NC State vs. Michigan: I needed another look at this Michigan squad, and I was not disappointed. It turns out Michigan may have 5 pros on this team, and I didn't even catch the most intriguing one on my first look. First, I already touched on Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III. Hardaway is an undersized 2-guard and a volume shooter. He will get his chance in the league, but the odds are against him, because he's not a consistent shooter, he is undersized, and he's not freakishly athletic. For now, Robinson III just looks like an NBA player. He plays like a freshman by deferring to others and fading for long stretches. He will need a year or two to get his game ready for the league. I got to see more of Trey Burke. He will be a fringe NBA player. If put in the right situation he could stick around for a few years. He's got a three-ball, quick with the ball, changes pace well and can get in the lane and dish. I was actually most impressed with two freshman who came off the bench. First, Nik Stauskas is a 6'6" shooting guard who can light it up from outside, put it on the floor and get to the rim, and get out and run. He's Canadian, but plays like an inner city youth. I won't violate race comparison laws, so I'll compare him to Brent Barry. He will make his money from the three point line, but he is more than capable of doing some other things. I was also impressed with Mitch McGary. McGary has every bit of the motor scouts said he had, but he is also a massive human being. When you combine his motor with his size, there is no way he doesn't find a niche in the league. As for NC State, as I've stated before, I'm most impressed with TJ "Pro Game" Warren. He showed how efficient he was last night again by scoring around 20 off of 10 or so shots.
Maryland vs Northwestern: I'm following Maryland because I'm a fan, but they deserve plenty of mentions because of Alex Len. He is the best big man in college. He affects every shot in the paint. He can score in the post. He can shoot the set shot out to 17 feet. With all these skills he is a legit 7'2". He's already shot up draft boards through the early season, but I don't think he's finished. By the end of the season, he will be a lock for a top 5 pick. He along with Otto Porter and Cody Zeller are the best players I've seen in college this year.
UNC vs Indiana: Zeller is just a basketball player. He's not dominant like Len. He will never be Shaq, but he just knows how to play ball and does everything out there on the court. I would compare him to a 7'0" Nick Collison. He will take nothing off the table. He can guard most 4s and 5s. He can step out and help guards on picks. Offensively, he does everything good, but not great. James McAdoo is overrated. Look out for him to fall down draft boards. He should have stole money last year and left when nobody knew what he could do. He's got NBA small forward size, but a power forward skill set. He's not doing anything particularly well. He's a solid player, and could end up cracking an NBA rotation one day, but I wouldn't say he is a lock for top 5 pick.
Indiana vs LA Lakers: The Lakers scored 77 points and Kobe had 40. That sentence speaks for itself. Knowing me and the Lakers, you should know what I have to say about this. Dwight Howard is a designated screen setter. Pau is clearly not a D'Antoni player and isn't even playing over Jamison when it matters (really sad, because Jamison still is the worst player in the league). It was tough to watch the 4th quarter and see all those other all stars just defer to Kobe without question. And all Kobe was getting was contested threes or very long twos. We're still suppose to reserve judgement until Nash is healthy, but this is a real bad sign.
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