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College basketball week 3: 5 biggest takeaways

By Chris Stone

Nov 22, 2016; Lahaina, Maui, HI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes (10) drives to the basket against Georgetown Hoyas guard Rodney Pryor (23) during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2016; Lahaina, Maui, HI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes (10) drives to the basket against Georgetown Hoyas guard Rodney Pryor (23) during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Week 3 of college basketball has come and gone. Here’s what we learned from a Feast Week full of action.

College basketball isn’t just a sport for March. If you’ve been following along over the last seven days, you’ve seen an awesome collection of matchups during November’s Feast Week tournaments. Baylor pulled off an impressive comeback against Louisville in Atlantis. Iowa State nearly did the same to Gonzaga at the Advocare Invitational. And Kentucky’s Malik Monk continues to deliver highlight reel dunks worth tuning in for. Now, here’s a look at what we learned from another exciting week of fall hoops.

5. North Carolina is playing like the best team college basketball

There are, of course, arguments for others. Current No. 1 Kentucky has won each one of its six games by more than 20 points. Villanova is the returning national champion and owner of one of the season’s most impressive victories, a road win over Purdue. North Carolina, though, is playing the best basketball of anyone in college hoops.

The Tar Heels spent Feast Week winning the Maui Invitational. Sure, one of their wins came against Chaminade, but they also dismantled a solid Oklahoma State team and made a quality Wisconsin team look bad.

On a macro level, North Carolina has answered many of the questions it faced entering the season. Even without Brice Johnson, the Tar Heels are still rebounding 46.6 percent of their own misses, the second best mark in the country. They are also knocking down plenty of three-pointers, shooting 39.2 percent from behind the arc. Sophomore Kenny Williams (8-of-18) has been a big help in that regard. North Carolina is even getting the job done defensively, avoiding sending teams to the free throw line and holding opponents to just 40.5 percent shooting inside the three-point arc.

All of this is happening without forward Theo Pinson who is still recovering from a stress fracture. Pinson figured to be one of the Tar Heels’ most important players and the fact that the team is playing so well without him is a good sign of how good they may be come March.