(Photo by Catalina Fragoso - Double G Media) College Three Takeaways From Day One Of 2K Classic at MSG While the big name schools did not appear, four teams came ready to play in the semifinals of the 2K Classic. by Kahlil Thomas November 17, 2017 On Thursday, Madison Square Garden hosted the semifinals of the 2017 2K Classic Benefitting The Wounded Warrior Project. While the games did not feature the perennial powerhouse programs as it does typically, it did feature four teams that will compete in their respective conferences this season. After Thursday’s play, there were three significant takeaways from the two games at The Garden that many people were discussing. Let’s start with Washington and life after Markelle Fultz. (Photo by Catalina Fragoso – Double G Media) The Huskies Are Doing Well Without Number One Overall Pick After the departure of Fultz after his freshman season, it was safe to assume that Washington would struggle. Fultz (23.2 PPG, 5.9 APG) was the lone bright spot on a team that went 9-22 and 2-16 in Pac-12 play. Washington fired longtime coach Lorenzo Romar and hired longtime Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins to take over a program that many thought would be competitive years from now. After beginning the season 2-0, the Huskies fell to Providence 77-70 in the second game of the 2K Classic. Noah Dickerson finished with 19 points and six rebounds before fouling out with 2:42 remaining. With a rising star in freshman Jaylen Nowell and junior guard David Crisp, who is the team’s leading returning scorer from last season, the Huskies have a nucleus to build around. They could be competitive quicker than many expected. Saint Louis Beats Virginia Tech In A Long Game I’m a fan of college basketball but the Hokies-Billikens game to open the 2K Classic was tough to get through. While both teams only committed 22 turnovers, there were 50 fouls called. Both sides hit stretches where they could not make a basket. The overall play just seemed to move in slow motion at many points. In the end, Saint Louis pulled away late as Javon Bess finished with 22 points in the victory. While the complaint will be that these two teams are not premier college basketball programs, therefore, they should not get a primetime spot on national television, Saint Louis beating an ACC team may have opened some eyes for the Atlantic 10 school. (Photo by Catalina Fragoso – Double G Media) Providence Continues Big East Early Season Dominance at 2K Classic The Friars victory over Washington moved the combined record of Big East teams to 22-4. The season is just a few games old, but the conference is showing why they should be in the conversation as the best in the country. Providence was picked to finish fourth in a deep Big East. They showed on Thursday why they are a constant presence in the Top 25. As the non-conference schedule continues, it will be interesting to see how Big East teams fare against better competition. Creighton taking on UCLA and Gonzaga and Seton Hall going against VCU and Virginia will be big tests. While the 2017-2018 Big East story will not be written until March, these early weeks will say a lot about whether the Big East will finally get a seat at the proverbial table. Post Views: 1,439 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Kahlil Thomas Kahlil is the College Sports Editor for DoubleGSports.com as well as a columnist, hosting the Bump 'N Run column once per week. He also co-hosts a weekly basketball podcast, The Box Out, every Thursday evening with fellow DoubleGSports.com writer Jason Cordner. Latest posts by Kahlil Thomas (see all) Where does Seton Hall turn after the graduation of Myles Powell? - April 28, 2020 WWE playing fast and loose with staff health and well-being - April 15, 2020 XFL suspends operations with no intention of returning in 2021 - April 10, 2020 Women In Sports Interview Series: Marissa Rives, Program Director of SiriusXM’s Fight Nation - March 31, 2020 Related Topics2K ClassicBig EastMadison Square GardenProvidence FriarsSaint LouisVirginia TechWashington Huskies Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 “Overtime” l Ep. 28: TopSpin Celeb-Athlete Tournament – Dec. 6, 2018 by Stefany Romero | posted on December 19, 2018 More in College You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Master P’s Son, Hercy, Commits to Tennessee State Master P’s son, Hercy Miller, is committing to Tennessee State to play basketball. While... EA Sports Plans to Revive College Football Video Game EA Sports announced that they plan on making college football video games again. The... UVM Women’s Basketball Team Quits 2020-2021 Season The University of Vermont (UVM) women’s basketball will be ending their 2020-2021 season early... My First College Football Saturday At Army West Point Unfinished business for Ramapo College Men’s Basketball Team in 2017-18 season