Kansas

Poll: Best Backcourt in the Country?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:37:13 -0500

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Top Two Survive Tests

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:16:26 -0500

Tuesday was a day for sleep deprivation as it marked ESPN's 24-hour college basketball marathon. Unfortunately for the network the early hours served up a trio of yawners with Saint Peter's, Niagara and Clemson all pulling off comfortable victories. But the games involving Kansas and Michigan State didn't disappoint with the top two teams being tested by Memphis and Gonzaga respectively. It's good to see that there are teams willing to challenge themselves so early in the season, giving themselves the opportunity to evaluate themselves against credible competition.

Three Key Happenings

1. Michigan State rides familiar staples to victory. The Spartans weren't at their best offensively in the 75-71 win over Gonzaga, turning the ball over twenty times and making just three of eleven three-pointers. But they got the job done defensively (Gonzaga shot 35.7% from the field; 22.2% 3PT) and on the boards (43-30 advantage), and Durrell Summers led all scorers with twenty-one points and eleven rebounds. Gonzaga has the look of a team that will be heard from in March so this was a very good test for the Spartans, who know what it takes to become a championship-caliber team.

2. Memphis gave Kansas all they wanted but their offensive inconsistency cost them. A lot of the experts out there predicted doom for the Tiger program in light of John Calipari leaving for Kentucky and taking his recruits with him but if Tuesday's 57-55 loss was any indication it's that Josh Pastner's team could be better than expected. The Jayhawks had a mismatch to exploit (Wesley Witherspoon having to guard a big man) but still struggled due to the Memphis defense, which will have to be the Tigers' calling card as they figure things out offensively. Elliot Williams and Doneal Mack hit some big shots but for the most part they were a bit stagnant on that side of the floor, lacking continuity in their offense. That will have to change if they're to defend their Conference USA title.

3. Louisville provided another reason why you shouldn't read too much into exhibitions. Just like fellow Big East member Syracuse the Cardinals didn't look their best during the exhibition season (but they didn't lose). Off-court distractions? Lack of chemistry? Tell that to Arkansas, who the Cards ripped apart 96-66 in the first game from St. Louis. All five starters scored in double figures and Reginald Delk added twenty off the bench for Louisville while shutting down the Razorbacks on the other end of the floor (39.7% FG). The reigning Big East champions may have a better shot at defending their title than many thought before the season began.

Top Three Games

1. #2 Michigan State 75, Gonzaga 71 Durrell Summers led the way for Michigan State with seventeen second-half points while the Bulldogs had four players score in double figure (Robert Sacre scored a career-high 17 points). Going forward Gonzaga is going to need more production from Demetri Goodson, who accounted for one point, one assist, one steal and two turnovers. That's not going to get it done come March.

2. #1 Kansas 57, Memphis 55 Memphis essentially lost this game due to their offensive inefficiency; Kansas was able the throw the ball inside to Cole Aldrich (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Marcus Morris (10 points) and Memphis could not match that. The've got a couple of good shooters in Elliot Williams and Doneal Mack but this isn't a team that can survive on a nightly basis when 45.4% of their shots come from behind the arc.

3. St. Joseph's 69, Holy Cross 67 The Hawks moved to 2-0 despite being outrebounded by a 50-33 margin thanks in large part to Carl Jones, who scored eighteen points off the bench. R.J. Evans led the Crusaders, picked to win the Patriot League, with sixteen points. Neither team shot well from behind the arc but the Hawks were a +11 in points from the foul line and that made all the difference.

Three Notable Offensive Performances

1. G Aubrey Coleman (Houston) 33 points, 9 rebounds and three assists in the Cougars' 92-60 win over Nicholls State.

2. F Charles Garcia (Seattle) 30 points, 9 rebounds in the Redhawks' 98-81 loss to Portland.

3. G Bo Spencer (LSU) 28 points, 7 rebounds and four assists in the Tigers' 71-60 win over Western Kentucky.

Big 12 Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:38:45 -0500

While Kansas may be too much for the rest of the Big 12 too handle, no league features as many intriguing individual stars (young & old) on a nightly basis. Arguably the best conference in the country.

Conference Rank: 2nd

10 year average: 5th

Big 12 Page

All-BIG 12 Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Sherron Collins	Kansas	Sr
G	Willie Warren	Oklahoma	So
G	James Anderson	Oklahoma St	Jr
F	Craig Brackins	Iowa State	Jr
C	Cole Aldrich	Kansas	Jr
Second Team
G	Denis Clemente	Kansas St	Sr
G	Avery Bradley	Texas	Fr
G	Xavier Henry	Kansas	Fr
F	Damion James	Texas	Sr
C	Bryan Davis	Texas A&M	Sr

Player of the Year - Sherron Collins Freshman of the Year - Avery Bradley
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Cole Aldrich (1st Team) Sherron Collins (1st) Willie Warren (3rd) James Anderson (4th) Craig Brackins (4th) Avery Bradley Denis Clemente Damion James All-Freshman Team Avery Bradley (1st) Xavier Henry (1st) Keith Gallon (2nd) Jordan Hamilton (3rd) Tommy Mason-Griffin (3rd) Wally Judge		Points: Craig Brackins 20.2 Rebounds: Cole Aldrich 11.1 Assists: John Roberson 6.4 Team: Missouri 81.5

Big 12 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

1	Kansas	Big 12	1	NCAA
5	Texas	Big 12	2	NCAA
25	Kansas State	Big 12	3	NCAA
29	Texas A&M	Big 12	4	NCAA
35	Oklahoma State	Big 12	5	NCAA
37	Oklahoma	Big 12	6	NCAA
49	Missouri	Big 12	7	NCAA
58	Baylor	Big 12	8	NIT
77	Iowa State	Big 12	9	NIT
107	Nebraska	Big 12	10	CBI/CIT
130	Texas Tech	Big 12	11
170	Colorado	Big 12	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big 12?

Other Big 12 Content

Big 12 Fantasy Stats Preview

Big 12: Top 25 Players

Big 12: Five Year Ranking l

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who is the Best Player on Kansas?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:24:19 -0500

College Hoops Tuesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:30:50 -0500

ESPN's 24-hour college basketball marathon takes precedent on Tuesday with some intriguing contests throughout the day. Ten ranked teams will be in action including three of the Top 10 squads. The nation will get its first look at Josh Pastner's Memphis Tigers as they take on top-ranked Kansas in St. Louis, national runner-up Michigan State hosts Gonzaga and the lunchtime matinee between Northeastern and Siena looks quite appealing.

The four teams headed to New York for next week's NIT Season Tip-Off will be determined, and if you're looking for early rivalry games check out either Iowa State/Drake or New Mexico/New Mexico State. Feel free to offer up some of your viewing selections below:

TV GAMES

Northeastern @ Siena - Noon- ESPN
Temple @ #20 Georgetown - 4PM - ESPN
Charlotte @ #8 Duke - 6PM - ESPN
Arkansas vs. #22 Louisville (in St. Louis) - 7:30PM - ESPN2
Gonzaga @ #2 Michigan State - 8PM - ESPN
Memphis vs. #1 Kansas - 10PM - ESPN2

OTHER BIG GAMES

Holy Cross @ St. Joseph's - 7PM
Hofstra @ #13 Connecticut - 7PM
New Mexico @ New Mexico State - 9:30PM - ESPN 360

Royce Woolridge Signs NLI with Kansas

Press Release — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:16:13 -0500

LAWRENCE, Kan. - University of Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Wednesday that Royce Woolridge has signed a national letter of intent to play at KU next season.

A shooting guard from Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, Ariz., Woolridge is 6-3, 175-pounds. As a junior at Sunnyslope, Woolridge averaged 28.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He made 50 percent of his field goals, shot 34 percent from behind the arc and 82 percent from the free-throw line. Additionally, Woolridge averaged 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals for the Vikings in 2008-09.

“We are very happy to add Royce to our basketball program,” Self said. “He’s a terrific young man, great student and is going to be a heck of a basketball player. Right now he is a combo guard that is really good off the bounce and has become an excellent shooter.

“Royce and his mother, Victoria, have been very loyal to us considering they committed approximately two years ago,” Self added.

Sunnyslope went 24-5 and 8-2 in league play last season in winning the state championship. Woolridge, the son of former NBA star Orlando Woolridge, averaged 32 points in the four state tourney games and was tabbed as The Arizona Republic’s Big School (Class 4A-5A) Player of the Year following the 2008-09 season.

“Royce has been well drilled by coach Dan Mannix at Sunnyslope High School,” Self said. “Last year they surprised everybody as they won state. Royce’s preparation to be a college player can be attributed to his high school coach.”

Woolridge verbally committed to Kansas in 2008 and went on his official visit to campus at Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 16. He is ranked as the 26th best shooting guard by ESPNU 100 and the No. 94 overall. He is the No. 31 shooting guard and overall No. 117 by Rivals.com.

College Basketball: Preseason All-America Team

CHN — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:50:56 -0500

A pair of Kansas Jayhawks lead the CollegeHoops.net 2009-10 Preseason All-America Teams. Guard Sherron Collins is CHN's Preseason Player of the Year, and is joined on the First Team by big man Cole Aldrich. Luke Harangody, a member of our 2009 All-America Team, is the lone returnee. Three freshmen are on the list in John Wall, Derrick Favors, and Avery Bradley. A handful of players from outside the power conferences are included such as Nevada's Luke Babbitt and Butler's Gordon Hayward. Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Purdue, Texas, and West Virginia have multiple players.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason Player of the Year: Sherron Collins (Kansas)

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-American

Sherron Collins	Kansas	SR	G
Kalin Lucas	Michigan State	JR	G
Evan Turner	Ohio State	JR	G/F
Luke Harangody	Notre Dame	SR	F
Cole Aldrich	Kansas	SR	F

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-American

John Wall	Kentucky	FR	G
Devan Downey	South Carolina	SR	G
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	SR	G
Kyle Singler	Duke	JR	F
Patrick Patterson	Kentucky	SO	F

CollegeHoops.net Third Team All-American

Willie Warren	Oklahoma	SO	G
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	SR	G
Manny Harris	Michigan	JR	G
Tyler Smith	Tennessee	JR	F
Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	FR	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Fourth Team All-American

Jerome Randle	California	SR	G
James Anderson	Oklahoma State	JR	G
Devin Ebanks	West Virginia	SO	F
Craig Brackins	Iowa State	JR	F
Ed Davis	North Carolina	SO	F

Honorable Mention

Al-Farouq Aminu	Wake Forest	SO	F
Luke Babbitt	Nevada	SO	F
Talor Battle	Penn St	JR	G
Trevor Booker	Clemson	JR	G
Avery Bradley	Texas	FR	G
Da'Sean Butler	West Virginia	SR	F
Denis Clemente	Kansas State	SR	G
Malcolm Delaney	Virginia Tech	JR	G
Jimmer Fredette	BYU	JR	G
Gordon Hayward	Butler	SO	G
Robbie Hummel	Purdue	JR	F
Damion James	Texas	SR	F
JaJuan Johnson	Purdue	JR	C
Jerome Jordan	Tulsa	SR	C
Tasmin Mitchell	LSU	SR	F
Greg Monroe	Georgetown	SO	F
AJ Ogilvy	Vanderbilt	SO	F
Larry Sanders	VCU	JR	F
Jon Scheyer	Duke	SR	G
Isaiah Thomas	Washington	SO	G
Jarvis Varnado	Mississippi St	SR	F
Nic Wise	Arizona	SR	G
Terrico White	Ole Miss	SO	G
Chris Wright	Xavier	JR	F

Other CollegeHoops.net Preseason Awards

- Preseason All-Freshman Team

Preseason All-Freshman Team: 2009-10

CHN — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:12:32 -0500

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason All-Freshman Team is led by Kentucky uber-prospect John Wall. Wall's teammates DeMarcus Cousins & Eric Bledsoe also make the 2nd and 3rd team respectively. The list is dominated by power-conference players, but 3 make it from non-BCS leagues: La Salle's Aaric Murray, San Diego St's Kawhi Leonard, and Greg Smith of Fresno State. Besides Kentucky, other teams with multiple players include Arizona, Duke, Georgia Tech, UNC, Oklahoma, and Texas.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year: John Wall (Kentucky)

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-Freshman

John Wall	Kentucky	G
Avery Bradley	Texas	G
Kenny Boynton	Florida	G
Xavier Henry	Kansas	G
Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-Freshman

Abdul Gaddy	Washington	G
Lance Stephenson	Cincinnati	G
Keith Gallon	Oklahoma	F
DeMarcus Cousins	Kentucky	C
Mouphtaou Yarou	Villanova	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Third Team All-Freshman

Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	G
Maurice Creek	Indiana	G
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	G
Jordan Hamilton	Texas	F
Dante Taylor	Pittsburgh	F

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention All-Freshman

John Henson	UNC	F
Tyler Honeycutt	UCLA	F
John Jenkins	Vanderbilt	G
Wally Judge	Kansas State	F
Ryan Kelly	Duke	F
Kawhi Leonard	San Diego St	F
Aaric Murray	La Salle	F
Kyryl Natyazhko	Arizona	F
Alex Oriakhi	UCONN	C
Mason Plumlee	Duke	F/C
Durand Scott	Miami	G
Greg Smith	Fresno State	F
Peyton Siva	Louisville	G
Michael Snaer	Florida State	G
Dexter Strickland	UNC	G
Hollis Thompson	Georgetown	F
Mfon Udofia	Georgia Tech	G
Derrick Williams	Arizona	G

Other CollegeHoops.net Preseason Awards

Big 12 Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:42:19 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

BIG 12

PG
1. Sherron Collins - Kansas
2. Denis Clemente - Kansas State
3. Tommy Mason-Griffin - Oklahoma
4. Donald Sloan - Texas A&M
5. John Roberson - Texas Tech

SG
1. James Anderson - Oklahoma State
2. Willie Warren - Oklahoma
3. LaceDarius Dunn - Baylor
4. Cory Higgins - Colorado
5. Avery Bradley - Texas

- This is a talented set of guards overall. Warren might be the best pro prospect of the bunch, but he's still improving. Collins is one of the front-runners for national Player of the Year. Higgins is an underrated performer for Colorado.

SF
1. Damion James - Texas
2. Mike Singletary - Texas Tech
3. Obi Muonelo - Oklahoma State
4. Kim English - Missouri
5. Marqus Gilstrap - Iowa State

PF
1. Craig Brackins - Iowa State
2. Marcus Morris - Kansas
3. Gary Johnson - Texas
4. Keith Gallon - OKlahoma
5. Jamar Samuels - Kansas State

C
1. Cole Aldrich - Kansas
2. Dexter Pittman - Texas
3. Bryan Davis - Texas A&M
4. Ekpe Udoh - Baylor
5. Christopher Niemann - Nebraska

- Compared to some other leagues, the Big 12's big man crop is impressive, though the wing position isn't quite as strong. Freshman Jordan Hamilton of Texas might have more pure talent then any other SF in the league, but it might take him time to become a top-level performer.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

-- Big Ten Top 25 Players

-- Big East Top 25 Players

Poll: Who Will Win the 2010 National Championship?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:30:41 -0500