Great play by Juwan Staten at the end of the KU game but it's absolutely crazy the refs didn't call a walk. #KidDefinitelyTraveled
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) February 17, 2015
KUAD: Kansas vs West Virginia pregame notes
LJW Smithology: Getting to know No. 11 West Virginia
Last time @ WVU
Kansas is ranked #1 in both national polls for the first time since Feb. 14, 2011 #kubball pic.twitter.com/mmTwdlLMP4
— Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) January 11, 2016
Kansas University junior Wayne Selden Jr., who has experienced two losses the past two seasons at energized WVU Coliseum, knows what it will take to finally beat the No. 11-ranked Mountaineers (14-1, 3-0) in their 14,000-seat arena.
“Just taking care of the ball, letting Frank (Mason III) and Devonté (Graham) take care of all that,” Selden said with a smile, fully aware all members of KU’s No. 1-ranked team (14-1, 3-0) must secure the ball against a squad that is ranked third in the country in steals (170 in 15 games, trailing only Omaha and Gardner-Webb) after leading the nation in thefts in 2014-15.
“West Virginia is going to pressure. We know that. The past couple years, we went there and caught L’s. We’re trying to change that this year,” added Selden, who says he’s looking forward to today’s 6 p.m. road game.
…“I think they may be doing it (pressing) better this year than they did it last year,” KU coach Bill Self said. “A lot of people initially thought with the rules emphasis (calling fouls when players put their hands on opponents), it may cause them to back off a little bit. It hasn’t at all. They are doing a good job of playing and for the most part, without fouling,” Self added.
West Virginia, which leads the country in forced turnovers (20.8 per game), has an average margin of victory at home of 36.7 ppg. The Mountaineers force opponents to turn it over on 27.5 percent of their possessions and average 26.6 ppg off turnovers. West Virginia has forced 30 or more turnovers in three games and has at least seven steals in every game.
…Self on deciding which big men to play meaningful minutes on a given night: “I do think there’s certain things from a depth situation that has made it difficult because a lot of times we don’t know who to play. I know that sounds like a lot of coaches should know. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. A lot of times we play based on scouting report. I haven’t done that in many years,” Self said. “Against West Virginia, it could be best ball-handling bigs for obvious reasons. Against a low-post threat it could be your heaviest big who is the best low-post presence. Against a pick and pop big guy it could be your most agile, best perimeter-defending big guys. It’s nice to have some options we can run people out there. It’d be better if you had one guy who could do it all. Certainly in our situation we’ve kind of done it by committee in that other big spot (next to Perry Ellis).”
LJW
One question that has been hanging over the Kansas basketball team all season is this: Who is the best person to play next to Perry Ellis in the post?
For help with that answer, I turned to Jeff Haley of HoopLens.com, as his site keeps all the plus/minus lineup numbers for each team throughout the season.
Now, before we start, it's important to know that plus/minus is a highly controversial stat. Its biggest issue is sample size (as one-game samples can usually be considered useless) and has many critics, including Ken Pomeroy. Because of all these caveats, it's best not to oversell what plus/minus can tell us.
In this instance, though, the question is more what actually has happened and not what should happen in the future. Because of that, I think the numbers are interesting even if they shouldn't be used as an end-all, be-all.
As a bonus, I asked Haley to send me notes on anything that stood out to him. I've added some of those notes below, as I think it's good to get insight from someone who is more familiar with how to use this particular data.
TCJ
Let’s stop the kvetching about Cheick Diallo before it gathers any more steam. The 6'9" freshman forward played a total of eight minutes in Kansas’s wins over Oklahoma and Texas Tech last week. Diallo is a good athlete with a great basketball body, but he was always considered raw offensively. Besides, the Jayhawks have two upperclassmen big men in Jamari Traylor and Landen Lucas who are much more ready to help their team win. Diallo is not going to play much this season, and if he’s even smart about it, he is not going to try to enter the NBA draft. Rather, he is going to stay in Lawrence and develop his game with one of the best coaches in the history of the sport. When he’s ready to play, Bill Self will play him. Period.
SI
“Just taking care of the ball, letting Frank (Mason III) and Devonté (Graham) take care of all that,” Selden said with a smile, fully aware all members of KU’s No. 1-ranked team (14-1, 3-0) must secure the ball against a squad that is ranked third in the country in steals (170 in 15 games, trailing only Omaha and Gardner-Webb) after leading the nation in thefts in 2014-15.
“West Virginia is going to pressure. We know that. The past couple years, we went there and caught L’s. We’re trying to change that this year,” added Selden, who says he’s looking forward to today’s 6 p.m. road game.
…“I think they may be doing it (pressing) better this year than they did it last year,” KU coach Bill Self said. “A lot of people initially thought with the rules emphasis (calling fouls when players put their hands on opponents), it may cause them to back off a little bit. It hasn’t at all. They are doing a good job of playing and for the most part, without fouling,” Self added.
West Virginia, which leads the country in forced turnovers (20.8 per game), has an average margin of victory at home of 36.7 ppg. The Mountaineers force opponents to turn it over on 27.5 percent of their possessions and average 26.6 ppg off turnovers. West Virginia has forced 30 or more turnovers in three games and has at least seven steals in every game.
…Self on deciding which big men to play meaningful minutes on a given night: “I do think there’s certain things from a depth situation that has made it difficult because a lot of times we don’t know who to play. I know that sounds like a lot of coaches should know. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. A lot of times we play based on scouting report. I haven’t done that in many years,” Self said. “Against West Virginia, it could be best ball-handling bigs for obvious reasons. Against a low-post threat it could be your heaviest big who is the best low-post presence. Against a pick and pop big guy it could be your most agile, best perimeter-defending big guys. It’s nice to have some options we can run people out there. It’d be better if you had one guy who could do it all. Certainly in our situation we’ve kind of done it by committee in that other big spot (next to Perry Ellis).”
LJW
One question that has been hanging over the Kansas basketball team all season is this: Who is the best person to play next to Perry Ellis in the post?
For help with that answer, I turned to Jeff Haley of HoopLens.com, as his site keeps all the plus/minus lineup numbers for each team throughout the season.
Now, before we start, it's important to know that plus/minus is a highly controversial stat. Its biggest issue is sample size (as one-game samples can usually be considered useless) and has many critics, including Ken Pomeroy. Because of all these caveats, it's best not to oversell what plus/minus can tell us.
In this instance, though, the question is more what actually has happened and not what should happen in the future. Because of that, I think the numbers are interesting even if they shouldn't be used as an end-all, be-all.
As a bonus, I asked Haley to send me notes on anything that stood out to him. I've added some of those notes below, as I think it's good to get insight from someone who is more familiar with how to use this particular data.
TCJ
Let’s stop the kvetching about Cheick Diallo before it gathers any more steam. The 6'9" freshman forward played a total of eight minutes in Kansas’s wins over Oklahoma and Texas Tech last week. Diallo is a good athlete with a great basketball body, but he was always considered raw offensively. Besides, the Jayhawks have two upperclassmen big men in Jamari Traylor and Landen Lucas who are much more ready to help their team win. Diallo is not going to play much this season, and if he’s even smart about it, he is not going to try to enter the NBA draft. Rather, he is going to stay in Lawrence and develop his game with one of the best coaches in the history of the sport. When he’s ready to play, Bill Self will play him. Period.
SI
As the West Virginia University Mountaineers take on the University of Kansas Jayhawks at the Coliseum tonight, big crowds and limited parking are expected for those attending the basketball game.
The WVU Division of Student Life, Student Government Association and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics offered 1,200 more tickets than usual for WVU students for tonight’s highly anticipated matchup.
"In an effort to accommodate as many WVU students as possible, some students will be seated in reserved, general public sections. If you arrive after the student section is filled, you will be given a ticket to a reserved seat when you enter the Coliseum," read a WVU press release.
Daily Athenaeum
KU much more suited for Press Virginia this year w/Small Ball lineup. Graham averaged 16 minutes last year ... https://t.co/SSXWSU4ZYv
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) January 11, 2016
This year’s Jayhawks look very much like the squad West Virginia knocked off last year. Starters Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cliff Alexander have both gone on to the NBA, but the core of the team remains the same.
Senior Perry Ellis has a chance to cap off a celebrated career with a national championship, while starting guards Wayne Selden Jr. and Frank Mason III have both taken steps torward stardom.
West Virginia and Kansas have the same record, 14-1, and remain as the last two undefeated teams in the Big 12 Conference. But once again, the No. 1 Jayhawks are seen as just a little bit more real than the No. 11 Mountaineers.
Make no mistake, though. While Staten is gone, this is a much better Mountaineer team than the one that suited up against Kansas one year ago. The offense is more balanced, the young players are reaching their potential and the press is no less suffocating.
This time, the West Virginia Mountaineers won’t be fighting for legitimacy, they’ll be fighting for a place at the top.
"We’re just trying to make history again," said sophomore forward Elijah Macon. "We want to do better, actually. We want to go out and win this conference."
Daily Athenaeum
But the Mountaineers believe they have what it takes to once again skate past them. Kansas hasn’t won in its last two trips to West Virginia, with the 2014 game also resulting in a 92-86 Mountaineer upset despite 41 points from eventual No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins.
West Virginia hasn’t lost since they squared off against then-No. 10 Virginia in the Jimmy V. Classic, after a late UVA surge started by a Jevon Carter miscue on an attempted behind-the-back pass on the fast break.
Since then, the Mountaineers have defeated opponents by an average of nearly 20 points. They’ve been a part of program history, with their best start since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
"I think we’re a very confident team and we keep winning, it just keeps making us even tougher," said sophomore guard Jevon Carter.
Adding to it all is last year’s second half collapse in Kansas, with WVU melting away a 14-point halftime lead that eventually turned into a seven-point overtime defeat. Senior leaders Juwan Staten and Gary Browne were out with injury, with current star Devin Williams registering just nine points.
Daxter Miles led the way with 23 points in the last matchup against Kansas, but is currently harboring a sprained ankle that sidelined him for Saturday’s 77-60 rout of Oklahoma State. Huggins stated he’s back in action after practicing on Sunday, adding to what is arguably one of the conference’s deepest teams.
Now onto Kansas, the country’s top ranked team. It’s what the Mountaineers have been waiting for all season long, and they’re ready to step up to the challenge and jump to sole possession of first place in the Big 12. They’re ready to make another statement on national television.
"We’ve got a chance to make another upset," said Williams. "Nobody expects us to do anything, so the pressure is off of us and it’s just a fun moment. It’s going to be fun, be something that we can remember."
Daily Athenaeum
Big 12 refs are the worst. How is this not a shot clock violation pic.twitter.com/d9dYQAqbgl
— daltonwilley (@dwilley21) February 17, 2015
As players convened for Monday afternoon’s practice inside the empty WVU Coliseum, Elijah Macon speculated on how the atmosphere would ramp up to rowdiness by Tuesday night.
On deck are the Kansas Jayhawks, the first AP No. 1-ranked team to visit in a decade and the brand by which all other Big 12 programs are measured. With students back on campus and season ticketholders circling this game, the No. 11 Mountaineers are anticipating 13,000-plus in the arena.
“I’m sure Morgantown is getting fired up,” Macon said, “and everybody here doesn’t like Kansas either. It’ll be pretty fun.”
Macon actually dubbed the series a rivalry, a stretch given West Virginia’s newness to the league. Then again, the teams have split the past four meetings, including two thrillers last season. Why not expect the same this time, with both squads entering at 14-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference and among the national leaders in margin of victory?
…Miles the freshman shot just 1-of-5 and scored two points against Kansas in a 62-61 win here a year ago before scoring 23 in an overtime loss at Lawrence. This season, along with being a 12.1 points-per-game scorer, he’s the steals leader on a pressing team that easily leads the Big 12 in that category.
That persistent full-court harassment and deep rotation of interchangeable players helps mitigate the Jayhawks’ array of blue-chip recruits.
“Their starting five may be better than our starting five,” said WVU forward Jonathan Holton, “but our 12 is probably better than their 12.”
…Line: Kansas favored by 1
...Prediction: Kansas 73-72
wvmetronews
The Kansas countdown started before the sweat dried on Jonathan Holton’s jersey.
“This is what we prepare for, the big ones,” Holton said.
The bigness surrounding No. 17 West Virginia’s opportunity Tuesday night may be expanding. Mighty Kansas already sucked some of Oklahoma’s wind, and Iowa State—thought to be a primary challenger to KU’s reign—was saddled by a second league loss Saturday. In Hilton Coliseum, no less.
So here sit the Mountaineers, still unbeaten in the Big 12 and feeling a little slighted that hardly anyone outside Appalachia considers them legitimate threats. Well, hardly anyone one except Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford, who gushed compliments after his squad’s 17-point loss at the WVU Coliseum.
He prefers West Virginia’s current iteration over the Juwan Staten-fueled group that dusted OSU twice last year on a path to the Sweet 16.
“I think they’re better. They’ve got players and they’re not focused on one guy. Juwan Staten, we spent a lot of time talking about him last year—a lot of time,” Ford said before his thoughts flipped to the more recent scouting report:
“(Jevon) Carter can give you 25. (Jaysean) Paige can give you 25. (Tarik) Phillip can give you 20. (Daxter) Miles didn’t even play today—I mean, come on. (Devin) Williams is one of the best players in the league and Holton, I think, is the key to their team.”
Holton played the energizer Saturday—15 points, nine rebounds, three steals, countless screams at ballhandlers—and his postgame wind-down involved finding a television to watch top-ranked Kansas play in Lubbock.
“Year after year they build their program,” Holton said regarding the Jayhawks’ quest for 12th consecutive Big 12 banner, “but we’ve got something special here with our 12 guys.”
wvmetronews.com
On deck are the Kansas Jayhawks, the first AP No. 1-ranked team to visit in a decade and the brand by which all other Big 12 programs are measured. With students back on campus and season ticketholders circling this game, the No. 11 Mountaineers are anticipating 13,000-plus in the arena.
“I’m sure Morgantown is getting fired up,” Macon said, “and everybody here doesn’t like Kansas either. It’ll be pretty fun.”
Macon actually dubbed the series a rivalry, a stretch given West Virginia’s newness to the league. Then again, the teams have split the past four meetings, including two thrillers last season. Why not expect the same this time, with both squads entering at 14-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference and among the national leaders in margin of victory?
…Miles the freshman shot just 1-of-5 and scored two points against Kansas in a 62-61 win here a year ago before scoring 23 in an overtime loss at Lawrence. This season, along with being a 12.1 points-per-game scorer, he’s the steals leader on a pressing team that easily leads the Big 12 in that category.
That persistent full-court harassment and deep rotation of interchangeable players helps mitigate the Jayhawks’ array of blue-chip recruits.
“Their starting five may be better than our starting five,” said WVU forward Jonathan Holton, “but our 12 is probably better than their 12.”
…Line: Kansas favored by 1
...Prediction: Kansas 73-72
wvmetronews
The Kansas countdown started before the sweat dried on Jonathan Holton’s jersey.
“This is what we prepare for, the big ones,” Holton said.
The bigness surrounding No. 17 West Virginia’s opportunity Tuesday night may be expanding. Mighty Kansas already sucked some of Oklahoma’s wind, and Iowa State—thought to be a primary challenger to KU’s reign—was saddled by a second league loss Saturday. In Hilton Coliseum, no less.
So here sit the Mountaineers, still unbeaten in the Big 12 and feeling a little slighted that hardly anyone outside Appalachia considers them legitimate threats. Well, hardly anyone one except Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford, who gushed compliments after his squad’s 17-point loss at the WVU Coliseum.
He prefers West Virginia’s current iteration over the Juwan Staten-fueled group that dusted OSU twice last year on a path to the Sweet 16.
“I think they’re better. They’ve got players and they’re not focused on one guy. Juwan Staten, we spent a lot of time talking about him last year—a lot of time,” Ford said before his thoughts flipped to the more recent scouting report:
“(Jevon) Carter can give you 25. (Jaysean) Paige can give you 25. (Tarik) Phillip can give you 20. (Daxter) Miles didn’t even play today—I mean, come on. (Devin) Williams is one of the best players in the league and Holton, I think, is the key to their team.”
Holton played the energizer Saturday—15 points, nine rebounds, three steals, countless screams at ballhandlers—and his postgame wind-down involved finding a television to watch top-ranked Kansas play in Lubbock.
“Year after year they build their program,” Holton said regarding the Jayhawks’ quest for 12th consecutive Big 12 banner, “but we’ve got something special here with our 12 guys.”
wvmetronews.com
Wayne Selden Jr. is sitting in the players' lounge at Kansas, talking about "kids today." He actually used those very words, along with "that's the problem with this world nowadays." He didn't call anyone a whippersnapper, but the message nonetheless was the same.
Selden is 21, a baby in the context of the real world but a wizened veteran in college basketball circles. He is now midway through his third year at Kansas, or two more than anyone suspected he might stick around when he first enrolled.
That's what brings Selden to lamenting the state of things in today's world, the idea that the path he has followed is some kind of a detour as opposed to how he views it -- the right road for him.
"People telling you how good you are since you're 15, what you're going to be, that's the problem,'' he said. "You see all this stuff written about you and you expect things to happen, but everything is timing. Everybody is different. I was waiting on my time.''
It's arrived now, in gangbusters.
This Kansas team, ranked No. 1 in the nation as it heads to play West Virginia (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN), isn't built like the Kansas teams of recent memory. It is not a one-player show, nor is it a one-and-done audition. Four guys average double figures in points. The leading scorers are, in order: senior, junior, junior, sophomore, junior. You've got to dig all the way down to the eighth spot to find a freshman.
So in some ways, Selden is simply a part of the machine, the second-leading scorer at 15.5 points per game. Except if you dissect these Jayhawks, try to figure out what makes them so exceptional this season, you'd find the answer is Selden.
…The truth is, it takes a lot more courage to be patient than take the leap to the NBA. A player "expected" to leave who opts (or is forced) to stay in college is tabbed a failure before he has even had a chance to succeed. Selden thought that way once, too, until he started on his own detoured path.
Now he sees it all for what it is; not fate, necessarily, but a master plan of some sort. Had he left after his freshman season, he doesn't think it would have been a disaster. But he realizes now he wasn't anywhere near ready.
The difference between being prepared to be paid and being prepared to play, Self calls it. Selden has transitioned from the former to the latter.
"What 18-year-old kid has the confidence that a 21-year-old man has?'' said Selden's mother, Lavette Pitts. "Look at him now, at how he's playing. It's all confidence. That's the difference.''
"Everyone thinks about basketball, but this is a life experience,'' Pitts said. "You send your kid to college to grow up. He's ready now.''
ESPN O’Neil
KC Star image
As No. 1 Kansas prepares to face No. 11 West Virginia on Tuesday night in Morgantown, W.Va., Mickelson’s love has perhaps never been stronger, even as his playing time fluctuates. Mickelson has started the Jayhawks’ last eight games, but he is playing just 10.2 minutes per game for the season, averaging 3.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. In the Jayhawks’ ever-changing frontcourt rotation, it’s unclear what his rotation will be in a month, but Darien Mickelson says his son is where he always wanted to be.
“The only thing he’s ever wanted to do since he was little is play on a top-10 team and play in an NCAA tournament,” Darien Mickelson says. “And now, he knows it’s realistic.”
Life at Kansas does have one fairly significant drawback, though. It’s taken away most of his days in a pit blind. In recent years, Mickelson says, his hunting adventures have been relegated to the few days around Christmas. Two years ago, while he was sitting out, he went once in Kansas with former Kansas star Wayne Simien. But it wasn’t quite the same.
“I didn’t have my gun,” Mickelson says. “I had to borrow gear.”
His second sport remains in his blood. Mickelson ponders a career related to hunting when his basketball days are over, and his talent has survived the time off as well. Two years ago, Mickelson returned home for Christmas and went on a flooded timber Mallard hunt with his father. He had not shot a gun in a year, Darien says, but it did not matter.
“He’s got such good eye-hand coordination,” Darien Mickelon says. “He killed the first five ducks he shot at with one shot before he missed one.”
KC Star
Team of the week
Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks beat Oklahoma in three overtimes in a game of the year candidate. Kansas also won at Texas Tech.
Dick Vitale Weekly Awards
Kansas escaped Lubbock with a good road win over Texas Tech even though Cheick Diallo, a McDonald's All-American, logged just three minutes. How many teams could keep an NBA prospect off the floor and still win a tough road game against a dangerous opponent like Texas Tech?
All-Star Reserves
Brannen Greene (Kansas): Kansas is one of the deepest teams in America. Jamari Traylor has been coming off the bench for Bill Self since Mario Chalmers played in Lawrence. The NBA scouts love Svi Mykhailiuk's ceiling. Landen Lucas has made 58 percent of his shots inside the arc. But Green, who was 2-for-3 from the 3-point line in Saturday's win at Texas Tech, has connected on 63 percent of his 27 3-point attempts this season. He's a trustworthy sharpshooter for a team that's hurting its opponents inside and outside this season.
ESPN
Last week produced my first losing record, which came a week after I lost only one game. That’s what happens in conference play. If the games were just 38 minutes instead of 40, I would have been right taking Cincinnati over SMU, California over Oregon and Oklahoma over Kansas. Instead, all three showed up in the loss column.
Thanks to the College Football Playoff title game between Clemson and Alabama, there’s a very light college basketball schedule Monday night, but Tuesday’s lineup will more than make up for it. Hopefully my picks will make up for last week, too (all times Eastern)n
No. 1 Kansas at No. 17 West Virginia (Morgantown, West Virginia), 7 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN2: The Jayhawks visit “Press Virginia” boasting the No. 1 3-point shooting team in the Big 12. That could prove detrimental to the Mountaineers, who are prone to giving up open shots once their press is broken. Kansas’ use of two point guards in Frank Mason III and Devonte' Graham should nullify the effectiveness of the pressure, anyway. West Virginia hasn’t lost since dropping its only game of the season seven games ago to Virginia.
Prediction: Kansas 81, West Virginia 73
ESPN C L Brown
A fundraiser benefiting former Kansas player Alonzo Jamison, who is battling kidney failure, will be held starting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lazy Toad.
The event, which will take place before and during KU’s game at 6 p.m., will include food and drink specials and a memorabilia sale to help raise funds for Jamison’s medical costs. Bidding for silent auction items will end 15 minutes following the conclusion of KU’s contest.
TCJ
Bob Davis, the voice of Kansas University football and men’s basketball for more than three decades, has been named 2015 Kansas Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
This is the 14th time Davis has received the honor.
Davis has announced he will retire following the 2015-16 basketball seasons. He started his career with the Jayhawk Radio Network in 1984.
Wichita Eagle reporter Bob Lutz is the 2015 Kansas sportswriter honoree.
LJW
VOTE for Coach Self
http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/infiniti/2016/index
“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!”
Big 12/College News
#Big12MBB: Big 12/SEC Challenge Times & Networks Finalized - https://t.co/zrYxf5KqJX pic.twitter.com/2Mok48MNob
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 11, 2016
Get ready, UConn fans. Conference realignment has crawled back to the middle of the college sports spotlight, and the oft-disappointed Huskies are again along for the ride.
Sunday in Scottsdale, Arizona, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey kicked off what is shaping up to be an active week on the realignment front by saying his conference will oppose a Big 12 proposal that would allow the 10-team league to hold a football conference championship game. The measure will be voted on Friday at this week’s NCAA convention in San Antonio.
Sankey’s comments were positive for UConn because if the Big 12’s proposal fails, it’s expected the Midwest-based Big 12 will reluctantly add two schools, which would allow the league to hold a conference title game as soon as the 2017 season.
The Big Ten already signaled its opposition to a waiver, also known as “deregulation,” by offering a “poison pill” amendment mandating the Big 12 to split into two divisions in order to hold a conference championship game. The Big 12 does not want to split into divisions, either.
Without the support of college football’s two most powerful conferences, the Big 12’s measure is given little chance of passing in a vote of the 10 FBS conferences, where the votes of the Power 5 count twice.
The Big 12 — or, at least its commissioner, Bob Bowlsby — tried to downplay Sankey’s opposition and hinted a compromise could be in the works “We continue to support full deregulation and believe conferences should have full prerogative on how they conduct competition. Having stated our first preference, I believe we can find a compromise that will work,” Bowlsby told FoxSports.com.
But asked if compromise could include the Big 12 splitting into divisions, Bowlsby said: “We do not want to add members or be forced to play two divisions. Any compromise would have to consider those two provisions.”
Money is at the heart of the Big 12’s resistance to adding members. Its 10 schools earned $25.3 million each from TV contracts in 2014-15, and those slices of the financial pie would get smaller with two new plates at the table. By comparison, the 14 SEC schools got $34 million each, the 14 in the Big Ten $27 million and the 12 in the Pac-12 $25.6 million. Fourteen ACC schools earned an average of $22.2 million (Notre Dame earns less from the ACC, but more than makes up for it with its own TV deals in football).
The size of future TV deals are uncertain, with broadcasting giants such as ESPN dealing with loss of subscribers and revenue as more viewers move away from cable.
Meanwhile, back on the East Coast, UConn is positioning itself to be ready should the Big 12 expand, a little more than three years after Louisville beat out UConn for the ACC spot vacated by Maryland when the Terps moved to the Big Ten.
On Friday, the New London Day reported UConn president Susan Herbst has retained former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese to help with the school’s efforts in getting into a “Power 5” conference. Tranghese remains a player in big-time college football as a member of the 13-person committee that selects the four teams for the college football playoff.
Last month, UConn put up billboards in New York reading “UConn The 6th Borough” to tout its New York market reach — a factor said to be important when former Big East members Syracuse and Rutgers moved into the ACC and Big Ten, respectively.
Another factor is Connecticut is the most populous state without a Power 5 school. Connecticut is 29th in the nation in population (3,590,886). Seven states with smaller populations have a combined 10 Power 5 schools. Three have two Power 5 schools (Iowa, 30th; Mississippi, 32nd, Kansas 34th).
UConn athletic director Warde Manuel will find himself in an awkward position should he cast the American Athletic Conference’s vote Friday as scheduled. A vote for the Big 12 proposal would essentially be against Big 12 expansion, which hurts UConn’s interests. But a vote against the Big 12 could make the AAC more vulnerable to losing schools such as UConn, Cincinnati and Houston.
Geography remains one of the main factors why UConn is not considered an odds-on favorite to get a Big 12 spot should one open. Ironically, both UConn basketball teams are on road trips this week that would mirror the kind UConn would have to take as a Big 12 member. The women wrap up a three-game road trip Wednesday at Memphis after playing at Houston and South Florida. The men have an Oklahoma-Texas trip starting Thursday in Tulsa and ending Sunday in Houston.
Bristol Press
On Monday, another potential selling point surfaced in a Wall Street Journal story that ranked the value of every college football team.
UConn was valued at $88.12 million, which ranks 61st in the country, just behind Big 12 power Baylor. The Huskies rank ahead of Boston College, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Temple and Houston.
Of course, BC, WVU, Louisville and (this one is still remarkable to us) Rutgers have moved on to bigger conferences, while the Huskies are stuck in the AAC.
Ohio State was listed as the most-valuable college football program, coming in at $946.6 million. Texas ($885 million), Michigan ($811 million), Notre Dame ($723.6 million) and Alabama ($694.8 million) rounded out the top five.
Check out the entire article here.
Link
Sunday in Scottsdale, Arizona, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey kicked off what is shaping up to be an active week on the realignment front by saying his conference will oppose a Big 12 proposal that would allow the 10-team league to hold a football conference championship game. The measure will be voted on Friday at this week’s NCAA convention in San Antonio.
Sankey’s comments were positive for UConn because if the Big 12’s proposal fails, it’s expected the Midwest-based Big 12 will reluctantly add two schools, which would allow the league to hold a conference title game as soon as the 2017 season.
The Big Ten already signaled its opposition to a waiver, also known as “deregulation,” by offering a “poison pill” amendment mandating the Big 12 to split into two divisions in order to hold a conference championship game. The Big 12 does not want to split into divisions, either.
Without the support of college football’s two most powerful conferences, the Big 12’s measure is given little chance of passing in a vote of the 10 FBS conferences, where the votes of the Power 5 count twice.
The Big 12 — or, at least its commissioner, Bob Bowlsby — tried to downplay Sankey’s opposition and hinted a compromise could be in the works “We continue to support full deregulation and believe conferences should have full prerogative on how they conduct competition. Having stated our first preference, I believe we can find a compromise that will work,” Bowlsby told FoxSports.com.
But asked if compromise could include the Big 12 splitting into divisions, Bowlsby said: “We do not want to add members or be forced to play two divisions. Any compromise would have to consider those two provisions.”
Money is at the heart of the Big 12’s resistance to adding members. Its 10 schools earned $25.3 million each from TV contracts in 2014-15, and those slices of the financial pie would get smaller with two new plates at the table. By comparison, the 14 SEC schools got $34 million each, the 14 in the Big Ten $27 million and the 12 in the Pac-12 $25.6 million. Fourteen ACC schools earned an average of $22.2 million (Notre Dame earns less from the ACC, but more than makes up for it with its own TV deals in football).
The size of future TV deals are uncertain, with broadcasting giants such as ESPN dealing with loss of subscribers and revenue as more viewers move away from cable.
Meanwhile, back on the East Coast, UConn is positioning itself to be ready should the Big 12 expand, a little more than three years after Louisville beat out UConn for the ACC spot vacated by Maryland when the Terps moved to the Big Ten.
On Friday, the New London Day reported UConn president Susan Herbst has retained former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese to help with the school’s efforts in getting into a “Power 5” conference. Tranghese remains a player in big-time college football as a member of the 13-person committee that selects the four teams for the college football playoff.
Last month, UConn put up billboards in New York reading “UConn The 6th Borough” to tout its New York market reach — a factor said to be important when former Big East members Syracuse and Rutgers moved into the ACC and Big Ten, respectively.
Another factor is Connecticut is the most populous state without a Power 5 school. Connecticut is 29th in the nation in population (3,590,886). Seven states with smaller populations have a combined 10 Power 5 schools. Three have two Power 5 schools (Iowa, 30th; Mississippi, 32nd, Kansas 34th).
UConn athletic director Warde Manuel will find himself in an awkward position should he cast the American Athletic Conference’s vote Friday as scheduled. A vote for the Big 12 proposal would essentially be against Big 12 expansion, which hurts UConn’s interests. But a vote against the Big 12 could make the AAC more vulnerable to losing schools such as UConn, Cincinnati and Houston.
Geography remains one of the main factors why UConn is not considered an odds-on favorite to get a Big 12 spot should one open. Ironically, both UConn basketball teams are on road trips this week that would mirror the kind UConn would have to take as a Big 12 member. The women wrap up a three-game road trip Wednesday at Memphis after playing at Houston and South Florida. The men have an Oklahoma-Texas trip starting Thursday in Tulsa and ending Sunday in Houston.
Bristol Press
On Monday, another potential selling point surfaced in a Wall Street Journal story that ranked the value of every college football team.
UConn was valued at $88.12 million, which ranks 61st in the country, just behind Big 12 power Baylor. The Huskies rank ahead of Boston College, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Temple and Houston.
Of course, BC, WVU, Louisville and (this one is still remarkable to us) Rutgers have moved on to bigger conferences, while the Huskies are stuck in the AAC.
Ohio State was listed as the most-valuable college football program, coming in at $946.6 million. Texas ($885 million), Michigan ($811 million), Notre Dame ($723.6 million) and Alabama ($694.8 million) rounded out the top five.
Check out the entire article here.
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Compared to last season’s final numbers in major-conf play, so far this season…
Pace: up 8.1%
Efficiency: up 1.1%
Scoring per 40: up 7.9%
— John Gasaway (@JohnGasaway) January 11, 2016
It was inevitable, really. A fervent fan base paired with a senior-laden roster and sky-high expectations can only lead to heavy reaction at the first signs of distress.
The Iowa State men’s basketball team has heard the rumblings of dissatisfaction following Saturday’s home loss to Baylor that put the 17th-ranked Cyclones at 1-2 in the Big 12.
And they understand it. Welcome it, even.
“It doesn’t bother me because I hate everything about losing,” ISU All-American Georges Niang told the Ames Tribune. “I hate the pity of (people saying), ‘You guys are going to get them next time.’ I don’t like that. I think I really hate losing more than I love winning.
“It doesn’t bother me because you just realize I have to work that much harder to prove these people wrong.”
The varying degrees of dissatisfaction with some fans finds the Cyclones on social media and around Ames.
Niang heard about it while out to dinner with family Saturday night.
“Just snide comments,” he said. “Just some (from) people you see around.”
Those types of comments are likely borne out of alarm that what many hoped would be, perhaps, the best team in school history taking a blow in that loss to the Bears.
The Cyclones are only three games into the conference season, but a setback at home is a serious threat to their Big 12 regular season title aspirations that come with returning so many accomplished players who were apart of last year’s NCAA tournament three-seed which was upset by UAB.
“I know we had a lot of high expectations for this year,” Niang said, “and those can still be high but we’re working. We’re working at this.
“We’ve had a lot of adversity hit us this year, and I don’t think we’re crumbling at all. We’re still positive and still believe in ourselves so I think they should too.”
Ames Tribune
Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results
Recruiting
The 2016 Hoophall Classic will kick off on Thursday, giving us a look at many of the top high-school prospects in the country for the 15th year.
In preparation, here are interesting matchups you should know about on the three national days — Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We will have full previews of the local days — as well as Putnam's opponent on Monday, Abraham Lincoln H.S. (NY) — later this week.
You can find the full schedule here.
…Thon Maker returns to the Hoophall Classic for his final year of high school with the Athlete Institute. Maker will take on Findlay College Prep at 6:00 p.m., featuring the No. 15 player in the class of 2017: Power forward P.J. Washington.
…At 4:00 p.m., Westtown (PA) will play Potter's House (FL). Westtown's focal point: the No. 8 player in the 2017 class Mohamed Bamba, a highly talented power forward with an absurd 7-foot-8 wingspan. He'll face 6-foot-11, 270-pound center Udoka Azubuike, the No. 22 player in the class of 2016 who compares his own game to Shaquille O'Neal.
masslive.com
ICYMI:
The second annual 810 Varsity Best of the Midwest Showcase tips off at Johnson County Community College on Saturday, January 16, 2016. The all-day event features seven games with schools from Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia, including Father Tolton Catholic and Michael Porter, a consensus top 3 recruit nationally for the 2017 class. Over the summer, Porter cutting down his list to include Kansas, Mizzou, Duke, Kentucky and other national powers.
“Porter has been a special player that you see once in a lifetime,” said 810 Varsity’s Chad Rader of the 6-foot-8 junior. “Kansas and many others have been recruiting him a long time, and for good reason. He's the most highly regarded player nationally to play in Kansas City in a basketball game since Danny Manning.”
The Best of the Midwest Showcase was organized by 810 Varsity, the high school entity affiliated with Sports Radio 810 WHB, in starting a regional event to Kansas City. Among the matchups, the headliner with Blue Valley Northwest – the top team in Kansas Class 6A vs. Father Tolton Catholic and Porter at 8:30 p.m.
810varsity.com
Marvin Bagley III has never played a game for Sierra Canyon. But, after transferring from Hillcrest Basketball Academy on Jan. 2, the 6-foot-10 wunderkind (Uncommitted/ No. 1 in 2018) is on the Trailblazers’ roster and is quite possibly the best player in the nation regardless of class. ESPN graded him out at 98, making him the highest player prep in America. His game looks a lot like Harry Giles. He’s an insane athlete and does all the things that a traditional 4-man can do, but the lefty has a jumper and perimeter skills to make him a complete package. If he is cleared by the CIF to play here in Springfield he will be one of the most highly-touted prospects in the history of the tournament.
…The champs are here. For the second time in the last four years the defending champion is back in the field with Oak Hill Academy returning to Springfield for the second time ever. Last year was good to the Warriors as they won all three games by 20 or more points and ultimately finished the season as national runner-up, losing to former TOC champs Montverde Academy in Ben Simmons in the national championship game. OHA picked up a huge summer transfer in Harry Giles, who played for Wesleyan Christian in last year’s TOC, but unfortunately a torn ACL will keep him from making the trip. Fortunately for all involved, there is no shortage of talent as Oak Hill reps no less than 11 D-1 players, eight of which are ranked in the top 150 of their class according to Rivals and that number doesn’t include Giles.
…Rivals ranks Jayson Tatum as the No. 3 prospect in the Class of 2016, but many consider him the best high school player in the nation and the best player to ever come out of St. Louis. If you cheer for the right shade of blue, like me, you’ll be happy to know that Tatum is a future Duke Blue Devil, but he’s put on an absolute scoring clinic in his senior year at Chaminade. The 6-foot-8 wing has a game that screams Kevin Durant and it’s nearly that smooth too. He’s not a freak of nature athlete, but one of the most skilled guys you’ll see.
Bass Pro Tournament of Champions 1/14-1/16
Recruiting Calendar (updated for 2016)
My Videos:
Late Night in the Phog
Bill Self Camp KU Alumni games
60 Years of AFH Celebration
Legends of the Phog game
2011-12 Final Border War
KC Prep Invitational
Jayhawk Invitational
and more, now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk
In preparation, here are interesting matchups you should know about on the three national days — Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We will have full previews of the local days — as well as Putnam's opponent on Monday, Abraham Lincoln H.S. (NY) — later this week.
You can find the full schedule here.
…Thon Maker returns to the Hoophall Classic for his final year of high school with the Athlete Institute. Maker will take on Findlay College Prep at 6:00 p.m., featuring the No. 15 player in the class of 2017: Power forward P.J. Washington.
…At 4:00 p.m., Westtown (PA) will play Potter's House (FL). Westtown's focal point: the No. 8 player in the 2017 class Mohamed Bamba, a highly talented power forward with an absurd 7-foot-8 wingspan. He'll face 6-foot-11, 270-pound center Udoka Azubuike, the No. 22 player in the class of 2016 who compares his own game to Shaquille O'Neal.
masslive.com
ICYMI:
The second annual 810 Varsity Best of the Midwest Showcase tips off at Johnson County Community College on Saturday, January 16, 2016. The all-day event features seven games with schools from Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia, including Father Tolton Catholic and Michael Porter, a consensus top 3 recruit nationally for the 2017 class. Over the summer, Porter cutting down his list to include Kansas, Mizzou, Duke, Kentucky and other national powers.
“Porter has been a special player that you see once in a lifetime,” said 810 Varsity’s Chad Rader of the 6-foot-8 junior. “Kansas and many others have been recruiting him a long time, and for good reason. He's the most highly regarded player nationally to play in Kansas City in a basketball game since Danny Manning.”
The Best of the Midwest Showcase was organized by 810 Varsity, the high school entity affiliated with Sports Radio 810 WHB, in starting a regional event to Kansas City. Among the matchups, the headliner with Blue Valley Northwest – the top team in Kansas Class 6A vs. Father Tolton Catholic and Porter at 8:30 p.m.
810varsity.com
Marvin Bagley III has never played a game for Sierra Canyon. But, after transferring from Hillcrest Basketball Academy on Jan. 2, the 6-foot-10 wunderkind (Uncommitted/ No. 1 in 2018) is on the Trailblazers’ roster and is quite possibly the best player in the nation regardless of class. ESPN graded him out at 98, making him the highest player prep in America. His game looks a lot like Harry Giles. He’s an insane athlete and does all the things that a traditional 4-man can do, but the lefty has a jumper and perimeter skills to make him a complete package. If he is cleared by the CIF to play here in Springfield he will be one of the most highly-touted prospects in the history of the tournament.
…The champs are here. For the second time in the last four years the defending champion is back in the field with Oak Hill Academy returning to Springfield for the second time ever. Last year was good to the Warriors as they won all three games by 20 or more points and ultimately finished the season as national runner-up, losing to former TOC champs Montverde Academy in Ben Simmons in the national championship game. OHA picked up a huge summer transfer in Harry Giles, who played for Wesleyan Christian in last year’s TOC, but unfortunately a torn ACL will keep him from making the trip. Fortunately for all involved, there is no shortage of talent as Oak Hill reps no less than 11 D-1 players, eight of which are ranked in the top 150 of their class according to Rivals and that number doesn’t include Giles.
…Rivals ranks Jayson Tatum as the No. 3 prospect in the Class of 2016, but many consider him the best high school player in the nation and the best player to ever come out of St. Louis. If you cheer for the right shade of blue, like me, you’ll be happy to know that Tatum is a future Duke Blue Devil, but he’s put on an absolute scoring clinic in his senior year at Chaminade. The 6-foot-8 wing has a game that screams Kevin Durant and it’s nearly that smooth too. He’s not a freak of nature athlete, but one of the most skilled guys you’ll see.
Bass Pro Tournament of Champions 1/14-1/16
Recruiting Calendar (updated for 2016)
My Videos:
Late Night in the Phog
Bill Self Camp KU Alumni games
60 Years of AFH Celebration
Legends of the Phog game
2011-12 Final Border War
KC Prep Invitational
Jayhawk Invitational
and more, now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk
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