Advertisement

Back to Men's Basketball coverage

Men's Basketball

Monday, November 2, 2009

Big 12 men’s hoops more than just Big 3

By Gary Bedore

Advertisement

The pollsters spoke loudly and clearly last week in anointing Kansas University’s men’s basketball team the runaway favorite to win the 2010 NCAA title.

Bill Self’s Jayhawks received 82 of a possible 96 first-place votes in topping the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN preseason Top 25s.

As far as how the rest of the Big 12 Conference fared in the polls … well, here’s a closer look.

Just two teams not named KU — Texas and Oklahoma — were ranked.

The Longhorns, who return Damion James, Dexter Pittman and Gary Johnson — and bring in No. 1-rated high school prospect Avery Bradley — were tapped third in both polls.

The Sooners, who lost the Griffin brothers, but return sophomore sensation Willie Warren, were picked 16th by the USA Today/ESPN coaches panel and 17th by the AP media group.

Here’s a look at the league teams that weren’t ranked, but at least received votes.

• Oklahoma State: Travis Ford’s second Cowboy squad, which is led by James Anderson and Obi Muonelo, was ranked No. 31 by USA Today/ESPN and No. 32 by the AP.

• Missouri: The Tigers, who lost DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons, but return defensive whiz J.T. Tiller off last year’s Elite Eight team, were ranked No. 32 by USA Today/ESPN and No. 45 by the AP.

• Kansas State: The Wildcats, who return their top two scorers in Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen and bring in highly touted freshman forward Wally Judge, checked in at No. 39 by the AP and No. 40 by USA Today/ESPN.

• Texas A&M: Former KU player Mark Turgeon’s Aggies, who return double-digit scorers in Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis, were ranked No. 44 by the AP and No. 47 by USA Today/ESPN.

So, seven of the league’s 12 teams received any mention at all. Iowa State was ignored, despite the presence of forward Craig Brackins, who averaged 20.2 points a game a year ago. He exploded for 42 points versus KU in Ames.

“I believe this is our league’s year,” KU coach Bill Self said. “I don’t think we’ll be talking about hopefully getting six in the (NCAA) tournament this March. It’ll be very disappointing to everybody if we do not have six to eight teams come March in the tournament.”

The league had six teams in the NCAAs a year ago: KU, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

“Arguably the best team in the country is Texas from a talent standpoint. They could win a national championship. What Jeff Capel and his staff have done at OU ... they are loaded. Mike’s group played unbelievable last year. They won 30-plus games,” Self added of Mike Anderson’s Missouri Tigers.

“The surprise team this year, even though it won’t be to the coaches, is K-State. You return what they do and add Wally Judge and a couple guys ... they are right at the top tier of our league from a talent standpoint.”

Judge is a 6-foot-9, 248-pound power forward from Arlington Country Day High School in Florida.

“A lot of people speak about a lot of freshmen, and most people leave him off their radar,” Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. “I’ve got a feeling a lot of people are going to be talking about him when the season concludes.”

Judge averaged 18.5 points and 17.1 rebounds his senior year. He was tapped a McDonald’s All-American along with KU’s Xavier Henry and Bradley, but couldn’t compete in the all-star game because of a back injury.

Opener nears

KU will open the exhibition season against Fort Hays State at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Allen Fieldhouse. The Tigers return three starters off a 20-9 team that placed third in the 11-team Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. FHSU was picked third in the preseason conference media poll and fourth in the coaches poll.

“We’re going in (KU game) for the players to enjoy themselves,” ninth-year Fort Hays coach Mark Johnson told the Fort Hays State University Leader. “Getting to play in Allen Fieldhouse, in front of a lot of people, against the No. 1-ranked team in the country ... we prepare like any other game, but I think really it’s about the players getting to enjoy the experience.”

Comments

  1. memhawk (anonymous) says…

    “Getting to play in Allen Fieldhouse, in front of a lot of people, against the No. 1-ranked team in the country ... we prepare like any other game, but I think really it’s about the players getting to enjoy the experience.”

    Yeah, the experience of getting beat by 60 pts.!!

    ( | suggest removal )

  2. jacqueshock (anonymous) says…

    Don't forget Jai Lucas, the transfer from Florida, will be suiting up in December for the Horns. Texas is going to be tough this year. However, my friend told me that the weak link will be Barnes.

    ( | suggest removal )

  3. jaybate (anonymous) says…

    There is this basketball purist in me, this person that loves the game that didn't just like Hoosiers, but knew it happened and knows this sort of thing happens every once in a great while. This person secretly hopes for D2 Ft. Hays State to come in and play KU close, be down with a second to go and drops a holy trinity that upsets the colossus Numero Uno Team in the country. This person hopes the Ft. Hays coach looks kind of like Gene Hackman and that he has a secret past and that this is his and his teams one chance for true glory.

    But there is this other greater part of me, this person suffused with the KU basketball legacy, that wants us to kick this Ft. Hays St. team into the next time zone and win by 120 points to announce the arrival of this years big dog on the block.

    Rock Chalk!

    ( | suggest removal )

  4. bobbyfinstock (anonymous) says…

    I hate to nit-pick (ok, I kind of like it), but there are only 25 teams that are "ranked." The other folks just receive votes... to try "ranking" them by the remainder of the votes received is not accurate and certainly shouldn't be done by a journalist.

    ( | suggest removal )

  5. RawkChawkJHawk (anonymous) says…

    I think your nit-picking is off base. Teams are "ranked" based on the number of votes/points they get under the polls' formulas. The only difference between the No. 25 team and the No. 26 team is the number of points each team got -- and that the poll cuts off at 25. There is no judgment or discretion required on the part of the journalist to look at the next team down the list and note that they are "ranked" No. 26. I get what you're saying; it is more special to actually be included among the Top 25. But there is nothing inaccurate about noting the position of a team garnering fewer points than are necessary to be included in the Top 25.

    ( | suggest removal )

  6. oljhwk (anonymous) says…

    My wife and I went to the women's game yesterday. It was nice to get back in to allen fieldhouse! The women's team will be pretty good this year as well. Finally, it's BB season once again!

    ( | suggest removal )

  7. dagger108 (anonymous) says…

    It will be interesting to start to see the public lessons beng learned by the current team. There are plenty coming. We are still a young team.

    ( | suggest removal )

  8. Advertisement

  9. OakvilleJHawk (anonymous) says…

    ..."public lessons"...?

    dagger108,

    if you mean walk the walk before you talk the talk,
    if you mean take every team as a serious threat to defeat you,
    if you mean the 200 minutes of every Hawk player on the floor being played at 110%,
    if you mean focus, concentration, all-out effort, teamwork, sacrifice,
    if that's what you mean....
    I get what you mean.

    ( | suggest removal )

  10. memhawk (anonymous) says…

    They might be young but, they've got a lot of fight in them!

    They might be young but, they'll mature faster at KU than anywhere else!

    They might be young but, how many schools have a Danny Manning on staff?

    They might be young but, wait.....all of the starters ,but one, were on the NC team a couple of years ago!

    ( | suggest removal )

  11. kansas22 (anonymous) says…

    basketball season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ( | suggest removal )

  12. honk_for_hawks (anonymous) says…

    memhawk, are you trying to imply that both tyrel reed and brady are going to start? because no offense, but that is insane! But we CAN still say that our two best players and leaders were big parts of our NC, which is still pretty awesome.

    ( | suggest removal )

  13. VegasJhawk09 (anonymous) says…

    I want to watch this game!! I dont live in Kansas anymore so is there anyone out there who can give me a link to the game online??
    RCJH!!

    ( | suggest removal )