As the father of a toddler I don't have a ton of time to watch sports these days, but I have been able to keep up with KU's early games.
So far, we appear to have a lot of talent, but it's taking some time to coalesce. We've got a good backstop in Jeff Withey, but at this point we've been struggling with preventing opposing guards from penetrating, so we've definitely needed him to clean up some messes.
Redshirt freshman Ben McLemore appears to be the real deal. Very athletic, aggressive in driving to the hoop as well as shooting from outside. He's got a great attitude and work ethic as well. I don't expect him to be back next year.
We're athletic and aggressive, but also young and a bit sloppy. You can also see some of the younger guys playing as though they're thinking too much about where they're supposed to be. I think that by the time conference play comes around we'll be rounding into good shape.
I'm still curious about WVU. All players haven't been available and healthy at the same time, and Huggs is still trying to figure out the lineup. But they play tough defense, and hit the boards hard, which helps tremendously. But it would be nice if WVU could find a guard that could hit a consistent outside shot...
According to the coaches, WVU's most talented player just might be Volodymyr Gerun, the Ukrainian who just became eligible. He's definitely the best shooter. But he doesn't know the system. The middle of the season is a rough time to try to teach it to him, so he can be worked into the rotation...
I take it that Gerun hasn't been eligible to practice thus far, then? It's definitely tough to integrate a player mid-season. While they had to sit out last year, I do think that McLemore and Traylor at KU both benefitted greatly from their partial year of practice. They look more comfortable than true Freshmen so far.
You can't count out the impact of effort. KU destroyed Colorado last Saturday, and the most evident quality that had been lacking compared to previous games was their hustle and energy. If they get after it, their opponents will have a long year.
I thought he might play some against Duquense. If Gerun had played some in the 2nd half, the Mountaineers might even have held on for the win. Although that's open to question. But I've heard some around the program say he already looks like he could be the most talented player on the team. I doubt Huggs will try to work him into the rotation for the game against John Beilein's #3 ranked Wolverines. However, I've seen stranger things happen...
Cannot say i blame Horns fans staying away from the UCLA game last week. We are dreadful right now and some tough OOC games coming.
Unless WVU learns how to make a bucket, it's going to be a long basketball season in Morgantown...
KU looked good once again vs Richmond. The first big test since the early MSU game comes Saturday in Columbus.
We've made it most of the way through the non-conference schedule, and now coaches will have the chance to get in some extra practice. Here's how things appear to be shaking out so far:
- KU is continuing to play well.
- Oklahoma State has a good record, and has beaten teams from the SEC, ACC, and Big East.
- K-State just picked up a nice win against Florida, and their only losses are to ranked teams.
- Iowa State has won the games that they were supposed to win, and lost only to ranked teams and their in-state rival.
- Baylor is...well, Baylor. Talented and enigmatic, beating some good teams and losing to teams they have no business losing to.
- Oklahoma has been unremarkable so far. I hadn't noticed that they already had an out-of-conference game against WVU. With the conference post-season tournament, they may end up playing 4 times this year.
- TCU hasn't played a killer schedule, but they're at 8-4 so far, which is better than they've fared in some years.
- Texas is like Baylor. Obviously the Kabongo suspension has something to do with their struggles, but it seems like Rick Barnes has had issues of late in getting his team to gel.
- Texas Tech probably has another long season of hoops ahead of them. I know it's not their focus, but I've always kind of liked Tech, and I'd like to see that program make some strides.
- WVU has obviously struggled, but it sounds like Huggins may be figuring out this team's dynamics. It'd be foolish to overlook them in conference play.
I think Huggs may have found his starting lineup at the end of the Radford game. The group that put the Mountaineers on the run that eventually won the game is long, athletic, and plays well together, which is exactly what WVU has been looking for all season so far...