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.

Now that the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is over (more on that later), the college basketball schedule lightens up a bit. As players prepare for finals and Christmas break, there won’t be games as frequently for each school.

However, quality games are still there, and we’ll discuss that more in the Outlet Pass section (which is No. 4, for those of you who are joining us for the first time).

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at today’s Starting 5:

1. The Opening Tip

College basketball fans have long accused Duke of getting favorable calls, even on the road. That was quite evident in this week’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge, when the Blue Devils hit the road to take on Michigan State.

Star PG Tre Jones drew a foul that was one of the most-ridiculous calls I’ve ever seen, so we need to take a longer look at the egregious foul call.

Here’s the play, which was called a blocking foul on MSU guard Foster Loyer:

Now, let’s look at the parts of this video and rank them. In reverse order, the funniest parts are:

  • Tom Izzo’s reaction — That’s not in this short clip, but he was justifiably furious about the call.
  • The initial trip — It was just 2 players getting their feet tangled together. No foul, play on.
  • The ref’s emphatic call — The ref stepped in and made it very clear that it was a blocking foul. Even though it was a horrible call, I appreciate the emphatic way he made that horrible call.
  • The foot to the chest — Loyer literally took Jones’ foot to his chest and still got whistled for the foul. Talk about adding injury to insult.

And finally, the absolute funniest part of this video:

  • The way Loyer still tries to block the shot — Dude, you’re on your butt and are only 6-feet tall when standing on both feet. Maybe just take this “L” and live to play another day? Instead, he gives it his all, in true Michigan State fashion.

If you want to read a totally unbiased opinion (insert sarcasm font), here’s how Duke blog Ball Durham tried to justify the play.

No, Jones didn’t have space to land, but it wasn’t exactly Loyer’s fault. That’d be like calling a football defender for tripping every time he went low to make a tackle. Yes, he technically “tripped” the offensive player, but it shouldn’t be called a penalty.

2. Home-Court Advantage

“’Ello, might we interest you in a jaunt across the pond to play a spot of shooty hoops in London, mate?” That’s how I imagine the conversation went when the Kentucky Wildcats agreed to play the Michigan Wolverines in London next December. The Wildcats and Wolverines will meet in England at the O2 Arena that has hosted NBA games in recent years.

Then, the 2 teams will play a home-and-home series in Ann Arbor and Lexington in 2021 and 2022. Considering the state of both programs (top 10 teams), this will be a heck of a game going across the pond.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get myself to that game. Who wants a live Starting 5 from London?! That would be pretty cool, right?

Anyway, here’s a look at some other top stories from around the SEC:

  • Sadly, we have to discuss the absolute trainwreck my alma mater (hey, I went to Mizzou, in case you’re the one person I haven’t mentioned that to). My beloved Tigers have been spiraling and not just in basketball. The Tigers recently fired their football coach, Barry Odom, and are reportedly considering a list of uninspiring candidates. But none of that should have affected the basketball team. Yet, here we are, searching for answers after an absolutely embarrassing 68-60 home loss to an awful Charleston Southern team that lost by 35 points to Southern Utah earlier this year. George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development can sum up how I feel about that loss:

via GIPHY

  • Butler picked up its 2nd SEC win this week, going into Oxford and holding off an attempted Ole Miss comeback. After beating Mizzou last week, the Bulldogs earned a 67-58 win over the Rebels to improve to 2-0 against the SEC. They host Florida on Saturday. Kamar Baldwin had an incredible 31 points. Breein Tyree scored a team-high 22 points and also let the team with 8 rebounds even though he didn’t start. Whatever lesson coach Kermit Davis is trying to teach Tyree by not starting him, it would probably just be better to start him. You’re hurting your team, Kermit (insert Kermit sipping tea meme).
  • Thursday was a rough night for teams toward the top of the SEC standings. Auburn needed overtime to take down Furman. Yes, Furman is a tough team that only had a single loss (to a struggling Alabama squad, for the record), but the Paladins aren’t exactly Louisville. Freshman F Isaac Okoro had 18 points and 9 rebounds to save the day for the Tigers.
  • Then, also on Thursday night, the Mississippi State Bulldogs fell at home to … Louisiana Tech? No, that can’t be right. Let’s check and make sure it wasn’t LSU. No? It was actually Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs allowed 5 Louisiana Tech players to score at least 10 points. Meanwhile, Reggie Perry had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs, but it wasn’t enough to help them win. This team needs to bounce back in a hurry after this one.

Now, let’s take a look at what’s going on outside the SEC world.

3. Road Game

I’ve been on the record as saying I love watching Virginia’s defense play. However, I most certainly did not like watching the Virginia defense play Wednesday night at Purdue. The Cavaliers hadn’t lost a game all year, and yet went into West Lafayette and fell 69-40.

The 69 points allowed were a season-high (55 was the previous high). It was also more than Tony Bennett’s crew had allowed in all but 6 games last season, and 2 of those games went into overtime.

Purdue absolutely shredded the Cavs’ defense, and the Boilermakers did it with 3-point shooting. Sasha Stefanovic made 6 3 as part of his 20-point night. Purdue drained 13 long-range attempts, accounting for 39 points. Considering the Cavs only scored 40, that’s your difference in the game right there.

Also, Virginia PG Kihei Clark only scored 2 points on 1-of-6 shooting. That’s something the Hoos will need to fix moving forward.

Here are some of the other top stories from around the country:

  • The Big Ten won the Big Ten/ACC Challenge 8-6, but the crazy thing was how uneven the games were. In fact, only 1 game was decided by less than 10 points:

  • Perhaps next year, the people who put this challenge together can give us some more competitive games? We’ll find out next December, I guess.
  • Ohio State is incredible this year. The Buckeyes went into the Dean Dome and took down North Carolina in Chapel Hill by the lopsided score of 74-49. Yes, the Tar Heels were banged up, but if Cole Anthony isn’t hitting shots, this team has no firepower offensively. Give Ohio State credit, especially for this nifty way of shifting coverages late in the shot clock:

  • The Buckeyes remain undefeated, and we’ll see how long they can keep that going. Meanwhile, as we’ll discuss in a second, the Tar Heels need to find a way to score fast, as a tough test looms this weekend.
  • It wasn’t all bad for the ACC, though. Louisville absolutely looks like the No. 1 team in the country, earning a huge 58-43 victory over No. 4 Michigan during the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Let’s be fair for a second, though — Michigan probably didn’t deserve to make the biggest jump in the history of the AP Poll, going from unranked to No. 4 simply based on a victory in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Top 25, yes, but maybe cool it with the whole top 4 thing.

Now, let’s take a look ahead at what you should watch over the next few days.

4. Outlet Pass

This weekend actually features a number of interesting matchups. Yes, there are college football conference championship games Saturday, but keep an eye on some of this on-court action, too:

  • No. 7 North Carolina at No. 5 Virginia (ACC Network at 4 p.m. Eastern on Sunday) — Both teams got smoked in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Which team will bounce back in this key ACC game? I give the edge to Virginia’s defense over UNC’s struggling offense.
  • No. 12 Arizona at No. 18 Baylor (ESPNU at noon Eastern on Saturday) — Baylor is going to have a loaded sports day Saturday. Unfortunately, this high quality basketball game takes place at the same time as the Big 12 football title game:

  • Florida at No. 24 Butler (FOX at noon Eastern on Saturday) — Florida has had a very up-and-down season. After losing at UConn earlier this season, winning on the road against a ranked team like Butler would be huge for Mike White’s squad.
  • No. 9 Gonzaga at No. 22 Washington (ESPN2 at 7 p.m. Eastern on Sunday) — These are perhaps the 2 best teams on the West Coast, and it’ll be interesting to see how they match up against one another. This could be a huge road win for Gonzaga if the Bulldogs can pull it off.
  • Cincinnati at Xavier (FS1 at 5 p.m. Eastern on Saturday) — The battle for Cincinnati is always physical, no matter how good these teams are. Add in the fact that both are very solid squads this year and it just makes it even better.

See, I told you — lots of good action this weekend! Now, let’s move on to the final section of today’s Starting 5.

5. Buzzer Beaters

Here’s a section where I’ll answer some random questions. Feel free to reach out on Twitter or via email with your questions. Here we go:

What’s your favorite basketball movie?

If I’m being 100% honest, I have to go with Space Jam. I grew up in Illinois during the height of Michael Jordan’s powers, so I’m a huge fan of his. Add in my dad’s favorite player, Larry Bird, making a cameo and a legitimately awesome script and it’s a movie that I’d still rewatch now. I’m not looking forward to the LeBron James remake, though.

What’s the best arena in college basketball?

This seems like a trick to get me to compliment Kansas and Phog Allen Fieldhouse, but I’m not going to bite. I’m also not about to praise Cameron Indoor Stadium (where Duke plays). If I had to pick a couple of top arenas, I’m going with The Palestra in Philly (which I’ve actually been to) and Hinkle Fieldhouse (in Indianapolis, where Butler plays). Those are 2 iconic venues and I’d really love to see a game in Hinkle.

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.