This week, BYU big Keba Keita had to leave a game early with an injury; in just his fourth college contest, Cameron Boozer tied the Duke record for second-most points by a freshman in a game with 35; and UNC finally landed its first 2026 recruit in four-star prospect forward Maximo Adams. Other college basketball stories we’re tracking include…

Kamrin Oriol’s Career Game

In 2020-21, the North Florida Ospreys managed just eight wins, and while they had been slowly building up since, finally reaching .500 in 2023-24, they slipped back into their losing ways last season with only 15 victories.

It’s been more of the same so far this season, as North Florida got pummeled by ranked teams in their first two games before taking it to NAIA team New College (FL) on Saturday.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t moved the needle for an Ospreys team that hasn’t made the NCAA tourney since 2014-15 as it has dropped to 344 on the KenPom rankings after heading into the season slotted 340th.

Still, all is not doom and gloom in North Florida as senior guard Kamrin Oriol has taken a huge step forward in his second season with the school after transferring from NAIA program The Masters University.

On Saturday, he exploded for a career-high 30 points (on 12-of-16 shooting) with nine boards, four assists, four steals and a trio of three-pointers. After coming off the bench last season, Oriol is now a full-time starter so is playing way more minutes and getting a ton more touches. He’s jacking up more treys, and while his FT shooting has regressed slightly, his scoring and rebounding have improved dramatically.

Oriol, a 6’3”, 187-pound St. Petersburg, Florida native who flashed some mad skills in high school (see video below), is considered highly competitive, but is not an NBA draft prospect. However, if the point guard continues to thrive this season, perhaps he could open some eyes for a gig in Europe or elsewhere.

Hokies Start Hot

Since their last NCAA tourney team (2021-22), the Virginia Tech Hokies have struggled, but with their play so far, there’s reason for hope. It’s early, so conference play (which begins New Year’s Eve) will tell the tale, but at 4-0, the Hokies are in a seven-way tie for first in the ACC.

VT’s odds of winning the ACC regular season title remain long (+5000 as per FanDuel), but this looks like the best Hokie squad since they last appeared in March Madness.

After scoring 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting with four three pointers, two assists and a steal in Sunday’s win, senior guard Jailen Bedford looks like he’s on his way to a strong bounce back season.

He enjoyed a strong debut college effort with Oral Roberts, but after transferring to UNLV he did not shoot as well last season in a mostly bench role. Bedford transferred again this offseason, and he’s back to being a full-time starter with Virginia Tech, and while his touches – both from inside and outside the arc — are actually down so far, he’s shooting far better than ever in all respects (57.9 per cent from the field and a ridiculous 62.5 per cent from downtown).

Both marks are probably unsustainable, so scoring regression is likely, so his early numbers have masked weaker work from the line and in his rebounding. However, Bedford is posting a career-best 1.5 assists per contest, so his game is developing to some extent.

He helped keep the Hokies in the game on Sunday with 16 of his 21 points before the half and then the rest of the team started doing their thing to help seal the victory. Bedford’s two early treys and nine total points helped stake Virginia Tech to an early 20-12 lead. The 6’4”, 190-pound Texas native wasn’t much of a prospect coming out of high school, but he’s really helped beef up the Hokie backcourt so far.

Bedford is not an NBA Draft prospect, but is another player who could put himself in position for a job in another pro league should he continue to excel this season.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

American composer Philip Glass is now 88 yet does not seem to have retired. In 1975, he released Solo Music, which included the piece “Contrary Motion.” This song also found its way onto the 1995 compilation album Defies Definition.

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