College Basketball Exhibition Takeaways Highlight Baylor, Kentucky, and Duke

College basketball exhibition games over the weekend offered a mixed bag of real trends and temporary anomalies across top programs.

Baylor Bears

Baylor posted strong exhibition wins over top-ranked Florida in Jacksonville and third-ranked Illinois on the road. Coach Scott Drew's team was picked seventh in a preseason preview and tenth in a poll, but these early results show the Bears are much improved.

Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky's season will heavily depend on its point guard play, where Furman transfer Alex Wilkins and Washington transfer Zoom Diallo showed mixed results. Meanwhile, stocky freshman guard Mason Williams emerged as a steady contributor, chipping in 14 points and playing major minutes in clutch situations. For Texas Tech, the current small-ball style forced by a lack of size is temporary and should change once JT Toppin heals and Jamichael Stillwell clears judicial hurdles.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas showcased a much tougher point-of-attack defense powered by freshmen Jordan Smith Jr. and Abdou Toure. Gonzaga struggled offensively against them, shooting just 3 for 25 from the field, though the Zags were missing injured sophomore Davis Fogle and Chauncey Wiggins. Gonzaga's frontcourt depth remains strong, highlighted by newly cleared Spaniard big man Izan Almansa.

Duke Blue Devils

Duke boasts arguably the best starting lineup in the country, featuring point guard Cayden Boozer, John Blackwell, Dame Sarr, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, and Patrick Ngongba, who scored 28 points against Kansas. For Kansas, player Tyran Stokes proved to be a dominant force with 27 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and 15 free throw attempts.

Context

College basketball teams frequently schedule high-profile exhibition games against tough opponents before the official season starts to test new rosters. These early matchups give coaching staffs a chance to evaluate freshman talent and transfer integrations under game pressure, though rotation changes and injuries mean early results do not always predict March outcomes.