Morning News: Iowa State "Upsets" Michigan, Belmont Stuns Carolina, Indiana St Builds Their Resume

Iowa State fans rush the court after beating Michigan

Iowa State "Upsets" Michigan Iowa State's 77-70 win over Michigan was a great game, even if it wasn't actually an upset. Iowa State was favored by 1 point in Vegas. The reason for the line, more than anything, is that Michigan is not the 7th best team in the country. They were overrated by the media preseason. I rated them as narrowly inside the Top 25, and if anything they might not even be that good. It was good to get Mitch McGary back, but McGary is going to struggle with foul trouble under the new rules, and Michigan desperately lacks a go-to playmaker on offense. The last couple of seasons they could turn to Trey Burke or Tim Hardaway, Jr to put their head down and make a big play in a big moment. During this game, they just didn't know where to go with the ball.

But I don't want to take away from Iowa State's performance, which was great. Georges Niang, in particular, is such an underrated player. He only had 10 points, but that included six straight in the final few minutes to firm up and basically seal the victory. Iowa State also was very happy to get Melvin Ejim, who was recovering from injury and was considered questionable to play - he ended up with 22 points. They have a very interesting road game at BYU on Wednesday. A perfect spot for a letdown game. If they can somehow escape with the win there, we might have to talk about the Cyclones not just as a Tournament team but as a serious contender for second or third place in the Big 12.

Belmont Stuns North Carolina This game had a fantastic finish, and by the end I'm sure that basically every non-North Carolina fan was rooting for Belmont. The reffing in this game was flat out embarrassing, with every close call (and some not-particularly-close calls) going the way of the Tar Heels. Belmont ended up with a staggering nine players in foul trouble, and the Tar Heels had a 48-to-22 free throw attempt advantage. The saving grace for Belmont was that UNC couldn't hit those free throws, ending up only 46% at the line for the game. JP Tokoto was a horrific 4-for-16 at the line. Belmont was also 15-for-37 behind the arc, including three from JJ Mann in the final 65 seconds (the final being the game winner).

This North Carolina team desperately misses PJ Hairston. Without him, their offense is a mess. James Michael McAdoo is not an efficient scorer, and there is too much pressure on Marcus Paige to score. Paige is a better fit as a distributor. Until Hairston comes back, North Carolina probably isn't a Top 25 team, honestly. As for Belmont, they're just fun to watch. They're not quite as good as they were the past three seasons, but they're still a team that will give a scare to a higher seed in the Round of 64 in March. Their spacing on offense and ball movement is a pleasure to watch.

Indiana State Builds Their Resume The Sycamores controlled their game against Notre Dame, leading by double digits nearly the entire second half. Basically, they just shot the ball better, finishing 55% behind the arc. Indiana State is a team I expected to be on the bubble this season, and this is the type of win that can make a big difference on Selection Sunday. Also, that one point loss on the road to Belmont doesn't look quite so bad anymore. The Irish are at risk of being on the bubble as well, though this probably won't end up being too bad of a loss (Indiana State should end up in the RPI Top 100), and they'll have plenty of opportunities for quality wins in the ACC.

Roberto Nelson Scores 30+... Again Roberto Nelson has been lighting up the scoreboard for Oregon State. 31 points for him here pushed his season average up to 30.3 ppg. And what really matters is that it came in a quality win, on the road at Maryland. It doesn't make up for the Coppin State loss, of course, and I still have no expectations that Oregon State is going to be particularly close to the bubble by the time the calendar rolls to February, but at least they proved here that they have the ability to be feisty against a quality opponent. As for Maryland, this is a bad loss. They are now 1-2 to start the season, with the only win coming against cannon fodder Abilene Christian. They will look to bounce back next week at the Paradise Jam.

Northwestern... Sigh. As I said on twitter, we might be saying "This ain't the year" earlier than usual this season for Northwestern. This loss to Illinois State is a bad loss. Illinois State might be better than expected this season, but they're still likely going to be outside the RPI Top 100. Northwestern has talented offensive players, but they're too dependent on jump shooting. And when the shots don't fall (5-for-18 behind the arc here), they're going to lose to any decent team they play. Northwestern fans will just have to hold out hope that the team is still figuring things out with so many players returning from serious injury.