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 @SDSBasketball.

1. The Opening Tip

Usually, the annual Braggin’ Rights game between Mizzou and Illinois is played in St. Louis. But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was held in Columbia this year after the Tigers won a coin toss to decide the host school.

Illinois was ranked No. 6 in the country heading into the game against the then 4-0 Tigers. But, to use a cliche, you can throw the records and rankings out the window in a rivalry game like this.

If I told you before the game that Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu would have a career-high 36 points, you’d assume the Illini won, right? He was indeed spectacular for most of the game:

He scored from all over the court and was a problem for the Mizzou defense all night long. However, his last-ditch attempts to tie the game in the final seconds were not the best. His first 3-point attempt was a bizarre, off-balance heave toward the rim that came up short. He did the Tigers a favor on that play to help them hold onto an 81-78 win.

On the Tigers’ side, Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson led the way with 17 points apiece. That’s a winning formula for Mizzou. But, it was Mitchell Smith who played a key role. He only had 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal, but his energy and clutchness got the Tigers out of several jams.

He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and also drew this (highly questionable) flagrant foul on Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn:

Having a guy like that who can do whatever you need him to do is a great luxury. He was only guarding Cockburn because Jeremiah Tilmon had fouled out. He’s a great weapon for coach Cuonzo Martin to have.

Now, the Tigers are in the AP Poll at No. 16. We’ll see how high they can rise before SEC play starts.

Speaking of the SEC, let’s take a deeper look into the big stories out of that conference.

2. Home-court advantage

The Kentucky Wildcats are 1-4. No, that’s not a typo. I didn’t accidentally reverse 4-1 or anything. No, it’s just that John Calipari’s young team is still trying to find itself.

On Saturday afternoon against a middle-of-the-pack ACC team in Notre Dame, the Wildcats embarrassed themselves in the first half. Kentucky trailed 48-26 at the break — its largest home halftime deficit ever. That’s just ridiculous.

And, yet, if this shot by transfer big man Olivier Sarr had fallen at the buzzer, the Wildcats would have won:

That’s a testament to how well Kentucky played in the second half. I don’t love that shot at the end, but that’s seemingly what the Wildcats were trying to set up. Sarr was the hot hand all day, finishing with 22 points and 7 rebounds. I just didn’t like how far back he faded toward the 3-point line. If he was able to stand firm and not drift out, I think he would have hit the shot.

Either way, the Wildcats are 1-4 now and face some truly daunting history:

The Wildcats desperately need to find some chemistry before Saturday’s game in Cleveland against a tough UCLA team. Otherwise, a historically bad 1-5 start is likely. Which team will show up in Cleveland — the one that trailed by 22 at halftime or the one that nearly came all the way back in the second half? That will be the difference on Saturday.

Now, let’s see what else is going on in the league:

  • Tennessee is off to a 2-0 start with impressive wins over Colorado and Cincinnati. The Vols’ offense is off to a slow start, but when the defense allows 47 and 56 points, the offense doesn’t need to be good. Yves Pons already looks like the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, so he’ll be the favorite moving forward to win the award again. He needs to find his game offensively, but with John Fulkerson leading the way on that end, he has time to do that.
  • Mississippi State isn’t going to win many SEC games this year, I don’t think, but that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs are bereft of talent. DJ Stewart and Iverson Molinar are quickly becoming one of my favorite backcourt tandems. Stewart is a pure scorer. Even in a double-overtime loss to Dayton on Saturday, he was impressive, hitting some tough shots:

 

  • He finished that game with 32 points. He’ll be fun to watch and is going to give opposing SEC coaches nightmares this season.
  • The Georgia Bulldogs are 5-0. I didn’t think I’d be writing that this year, but Tom Crean has some interesting players on this roster. The Bulldogs struggled without Toumani Camara against Samford over the weekend, but they still won. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Dawgs will win more games this year than they did with No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards last year.
  • Finally, and most importantly, I want to send my thoughts to Florida star Keyontae Johnson and his family. By now, you’re probably aware that he collapsed on the floor during Saturday’s Florida State game and is still in the hospital, surrounded by family. Florida released information on where to send letters and cards for Johnson:

 

  • We’re all hoping he’s able to make a full recovery. The latest update on his status is that he is in critical, but stable, condition at a Gainesville hospital.

Next, let’s take a look around the rest of the college basketball world.

3. Road trip

Cade Cunningham is going to be a top pick in the loaded 2021 NBA Draft, perhaps even the No. 1 overall pick. But, the Oklahoma State freshman is playing in relative obscurity in Stillwater. The Cowboys are currently eligible for the NCAA Tournament due to an appeal of a postseason ban, but the NCAA could pull the plug on those postseason dreams if it rules on the appeal before March.

The bigger problem is that, even at 6-0, the Cowboys aren’t ranked, though that could change if they keep winning. On Saturday, the Cowboys picked up perhaps their best win of the year at Wichita State, and Cunningham hit the game-winning shot:

https://twitter.com/OSUMBB/status/1337880000243130369

With the score tied, he could have tried to get to the basket, but I do like that he had no fear of the big moment and wanted the ball. But, as Rob Dauster points out, this sequence a minute or so before the big shot was even more impressive:

That’s a guy who understands the game a lot more than most freshmen. Heck, just look at the struggles Kentucky has had with getting its freshman class up to speed. Oklahoma State hosts TCU to open Big 12 play on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. I’d highly recommend checking out Cunningham before he heads to the NBA next year. Because, as I mentioned earlier, he might not get to play in March Madness.

Now, for some other stories from around the country:

  • Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski continues to make waves in the coaching ranks after the Blue Devils canceled their remaining nonconference games following a home loss to Illinois. Many questioned the timing of the decision since Duke had lost 2 home games to Big Ten teams. Alabama coach Nate Oats took issue with Coach K saying we shouldn’t be playing basketball now:

https://twitter.com/Roger_Hoover/status/1337130710591807490

  • Don’t worry, though, Oats and Coach K have patched things up. Oats revealed that he had spoken with the Duke coach after his comments made the rounds in the media:

 

  • To paraphrase Hamlet, to play or not to play, that is the question. This won’t be the last time coaches have opposing opinions on the matter, if I had to guess.
  • Mark Fox’s Cal Golden Bears aren’t going to be a very good team this year. They’re only 3-4 and are already 0-3 in Pac-12 play. But, that doesn’t mean they won’t have some exciting moments. The Bears took down San Francisco (a team that upset Virginia earlier this year) in dramatic fashion over the weekend. Makale Foreman only had 3 points for the Bears all night, but they were a huge 3 points:

 

  • He was 0-for-6 from 3-point range before that shot. Talk about confidence. He had no hesitation on that shot from way beyond the arc. What a fun ending.
  • The Richmond hype train took a hit on Sunday, as the Spiders were trounced 87-71 in Morgantown by West Virginia. West Virginia, on the other hand, looks like a legit contender in the Big 12. The Mountaineers lost to No. 1 Gonzaga earlier this year, but they gave the Bulldogs a tough game. Derek Culver continues to shine in the post, but he’s not just a non-athletic big man. He can get out in transition and do things like this:

https://twitter.com/WVUhoops/status/1338199869119315969

  • He finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way against the Spiders. Get to know the name Miles McBride, too. He led the team with 20 points and is a fun scorer to watch.

Next up, let’s take a look at the week ahead and the games you should mark on your calendar.

4. Outlet pass

Honestly, it’s not a great week of basketball, but there are some exciting midweek conference matchups. It’s weird to have conference play starting so soon, but it’s 2020, so we have to be flexible. Here are the 5 games I’m excited for between now and Friday:

  1. No. 5 Kansas at No. 14 Texas Tech (Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN) — Big 12 play gets started with a bang this year. This will be a tough game for Kansas, but I’ve come around on the Jayhawks being a top-5 team in recent days. It’ll still be a tough test in Lubbock, though!
  2. Minnesota at No. 13 Illinois (Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2) — Illinois has 2 losses, but they’re to No. 2 Baylor and a tough Mizzou squad. The Illini can’t afford a third loss at this point, particularly not as they start B1G play against an undefeated Minnesota squad.
  3. Butler at No. 7 Villanova (Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1) — This is a great Big East matchup. Butler isn’t as strong as in normal years, but the Wildcats haven’t been as elite as expected on a consistent basis either this season.
  4. No. 24 Clemson at Virginia Tech (Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on ACCN) — Clemson is undefeated and finally in the AP Poll. The Tigers have been fun to watch this year, but will that success translate to ACC play? This will be our first look.
  5. No. 20 Ohio State at Purdue (Wednesday at 7 p.m. on BTN) — Ohio State is a perfect 5-0, but going to Purdue isn’t easy. The Buckeyes collapsed when B1G play started last year. Can they avoid a similar fate this season?

So there you have it! Some exciting games to look forward to, but it’ll be a big weekend, so we’ll have more games to watch when we break down the upcoming schedule on Friday.

5. Buzzer beaters

Now, let’s answer a couple of random questions before we get out of her for the day:

Who is the National Player of the Year at this point?

Based on what I saw from Ayo Dosunmu on Saturday night, he’s in the running. But, I think the Illinois star is behind Iowa’s Luka Garza right now. Garza has been incredible, averaging 29.2 points and 9 rebounds per night. That’s amazing. He’s the guy to beat.

Turkey or ham for Christmas dinner?

I love turkey for Thanksgiving, but Christmas, to me, is a ham holiday. I don’t eat ham that often during the year, so it’s a special treat for Christmas. I have turkey sandwiches several times a month, so it’s not as special as ham. Give me ham on Christmas all day.

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.