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Winners and losers from Tuesday's 24-hour tip-off marathon

Jeff Eisenberg
·Senior writer

While the Champions Classic doubleheader will be the highlight of ESPN’s 24-hour tip-off marathon, there have been some other significant results. Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers so far:

Winner: Baylor’s offense with Manu Lecomte

Any lingering doubts about Manu Lecomte’s ability to transition to point guard should be long gone by now. The Miami transfer has been better than predecessor Lester Medford in Baylor’s first two games of the season. Lecomte didn’t shoot well against Oral Roberts, yet he still finished with 13 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers. The step up in competition against fourth-ranked Oregon hardly bothered Lecomte as he torched the Ducks for 18 points and seven assists. Lecomte’s performance is a huge reason that Baylor was able to emerge with a 66-49 upset victory. He knocked down big jump shots from behind the arc, made smart decisions with the ball in his hands and created for himself and his teammates off the dribble. If he continues to play at this level, he could become the sixth Baylor point guard in nine years to earn all-Big 12 honors.

Loser: Oregon’s offense without Dillon Brooks

The good news for Oregon is that Brooks could be back as soon as the Maui Invitational next week. The bad for the Ducks is that they look lost offensively without their injured All-American candidate. In its 66-49 loss at Baylor on Tuesday, Oregon shot 33.9 percent from the field and 3-for-21 from behind the arc against the Bears’ 1-3-1 zone. The Ducks couldn’t generate enough transition offense, nor did they consistently find ways of creating easy baskets against a set defense. Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Ennis struggled to get clean looks off the dribble amidst Baylor’s array of imposing shot blockers and none of Oregon’s shooters could get much of anything to fall from the outside. The long, athletic Ducks also didn’t do as much damage as usual on the offensive glass. Brooks’ ability to create mismatches and score in multiple ways will help, but he’s not a one-man cure-all. It’s possible Oregon may also miss Elgin Cook and Dwayne Benjamin more than many predicted.

Winner: Gonzaga’s freshmen big men

From the outside shooting of transfer Jordan Mathews to the disruptiveness of the two-three zone defense it unveiled, Gonzaga emerged from its 69-48 rout of San Diego State with plenty to feel good about. But the most encouraging sign for the Zags may have been contributions made by freshmen Zach Collins and Killian Tillie. Collins, a 7-foot McDonald’s All-American, and Tillie, a promising French stretch forward, came off the bench to combine for 23 points. What’s more, the two brought a jolt of energy and emotion off the bench, tallying a combined 18 rebounds, six steals and three blocks. With Przemek Karnowski still battling back issues and Johnathan Williams frequently plagued by foul trouble, it’s important for Gonzaga to have frontcourt depth it can trust. In Collins and Tillie, it may also have two stars of the future.

Loser: San Diego State’s half-court offense

For months, San Diego State coach Steve Fisher has expressed hope that this year’s Aztecs would be vastly improved on offense, that they have more shooters and scorers than they’ve had the past few years. That may still be the case once San Diego State gets healthier, but you’d never know it from the Aztecs’ 69-48 loss at Gonzaga on Monday night. They had zero assists at halftime. They shot 28.6 percent from the field. Nobody besides guards Trey Kell and Jeremy Hemsley scored more than six points. Some of San Diego State’s issues surely will be resolved when Malik Pope returns to the lineup, Matt Shrigley shakes off the rust and the roster truly has time to mesh. But if the Aztecs get as rushed and harried as they did Monday night whenever they get behind, they’re going to struggle against the better teams on their schedule.

Winner: BYU’s Lone Peak Three

The three BYU standouts who led Lone Peak High to four state titles showed Monday night that they’ll win a lot of games together at the college level too. Sophomores Nick Emery and Eric Mika and freshman T.J. Haws combined for 61 points as the host Cougars defeated Ivy League favorite Princeton, 82-73. Fresh off a two-year mission, Mika dominated in the paint, scoring 26 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and showing off an improved free throw stroke. Haws added 20 points in his BYU debut and Emery scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists. While this young nucleus has a promising future at BYU, Monday’s victory was a reminder the Cougars could be dangerous as soon as this year. The Princeton win figures to be one that will bolster BYU’s résumé all season long.

Loser: Dayton (even though it won):

While Dayton secured an impressive 77-72 road victory at Alabama on Tuesday afternoon, the Flyers probably would sacrifice the win if it meant that Josh Cunningham was OK. The 6-foot-7 forward suffered a potentially serious injury in the final seconds on a game-clinching dunk. With the Flyers leading Alabama by two, Cunningham went up for a transition dunk, absorbed heavy contact from Alabama’s Ar’Mond Davis and threw down a soaring one-handed slam. Cunningham’s left leg folded underneath him awkwardly when he landed, leaving him writhing in pain on the floor clutching his lower left leg. Archie Miller said after the game that the Flyers were concerned about both Cunningham’s left knee and ankle. “It’s uncertain what it is exactly, but we could be looking at being without him for some time,” Miller added.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!