ONLY THE BEGINNING
Collegiate basketball is gonna be absolutely crazy this year, never have we ever witnessed such an amazing amount of talent or so great a number of elite teams. I'm jacked out of my mind to watch march madness games where senior scoring record holders face off with highly-touted freshman if only to play against a team that goes seven deep with NBA talent. The stretch of games at the beginning of the season before conference play is something of a looking glass into our future, a future so bright any onlookers are liable to go blind from sheer spectacularness. The games are sloppier, the rotations shorter, and the players more limited, but the talent and ability present on some of the courts Tuesday night reeks of potential amazement. For so long analysts have glorified the basketball getting set to be played this year, and in this moment we will have the opportunity to witness Goliath face Goliath after Goliath. Basketball has returned, and it has returned in a greater form. Here are some of the players and match-ups that will make basketball nirvana a reality.
Not pictured, me kissing his feet.
KENTUCKY vs. MICHIGAN STATE
Julius Randle vs. Adreian Payne
Julius Randle is the king of being overlooked by the masses. The arrival of Wiggins Mania, and all of the Riggin' for Wiggins jabber, and all of the imminent "greatest ever" hyperbole has cast a huge shadow over the game of college basketball. The rise of Jabari Christ-Parker steals whatever light may have seeped through the Wiggins canopy, leaving Julius Randle more or less unnoticed. Not to be misunderstood, people know Julius Randle, and people understand he's good, but people neglect how freaking amazing he actually is. Julius' role on this ridiculous purchased obscene pretty good team more or less mirrors Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's role from two years ago. Now, in order to capture Randle's magnitude, pretend Kidd-Gilchrist is two inches taller, now standing 6'9'', and twenty pounds heavier, now 250. Also, just for kicks and giggles, he can also shoot the three and jumps higher. Got it? Good. Randle compares himself to LeBron James, maybe Amare' Stoudamire (When he was good, but he's better than him when he was.) when he feels humble. (www.espn.go.com/blog/high-school/boys-basketball/post/_/id/4829/who-do-you-think-you-are-julius-randle) The scary part? I think I believe him. His opponent is the all too worthy Adreian Payne, an experienced, talented, athletic, versatile, kind-hearted, gifted, dangerous forward. (I felt after riding the Randle train for so long, it was about time to give someone else gobs of credit.) In all legitimacy, Payne's gonna be an NBA forward next year, and this match-up will be a good barometer of whether or not he's and NBA starter. If Payne can match up with a force like Julius Randle, and have success, he's gonna be successful at the next level. Similarly, Payne will be Randle's first true collegiate test. No offense to the guys over at Northern Kentucky, but a game featuring competent and able posts should be a much better match up in terms of progression.
It, feels like one of those nights, to dress up like Zebra's...
DUKE vs. KANSAS
Jabari Parker vs. Andrew Wiggins
This is the one. This is LeBron/Durant, Ali/Frazier. This America vs. The Soviet Union, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Chicago style pizza versus New York, and I am prone to hyperbole. These juggernauts have seen each other before, they've played in the Jordan Classic, the McDonald's All-American game, and camp after camp after camp, but never have they met on such a stage, wearing jerseys that bare history, representing not just fan-bases but cults dedicated to their success. The stage is set for a game of epic proportions, soon enough we will know which fighter wins round one.
This has been the first of many analyses that will be posted pertaining to weekly basketball match-ups. I hope you've enjoyed our return to the internet, thanks!
