Aziz Bandaogo is a shot blocker who is flashing some scoring potential lately. (Cincinnati Athletics)
This week, Bruce Thornton set the tone as Ohio State shocked fourth-ranked Kentucky; Johni Broome nailed a trey early on to lay any doubts about his health to rest as Auburn dominated 16th-ranked Purdue; and Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb had to eat his words after his team lost to D-II Michigan Tech. Some other college basketball stories we’re tracking…
Aziz Bandaogo Picking Up His Offense
After winning a combined 45 games over the last two seasons yet failing to make the NCAA Tournament, the Cincinnati Bearcats are building their case for a first March Madness appearance since 2018-19.
Cincy has won four straight, including sweeping its weekend opponents with a big win over growing rival (and 22nd-ranked) Dayton in a close one and then an easy victory over Grambling, 84-49.
Now 10-1, the 19th-ranked Bearcats are well positioned to begin Big 12 play on December 30.
In the win over Grambling, senior forward Aziz Bandaogo led the way with 15 points (including this huge slam dunk), six boards and a block in just 21 minutes, giving him three games in the last four with a dozen or more points. Now with his third school in five years, he’s playing a bit more and shooting better than ever this season, but (unsurprisingly against tougher competition) has been unable to duplicate his level of play with Utah Valley in 2022-23, when he saw a ton of PT and averaged over a double-double.
Bandaogo was an early entrant for the 2024 draft, but withdrew to play out his career at Cincinnati. He was projected as a potential second round pick in 2024, so is likely improving his draft stock with a better showing this season. The seven-footer, who started his career with Akron, is a shot blocker supreme and a great asset in the pick-and-roll game.
At the very least, expect Bandaogo to be signed as an undrafted free agent.
Bulldogs Backing Up?
Since its amazing 31-1 season in 2020-21, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have been in slow regression. The following season, they went 28-4 and then 31-6 before a 27-8 record last season. Earlier this month, Gonzaga lost back-to-back games (to Kentucky and UConn) before rebounding with easy wins over Nicholls and Bucknell.
That takes the Bulldogs back to 9-3, good enough for 13th in the country, but a bit of letdown from the rarified air that this program has grown accustomed to over the last half decade. Still, Gonzaga remains +1400 to win the National Championship this season as per FanDuel.
Senior power forward Graham Ike led the way in Saturday’s win, helping the team shake off a slow start with 25 points and 10 boards. Ike’s scoring has regressed since his amazing sophomore season, but he’s rolling now with 18 or more in four of the last five games.
His shooting hasn’t been as good this season from two-point range, but he’s never looked better from downtown (not that he employs that skill very often). Strong and mobile, Ike is a borderline second round pick or more likely to be signed as an undrafted free agent.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American singer Paul Frederic Simon is known to the world as Paul Simon. In 1975, he and his long-term collaborator Art Garkunkel released the single “My Little Town,” and on the flipside, they each had their own songs, with Simon’s being “You’re Kind,” which also appeared on his solo album Still Crazy After All These Years.