Tuesday, adding 18 more in a win over Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. He has a relentless motor and a nice stroke from long range:

  • Mizzou is currently 5-0. It hasn’t played the toughest competition to date, but this team is gaining a lot of confidence and has plenty of skill, particularly on the offensive end. We’ll see if the Tigers can keep the good times rolling.
  • One team that saw its hot start come to an end was Texas A&M. The Aggies went to the Myrtle Beach Invitational and had a rough go. They lost their first game to Murray State, then got blown out by Colorado in their second matchup before salvaging a win against Loyola-Chicago in the final game. The key to the Aggies’ success moving forward will be to get Henry Coleman III going. He scored 2 points against Murray State and followed that up with 2 points against Colorado. In the final game against Loyola-Chicago, he had 13 points. The Aggies need to make a concerted effort to get him the ball early and often in the post to set the tone.

Now, let’s take a trip around the rest of the college hoops world.

3. Road trip

The Virginia Cavaliers went to Las Vegas with heavy hearts over the weekend as the football team was back home in Charlottesville dealing with the senseless and tragic shooting deaths of 3 members of the football team.

Playing for their teammates and fan base, the Cavaliers won 2 big-time games in the desert, taking down Baylor and Illinois to win the Main Event title. Armaan Franklin was the star in the first game against Baylor, scoring 26 points and doing it in a variety of ways:

Reece Beekman got to play the hero against Illinois, scoring 17 points and contributing on both ends of the floor:

This is a veteran Cavaliers team that has most of its key contributors back from last year’s squad. In this era of the transfer portal, having continuity from year to year is a major advantage. Tony Bennett’s team has that in 2022-23, starting with point guard Kihei Clark, who has seemingly been suiting up for the Cavaliers for 15 years.

His steady hand running the offense guided the Cavaliers to 2 major wins over ranked opponents. Now, Virginia is up to No. 5 in the AP Poll and doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

  • Prior to losing to Virginia, Illinois pulled off a win over then-No. 8 UCLA on Friday night in Las Vegas. Terrence Shannon Jr. played like a superstar in that game, scoring 29 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He went an insane 8-for-9 from 3-point range:

  • Here was a great offense-defense sequence in which Shannon buried a 3 and then got back on defense and took a charge:

  • That was a key series of events in the Illini’s 79-70 win over the Bruins. But against Virginia on Sunday, he went only 1-for-5 from 3-point range and finished with just 9 points. The Cavaliers’ defense does that to the best scorers, but moving forward, it’ll be important for Shannon not to fall in love with the 3-pointer. He’s at his best making plays in the lane. Shooting 3s can be a part of his game, certainly, as he has the talent to shoot at a high level, but his athleticism and driving ability need to be the focus of his offensive game.
  • Trayce Jackson-Davis has been a machine this year. Indiana went into a tough environment at Xavier on Friday night and eked out a narrow 81-79 win over the Musketeers. Jackson-Davis had 30 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in that game, and the Hoosiers needed every bit of his magic:

  • Jackson-Davis is one of the most fluid scorers around the rim, and he’s shown better ability off the dribble this year. If he can start consistently knocking down jump shots, he has a chance to be the National Player of the Year. Indiana plays No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 30 in a game that you won’t want to miss!

Next up, let’s take a look at some of the marquee matchups on the Feast Week schedule.

4. Outlet pass

This week is Feast Week, and that means there are a ton of incredible early season matchups at neutral sites on at all hours of the day between now and Sunday. For this section, we’re going to focus solely on matchups that are currently locked into place, but there are plenty of intriguing games we know we’re going to see! Here are the 5 games I can’t wait to see between now and Friday:

  1. No. 9 Arkansas vs. No. 10 Creighton (Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN) – Arkansas trounced Louisville in the Maui Invitational opener. Creighton earned a comfortable win over Texas Tech in its first game on the island. Now we have a top-10 matchup set for Tuesday night. It should be a ton of fun to see if Arkansas’s youth or Creighton’s experience wins the day!
  2. No. 12 Michigan State vs. No. 18 Alabama (Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) – Michigan State has been incredible this year. The Spartans played Gonzaga close on an aircraft carrier and beat Kentucky. Alabama has beaten up on inferior foes thus far. Can the Tide score a big-time win? Or will Tom Izzo’s crew prove once again it was disrespectful to leave Michigan State out of the top 25 entering the season?
  3. Florida vs. Xavier (Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2) – These are 2 teams that need to impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Both will be looking for every opportunity to boost their résumés. That should lead to an intense showdown in Oregon on Thursday evening. Can Todd Golden keep the Gators moving forward after a bad loss to Florida Atlantic a week ago?
  4. No. 20 UConn vs. Oregon (Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2) – Oregon recently lost to Houston. But with the Cougars up to No. 2 in the AP Poll, it’s far from a bad loss. Still, the Ducks will need to add some big wins to their March Madness profile during nonconference play. This is a good opportunity against a UConn team with size and experience.
  5. No. 3 Kansas vs. NC State (Wednesday at noon ET on ESPN) – NC State is off to an unbeaten start to the year. The Jayhawks are, too, albeit with a win over Duke on their résumé. NC State will hope to match that feat during ACC play, but for now, the Wolfpack have a chance to score an upset over Kansas. That’s plenty of motivation at this point in the season.

That’s a loaded slate of games to have on as you go about your Thanksgiving weeks! And, as mentioned earlier, it’s not even the full slate of games. New and exciting matchups are going to be set every day as tournaments progress! Keep an eye on the brackets over the next few days.

5. Buzzer beaters

Now, let’s answer a couple of random questions before we move on and start prepping our Thanksgiving dinners:

What is your favorite Feast Week tournament?

Thanksgiving in Maui sounds incredible, so I’ll go with the Maui Jim Maui Invitational for my answer. Plus, that tournament usually has a strong field, so the level of competition is almost as beautiful as the location. The Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas is also one I wouldn’t mind traveling to in late November. Plenty of good options out there these days!

What’s the best Thanksgiving side dish?

Mashed potatoes are always a popular answer, and I do love good, buttery mashed potatoes. But I’m going with a different answer. The best side dish is deviled eggs. Good deviled eggs are hard to beat. Add a bacon garnish? Now you’re just showing off. I could eat a dozen deviled eggs in one sitting. I try not to, though, as eating 6 eggs at once is not ideal.

Enjoy the Starting 5? Have a question? Want to yell at me about something? Follow me on Twitter @AdamSpencer4 or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.