#23 Kentucky just took down #19 Texas Tech 76-65, and the biggest takeaway might just be the emergence of freshman guard Mason Williams. This dude wasn’t even a top-100 recruit, but he’s already a massive piece of the Wildcats’ puzzle, dropping 14 points and making winning plays all over the court. Seriously, he grabbed a huge offensive rebound that led directly to a Milan Momcilovic dagger with less than two minutes on the clock. That’s clutch, especially for a freshman.
Kentucky’s Freshman Phenom and Texas Tech’s Troubling Trends
Williams is just steady, man. He takes what the defense gives him and he’s a knockdown shooter who can play either on or off the ball. He earned his minutes, too, playing five more than Washington transfer Zoom Diallo and being on the floor when the game was on the line. That tells you everything you need to know about how much trust the coaching staff has in him already.
Now, on the flip side, Texas Tech’s style right now, without their full frontcourt, is definitely not real. Head coach Grant McCasland basically ran a small-ball lineup for half the game, playing four guards and Josiah Moseley, a 6-foot-8 forward, as a center. That lack of size just kills them on both ends, forcing them to hit double-digit threes to even compete. They were still in it, though, tied at 54 with under eight minutes left. But let’s be real, without JT Toppin healthy and Jamichael Stillwell cleared, Texas Tech can’t be a serious contender. Those two are game-changers for their frontcourt, and without them, the size just isn’t there.
Baylor’s Blazing Start and Big Questions
Speaking of “real or fake,” what do we even make of Baylor? Scott Drew’s Bears were picked seventh in CBS Sports’ Big 12 preview, and a dismal tenth in the Big 12 preseason poll. But then they went and knocked off No. 1 Florida right in the Gators’ backyard, and followed that up by beating No. 3 Illinois in a true road game. What?!
Baylor’s point guard play is absolutely way better. Penn State transfer Kayden Mingo just went off against both Florida and Illinois, and he looks primed for a massive sophomore season. The dude is electric. However, they still have a super thin frontcourt, and let’s not forget Illinois was missing their All-American 4-man, David Mirkovic. So yeah, Baylor is clearly much improved, but crowning them a no-doubt, top-20 team right now? Maybe pump the brakes a bit.
We’ll find out what’s really real about Baylor come December 1. That’s when they head to Las Vegas for the Player’s Era tournament. That’s the real test, and we’ll see if these exhibition wins were a sign of things to come or just, well, utterly pointless. You gotta tune in, because early season college hoops is already delivering some wild storylines.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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