🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Thoughts y'all?

First game I'll take Duke, it should be a close game. Duke has more experience to fall back on. If Allen & Ingram are scoring they will be tough to beat. I'm predicting a 78-72 win.

As far as our matchup with Michigan St, its a battle of the coaches. It's a pivotal game for both but I really want to see if KU has improved or not. Even though its early it would be nice to know the summer games & all these guys returning that we would be prepared for this moment.

If we take advantage of the posts and keep them in foul trouble it should set up well. I'm also going to be watching the FG%'s. We have to make shots obviously but if we have another good shooting game we can mask what probably will be an average defensive game for us. Valentine is a big match-up problem. I'm assuming Selden will start on him which will be interesting. I'm predicting he will get over 20, he's just one of those guys you know is going to play well against us. We could see Perry on him or Svi at times as well if Wayne struggles. Greene, eh not likely unless Self likes giving up free points. I'm predicting Graham to be our guy with the high scoring game although Perry could have a great matchup with the thin frontcourt. I'm thinking this will be a 1 possession game for most of the night, but KU will make FT's late to pull out a 5 pt win. Predicting 71-66.

@konkeyDong

There's always a chance Cal tries to make Gabriel a Big SF. This signing really baffles me and they have Willis who has come out of no where as a Junior to a rotation spot so that's yet another post player we are all forgetting. Lee will leave and become the next Daniel Orton, its clear to me his decision has been made for him.

@jayballer54

Wouldn't read into the flock now picking KU. There's zero information from his camp.. most flocked to Kentucky when he visisted now that they took the higher rated player they flock to the next biggest school. There's a good chance he never leaves the state.

@Texas-Hawk-10

Helps KU just by elimination factors. The kid says little, doesn't like attention so its really hard to tell with him. Nobody has any credibal info who he is leaning too. I think the local schools are still his favorites. Houston allows him to keep out of the spotlight, Texas is in his backyard. If he does want to go out of State then KU has a chance. Bolden obviously affects his decision as well.

@RockkChalkk

KU was not involved. NC St was the team most associated with him, every report said he was a lean there and his good friend 5* PG Dennis Smith committed a while back.

Calipari proves once again that he can get whoever he wants no matter how many guys are signed to play his position. That's now what 4 guys??

@Statmachine

Self is expecting Diallo to leave, regardless of outcome he's recruiting posts like he's leaving.

It's too early to tell what this teams main weaknesses will be. I think Michigan St has the caliber of players to make the Final 4 again but like most years their best basketball is ahead of them so I'm inclined to think KU has an edge right now. Injuries to key MSU players only helps.

What KU desperately needs is either Bragg or Mickelson to clearly establish themselves as a starter. If we use the revolving door next to Perry we are going to see the same inconsistencies of last year. I think tonight we can mask what Diallo would potentially bring but over the course of the season and into tournament play a player like Diallo who excels at blocking shots, rebounding, and playing unbelievably hard all the time is basically non-replaceable. If Rim Protection & rebounding are 2 of our main weaknesses again the what if's will have valid arguments

@Bwag

No, that's just Lucas at this point. Good in stretches for rebounding & experience, still probably the worst player on our team at offensive awareness.

@Statmachine

I'm with you I'm certainly not trying to argue whats right or wrong. I just know that Self never uses or does what we want him to do. If our bench is playing a lot of minutes, I think it assumes our starters aren't getting it done, we are losing & he's trying to find anything that will work. Anything outside of a blowout for us or them, I'm assuming our starters will get 30+ minutes and its going to negate some key players minutes. Hopefully I'm totally wrong and Self understands his deep team is one of his best assets.

@Statmachine

I would love for our "bench" to be one of the reasons this team is a terror to beat over the season. But its the 2nd game of the season and unless our starters are foul happy everyone not starting will feel the minutes crunch. Self has 12 great athletes on his team but 4 or 5 of them better yell at him during the game and say HEY I"M HERE because otherwise some will know where they stand starting tomm.

@Statmachine

This is a game that Self most likely cuts the bench in half and plays the guys he trusts because the competition gets no better. With that way of thinking, Bragg & Mickelson will see limited minutes unless sparty successfully exposes Lucas/Mari. Either Greene or Svi will feel the minutes crunch unless foul trouble changes that aspect. Expect Vick to get a Zero on the minutes board...Just sayin this is the Self we know

NCAA Prez says it's not NCAA's role to tell colleges what "a course has to be": Yet, NCAA tells high schools?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2015/11/15/mark-emmert-ncaa-student-athletes/75843552/ ↗

sure makes sense don't it..

@drgnslayr

I like the strategy of using our guards to create the contact against the bigs. More than likely though Self will run through the bigs hoping they can score against bigs their size and athletic ability..Generally hasn't worked out for this bunch.

We know we will see Valentine's best performance tomm, most likely will have 20+ pts we have to deal with

Denzel Valentine meets media before Champions Classic game against Kansas. Admits last year's loss to Jayhawks was one of more frustrating of season. (@MDU_basketball).

@Crimsonorblue22

I meant when healthy, he's their starting PF. But the time away might make Davis the starter faster than anticipated

@Crimsonorblue22

Clark their presumed starting PF when healthy has a stress fracture.

You are correct about Diallo, I don't believe non-eligible players are allowed to travel with the team. Which really doesn't help the mental aspect of a player who wants nothing more than to be among his peers, probably the only people that can keep his spirits high while hes guilty until proven innocent. It's probably not a fair rule, especially since regardless of the W or the L, its a team bonding/building experience that Diallo is not allowed to experience himself. He's basically an outcast until further notice.

@Lulufulu

I don't have the answer for you there, we haven't exactly seen the rule-book they are supposed to follow have we? It doesn't sound as if in this situation they are following a checklist. Those involved seem to think this isn't normal procedure or normal in how and when its been asked for. Just for information They did ask the PG from Pitt who attended the same school for homework before freeing his eligibility up. We also found out a player in a different year was denied eligibility for failing to provide such homework requests from the same school.

It's clear Diallo had/has red flags according to the clearinghouse. We don't know whether 1 thing has led to another which now has become 6th grade material being analyzed. We don't know whether its important or not. Not being privy to all the info is the reason we are all frustrated to begin with.

@Kip_McSmithers

Don't forget his legal guardian in this as well. I think as much as his academics were the initial trigger, his guardian's role in this has to be the new element that has dragged this on where it is. The lawyer thing to me, assumes either that they are trying to force a decision now with pressure of a law-suit, or that the NCAA has made determinations about Drame that are affecting Diallo's position to be eligible.

Otherwise why would Drame care enough to get representation, its obvious he's invested in Diallo for years and wants what's best for him (either following the rules or not). But if hiring a lawyer is to protect his bad intentions then Diallo is almost certain to be tied to it indirectly. The NCAA will need evidence of any wrongdoing and to my knowledge they have not even interviewed him about anything.

The NCAA did check up on Diallo's ACT score. I would assume it means he had a lower core-course GPA but a higher test score. They flagged his score as an anomaly.

I'm rooting for the guy, I know he tried here and gave Self every chance to believe in him but something just didn't click between him and coach. He was over-recruited, it happens to almost everyone. You either find a way to stick here or you don't. It's the way of things here at KU. Glad he's doing well so far, Nebraska is going to be a NIT team at best

It actually might work in Michigan St's favor that Davis is playing over Schilling. Remember Davis was an All-American and Schilling is the typical 4 year Izzo post player who gets better over time.

A opening line of 13pts 11rbs & 5 blocks is scary to me, regardless of the competition.

I think KU will struggle playing against him unless we can get him into foul trouble. Our bigs getting their bigs into foul trouble is the #1 advantage we have in this game. You get either Costello or Davis sitting with fouls and you have a walk-on coming in or Bess playing out of position. Ellis and folks will have to be aggressive going to the basket.

There is one thing that the article made clear that needs to change, and that's the impression that the kids who do have their eligibility questioned are being treated as guilty until proven innocent.

Regardless of the details in each situation, kids don't deserve to have their athletic future held hostage into the season. Unless some unforeseen circumstances occur there needs to be rules adjusted where determinations on players happen before the season starts.

Diallo is currently serving a "unoffical" suspension without knowing whether he did anything wrong or not? Anyone, Please explain to me how that is possible or even fair.

This is no different than telling an non-athlete he can't go to class for his major that he/she may end up being their career. Your negatively affecting the whole reason they are here in the first place. If your a med student and you want to become a doctor, your required to take x amount of classes etc. Imagine being told, until further notice your unable to in fact practice becoming a med student until further notice. Your future earnings have just been negatively impacted. Your timeline for becoming a doctor etc have now been affected.

Now put that same example into Diallo's case. Diallo is going to school only for a future in Basketball. He's now missed a game, maybe more to come. His future earnings have been impacted, his future impact on his profession has been impacted. His future start in his profession has been impacted. No matter how small, the fact that Diallo isn't getting the same opportunity as the rest of his peers is troubling to me.

And for what? What exactly are the rules trying to prove by not allowing him to play, or for what is really at stake Diallo's future in the profession of playing basketball.

He's in College, if he's receiving passing grades in College then the notion that his academic rigorousness prior to enrolling at KU being used against him is an useless argument to use. He was accepted by the school's admissions office, point blank. It makes a school look dumb if you rule him ineligible after the fact. Isn't it the school's judgement to make whether they think a student can handle the coursework required or not? Not the NCAA,The coursework he is currently receiving is the only barometer of measurement that matters going forward for this kid. If he's passing college courses that should be the measurement of his ability to handle the work .If he can then he's eligible, if not then he's not. It's no different for that Medical Student who must maintain a position of eligibility by passing the required classes. Restricting or prohibiting those rights to the student/athlete is against everything that this entire system stands for.

It's a great early season test. We know UK, Duke & Mich St are always going to be good as long as their coaches are there. It's a great test to see where our guys are at. We are 1-3 in this event so we definitely can't lose to Michigan St again. It would be nice to have 2 up on Izzo.

It's become more of a media draw, especially as ESPN tries to hype all the freshman playing in these games. The headliner's for KU's team are Bragg & Diallo who can't even play over Ellis, Selden, Mason etc.. So ESPN has definitely turned this Classic series into a glorified PR event for OAD's..

Ford updates his board and look who's no longer a mystery to the nation. #27 is now Carlton Bragg.

Should we be worried about him if he plays well during the season? His stock will go up if he does.

Btw Svi at 20.
Diallo at 9, with the caveat that his stock won't be affected much if he doesn't play..

Tacko Fall cleared.. that seemed to be settled quickly after he threatened to sue

Will today be the day??

More than the individuals I'm looking at a few team aspects that I see as important.

1. Ball Movement- Improved from the 1st exhibition to the 2nd. Ball cannot stick ever, if we play with pace we will wear teams out.

2. Passing- I believe all but a few baskets the other night were assisted, that's a good sign of a good Self team going forward.

3. Rebounding- Other than rim protection this is probably our biggest weakness. Ellis gets his but who else? Mason is the best rebounding PG I've ever seen, Svi, Selden, Traylor are below average rebounders. Lucas will be needed for his muscle, Hunter will need to be active at all times when he plays. Bragg looks to be the key guy as far as potential to rebound at a high rate. It was a struggle last year, its probably still going to be a struggle again without Diallo's potential impact.

4. Killer Instinct- The most important aspect of all. Last year we never put teams away, we weren't able to rest key guys because of inconsistency's from a 4 minute stretch to the next. The experience is there, the chip on their shoulders are there, its time we crush teams and don't let up. The schedule on paper allows for a balance of tough games & easier games at home before league play. We know the Round Robin schedule is a gauntlet, and with 3 other ranked teams in the league we will have to earn it.

5. Road Warriors- Maybe the 2nd biggest aspect I'm looking forward to seeing. How do we play on the road. Last year we were awful, we don't need to remind ourselves of the debacle's in Manhattan, Stillwater, Morgantown, & the last second beater in Norman. We were the perfect example of a Jekyll & Hyde team away from Allen Fieldhouse. I don't expect to be undefeated on the road, but the league is won on the road and you find out what your team really then. If we are a championship team, we will know seeing it in Ames, Waco, Norman, etc..

@ralster

We have a good chance to make it 2-3 against Izzo. Costello their starting forward has a turf toe injury and is unlikely to play. Their other projected starter Clark is out with a foot injury for months..Leaves them relying on Schilling, Freshman Davis & a walk-on. It should be a point of emphasis to use our depth in the frontcourt in that game.

@jayballer54

Fox liked KU but once Calipari sold him a dream it was over in August. The threat of not starting & being the star wasn't going to cut it for a guy like Fox. If Mason & Graham were Sr's I think there would have been a good chance he landed here. But because neither has the NBA drooling over them Fox couldn't predict with certainty he'd play a lot of minutes. He's a OAD anyway, he's got the best chance for success going where he is.

Andrew Jones is a guy I really hope the staff goes all in on. A very talented combo guard, I'm surprised we didn't get involved earlier as his rise up the rankings happened this summer. He's very much in the same mold as Vick, skinny, quick, athletic and can shoot. There's always the chance Svi or Selden go pro so getting a top 50 kid to help replace them is definitely something the staff has to keep an eye on.

@Lulufulu said:

@BeddieKU23 I stand corrected

I understand your frustrated, we all are.. to ever find corruption like that would bring the whole system down

@drgnslayr

"We all look at this through our biased eyes. "

Yes we do, you are correct. I've shown a good amount of bias because I feel Diallo is the difference maker to this team. He's one of the few guys I've watched for years before coming to KU.

I also don't agree with the NCAA about anything, not just this case but in general I've seen so many inconsistent rules being enforced that like this situation right now there seems to be no specific timeline that is followed.

I always will remember the Perry Jones case- the Baylor kid from a few years ago that was suspended 2 years after the fact of his mom accepting 3 mortgage payments from his AAU coach so that Perry and his family had a place to live. Read the article below, that was the last straw for me personally on how heartless the NCAA can be.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7630611/the-story-baylor-bears-star-perry-jones-iii-men-college-basketball ↗

So to me, no matter the decision I still feel no love for them. Even if Diallo is eligible its come at great anguish for all us fans, the team, the coaches, and Cheick himself. Where's the win in any of it? Its just a relief that it will be over.

Is it fair that we are 1 day before the start of the season and Diallo may still be on the bench missing games?

We had a similar situation with Selby. There was no ruling on how many games he would miss until he had missed a bunch and then decided well that's enough you can play. That is not fair, a ruling HAS to be determined whether fair or unfair before games start.

You can't suspend players "de facto" without being fair and telling them up front. There has been more than enough time to have a decision, an appeal, anything that would drag on. No wonder there is legal counsel being brought into this if the decision isn't coming soon.

@joeloveshawks
I absolutely agree that this has gotten far away from logical understanding.

From the Lawyer's perspective of this situation, there are 2 critical elements being looked at.

One is his guardian Drame's role in this whole thing. Jackson claims that the NCAA has made assumptions or determinations about him while never speaking to him directly. Drame is saying he will speak to them openly and isn't hiding. Jackson claims that under law, the NCAA cannot rule Diallo ineligible because of Drame is his legal guardian. If they were to find Drame to not be what he says he is (bringing kids here for Profit) then it becomes another can of worms. We cannot assume that, we have to assume that this guy has the best intentions for the kids he brings here as well as Diallo.

Jackson says the amateurism aspect doesn't apply because of the legal binding guardianship, but that's not how the NCAA see's it in their rule book. They will suspend you for accepting a bagel from your best friends mother.

The other is the core classes Diallo took either in the States or in Mali.

If you don’t have coursework in your high school algebra class or 9th grade biology class or 10th grade geometry class (at Our Savior New American High in New York which Diallo attended three years) to satisfy them it was academically rigorous enough they’ll disallow that course as a core course. There’s been an element of that involved in this case,” Jackson said.

This has probably been the hold up from the beginning.. they have rejected (1) or more core class(es). To allow a full review they have allowed KU to find previous work from Mali going back farther than any normal situation would need, hence the homework & school records back to 6th grade.

His ACT score has also been investigated as a which hunt to explain why he may have scored a higher score than his GPA suggest he is capable of getting.

Hope this helps some..

@Lulufulu

The issue with Fall is apparently he attended an un-credited High School. Institutions are failing these kids.

The 2nd part of your argument has no logic, UCF is a Nike school.

Marcus Lovett a kid we recruited for a bit and ultimately choose St. Johns is also now looking at legal counsel.. That now makes possible 4 suits.

***St. John’s was notified by the NCAA of its final decision after exhausting the appeals process. LoVett will remain enrolled at St. John’s, but must complete a year of residence at the University before participating in game competition. He is permitted to practice with the team as he works toward meeting NCAA continuing eligibility requirements.

“The University disagrees with the NCAA’s decision and the process it used in reviewing Marcus’ initial eligibility waiver request,” said St. John’s interim athletic director and general counsel Joseph Oliva, Esq. “We have engaged in several conversations with the NCAA to express our concerns that their process may have violated Marcus’ legal rights. Unfortunately, it appears that the NCAA elected to disregard these concerns. We have advised Marcus and his family to consult with appropriate legal counsel about the options that may be available to challenge the NCAA ruling and the standards it applied in this proces***

According to the Lawyer, Diallo's ACT score has been investigated by the NCAA. Now the article doesn't name Diallo directly but what other highly regarded player is being held hostage..

"A senior official at the NCAA’s Eligibility Center acknowledged in an e-mail that his organization submitted an inquiry to ACT, Inc. regarding the test score of a highly regarded basketball prospect, an action attorney Don Jackson contends is racially motivated.

Jackson shared with Sporting News the e-mail sent to him Sept. 4 by a vice president of the NCAA’s Eligibility Center, which acknowledged that the prospective student-athlete had been certified in July as eligible to compete as a freshman at an NCAA institution. But, according to the NCAA representative, the prospect’s core-course GPA and ACT score “met a PSA review trigger

Jackson was outraged the NCAA would request the ACT examine the validity of the score and that it would make such a request when there was no evidence of fraud. The prospect, who is African-American, only took the ACT once, so there was not one of those hard-to-explain score jumps that have led to scores being nullified in the past.

Jackson, whose firm The Sports Group is based in Montgomery, Ala., chose not to name the prospect he is representing in this case, or the school where that athlete is enrolled and plans to compete.

An NCAA spokesperson told SN by e-mail that the inquiry to the ACT “merely provides notice to the testing agency that the staff has identified a statistical anomaly based on student-athlete academic certification data. The inquiry does not, however, ask the testing agency to investigate a particular score.”

Jackson called that position “counterintuitive,” claiming the NCAA Eligibility Center notified the affected university the test score was being examined before the ACT notified the prospect his score was in question.
**
Jackson said the NCAA’s process and actions in this case are “profoundly, openly and unapologetically racist as hell.” He is suggesting he could take the matter to federal court.
**

From the Lawyer's Facebook page..

DONALD MAURICE JACKSON
Yesterday at 5:01pm ·
Seen countless examples of blatant discrimination against international and African American student-athletes over the years by the NCAA Eligibility Center and Enforcement Staff. "Rules': that are applied selectively (with nothing more than pretextual explanations......something about that seems wrong!!!! How can the Eligbility Center staff make value judgments about the :academic rigor" of secondary schools on other continents when the "staff' rarely leaves NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis. For that fact, how can they make value judgments about secondary schools in the U.S. without visting the schools. Just might be time for the Eligibility Center to be subjected to an "extended review" through the discovery process.........

Donald Maurice Jackson
Donald Maurice Jackson @Brandon. Been saying the same thing for over a decade. Application of NCAA legislation has a disproportionately adverse impact on international student-athletes and African Americans. Academic reviews and amateurism investigations appear to target African American and international student-athletes. I believe this historical pattern establishes an intention to discriminate and is illegal.
2 · Yesterday at 10:18am

@Texas-Hawk-10

I don't know what your basing that assumption on other than 1 comment from Self that Diallo would be the first to foul out.

Have you watched any of Diallo's actual HS games??? I know that I've seen dozens and @konkeyDong have watched him for years. He's a dominate defender. He utterly dominated top competition on defense, blocking shots, rebounding, rim running.

It's his aggressive nature & motor that will need to be quote on quote "tamed" to play within the rules. He fouled a lot in High School there's no question of that and every freshman big man needs to adjust to the next level.

But whether he's a good defender or not is pretty much useless to talk about if he never gets to play a game here..

@drgnslayr

Lawyer was just on 610 sports. here's a rundown of what he said.

• Guardian is the one who's retained the lawyer
• DJ says Diallo ineligible b/c of academic review. Going back further than 9th grade. This is part of "academic review" process for international athletes. Usually don't go back past 9th grade. Generally if you dont have all course work to prove academic rigorousness, they disregard the class of qualifying class.
• Need 16 core courses that start in the 9th grade. Why they're going back past 9th grade is "beyond" the lawyer.
• Amateurism. Been subjected to both reviews lasting 6 months on BOTH amateurism and academic side.
• Usually end late August, early sept. Lawyer calls this "defacto suspension", says its intentional
• Nobody at the NCAA has expertise to value the credibility of a course from the Republic of Mali, nobody is on staff at NCAA that is qualified enough to evaluate this type of course work, however they've taken on the authority to accept or not accept 9th grade classes as being academically rigorous enough even though they're not qualified to do so.
• Lawyers seen cases that stretch into the season before
• In cases where they cant establish a student has violated NCAA rules, they drag cases out intentionally in an effort to "suspend" the player without having anything to suspend them for. This is what's happening here.
• Diallo's legal guardian hasn't even been interviewed, even though he makes himself available for interviews and wants to interview with NCAA
• Lawsuit on behalf of Diallo is possible. However, goal is to resolve these issues administratively.
• These actions appear to be illegal per lawyer. No due process right to athletic eligibility. NCAA not allowed to violate their own rules, in this situation the manner which a determination has been made appears to be violating their own rules. Lawyer says, "How can you conduct a credible investigation, and target someone in the investigation (Diallos's guardian) without having any interaction with that person?"
• Lawyers educated opinion says chances to play for Kansas "excellent". Timeline determined over next day or so. When it becomes clear administrative possibilities have been exhausted, then legal action will need to be acted on.
• He's encouraged b/c he knows the boundaries of administrative process. Facts lead to Diallo playing. Guardian is legal guardian by law of Mali. If that's the case, it ends that area of consideration. Facts lead to things being good with guardian. Lawyers knowledge lead to the facts being correct.

Also Drame has said he's willing to talk to the NCAA but that the NCAA hasn't contacted him at all...

Whether from a Lawyer or not, this is completely nuts

@justanotherfan

Nice in-depth detail about the defense. I think it improves slightly over the year especially as the new rules work themselves out. A worry I do have is the fact that our best defenders are our PG's and they tend to be aggressive guarding. They are going to have to master on how much they reach and pressure. If we role with a 2 PG line-up we have to be prepared for games where both or 1 of the 2 gets in foul trouble. We don't have a 3rd ball handler. Vick looks to have good handles but he'd have to be a special talent to be relied on.

I think Lucas will play because the one thing he can do is rebound. When your best pound for pound rebounder in the starting line-up is your sub 6' foot PG, Self will have to play Lucas because he's a big body and he hustles and rebounds his area. It's clear Self loves Traylor so he's going to play regardless of his size or skill for the position. Hunter & Bragg offer the best offense/defense combination but Self doesn't think like most of us fans on here do.

@ParisHawk

Yes the ball movement was much better than the first game. That was nice to see.

With the way the rules are played there will be way more teams playing zone. Not that Self will ever revert to it but a zone will be used more frequently by teams that struggle to guard. If your scouting KU, why wouldn't you play zone against us it renders the Hi/Low useless.

@Lulufulu

In the first half, the defense was not even close to what we will need to see against better players. The lack of defensive awareness when guys get beat is really what has stood out to me. 2nd half the game was over, it was basically a scrimmage at that point. I think its correctable, especially when the games count it will be different.

What's everyone's feeling on where the team is and where individuals are at this point.

1. The Bad:

Our Team defense has been some of the worst that I've seen under Self. It's early I get it, but again we had trouble & less than 1 week from now the athletes Michigan St has will further expose that. The lack of a shot-blocker really hurts us. We all want Hunter to play but it looks like he's battling Bragg for that 4th big in the rotation. Not how I see it but I don't get to coach.

1. The Good:

Svi's turnaround game. Making half of the teams 3's will get you some attention. He looked more comfortable & making shots seemed to bring out confidence in him. Hopefully he's able to make shots consistently, he can fully replace Greene's value on the floor.

Ellis had some nice moves in the post. Showed nice touch from the perimeter. He's definitely looking quicker on his feet and I think that is a benefit to the team.

Wayne had a better game, especially early. His hustle plays in the 2nd half are why Self sticks by him even when he's making bad decisions. Some of his shot selection was questionable but we need Wayne to be aggressive.

Bragg had another solid game I thought rebounding. My one gripe was he looked to make that hi/low pass sometimes without even having the guy in post position but he's shown he can really pass it. Hunter and him really seem to have chemistry.

Mason & Graham were solid, exactly what we need out of our lead guards. I even saw Mason pass on a breakaway opportunity..that is rare.

1. The Rotation:

It looks as if Traylor will start in other post spot for the time being. Lucas got in before Bragg & Hunter which further frustrates the matter of what's best for this team to win games. I don't think anything will be set in stone off 2 exhibition games but when does Self really ever hide his hand.

4: Expectations:

It's clear to me that my expectation of where I thought we might be already isn't reality. Watching these games with an open mind, you wouldn't know that this team got all those extra games in this summer. I didn't expect to be world beaters but I expected to see more from the #4 team.

5: Michigan St:
Tuesday is going to be a really big eye opener. Are we going to be like the team two years ago that beat Duke, or the one that didn't show up last year? I can't tell, all I know is Izzo will have his guys ready to play. Michigan St to me, is a top 10 team even with the loses of Trice & Dawson. Valentine has taken over the team, Harris steps in to score & they have plenty of bodies to throw at you. That game is great for preparation for Maui though where some good teams await. Possibly UCLA & Indiana have veteran squads but the key for us will be having a good effort against Izzo to set up for that week.

That's all for now, 2 days the real season starts. Rock Chalk folks..

There’s no credible explanation the Eligibility Center has to drag an investigation that started in June and is now in November. If they had not found any justifiable basis in keeping the young man off the floor, they should leave him alone. When these investigations occur, it’s a de facto suspension to keep the young man off the floor when there’s no finding of improper conduct.”

Words from the Lawyer now representing Diallo's guardian & probably Cheick going forward.

I was worried that the "de facto" suspension was going to come into effect. Cheick is going to miss games barring some miracle for absolutely no reason. I don't care how you try and defend the NCAA's position in this case, without disclosing what exactly is the hold up, they are absolutely dragging their feet. If your going to hold someone in Limbo at least make it public why so there isn't thousands of people wondering what the hay is going on.

At this point this situation has passed the threshold of where I care anymore. If Diallo gets to play awesome, but the season starts in 2 days and that's the only thing that matters.

@Crimsonorblue22

totally agree there, his d to me is still a work in progress but the effort is there

what i take so far, good enough to win Friday without a ton of trouble.

Tuesday I'm not confident we could stop anyone so a hot shooting game would be our savior

@Crimsonorblue22

he takes greene's role for set shot shooting.

@Crimsonorblue22

maybe but he played in exhibition game which calls into question his usage already

@Crimsonorblue22

not at all, maybe a blessing for Vick to get time and let Greene heal up

@wissoxfan83

yes his passing is outstanding for his size, dare you say Lebronish for his size

the next 15 bad plays wayne makes are covered by the amount of brownie points he just earned with that hustle

@wissoxfan83

both were worried about simmons taking their spot

@Crimsonorblue22

maybe resting the hip.

most likely did something stupid for the 57th time in his time here

@wissoxfan83

wayne missed most, i think 4 as a team

if anything is noticeable this early, we will have to score way more to be as dominate as we think this team can be. self just doesn't have the toughness on d he wants..

@Eric

yes and no, its motivation for selden especially but defensively its not going to help us

@Eric
'
not yet honestly, defense is really behind what it needs to be