Indiana shows size in rout of North Carolina, Quinn Ellis stars for St. John's lead top exhibition takeaways

Not all exhibitions are created equal, and the Hoosiers, Illinois, Cincinnati and Baylor all posted memorable first impressions College basketball games are back! Dozens of high-major teams tipped off their first exhibition games last week, with more right around the corner. After a trying offseason filled with injunctions, temporary restraining orders and appeals, it's refreshing to have actual basketball, not court cases, to talk about again. The takes were sure flying in this week after Florida, likely the No. 1 team in Monday's preseason AP Top 25 poll, lost 82-76 to Baylor in overtime on Sunday. North Carolina got destroyed by Indiana in Michael Malone's second exhibition game. Oregon was in the news because Dana Altman abruptly retired right before Big Ten Media Days last week.

The Ducks promptly went out and got handled by Seattle U in a 71-65 loss in Thursday's first exhibition game. I didn't like Oregon's roster already, and now you remove a potential Hall of Fame coach? All the concerns about the Ducks are totally valid at this point. But do these exhibition games actually matter? It's a touchy subject. Here are some of my favorite exhibition scores in college basketball from last year at this time: You get the point. Some exhibition takeaways do matter. Some are totally irrelevant. Context matters more than ever