2K Sports Classic: 10 Things We Learned from the Preseason Tournament

The former Coaches vs. Cancer Classic got a new name this year, but the rebranded 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer continued its tradition of impressive performances on the court.

The Madison Square Garden-hosted tournament featured a pair of ranked teams in No. 15 Arizona and No. 19 Texas A&M, along with two more worthy contenders in St. John’s and Mississippi State.

Unranked though they are, the Bulldogs came out on top, downing Arizona in the championship game by a final of 67-57. The Aggies, playing without injured star Khris Middleton, took the third-place game, 58-57.

Herein, a look at the stars who led the victorious Bulldogs, the effects of Middleton’s absence, and the rest of the early insights to be gained from the high-powered preseason tournament.

10. Kourtney Roberson Is Some Kind of Rebounder

Kourtney Roberson rarely got on the floor as a Texas A&M freshman, averaging just 12.7 minutes a game last year. The 6’9” sophomore is still fighting for minutes, but he’s been making the most of them on the young season.

Roberson recorded double-digit rebounds in both of the Aggies’ games at Madison Square Garden, grabbing 11 in just 19 minutes against the Red Storm.

He’s not a great offensive option as yet (nine points combined in the two games), but Big 12 opponents will need to be ready for Roberson’s presence on the glass.

9. St. John’s Needs to Work on Its Free-Throw Shooting

St. John’s had its opportunities to take down Texas A&M in the third-place game, but missed eight of 13 free throws over the final six minutes and change.

The capper came with 2.3 seconds to go, when star guard Nurideen Lindsey had two shots from the stripe and missed both, leaving the final score at 58-57.

The A&M game wasn’t an isolated incident, either. The young Red Storm are shooting just .653 as a team from the charity stripe, a weakness that’s sure to cost them more than one game in 2011-12.

8. Mississippi State Has Some Help for Renardo Sidney Inside

Entering the season, Mississippi State had good reason to be confident in one post position, thanks to the presence of 6’10”, 270-lb Renardo Sidney and his 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds a game.

Now, however, Sidney isn’t the only serious weapon on the interior for the Bulldogs.

Arnett Moultrie, a 6’11” UTEP transfer, has dominated in his first season with MSU, averaging 15.2 points and 11.2 rebounds through five games. In the 2K Classic title victory over Arizona, Moultrie shot 8-for-9 from the field to finish with 19 points and 10 boards.

7. Arizona Has Lots of Scoring Options

The loss of No. 2 NBA draft pick Derrick Williams has naturally taken its toll on Arizona, but in one respect, the Wildcats might be a more dangerous offense with Williams gone.

Arizona is going to be a tough team to defend in 2011-12 because of its exceptional balance.

The Wildcats’ five leading scorers are all averaging between 9.6 points (sixth man Nick Johnson) and 12.8 points (point guard Kyle Fogg) per game, and all five scored in double figures in the win over St. John’s.

Arizona wouldn’t mind finding a go-to scorer for late-game situations, but other than that, the team will likely benefit from opponents’ inability to shut them down by stopping one player.

6. Nurideen Lindsey Is Ready for the Big Time

The gem of Steve Lavin’s recruiting class at St. John’s is 6’3” juco transfer Nurideen Lindsey.

The combo guard may have come up short on a couple of key free throws against Texas A&M, but on the whole he’s proving that he’s worthy of contending with the Big East’s stacked backcourts.

Lindsey, who narrowly missed a triple double in his third game with St. John’s (15 points, 10 boards, nine assists), is the Red Storm’s leading scorer with 15.8 points a game.

He scored 30 of those points combined against the Aggies and Wildcats while also pulling down five boards in each game at the Garden.

5. Khris Middleton Is Even More Important to the Aggies Than We Thought

In 2010-11, Khris Middleton was the only reliable scoring option on defense-first Texas A&M. With its all-Big 12 forward sidelined with a bum knee (he’ll be out a month after surgery), A&M saw both its offense and defense falter against Mississippi State.

The Aggies allowed a thoroughly uncharacteristic 46.2 field goal percentage to the Bulldogs (and got just two points from 2011-12 scoring leader Ray Turner) in suffering their first loss of the season.

While they bounced back to edge St. John’s in the consolation game, it’s clear that Middleton’s absence will make the Aggies a far more vulnerable team.

4. Arizona Needs Help Down Low

Although the frontcourt of 6’7” Jesse Perry and 6’6” Solomon Hill has put up respectable numbers through five games, the Wildcats’ lack of length is going to be a serious issue this season.

6’11” junior Kyryl Nathazhko is the only true big man in coach Sean Miller’s rotation, and he’s only getting 12.6 minutes a night.

Mississippi State exploited that situation in a big way, pounding the ball inside to big-man Arnett Moultrie for 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting.

On offense, meanwhile, the Wildcats couldn’t get anything going in the paint, shooting 40.4 percent from the field and attempting just nine free throws all night in the 67-57 loss.

3. Dee Bost Is as Good a Point Guard as There Is in the SEC

Mississippi State senior Dee Bost played brilliantly for half a season in 2010-11 after returning from an NCAA suspension. Considering how well he’s started this season, his performance as a junior was no fluke.

Bost is leading the Bulldogs with 16 points a game on the young season, and the 6’2” guard is also averaging 5.2 rebounds a night.

He’s shown the ability to adapt to whatever the offense needs from him, scoring 20 points to beat Texas A&M, then dishing out six assists and pulling down five boards (with just eight points) in the win over Arizona.

2. St. John’s Has Reloaded Fast

Although the Red Storm lost twice in de facto home games at MSG, Steve Lavin’s team showed that it’s going to be a legitimate factor in the Big East this season. Considering that Lavin had to replace essentially his entire 2010-11 roster, that’s no small feat.

Juco-transfer guard Nurideen Lindsey is the headliner, but he has plenty of help.

Freshman swingman Moe Harkless is averaging 14.6 points, 6.8 boards and 1.8 blocks in the early going, and classmate D’Angelo Harrison combined for 28 points against the Aggies and Wildcats.

1. Mississippi State Is a Top 25 Team

Taking down a Texas A&M team that was missing its best player is one thing. Knocking off No. 15 Arizona on a neutral court in convincing fashion (67-57) is quite another.

Even with the upset they suffered against Akron in the tournament prelims, the Bulldogs’ two wins at MSG should lift them into the national rankings.

With mostly cupcakes left on the preconference schedule, they’ll have a chance to climb those rankings noticeably before their next serious test, against No. 12 Baylor on Dec. 28.