Starting 5: Kentucky panic time, Cam Boozer makes history and
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Welcome back to the Starting 5. The Starting 5 is written each week by Adam Spencer to keep you up to date on all the news and events in the world of men’s college hoops. You can follow Adam on X at @AdamSpencer4.
1. Opening Tip
This is why Tom Izzo is a Hall of Famer, y’all.
Seconds before tipoff against Kentucky on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden, Izzo and Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope were interviewed by ESPN’s Kris Budden. Coaches rarely say anything detailed or combative during these pregame hits, and this was no different.
Izzo’s note? He wanted to see his team make some shots.
Boy, did the Spartans ever listen to their coach.
By the 7:11 mark in the first half, Michigan State had knocked down 6 3-pointers, more than it had made in any entire game so far this season. Triple No. 7 came 20 seconds later at the 6:51 mark as the Spartans took a 31-19 lead at the under-8 timeout.
Michigan State finished an impressive 11-of-22 from long range. Kentucky shot an abysmal 7-for-30 from deep. There’s always going to be some variance in 3-point percentage on a night-to-night basis, but this game can be explained by something deeper.
It was shot selection that doomed the Wildcats. While Michigan State was playing “inside-out” basketball, getting the ball to the paint before kicking it back out for 3s, Kentucky was settling for contested 3s all too often. Just look at these 2 plays below:
That’s just bad offense. Even more so when you’re already down by 10+ points and trying to stage a comeback.
Pope said after the game that Kentucky’s problem is bad coaching. That’s something every coach will say after a couple of bad outings, but in this case, I’m inclined to agree with him. Kentucky needs to play more cohesive offense or it is going to struggle in SEC play.
Here’s where I mention that the Wildcats didn’t have Jaland Lowe (and are still without Jayden Quaintance) due to injury, but it shouldn’t have resulted in the lackluster effort I saw on Tuesday night. Rebounds are an effort stat more often than not and the Wildcats got out-rebounded by the Spartans 42-28 in this game. That should be absolutely unacceptable to Pope and his staff.
If you can’t get up for a game at Madison Square Garden, it’s time to press the panic button.
2. SEC Notes
My former college roommate and good friend Robert will text me his random basketball/football thoughts from time to time. I always welcome these texts, but especially when they concern Illinois basketball, as no one in my life is more thoughtful/insightful about our home-state basketball squad than Robert.
Still, my jaw dropped when I saw what he said the Monday before the Illini scored a big-time win over a ranked Texas Tech squad. He said:
“In my opinion, this is their best team since ’04-’05,” his text read.
Mind you, this is an Illinois team that has made it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 twice since that magical 2004-05 season that saw the Illini lose to North Carolina in the national title game.
I say all that to say this…
That was a hell of a win for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
To go to Chicago, walk into the United Center — where Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and company dominated the 1990s — and do that to a great Illini team? Incredible.
This was a Final Four-caliber matchup and it’s only mid-November. These teams like Illinois, like Alabama, like Arizona, like UConn, like Florida, like Gonzaga and dozens of others that use nonconference play to actually challenge themselves? This is what college basketball is all about.
Shoutout to Labaron Philon, who returned to school despite having the ability to potentially be a late first-round pick or early second-round pick in last year’s NBA Draft. He scored a team-high 24 points and also led the Tide with 5 assists in the 90-86 win over the Illini. The NIL era works, y’all!
He made himself a lot of future NBA money with tonight’s win, scoring 10 of the Tide’s final 15 points. Look at this highlight reel:
The 3-point shooting? NBA caliber. The finishing at the rim? NBA caliber. The passing? Getting there, but almost NBA caliber. We’ll talk more about Philon in the final section of this column.
Also, credit to the Alabama defense. The Crimson Tide shut down everyone but Kylan Boswell (who my best friend Michael’s wife, Hanna (shoutout, Hanna!), taught back when he was in 5th grade) from the start of the second half until the 10:51 mark of the second half.
It’s odd to give credit to a defense that allowed 86 points, but the Tide forced the Illini to rely on Boswell and Andrej “Baby Peja” Stojakovic almost exclusively in the second half.
The Illini are still trying to work Tomislav Ivisic and Mihailo Petrovic back to full health, so they’ll be even more dangerous in March assuming everyone is healthy by then. But don’t take anything away from this Alabama squad that has challenged itself to the max early this season. The Tide still have Gonzaga and Arizona on their schedule before SEC play starts.
College basketball is the best.
And here are a few other notes from around the SEC:
- First of all, it’s always great to have Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas back on the broadcast for big games on ESPN. Those 2 are pro’s pros and really add to the atmosphere of a high-quality matchup. My favorite broadcast team in the men’s hoops game today. Honorable mention goes to Jason Benetti and the legendary Bill Raftery on FOX.
- Let’s check in on the reigning champion Florida Gators, shall we? After a season-opening loss to Arizona, the Gators have reeled off 3-straight wins against in-state foes, including winning the “state championship” by beating Florida State and Miami. One problem is beginning to present itself, though — Florida is really struggling to shoot the 3. It all starts with the new-look backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee. In a 78-76 win over FSU (too close for comfort), the Gators shot 19% as a team from 3-point range and Lee and Fland combined to shoot 3-for-17 from deep (17.6%). In the Miami game? Lee and Fland were a combined 0-for-10 from beyond the arc. That won’t fly in SEC play.
- I’m officially worried about the Arkansas Razorbacks. (Interestingly, another SEC team that lost to Michigan State than I’m pressing the panic button on.) The Hogs have won their last 2 games, beating Samford and Winthrop. But they only beat Samford by 4 and needed a heroic shot by Nick Pringle with 11 seconds left to beat Winthrop 84-83. I don’t need to tell you this, reader, but a ranked SEC team shouldn’t need heroics to beat Winthrop. Color me concerned.
Now let’s move on to the rest of the country.
3. Non-SEC Notes
If, for some reason, you are trapped under a rock and haven’t watched Duke play yet this year… first, you clearly have internet access if you’re reading this article, so call for help. Second, make sure to watch Duke freshman Cameron Boozer play basketball ASAP, maybe from your hospital bed as you recover from your injuries/dehydration.
One of 2 sons of former Duke/NBA star Carlos Boozer on this year’s Duke team, Cameron is doing it all for the Blue Devils. In fact, he’s already making history:
In case that tweet doesn’t load for you, Boozer is the first ACC player since March of 2006 with 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a 5-game span. That player was Boston College’s Craig Smith.
Smith was a senior in 2006. Boozer is a true freshman.
Oh, and Boozer has done this in his first 5 games. Like his first 5 college games ever. I cannot stress to you how insane it is that a college freshman is already this good. Look at the full-court pass he makes in the highlight video below. That’s on par with Nikola Jokic and Kevin Love, 2 of the best outlet passers the NBA has ever seen:
Now, before you think I’m comparing him to Jokic and Love already, he still has a lot of work to do. If there’s one flaw to his game at this point, it’s that you can throw size at him defensively to rattle him a bit. He’s not making a high enough percentage of his shots at the rim:
Is this something he can fix? Sure. Is he still a near-lock to be a top-5 2026 NBA Draft pick? Absolutely.
Duke has an incredible nonconference run coming up when it plays Arkansas (Nov. 27), Florida (Dec. 2) and Michigan State (Dec. 6) in 3-straight games. Mark your calendars now, as those games will all be appointment viewing.
Now for some other storylines around the country:
- Koa Peat. (I had this in here as a reminder to talk about him, but it really says it all.) Koa Peat. The guy who is the son of former NFL OL Todd Peat and current NFL OL Andrus Peat plays basketball, well… like an offensive lineman. He’s not afraid to mix it up with opposing players:
- He is a beast in the paint:
- The guy can do it all on the court. Also, shoutout to former Alabama guard Jaden Bradley, who has become a steady veteran presence for the Wildcats this year. They don’t win that game at UConn (71-67) without Bradley’s leadership.
- I’d be remiss not to mention the No. 1 team in the country — the Purdue Boilermakers — in this section. I wouldn’t want to be remiss, so let’s talk about Matt Painter’s squad for a second. Purdue’s offense, led by Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Oscar Cluff, is one of the most-efficient groups you’ll ever see on a court. Per KenPom’s offensive efficiency ratings, Purdue (128.3) is 2.4 points better than No. 2 Louisville (125.9). That gap is as big as the gap between Louisville and the No. 6 offense in the country (Vanderbilt). The Boilermakers aren’t just beating up on nobodies, either — they have a true road win at Alabama on their résumé already and face Memphis in the Bahamas on Thursday night. Expect this team to continue its strong run all year long.
Now let’s take a look at the week ahead.
4. Games to Watch This Week
Here’s a ranking of the top 5 games I can’t wait to watch over the next week of college hoops action, which takes us into Feast Week:
- No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 13 Gonzaga (Monday, November 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT) — Alabama continues to schedule like absolute maniacs during nonconference play, and I love it. How are you supposed to prepare yourself for SEC play if you beat up on a bunch of nobodies before January comes around? Nate Oats and the Tide have the NCAA Tournament résumé to back up this strategy. This will be a must-see game in Las Vegas. Also, Gonzaga might be No. 13 in the AP Poll, but the Bulldogs are the No. 2 team in the nation according to KenPom.com.
- No. 2 Houston vs. No. 20 Tennessee (Tuesday, November 25 at 6 p.m. ET on TNT) — Two teams that have been incredible defensively in recent years and are once again the top 5 of the defensive efficiency ratings on KenPom.com? Sign me up to watch that. This game will teach us a lot about the new-look Vols, who had to replace defensive maestro Zakai Zeigler this offseason.
- No. 9 BYU vs. No. 23 Wisconsin (Friday, November 21 at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock) — I admittedly haven’t watched much of AJ Dybantsa yet this year. It appears he’s been as advertised. I can’t wait to watch him in this Friday afternoon matinee. The guy who could end up being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft should be ready for the national spotlight.
- No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 22 Auburn (Tuesday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT) — Auburn is coming off a 1-point loss to an elite Houston squad. That loss changed my opinion on the Tigers. I think they’re ready to take a step forward. The Wolverines will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday night if they’re going to remain unbeaten.
- No. 14 St. John’s vs. No. 16 Iowa State (Monday, November 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET on truTV) — Zuby Ejiofor wasn’t quite able to get St. John’s over the hump against Alabama, but he was amazing in that game. In addition to having one of the best names, he’s also one of the best players. This should be another fun Feast Week afternoon showcase.
This Feast Week isn’t as meaty as ones in the recent past, but that’s not a huge surprise as more teams move away from preseason tournament (thanks a lot, Dan Hurley). Thankfully the Players Era Festival has some great matchups to keep us entertained all week long.
5. Buzzer Beater
In this spot this week, I just want to do a quick ranking of my 5 favorite 2026 NBA Draft prospects from the SEC. There’s a nice mix of guys who came back to school to go with some talented freshmen. Let’s dive in:
- Nate Ament, Tennessee freshman — Any NBA Draft conversation involving the SEC has to start with the talented Tennessee freshman. Being 6-10 and moving the way he does shouldn’t be legal. He has the chance to lead the Tennessee basketball program to new heights this season, and I’d be shocked if he’s not a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
- Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas freshman — As long as Acuff stays healthy this year, he can be what the Hogs thought they were getting in Boogie Fland last year, and could be even better. He’s an elite shooter. His passing is beyond his years. His defense needs to improve, but what freshman’s defense doesn’t? The Razorbacks have something special in Acuff.
- Labaron Philon, Alabama sophomore — I was surprised Philon didn’t enter the 2025 NBA Draft, but he returned to school and will be looking to make himself some first-round money this coming summer. So far, it looks like a good decision. Prior to Wednesday night’s game against Illinois, Philon had improved his shooting percentage (45.2 to 54.5), his 3-point percentage (31.5 to 33.3), points per game (10.6 to 19.3) and a bunch of his other numbers from last year to this year. If he keeps playing like this, he’ll be a Round 1 pick.
- Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky sophomore — I’m a bit lower on Quaintance than many. I just want to see how he looks in his return from an ACL injury suffered last year at Arizona State. Is that too much to ask? He has a chance to make me look like an idiot if he comes back and is able to build on the impact he was having with the Sun Devils last year. He’s the biggest X-factor in the SEC this year.
- Thomas Haugh, Florida junior — Haugh is a Swiss Army Knife who is well-positioned to be drafted in the middle of Round 1 of the upcoming draft. That’s going to be perfect for him, as he could end up being the missing piece for a team that’s on the edge of playoff or title contention. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo currently has Haugh going No. 15 overall to the Boston Celtics. Imagine him stepping into a situation where he’s coming off the bench for a team with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. That would be ideal for the Florida wing.
Honorable mention goes to Tahaad Pettiford of Auburn, who I absolutely love watching every time he’s on the basketball court. However, I think his lack of size (6-1, 170 pounds) will hurt him in NBA circles. I expect him to push to be a late first-round pick, but current consensus seems to have him going early in Round 2.
Enjoy the Starting 5? Have a question? Want to yell at me about something? Follow me on X @AdamSpencer4 or email me at a.spencer@sportradar.com.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
