Gibbs is all jump shooter. I expect our guards will bite on his clever moves to get open.
BeddieKU23
31745 posts
It's more then keeping them in a half court.
Monk and Fox are killing their small guards
UNC doesn't have the athletic size to keep up
Monk is playing like a NBA superstar
Kentucky will win this game easily
going to be a tough game. not sure many think so but we will be in a battle
wow the ref's really love Kentucky today.
Roy just got a T for throwing his jacket and honestly he had every right
Wow big boy pants for this one.
Monk with 15 early. Shooting the ball unconscious
UNC can't handle Kentucky honestly
He's a typical top talent that is more worried about getting his points. Even playing on a loaded team with D-1 players at every position can make him even more complacent. Self will either get him to "get it" or he'll be on the bench
KU has done a good job recruiting Langford but we're probably not his top choice right now. I bet we stick around in his top 5 and if we happen to have a starting spot open for him or win a championship this year those are the things that could push him our way.
I point that out because Preston has exactly what the NBA wants. A big body who can handle the ball ,shoot, athletic- the stretch 4 in the NBA. He'll be on the NBA radar and unless he's disappointing at KU I don't expect we'll have him long enough for him to live up the Marcus Morris comp... Obviously things can change, we will see
I hate the rule as a College Basketball fan. But without the rule we'd never have seen Andrew Wiggins or Josh Jackson among others in a KU uniform. The marriage is brief but it definitely has its advantages. OAD's are never going to be perfect.
Finally got a chance to watch some of the game after reading comments about Preston.
Definitely wasn't his best game and I think the tools are there for a guy like Self to mold. Defensively with Oak Hill playing the zone you didn't get much of a read but its definitely an area of concern with him. On offense I love his ball-handling skills for his size- tough to find any 6-10 230 pound athletes with that kind of ability to handle the ball. Shot looks good so he's definitely a stretch the floor type. The biggest issue which isn't new to me is his effort. He needs Bill Self to push him to become a better player then he already is. Lots of talent, definitely not a finished product.
Some of the other guys are players. I've seen Wigginton play a bunch and he's going to be a pain for us to deal with in the future. He'll start at ISU as a freshman, probably why he ended up there. Martin had a KU offer but he was never leaving the West-Coast. Riley is better then I thought, we could have used him for next year. He will be a good one at UCLA, Bagley could play in the NBA right now, he's a man among boys out there. Coleman is limited offensively but knows how to run a team with talent around him. I don't see top 30 player in him but its a weak PG class so he's rated higher then normal. Alexander will be a big-time player for Creighton in the future, nice pick up for them.
I believe Preston will be on TV again against Michael Porter Jr next month. Should be a great matchup
I agree its risky because your basically hitting the re-set button in 2018 as well. Back to the same issue recruiting your next leader.
Duval is that situation. He might give you one spectacular season though.
Young is in the Devonte Graham route 2/3 maybe even 4 years of College. Young won't wow any scout with his size, athleticism, measurable's so he's a candidate to be a very good College player with a limited ceiling in the NBA. Young is the type of player that if he stayed 4 years, breaks scoring records. He scored 52 in a game recently with 9 dimes.
Self put us on the OAD map, he's chasing the best talent and knows that a 4 year window with top players has shrunk considerably. 7 of the 10 players on this years roster have a good chance of making an NBA roster in the future. The 2 kids he's signed already make 9.
I would like to see the rule changed and there should be freedom for some players to get Draft Info out of HS or after their 1st year of College if they are good enough to be drafted in the 1st round. Have those select kids invited to the Combine and have them keep their "amateur" status until they decide what's best for them.
7 more years of the OAD as the CBA was agreed upon with the NBA.
They proposed a Zero & 2 rule. High School kids could go pro or have to attend 2 years of College.
CBS Article-"The intriguing aspect here is how the new deal allows for some growth and continued perspective, and perhaps we see a scenario in two or three years from now wherein the CBA affixes a new provision for entering the draft. Either you leave right out of high school or you commit to play in college and have to spend at least two years there before you can put your name in the draft pool.
But that's not an improvement. If anything, it's a scare tactic, and it's likely to push a number of would-be college stars to the pros too early, wherein plenty will invariably fail"
It's not ideal to have a freshman running the show. But what is the alternative? In a perfect world Devonte Graham would stay his senior year but even our coach thinks that won't happen. No other PG on the roster unless we want to say Newman is a PG. It's been a great run with Graham/Mason but those guys don't grow on tree's. The re-set button is on the horizon, we are going young it seems no matter what happens.
No problem. We are in a rare position with the roster where a freshman point guard could be running the show next year. We are also lucky to be after two outstanding basketball players that both offer contrasting styles of play.
I've started to open up to the idea that Malik Newman might be one of our primary ball-handlers next year and his year practicing with the team is going to build the trust that Self needs in his floor general. I don't think he's an ideal fit to run the team but I'm open to the idea after a lot of fellow bucketeers have expressed their opinion on him.
Duval is really good and if he ends up at KU we will be happy to know that at least we tried to fill the PG spot with the best possible talent available.
With Young I just feel will be better for the team next year and the future.
Self talked about how Josh Jackson "unpacked his bags" a cliche to point out that even though he's an OAD he's completely bought into the team until the time comes for him to decide on his future. Without knowing Duval personally and just judging my opinion on how his recruitment process has gone and what scouts/etc have said I don't think Duval would be the type that '"unpacks the bags"- kind of a kid that has 1 foot out the door as some do that know that College is just a stop on the road. That opinion is not meant to be negative in any way towards Duval, its simply just a thought I have regarding him.
Now with Young we have gotten a much deeper perspective of his recruitment. He's big about his family and KU has been after him for over 2 years. When Young visited they rolled out the red-carpet. They played highlights of his father- a Texas Tech alum who played in Allen Fieldhouse and had a magical game years ago against KU. That hit home for the Young family and it was big for KU to use that as a recruiting tool. I feel as though Young will be here a few years if he came to KU and would be a player we get more out of. He has the ability to play major minutes as a freshman but also develop here and become a fan favorite. I love the versatility he offers on offense and his ability to shoot the ball. With how the game has changed Young's ability to stretch the floor is a huge advantage to have on your team. We shall see in the coming months what happens..
Couldn't agree more! That would be an awesome duo
It would be interesting. Duval is not the type of PG that ends up at KU- he ends up at Kentucky but since Kentucky isn't involved he must go somewhere. He would definitely be an exciting player to watch in a KU uniform.
I bet a lot of scouts would say Duval over Young but I think that is largely because Duval projects as a better NBA player. Young will be a better College player especially if he sticks around 2-3 years as expected. I'll take the better College Player that would potentially start for multiple years at KU over a guy who has eligibility questions /has been linked to possibly going oversea's and is only going to be in college 1 year.
Regardless, as long as KU lands one of them we will be in good shape for next year.
Exactly I'm not big on the 18 point guards but if we get one I hope its Dotson.
agreed tonight's TFBG is horrible
A month ago I would have said Duval but I prefer Trae Young.
You can't go wrong with either but Duval is an OAD, I don't think the OAD option is there for Young and with what he's said to the media that is not his plan anyway.
I think Duval is waiting out the Duke offer as @BShark said and roster movements at the end of the year. What Matt Coleman decides to do is important in this battle. If Coleman signs with Duke- KU is definitely the favorite (if Young doesn't sign with KU before that point). If Coleman goes to Texas or the unlikely 3rd option in Stanford- Duke will probably win his recruitment.
I'm almost certain Bill Self wants Trae Young more than Duval. Young is an outstanding kid both on/off the court. Self has been after him since his Sophomore year and every chance Self and his staff get since the spring they have been following him full staff. That's unusual to do when KU is usually after a lot of guys and resources need to be spread out.
Duval & Young would both fit differently in the KU system.
Duval is a tremendous athlete- elite for the PG position ( I think Derrick Rose/John Wall) when I see him. Neither was a prolific jump-shooter but athletically/physically they were better then everyone around them. Duval is not a great shooter and lives by getting into the paint. At the next level he will have to work on his shot a lot- think Josh Jackson in terms of shooting ability at this point. Duval has excellent vision, transition skills and speed to go along with excellent ball-handling. He'd fit in well with Vick/Newman/Svi (possibly back) & Garrett.
With Young your getting a floor leader and in my opinion one of the most fearless and elite shooters I've ever seen at the High School level. In the gym range is a term that I don't throw out lightly and Young has that ability. When you look at how Steph Curry has changed the NBA game with his shooting I see some similarities in Young. Young isn't an elite athlete-maybe sometimes underrated but by no means an above-the-rim player so that limits his attractiveness in the NBA. He'll have to become really good at everything else to make up for that. Young is also a kid that can become versatile in the 2 PG option that Self has been using currently. You can put Young off the ball because his shooting ability has to be accounted for. He would provide better floor spacing for the offense. I would be okay with using Trae as our primary ball-handler as a freshman. It's not ideal but I don't think Young is the type of player you can keep off the floor if he picks up the offense quickly.
Defensively Duval would be the better get. Duval has excellent size and length to bother opposing PG's. I think Young is also an underrated defender but in College he's going to have to bulk up some to handle guys that are bigger and more mature than him.
In the end I would take Young's shooting ability and versatility to play the secondary ball-handler position that Graham currently fills. Plus your getting a multi-year player that will provide more roster stability.
He's got a lot of potential for KU if he's eligible. The comparison to Morris is valid
Bill knows Graham isn't coming back.
Sign up Trae!
Oak Hill is a loaded team.
For it being this early I agree with all his 1-2 seeds. All of them have a chance to win the championship at this point. We'll see whether that holds up in conference play and how momentum switches from some teams to others.
As of now 12 teams stand out to me, the 8 on the top seed lines and Creighton, Wisconsin, Gonzaga & Louisville. One of these 12 teams will win the championship at the end of the year. Nobody has really separated themselves at this point. This could be a banner year for College Basketball if we have this many contenders getting to March.
I agree that Oregon does not look the same from last year. I do see a team that has a chance to be really good by the end of the year though. Oregon is still working their best player into the lineup (Brooks) who has only played over 20 minutes in 3 of his 8 games coming back from injury. He's a big time player and will continue to get better- and the team will get better because of it.
They have also struggled at PG where last years starter Casey Benson has been replaced by Top 100 freshman Peyton Pritchard in the starting lineup. Pritchard has struggled shooting the ball but was one of the top scorers in the 16 class coming in so his struggles are surprising. Any team is going to go through some struggles working in a freshman when your experienced PG is not cutting it for you anymore.
I look for Oregon to give UCLA all they can handle in the conference opener. UCLA has played like the better team but its hard to get wins in that gym and I'm sure Oregon will be looking for the big upset.
Michigan St is no longer in the rankings and unless Izzo turns it around I don't expect they will be there much of the remaining season.
I also agree that UNC shouldn't have been in one possession game with Tennessee at home but I will give them the benefit because Joel Berry is that important to UNC. As I've said numerous times I'd hate to see how KU would do without Frank on the floor. We have Devonte- which 99% of teams in D-1 don't have as good of another option at PG as KU does. Still it would change things tremendously for KU not having our senior leader on the floor. UNC currently doesn't have a great option behind Berry. Britt is a solid role player and they have a freshman with big upside in Seventh Woods but its a lot to ask your backups to run the show for a high powered offense. UNC as they always do- rely on great point guards to run the style of play they use. UNC will need Berry back and healthy this weekend if they hope to defeat Kentucky in Las Vegas where the score could easily hit 100 for both squads
yess the College Bball page
Oregon is ranked 22nd. They have a marquee game at home next week against UCLA.
UNC played Tennessee without their best player and PG- Joel Berry averages almost 15 points a game. Leads the team in 3 pointers, assists, steals, FT %, I can't imagine KU playing without Frank Mason who fills a similar role.
IU lost to Fort Wayne on the road. They also beat UNC. That's the low and high ceiling for IU, can beat the best and lose to anyone
Very happy to see the charges dropped so quickly. It didn't stop Carlton from being humiliated this past week and the damage control of the situation will never restore some opinions of him. But it is very encouraging to see that all the facts have been put out there and Bragg is free to get about his life again.
I think we will see a motivated kid for the foreseeable future on the court as this situation might provide the spark he needs.
I'm also glad that nobody on this board jumped to crazy conclusions about the situation before it was over with. I think everyone is happy now besides the crazy girl!
It's on their front page that he's reinstated
True its ESPN
Good comments.
I also think Gonzaga carries their unbeaten streak the furthest if they win the home game vs Saint Mary's. They will lose somewhere but it could be interesting to see how far this unbeaten streak goes.
I think the Creighton/Nova matchup is one that Creighton can win because its a home game and they score at a high rate. Creighton is shooting a staggering 54% from the field as a team and 44% from 3. It's like the entire team is shooting like Dough McDermott did his senior year. They have played 5 Power 5 squads so its not like the numbers are inflated against lower level D-1 schools. Against the #1 team they will stand a good chance of an upset. In order to do so, Creighton will have to defend. If they get past Nova, they will have a good chance of staying undefeated until mid January when they travel to Xavier.
I agree that USC will lose soon. @ Oregon seems like the first spot. They do sport decent wins against Texas A&M, BYU & SMU.. The jury is still out on this team.
In regards to the minutes being played by our guards, do you think the Big-12's scheduling of KU games is one of the biggest concerns for the Frank/Devonte wear down?
Hear me out. I think in a perfect world KU would have another trust-worthy ball-handler to use but we don't. The Connor talk got me thinking about some of the obvious factors we may see that cause the wear down effect of Frank.
The Big-12 likes to stick it to KU when it comes to it's traditional Saturday/Monday turnaround games. KU is always playing more short-rest games then the rest of the Big-12 and the rest of College Basketball (if I'm stating that in-correctly let me know). KU plays 4 Big Monday games this year and surprisingly 2-away, 2-home. I guess if we were thinking "big picture" the short-rest games help prepare this team for March. In some way they may be the reason Frank or Devonte wear down as the season goes on.
Having said all that I do think our guards are in the best shape of their life to withstand the rigors of the season. If they can survive the Big-12 and make it to March fresh then our concerns will be null. The injury bug has hit KU hard in the past when we've hit March. It's about time the luck changed.
The only time I saw Froling was in the Nike Hoop Summit game. He looked pretty good but from what I've read was having problems with the speed of the game so far.
Copeland would be a take from my opinion especially with our post situation looking murky at best going forward.
Copeland is an interesting take. He is big, athletic and can shoot but has never put it all together at Georgetown. Hard to say whether a change of scenery will do him good. He would have just 1 1/2 years left after a red-shirt?
After South Carolina dropped its game against Seton Hall without one of its best players the field of unbeaten's is starting to dwindle.
Who's left- Villanova, UCLA, USC, Gonzaga, Creighton & Baylor.
Baylor will be 11-0 entering conference play- they have Jackson State, John Brown (Sounds like someone's name) & Texas Southern.
USC looks likely to be 12-0 entering its conference slate- Troy, Cornell & Missouri St left.
Zags have a bit of a trap game having to travel to Tennessee before 6 more cream puff games until the 1st Saint Mary's showdown. Zaga could be 17-0 entering that one.
Nova should be 13-0 heading into its road showdown with Creighton. Creighton could also be 13-0. That will be some game on New Years Eve.
UCLA has a neutral court game against an okay Ohio St team before conference play where they start on the road playing the Oregon schools.
thoughts?
Looks like mid-year transferring is starting to become an epidemic. These kids have it so rough
Sima,
Isaac Copeland of Georgetown (Former 5 star recruit)
Sam Cunliffe-Arizona St (4 star recruit) and was averaging almost double figures
Harry Froling-SMU- 4 star recruit
KU might be a similar team this year to Duke with the way we play the 4 guard offense. We can score with the best of them but might not evolve into a great defensive team. You see it in Self's comments that he's still waiting for this team to take the next step defensively. The advantage for KU is we are known for defense and if there is a coach that can get kids to buy in its Bill.
Duke has 2 of its AA's back already . I honestly think Kennard is their best player so far this year, hard for anyone to disagree with because he's doing a lot of the things Allen was doing last year.
KU had the Duke game won handily before it got tight. Foul trouble etc Duke didn't get KU's best effort either especially when we blew that comfortable 8-9 point lead in all of a minute. When Jackson was on the floor (which wasn't much that day) there was no question who the better team was. I like our chances in a rematch on the big stage with a guy such as Jackson on our team. Maybe its homerism-maybe its just belief in our kids. Would love to see round 2 if it meant winning a championship over Coach K. What better way for Self to cement his future Hall of Fame status. What better way for Josh Jackson to end the stigma of freshman phenoms at KU..
Some good points, forgot about Berry of UNC- he's the best player on UNC in my mind. Without their floor general they struggled mightily and without his 17pts a game ( Imagine KU trying to play without Frank) not a pretty thought.
KU is going to have to become a better defensive team when it gets to Baylor and Kentucky. We've been fortunate the schedule has been kind the past month. Davidson will test our guys. We need to continue to improve on defense, lots of area's we struggle in just as much as the next team. Baylor will be the biggest team we meet all year, Kentucky maybe the only team that matches athleticism 1-5 with us. Those are toss up games right now. Hopefully KU will find ways to pull them both out.
@drgnslayr said:
We are going to have to keep improving at a rapid pace this year if we hope to compete with a few of these other teams in March… notable DUKE!
Good thing we are familiar with Duke already.
I agree we will need to keep improving a good bit. Our 4 guard lineup is a well oiled machine-we know the capability. The key is getting Lucas back to last years level, Doke continues to grow into his role.
And as @justanotherfan mentioned we are still not seeing all of what Josh Jackson is capable of yet (scary thought). If his competitiveness is everything we've seen so far March will be his time to shine!
True Svi is playing well
Good point.. That 08 team had some big plays from non-starters.
If we were to project this years 08 6th man would that be Svi? And if we projecting the deep pocket depth ace in the post would it be Bragg or Coleby/Lightfoot?
Bragg's ceiling was supposed to be starter- which he lost and became role player. He may earn that spot back dependent of his off-the-court situation being cleared up.
ESPN more or less has their rankings close to the AP's. Nova #1, KU # 3 in the AP. These are also Jeff Goodman's opinions which don't exactly excite the masses.
Nova #1
KU #2
Baylor #3
UCLA #4
Duke #5
Gonzaga #6
UNC #7
Indiana #8
Kentucky #9
Creighton #10
Okay I may have jumped the gun on your opinion and your added context made me read over what I wrote.
I only caught some of both games and I agree I wasn't super impressed. Kentucky did put up 96 on a bad team on a neutral court and UNC struggled at home against a rebuilding Tenn squad with a former familiar face roaming the sidelines. UNC should have lost but they found a way to win. Kentucky was expected to rol and did so after it was close early.
Any College B-Ball fan could have tuned into KU's game against Nebraska in the 2nd half and said "meh" not that great, beatable. And they would be right, we won comfortably but it wasn't a 40 minute dominate effort by any means.
UNC's ceiling might not be as high as other teams because they returned a good bit of experience from their runner-up team. How they played in Maui is how they could play in March, or as we've seen recently from struggles how they could lose in March. I think once Pinson returns UNC can be judged more accurately because they do miss his versatility on the floor and ability to create for teammates.
Kentucky is obviously the media darling with Duke/UNC which will never change. With how young they are they certainly have a ceiling that is as high as anyone's and with a roster chalk full of future NBA players its not a stretch to say Calipari will have his guys playing their best ball in a few months from now. With how weak their conference schedule the games they play against UCLA/UNC/Lousiville/KU will be the most accurate opinion we can get on them.
The Kentucky/UNC this Saturday will have a March feel on a neutral court far away from each other's home. We'll probably know a bit more about both after that match-up. Should be a stellar game.
- Kansas Jayhawks
Record: 9-1
Last week's ranking: 2
Kansas played its first game without Carlton Bragg Jr., who was suspended indefinitely after being arrested in connection with a domestic battery incident. The Jayhawks beat Nebraska easily but will need Bragg back at some point to go deep in the NCAA tourney.
Am I the only one that disagree's with this statement " need Bragg to go deep in the NCAA tourney"?
Bragg is not a starter, how can he be the difference between what KU will do in March. It would be nice to have Carlton back with his head on straight and play to the level we all hoped he would this year but that seems like a stretch right now. It would certainly be a bigger blow losing one of our guards then Bragg.
He finally showed nice touch on that running hook. That was a nice development to see
True its clear shooting was not a priority as Doke has continued to learn the game. Considering everything I think he's played pretty well for all the stuff that has been thrown at him. Dropping near 40 pounds in one off-season will take some getting used to. His size has really allowed him to overcome the lack of skill in certain area's. I really hope we get more then just the required 2 years from him that he said was his plan when he came here.. He's only going to scratch the surface at KU
we'll have to wait and see but the chatter out there definitely seems to paint the alleged victim in a different light.