4 Takeaways From Day 1 of the 2026 Faculty Basketball Crown

[ad_1] MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA (LAS VEGAS) — Because the nationwide anthem reached its conclusion on Wednesday night, moments earlier than Oklahoma and Colorado tipped off to start the second annual Faculty Basketball Crown, a call-and-response chant of "Boomer! …. Sooner!" rang out throughout the constructing for all to listen to.

Scores of followers proudly sporting crimson and cream dominated the group as this 12 months’s event started, desirous to assist head coach Porter Moser and a squad that arrived in Sin Metropolis having gained eight of its final 11 video games. On the energy of that run, together with sturdy roster retention forward of the switch portal opening subsequent week, Oklahoma entered because the overwhelming favourite to win the occasion — although the Sooners didn’t play that method for a lot of the night.

A double-clutch 3-pointer from redshirt freshman ahead Kuol Atak (16 factors) leveled the rating with 9:12 remaining, eliciting an eruption from the Oklahoma devoted. One other 3-pointer from senior guard Nijel Pack (20 factors) on the next possession lastly nudged the Sooners in entrance. Slowly however absolutely, essentially the most completed staff within the discipline awoke in time to outlive, 90-86, in additional time. Oklahoma will now face Baylor within the semifinals on Saturday.

Listed below are my takeaways from Day 1 of the Faculty Basketball Crown.

1. Oklahoma protection clamps down when it issues

Josiah Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes is blocked by Nijel Pack of the Oklahoma Sooners. (Photograph by Candice Ward/Getty Photos)

When Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser was working rampant at Loyola Chicago, guiding the Ramblers to the Remaining 4 in 2018 and the Candy 16 in 2021, his program was revered for its miserly protection. Two of Moser’s final 4 groups earlier than taking up the Sooners completed among the many high 17 nationally in adjusted defensive effectivity, in accordance with KenPom, together with a second-place end in his closing 12 months.

The leap in competitors from the Missouri Valley Convention to the Massive 12 — and now the SEC — has been accompanied by a slight regression in Moser’s defensive efficiency. His first three groups at Oklahoma all ranked among the many high 48 nationally, however final 12 months’s group sunk to sixtieth and this 12 months’s squad entered Wednesday evening having plummeted to 108th total. It seemed that method when the Sooners allowed Colorado to shoot practically 54% from the sector within the opening half.

However with the second half got here a renewed focus and depth on the defensive finish, one which challenged the Buffaloes on seemingly each shot and conceded nearly nothing across the rim. Moser’s group, which trailed by as many as 10, clawed again by limiting Colorado to simply 24% taking pictures after the break, together with a dreary 2-for-10 from past the arc. Twice, the Sooners pressured strings of a minimum of seven consecutive missed pictures.

"The final 10 video games, we’ve actually relied on one another taking part in extra protect-the-paint protection," Moser mentioned throughout the postgame information convention in response to my query concerning the second-half enchancment. "I assumed we actually protected the paint. They put a lot stress on you as a result of they go downhill very exhausting, after which they will draw fouls. They acquired us within the bonus quick. For us to play that bodily, nonetheless, by that foul [trouble], I assumed was a credit score to these guys taking part in collectively defensively."

[COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Expert Predictions and Analysis for Crown]

2. Colorado battles attrition with early switch departures

Barrington Hargress of the Colorado Buffaloes shoots in opposition to Tae Davis and Mohamed Wague of the Oklahoma Sooners. (Photograph by Candice Ward/Getty Photos)

Regardless that the switch portal doesn’t formally open till April 7, someday after the nationwide championship sport in Indianapolis, the Buffaloes had been dealt a trio of early blows from gamers asserting their intention to depart. That saddled head coach Tad Boyle and his workers with the problem of reshuffling rotations and taking part in time forward of the Faculty Basketball Crown.

The Buffaloes arrived in Las Vegas with out the providers of main scorer Isaiah Johnson (16.9 factors per sport), third-leading scorer Sebastian Rancik (12.3 factors per sport) and fourth-leading scorer Bangot Dak (11.5 factors per sport). All three gamers made their switch choices public inside a four-day span the week earlier than this occasion started.

"We’ve had just a few weeks now to arrange for this," Boyle advised me after the sport. "We began, clearly, after we came upon that these three guys weren’t taking part in. I knew it will give guys alternatives that hadn’t possibly been within the rotation up so far."

With out most of its top-end firepower, Colorado leaned closely on guard Barrington Hargress (14.2 factors per sport), the one different double-figure scorer nonetheless on the roster. Hargress scored a team-high 31 factors on Wednesday in opposition to the Sooners, together with 13 within the first half on an array of spectacular pictures: a transition 3-pointer from the highest of the important thing, a tough baseline turnaround and a crossover-turned stepback on the left wing.

However after a scorching first half that noticed the Buffaloes shoot 53.6% from the ground, each Hargress and his teammates cooled considerably after the break. Colorado went greater than 5 minutes with no discipline purpose from the 17:47 mark to the 12:19 mark of the second half, throughout which era their slim benefit dwindled and, finally, disappeared for good. Boyle’s staff bowed out after lacking 24 of their closing 30 discipline purpose makes an attempt.

3. Flashes from Baylor stars underscore looming draft choices

Cameron Carr of the Baylor Bears drives to the basket in opposition to Bobby Durkin of Minnesota. (Photograph by Mitchell Layton/Getty Photos)

When the Massive 12 launched its preseason basketball ballot in mid-October, the Bears had been picked seventh within the 16-team league. There have been causes to be optimistic about what Baylor may do throughout the 2025-26 marketing campaign after head coach Scott Drew signed a recruiting class that completed twenty fifth nationally and added seven gamers through the switch portal, two of whom had been ranked among the many high 40 by 247Sports.

However 5 months later, when the common season mercifully ended, the Bears had sunk to 14th within the convention standings with simply six Massive 12 wins. It was a stunning consequence for a staff that features a number of future execs in guards Cameron Carr (19.2 factors per sport) and Tounde Yessoufou (17.8 factors per sport). Each mission as late first-round picks within the 2026 NBA Draft.

Their presence on the Faculty Basketball Crown made Baylor one of many extra intriguing groups in Las Vegas, the place NBA personnel acquired an additional probability to look at them earlier than draft choices are ultimately made. What these evaluators noticed in opposition to Minnesota on Wednesday evening had been two gamers whose bodily and athletic profiles stay wildly attractive, even when consistency eludes them at occasions.

Carr, who scored 15 factors and grabbed 9 rebounds, soared for an alley-oop dunk wherein his 7-foot-1 wingspan appeared to scrape the ceiling and exhibited dynamic physique management for 2 acrobatic layups. Yessoufou, who scored 19 factors and snagged seven rebounds, flashed versatility by working out of the excessive publish in opposition to the Gophers’ zone and confirmed his open-floor skill with back-to-back buckets on quick breaks early within the second half.

"As a coach, you need to begin the season collectively and also you need to end the season collectively," Baylor head coach Scott Drew advised me after the sport. "I believe it simply speaks to their character, eager to play for Baylor, eager to have an opportunity to win a championship. That speaks volumes to them. I do know everyone is entitled to their very own choices and each scenario is totally different, however I do know we’re excited that they’re taking part in."

4. Obi Agbim breaks out of taking pictures hunch for the Bears

Obi Agbim of the Baylor Bears celebrates a shot within the first half throughout the 2026 Faculty Basketball Crown. (Photograph by Mitchell Layton/Getty Photos)

There’s no query that Baylor guard Obi Agbim, a switch from Wyoming, is a 3-point specialist. Final season, 80 of his 184 made discipline objectives originated past the arc throughout his lone marketing campaign with the Cowboys. And this 12 months, his first with the Bears, he splashed 72 of his 112 discipline objectives from 3-point vary getting into the Faculty Basketball Crown.

Nonetheless, Agbim arrived in Las Vegas on a chilly streak from downtown: He’d solely made six of his final 27 makes an attempt (22.2%) throughout Baylor’s final 4 video games, two of which had been losses.

That modified instantly within the Bears’ opening-round blowout of Minnesota on Wednesday evening when Agbim exploded for 17 factors, his highest level whole since scoring 19 in opposition to Colorado on Feb. 4. Agbim buried 5 of eight pictures from past the arc to tie his season excessive for many 3s in a single sport.

He made extra perimeter jumpers by himself than Minnesota did as a staff.

"Simply slowing down just a little bit," Agbim advised me after the sport when requested what contributed to his sturdy taking pictures efficiency. "Enjoying with a tempo that I’ve at all times performed with. Within the video games earlier than this, I used to be sort of dashing my shot just a little bit. So simply slowing down, taking my time once I shoot the ball. I really feel like that affected my jumper rather well in the present day."

4½. What’s subsequent?

Listed below are just a few storylines to look at as we transfer towards Thursday’s motion:

Stanford vs. West Virginia — Had Stanford not misplaced to Pittsburgh in its opening sport on the ACC Event, the Cardinal may need been in place to succeed in the Massive Dance given their uptick over the ultimate month. Led by head coach Kyle Smith, the Cardinal gained six of their final eight common season video games, together with 4 in a row to finish the 12 months. The Mountaineers, in the meantime, completed 18-14 total and 9-9 within the Massive 12 below new head coach Ross Hodge, who beforehand guided North Texas to consecutive NIT appearances the final two seasons.

Rutgers vs. Creighton — This week marks the top of an period for Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, who's retiring after 16 seasons with this system. He guided the Bluejays to unbelievable heights throughout that span with 365 victories and 10 NCAA Event appearances, headlined by three journeys to the Candy 16. Now, McDermott will face a Rutgers staff that bounced again from a prolonged dropping streak in the midst of the season to win 5 of its earlier 9 video games earlier than touring to Las Vegas.