BShark said:
Good teams in the B12: Kansas, Iowa State, KSU.
That's it.
TCU was without two of its best players, Fisher and Noi who are battling back from knee injuries. 6 guys played that hadn't been in a College Game before. They struggled and I think its a bit early to judge them based on the injuries. If those two guys gets healthy they have as good a starting 5 as anyone outside KU in the Big-12
jayballer73 said:
well was just reading the picks on final four team pick 7 National Camp picks from 29 people - -a couple of strange picks in final four - -and ONE really strange pick to me anyways in Champ - Here they are
Final four picks -- there were 16 different teams with at least ONE final four picks lead by : KU ( with 24 out of the 29) - -followed by - - - -Kentucky with ( 19 ) - -- -Duke ( with 13 ) - - - - - -then Gonzaga ((with 12 ) - - then Tennessee ( with 10 ) - -
The surprises of picks on final 4 - - - Syracuse -- - -( with 7 ) - -are they that good ? - - -AUBURN ( with 1 ) - - -Seriously? - - -Davidson (with 1 ) - -Whaaa? - - Mississippi State ( with 1 ) - -where did that come from? -a surprise they didn't get more - - Villanova ( with 1 )
Ten as far as National picks :- - - - seems like the overwhelming pick is - - - - -Kentucky almost double anyone else -- Kentucky with ( 10 picks ) - - - - - - - Gonzaga - - - With (5 ) - - - -KU - -With ( 5 ) - -
The surprise - -Duke with ( only 2 ) - -and the biggest surprise pick to win it all -- Syracuse with ( 1 ) - -Are you kidding ) -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
For some reason Syracuse's zone defense seems to be really effective in the NCAA tourney. They made the Sweet 16 which was a miracle.
They do have more depth this season, all 5 starters return and there's expectation that Tyus Battle, now a Jr will become even better as he averaged 19 pts pg last year. Are they final 4 good? Probably not, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them get back to the S16
Auburn will be a Top 3 SEC team they have tons of experience and they are looking to build off a 26 win season where they got a #4 seed in the NCAA's.
Davidson & Miss St are not Final 4 good. Those are drunk picks.
Villanova won't miss a beat despite all they lost.
ESPN had this to say about KU's prospects from Tuesday's game.
Quentin Grimes-
Kansas' 6-foot-5 combo guard made an excellent impression on NBA scouts, answering questions about his shooting stroke by cashing six of his first eight 3s, some coming from well beyond the NBA arc. Prior to Tuesday, Grimes was shooting a career 85-of-288 (29.5 percent) from 3, according to our database. But with more than a hundred NBA executives on hand, Grimes shot the ball with confidence, displayed tremendous mechanics and footwork, and played his usual smart, mature, mistake-free basketball.
He plays within himself, almost always makes the right read and can moonlight at point guard. (He dropped four assists and just one turnover). On the defensive end, Grimes was rock solid, forcing Josh Langford into long, contested 2s and staying active off the ball. He still has questions to answer about his finishing (1-of-4 inside the arc) and overall upside, but Grimes checks a lot of different boxes.
Dedric Lawson-
Lawson showed why he is likely to become one of the more controversial prospects in this class. He shot just 5-18 from the field, doing his best work operating from the center position with his ability to post up and draw fouls in bunches. He also went 10-12 from the free throw line, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 6 assists, showing the terrific basketball IQ and versatility that make him such a unique prospect at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-2½ wingspan.
It's clear that Lawson used his redshirt season to his advantage physically by tightening up his frame. That was imperative considering he lacks much in the way of quickness and explosiveness. He is a short strider who doesn't get up and down the floor very well, struggles to get off the ground for finishes and has quite a bit of trouble stepping outside of the paint defensively -- all major issues for an NBA big man. Lawson's overall feel helps compensate for that to an extent. He can handle the ball effectively, and he was utilized as a playmaker in intriguing 4/5 pick-and-rolls that allowed his court vision to shine. He gravitates to the glass naturally and uses his length to corral rebounds on both ends of the floor. He was impressive getting in the passing lanes and protecting the rim, staying vertical and walling off opponents despite not being much of a leaper.
The biggest key for Lawson will be his evolution as a shooter. He made just 30 percent of his 3s in his first two college seasons and missed both of his attempts from outside Tuesday, but he was on fire during Kansas' two exhibition games. He has promising shooting mechanics and has always been a solid free throw shooter, so there is plenty to be optimistic about long term.
Lawson has long been an analytics darling who is beloved by draft models due to his excellent assist, rebound, steal and block rates, but he was repeatedly given the cold shoulder by NBA teams while at Memphis. Now going into his fourth season of college basketball while still only 21 years old, he appears to be in a much better position to utilize his diverse skill set. He's likely in store for a huge year from a productivity standpoint, though there are still questions about exactly what type of NBA prospect he is.
Devon Dotson-
Dotson played a major role in Kansas' win over Michigan State, handling a veteran Spartan backcourt with poise and showing significant potential on both ends of the floor. Dotson is one of the more explosive open-court players you'll find, able to accelerate impressively while turning defensive rebounds into transition opportunities. Even though he's still learning to fully harness his tremendous speed, the fast-paced nature of the NBA game will likely suit him quite well.
On top of that, he seems to be making strides with his jumper, knocking down three of his five attempts from beyond the arc. Showing real confidence with this part of his game bodes well for his ability to develop into the type of complete offensive weapon NBA covets from lead guards. On top of that, he defended his position effectively, fighting over the top of screens with his strong frame, heating up the ball far away from the basket and getting in the passing lanes repeatedly.
Dotson's decision-making skills are clearly a work in progress, as evidenced by his three assists and four turnovers. It's also not a given that his jump shot will be as consistent over the course of the season considering his unconventional mechanics and spotty track record. Nevertheless, his tremendous speed, willingness to defend and strong frame give him definite NBA potential that he will likely be able to tap into after two or three seasons at Kansas.
Grimes shot around 40% from 3 last year in HS and through all the extra's he played in. Vitale labeling him as streaky really wasn't the smartest of words to use. He's a scorer. He will score and struggle at times, all players do, nobody is perfect every game and very few are not streaky. Mechanically his shot looks good and as long as he gets his feet set he'll make a good amount of shots for this team. A few of his misses looked good, a few of his misses he wasn't set and was off. I was happy he was aggressive looking for his shot. We haven't even seen his midrange or his ability to get to the hoop and make floaters and those 6-8 footers. He's got it all in his arsenal
jayballer73 said:
BeddieKU23 said:
jayballer73 said:
BeddieKU23 said:
The FBI gave the NCAA permission to start investigating schools tied to the FBI trial. Resolution for Silvio on the horizon? Penalties for KU?
Hold my beer, check back in April
Hell I'll hold your beer lol. - -I can't guarantee that you won't get it back empty lol -you got anymore. lol - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
Fridge is full, you want some popcorn as well?
lol--- - -why yes thanks - -I would prefer buttered please - you got any? lol
Unreal, butter. The nerve.
There was that one time, Fran, said Frank Mason wasn't a Top 5 Point Guard in the Big-12. I think it was more then once actually
dylans said:
@KUSTEVE Too bad Adidas went cheap on that one... just kidding.
I guess we couldn't find an 800k house in Lawrence somewhere..
BShark said:
No one had any tape on them yet. Seriously, that matters. They have three incredible players but it's a large burden for 3 guys to shoulder game in, game out. They are good, will be a 1-2 seed, but I wouldn't call them unbeatable yet. I wouldn't call them 2012 UK or 09 UNC yet either.
Well stated.
Duke had 4 turnovers. The freshman trio took 53 shots. I would be very surprised if they played this good again
Woodrow said:
I think Duke put college basketball on notice last night. That was clinical and damn impressive. Zion is way better than I thought.
Notice how all the top draft candidates showed out in front of scouts. I think that should be taken into consideration here. Barrett, Zion, Grimes, Reddish all had motivation here.
The Duke game is such an outlier to what will happen on average. RJ, Zion & Cam are not scoring 84 between the trio a game. They scored as many points as Kentucky did as a team. We've seen their potential but I'd imagine they don't play up to it more then 3-5 games during the year
mayjay said:
@BeddieKU23 I think Vick will improve once he and the coaches not only determine all that QG and DD can do, but also how they should be used with Vick. He is like an X-factor, and last night it seemed he wasn't as involved in playmaking except as an afterthought. Q and D looked comfortable together; now, they need to add the exponential growth with Vick.
I hope he improves which is why I don't want to overreact to one game. He's an enigma
At least we can go under the radar now that ESPN made Duke #1 in the power rankings. Cancel the season folks. Duke's printing 40-0 shirts
jayballer73 said:
BeddieKU23 said:
The FBI gave the NCAA permission to start investigating schools tied to the FBI trial. Resolution for Silvio on the horizon? Penalties for KU?
Hold my beer, check back in April
Hell I'll hold your beer lol. - -I can't guarantee that you won't get it back empty lol -you got anymore. lol - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
Fridge is full, you want some popcorn as well?
The FBI gave the NCAA permission to start investigating schools tied to the FBI trial. Resolution for Silvio on the horizon? Penalties for KU?
Hold my beer, check back in April
KU got the Win. KU looked GOOD. There's a lot of room for improvement.
Izzo always gives us a good challenge and he certainly made it too close for comfort late. If either team makes Free Throws this is a different ball game.
Exhibitions are absolutely pointless to judge a team by. It was night and day difference from what we saw the last week.
KU is HUGE. KU is fast. KU has depth which is crazy to even think about. They have no idea how to defend yet. The Hi/Low is going to crush teams this year when executed properly. I was surprised how well we ran some stuff in the first half and was the key to the victory after the 2nd half letdown.
Some typical first game issues, turnovers, driving into defenders with no plan and a lack of awareness getting back in transition were the main weaknesses last night.
Q & Dotson: As good as advertised. Devon took a bit to settle down but he was terrific at times. Making 3's is game changer for him. His shot looked fine to me. Dotson really defends and his quickness allows him to stay with PG's on ball screens. Enjoy the 30+ games we get of Grimes. Smooth operator
Dedric: Gets 20 and 14 in a off-game. I thought he pressed some to snap out of the shooting slump but he impacts the game in a big way. His rebounding ability is 2nd to none on this team and he's the best passer as well. Can't wait to see his good games. Watch out world.
Azubuike: Noticeable improvement in the post. FT's looked good until he got in a pressure situation. As always his inability to stay on the floor is his biggest weakness. His impact on the floor last night was noticeable with Dedric having an off-game. What a difference two bigs makes to this team.
Vick: Not to overreact to one game with him but how does he fit on this team? His shot looked out of control. I was hoping to see the Sr improved Vick. I don't think we are close to seeing that yet with him. We'll need him as the season goes on.
Interested in thoughts on what everyone saw.
Grimes is a better athlete then he showed last night. I'm sure scouts will like what they saw from the 3's and his vision but he definitely didn't show a complete game. I thought he defended pretty well when I focused on him. He had a few forced shots where he wasn't set and missed badly but other then that I thought he showed a good game for scouts last night, certainly nothing that would drop his draft stock at the moment
Unreal
Ouch
Vick with a dumb foul
Wow
A few baskets here would end this
Doke likes fouling
What a response
Easy game over. Let's match this run
Jeesh that's not good
Dedric finally got one in
What a crap shot
Half these fouls wont be called in regular season it's to keep Michigan st in it
bskeet said:
Thank God they are shooting less than 75% from FT
That just crossed my mind as well
Our 48th foul of the game
Wow
BShark said:
BeddieKU23 said:
Oh god vick
He's not good. Damn
Game 1 jitters lol
Refs literally dont let them play
Oh god vick
approxinfinity said:
Have barely been able to watch this thing (baby). KJ seem more useful to you guys as well?
No.made a 3 tho
Loyer looks 10
Oh the refs annual blow hard in game one forget the rules by game 15 crap
BShark said:
Is Washburn better than Michigan State? My column:
You asking for a friend?
DanR said:
Grimes has taken some stupid shots
Leaning wrong way on that last. Coach wants him to be aggressive
Wow
Dotson is freshman and soph frank
DanR said:
Vick's shot looks like total crap. what happened
Got challenged
When you have the horses to crush everyone
So the guy trips Grimes and they just say play on
I'm sure he touched wind
LOL
My gosh refs
Lightfoot is just lost defensively
Garrett much more confident