SB Nation - Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas 84, Cal 69: Lack of Depth, Big Men Costs Bears

Avinash — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:11:16 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Hard to say anything too bad about this one. We were expected to lose by 14, and that's about where we ended up--eventually. Kansas is the #1 team for a reason. They have NBA blue-chippers, a solid coach, and they don't dig themselves holes. When they make mistakes, they atone for them, they hang around, and eventually they let their talent take them home. The Jayhawks did it against Michigan, and they did it against Cal; eventually they'll fall (probably in Austin), but it didn't come here.

Anyway, Cal's biggest weakness last year was depth, and it's looking like it'll be our weakness down the stretch. You want a great basketball team, you need depth, especially when you're playing the best. Right now, the Bears have a pretty good big four, maybe two good bench players, and not much else. Against the best in the nation on the road, unless you're shooting lights out, that's not going to hold out. Hard to really make a huge dent with that thin a line.

And the fact is without Harper Kamp, there is NO depth beyond Boykin on that frontline. During the crucial stretch of the game in the second half, Kansas pounded the ball inside and got the easy baskets to give them breathing room. Eventually Cal collapsed on the post, that opened up the 3 ball, the Jayhawks hit a few, ran the fastbreak and that was that. The biggest thing I noticed was Theo Robertson was playing the 4 spot at points, which is a baaaad sign.

But let's enjoy this season come Pac-10 time. This is a really good team (still ranked 8th in Pomeroy despite being 6-4), and this conference is ripe for the taking. If the Bears are as good as they showed last night, it could be a special year, depth or no depth.

Other thoughts after the jump.

For most of the game, the Bears tried to outscore the Jayhawks. They ran at the same pace, took quick shots, hit a lot of them, but eventually they were cracking through ice. Very happy to see them match Kansas's abilities for 25-30 minutes, but I kept on urging them to slow the ball down, keep the pace slow.
The guys burned out at the end. There were just too many jumpers in a game that needs to be settled at the rim. It'd have been nice to see what'd have happened if we played a little bit slower; maybe Randle and PC don't miss those 3s late in the second half...
Christopher did score plenty and make plenty, but those baskets he took...argh. How more low percentage can you get? Stepback fallaways are hard enough to do in the NBA. PC falls in love with that jumper and he depends on it instead of attacking. Still, 9-18 isn't much to gripe at (although the bare 4 free throw attempts merits a little more dispute)
I was surprised at how little Amoke played, although he probably doesn't match up well against Kansas's bigs.
Randle had a really bad game. The 3-9 from 3 point land is bad enough, but 7 turnovers and 0-6 from 2 point land? There were some plays that boggled me, like the long alley-oop try to Christopher and the bounce pass to Jorge. Tough passes when Cal was better off keeping it simple.
Boykin was probably the player of the night. Another double-double notched, and his effort inside kept Kansas's bigs stifled for a little bit. He interestingly had the highest defensive rating of the night (when he was in the game, Kansas scored at a less efficient rate).
Without Theo, the Bears lose this one by 30.
Finally, Rock Chalk Talk broke down this game statistically (thanks to help from StatSheet). Take a look at the balance between all the Kansas players as opposed to the dependence on the big 4 for Cal. Just makes the game easier when everyone on a more talented team plays less minutes.

NCAA Basketball

Poll

I was _________ with Cal's play versus Kansas.

RPI WATCH: 12/23/09

BracketCat — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:00:38 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

Get a clue, voters: Damion James, and not Sherron Collins, leads the best and deepest team in the country. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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The hit our numbers took from Pine Bluff finally showed up. I think we're still on track for an RPI Top 20 finish, though.

That literally and figuratively was a bad break for Texas A&M last night, and it really was no surprise that they lost to a decent team on the road after something like that. But the Big 12 now is 13-4 against the Pac-10, including 9-3 in the Hardwood Series, so our dominance hardly is in question.

Meanwhile, Kansas and Texas continued to stamp themselves as the best two teams in the country, although I still maintain their order should be flipped in the next AP poll. Nebraska and Texas Tech also picked up nice, resume-building wins. Other than Colorado and Oklahoma, and maybe Missouri, this conference is looking very strong.

Hit the jump to see how our other opponents fared. All in all, another successful night for the Cats' SOS.

Current Kansas State AP Ranking = 12

Current Kansas State Record = 11-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 3

Current Kansas State SOS = 5

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton, IUPUI, Xavier, UNLV

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Washington State, Alabama

Bad Losses (RPI 101 or greater) = none

Loyola (9-2, 1-1) | RPI = 46: Win over Albany (68-56)
Western Illinois (5-6, 0-2) | RPI = 314: Win over Central Arkansas (55-44)
Boston (5-6) | RPI = 150: Win over Mount St. Mary's (86-77)
No. 20 Ole Miss (10-1) | RPI = 24
Dayton (9-2) | RPI = 32
IUPUI (9-3, 2-0) | RPI = 50
No. 14* FHSU (8-1)
Washington State (10-2) | RPI = 85: Win over LSU (72-70 in overtime)
Xavier (6-4) | RPI = 47
UNLV (11-1) | RPI = 27: Win over SMU (67-53)
Alabama (7-4) | RPI = 92
UAPB (0-10) | RPI = 265
Cleveland State (4-9, 0-2) | RPI = 239: Loss at No. 17 Ohio State (72-59)
South Dakota (6-5) | RPI = 208
Missouri (7-3) | RPI = 179
No. 19 Texas A&M (9-3) | RPI = 18: Loss at No. 22 Washington (73-64)
Colorado (7-4) | RPI = 237: Win over CSUN (92-58)
No. 2 Texas (11-0) | RPI = 4: Win over No. 9 Michigan State (79-68)
Oklahoma State (10-1) | RPI = 47
Baylor (9-1) | RPI = 101
No. 1 Kansas (11-0) | RPI = 25: Win over Cal (84-69)
Nebraska (9-2) | RPI = 156: Win over Tulsa (74-70)
Iowa State (9-3) | RPI = 120: Win over North Dakota (83-52)
Oklahoma (8-4) | RPI = 114
No. 23 Texas Tech (10-1) | RPI = 35: Win over Stanford (100-87)

*Division II Top 25

Big Evening for the Big XII

Evan Pfaff — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:15:10 -0000

Setting aside the non-marquis wins and gruesome injuries, the Big XII set the national stage a fire last night.

The top two teams in the country, #1 Kansas and #2 Texas, put on a show in front of national television audiences.

Starting with the early game, the Longhorns, held off #9 Sparty in Austin 79-68 in a hard fought grudge match. MVP of the game was Damion James who scored 23 and grabbed 15 boards. (This W comes in the same week the ‘Horns knocked off the Spartans '09 national championship game foe UNC Tar Heels).

Full analysis of the game can be found over at Burnt Orange Nation.

Following the first Big 12 victory, the Kansas Jayhawks dismantled the Cal Bears at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence 84-69.

Sherron Collins led the way in that game with 17 points and Big12Hoops.com All Decade first teamer Cole Adrich added 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Full analysis of the game can be found over at Rock Chalk Talk.

Statistical Rearview: Kansas vs. California

Denverjhawk — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:40 -0000

A good test and a good game for the Jayhawks. Tough first half, slowly wearing down the opponent and steadily increasing a lead in the second half until the result was certain. A nice job by the Jayhawks.

College Basketball

Kansas shot great, so did Cal...for a half. At one point this looked like Cal was going to really test Kansas' stretch of holding opponents under 40% shooting but the Bears came just shy. In terms of eFG% the Bears were over the 40% mark due to their effectiveness from behind the arc. Still Kansas overwhelmingly won one battle last night and that was the eFG%. Turnovers were plentiful from both sides, fouls and free throws were pretty even, Kansas had a slight rebounding edge but it was Kansas' ability to force opponents into tough shots that made the difference.

College Basketball

Top to bottom this thing was pretty even. Shots, rebounds, fouls, free throws, turnovers, steals...you name it Cal played it pretty even with two exceptions. Assists and FG%. I'd argue the two are closely related. Cal chooses to play one on one basketball against a Kansas team that prides itself on tough man defense and help underneath from Cole. Play the Jayhawks that way and chances are you are going to take some tough, low percentage shots. Kansas moves the ball, makes the extra pass and with 27 turnovers found itself in position for some very high percentage shots and they converted.

Stat	Game
Stat
Points	69	84
FG Att	64	60
FG Made	25	33
FG Pct	39.1	55.0
FT Att	18	17
FT Made	13	11
FT Pct	72.2	64.7
3pt FG Att	18	17
3pt FG Made	6	7
3pt FG Pct	33.3	41.2
Rebounds	33	39
Off Rebs	13	11
Def Rebs	20	28
Team Rebs	4	2
Assists	13	27
Steals	8	8
Blocks	2	7
Turnovers	17	18
Fouls	21	20

Great balance in the contributions from the Jayhawks. 9 players contributed meaningful minutes and scoring, rebounding and assists were spread across the board.

NCAA Basketball

Brady with 7 points 7 assists, solid game. Tyshawn steps up for 13 points and 7 assists, solid game. Sherron drops 17 in with 5 assists, another solid game. Cole Aldrich, despite leaving us all wanting more, double double. Xavier 12 points and more importantly 8 rebounds, solid game. Finally McMorris, 14 points and 7 boards. This was really a team effort with different players stepping up at different times.

Also in the OGT the question was how much the Cal starters were forced to play last night. Answer, a lot. Every one of them played over 30 minutes with their two key guards over 35 minutes. Kansas...only one player hit the 35 minute mark and that's Sherron. Fresh legs win in the end, it's good to have depth.

	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
J. Randle	*	39	16	3	15	20	7	8	87	3	9	33	0	1	1	4	2	0	7	3
J. Boykin	*	37	15	7	13	53	1	1	100	0	0	0	4	11	15	2	2	0	2	3
P. Christopher	*	36	21	9	18	50	2	4	50	1	5	20	2	3	5	0	0	0	3	1
T. Robertson	*	32	13	5	11	45	1	2	50	2	3	66	1	2	3	1	0	0	0	2
M. Zhang	*	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	3
J. Gutierrez		32	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	2	5	4	0	4	3
M. Sanders-Fris		14	1	0	2	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	4
O. Amoke		6	3	1	2	50	1	1	100	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	2
	S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
S. Collins	*	35	17	6	15	40	2	2	100	3	6	50	1	0	1	5	1	0	3	2
M. Morris	*	31	14	4	8	50	6	8	75	0	1	0	2	5	7	0	0	1	1	2
X. Henry	*	31	12	5	10	50	1	2	50	1	3	33	1	7	8	3	1	0	3	1
T. Taylor	*	28	13	6	8	75	0	0	0	1	3	33	0	2	2	7	2	0	1	3
C. Aldrich	*	22	10	4	6	66	2	2	100	0	0	0	2	8	10	1	0	5	1	4
B. Morningstar		21	7	3	4	75	0	1	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	7	2	0	2	1
M. Morris		11	6	3	6	50	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	7	1	0	1	2	4
T. Reed		11	3	1	2	50	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	0
T. Robinson		9	2	1	1	100	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	5	3
E. Johnson		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Big 12 Pac-10 Hardwood Series Tally FINAL TALLY

Evan Pfaff — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:15:10 -0000

The Big XII claimed their first Big 12 Pac 10 Hardwood Series championship.

View full size photo »

Big XII Wins Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series!

Official Tally

Big 12 - 9

Pac 10 - 3

Game dates, times and recaps listed below the Jump

(All times Central)

Sunday, November 29

Nebraska - 51
USC - 48
Recap

Thursday's Games

Texas Tech - 99
(12) Washington - 92
OVERTIME
Recap

(2) Texas - 69
USC - 50
Recap

Baylor - 64
Arizona State - 61
Recap

Friday's Games

Oregon State - 74
Colorado - 69
Recap

Saturday's Games

Missouri - 106
Oregon - 69
Recap

Kansas St.- 86
Washington State - 69
Recap

California - 82
Iowa St. - 63
Recap

Sunday's Games

Kansas - 73
UCLA - 61
Recap

Oklahoma 79
Arizona 62
Recap

Wednesday, December 16 Games

Oklahoma St - 71
Stanford - 70
Recap

Tuesday, December 22 Games

Washington - 73
Texas A&M - 64
Recap

Top 10 Kansas Football Performances of 2009: #6

Denverjhawk — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:17 -0000

Checking in at #6 on our countdown we have our first repeat appearance coming in a non conference game early in the season.

Countdown Recap

Coming into the season it was expected that Kerry Meier would have a big season. In 2008 he was Mr. 3rd down, consistently a target when it came time to move the chains. Against Southern Miss he was in on a lot of catches but he also proved a deep threat, at least for the moment.

Against Southern Miss. Kerry Meier would catch a total of 10 passes for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. His average per catch would be higher in only one game and that was against 1AA opponent Northern Colorado.

Meier would strike early in this one when at the 13:49 mark in the first quarter Reesing would find Meier on a corner route leaving him behind the defense. From there Meier took care of the rest.

The game would be a bit of a seesaw battle from their but early in the 4th quarter Reesing would again find Meier for what would prove to be the game winning touchdown from 12 yards out.

Meier's early score set the tone for the Kansas offense and his late touchdown would win the game. In between Meier would be on the receiving end of 8 other passes earning himself the #6 performance for the 2009 Kansas football season.

KNOW THY ENEMY: Texas A&M Aggies (revisited)

BracketCat — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:00:18 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

To secure a top-four finish in the Big 12, Texas A&M will need Bryan Davis to come up strong for them. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Browse more photos »

This entry isn't late — it's just making a fashionable entrance.

Here's what I wrote about the Aggies back in October. Keep in mind this was right after we put 60-plus on their football team:

This week's preview probably is one of the more distasteful I will compose, perhaps only to be topped by the one for the Flaw on the Kaw. When it comes to Aggie basketball, the word "enemy" well and truly applies.

I don't know if it's because of Mark Turgeon, the Kellis Robinett of basketball coaches, or Billy Clyde Gillispie, angry drunk that he is, but something about Texas A&M actually being halfway decent in basketball just pisses me off. I don't know — maybe it's just the grudge I've been holding against the 12th Man since December 1998.

At any rate, I'm still basking in the afterglow of the absolute pwning administered to the Aggies on Saturday, so I'll strive to be as magnanimous as possible in this preview. If you're looking for more information, feel free to hop over to I Am The 12th Man, where basketball season almost certainly is under way. Anything to distract from a likely 0-3 start, right?

Otherwise, click the jump for all you need to know about Ags-ketball.

The Story So Far

Texas A&M's best wins came in the 76 Classic against then-ranked Clemson and Minnesota. Clemson eventually returned to the rankings this week, but Minnesota has yet to do so, so those wins have lost a little luster. The Aggies probably earned more respect by playing West Virginia close in a loss in that tournament.

The recent loss to New Mexico in Houston was a setback, but the Lobos are a really good team.

Otherwise, the resume consists of unremarkable wins against Angelo State, at SMU, Samford, Prairie View A&M, Akron, North Texas and The Citadel. The Aggies would be well served to net a win in Seattle tonight against Washington.

Current Texas A&M RPI: 19

The Coach

Mark Turgeon
Third Season

58-23 (17-15) at Texas A&M (as of Monday)
211-142 (103-89) overall

Bio

The Departures

Starters

Josh Carter (30.6 minutes per game | 13.8 points per game | 4.3 rebounds per game)
Chinemelu Elonu (23.8 minutes per game | 9.8 points per game | 7.3 rebounds per game)

Reserves

Denzel Bowles (5.4 minutes per game | 2.4 points per game | 1.2 rebounds per game)
Bryson Graham (2 minutes per game | 0.8 point per game | 0.3 rebound per game)

The Veterans

		#0 Bryan Davis Senior Forward 6-9 \| 250 Dallas, Texas Bio 23.2 minutes per game \| 9.1 points per game \| 6.9 rebounds per game

		#2 Derrek Lewis Junior Guard 6-5 \| 195 Tulsa, Okla. Bio 3.2 minutes per game \| 0.8 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#3 Derrick Roland Senior Guard 6-4 \| 190 Dallas, Texas Bio 25.9 minutes per game \| 11.1 points per game \| 3.2 rebounds per game

		#5 Dash Harris Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 175 Los Angeles, Calif. Bio 24.5 minutes per game \| 5.3 points per game \| 3.3 rebounds per game

		#10 David Loubeau Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 230 Miami, Fla. Bio 21.5 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#11 B.J. Holmes Junior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 21.4 minutes per game \| 9.7 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#14 Andrew Darko Junior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Conroe, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0.3 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#15 Donald Sloan Senior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 30.7 minutes per game \| 17.4 points per game \| 4 rebounds per game

		#24 Shawn Schepel Junior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 1 rebound per game

		#31 Chris Chapman Senior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 2 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#33 Marshall Carrell Junior Forward 6-9 \| 230 Paris, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#45 Nathan Walkup Junior Forward 6-7 \| 210 Houston, Texas Bio 19.3 minutes per game \| 6.3 points per game \| 3.5 rebounds per game

The Redshirt

#12 James Blasczyk
Freshman Center
7-0 | 230
Houston, Texas

1.8 minutes per game | 0.5 point per game | 0 rebounds per game

The Newcomers

		#21 Ray Turner Freshman Forward 6-8 \| 220 Houston, Texas Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#22 Khris Middleton Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 215 North Charleston, S.C. Bio 14.1 minutes per game \| 4.3 points per game \| 3 rebounds per game

		#23 Naji Hibbert Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 15.5 minutes per game \| 2.5 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#25 Jeremy Adams Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 195 Madison, Miss. Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

My thanks to the Texas A&M sports information department for the photos.

The Analysis

My October analysis, which might have been prematurely glum:

As much as I dislike the Aggies, it's hard to discount them as a force in Big 12 basketball. Over the past five years, they have been to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, made five consecutive postseason appearances and finished in the top half of the conference every year. Other than Kansas and Texas, Texas A&M is the only Big 12 team to win 20+ games during that stretch.

But while Texas A&M has been a consistent winner, it hasn't yet been a serious challenger for a Big 12 championship.

The Aggies regularly have lost to powers such as Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas; own a two-game, regular-season losing streak to Kansas State, despite being favored in both games; and occasionally are upset by less-talented programs such as Baylor and Texas Tech. They even struggled with Colorado last year, before pulling away late.

I don't think anything will change in 2009-2010, either. In fact, I think it is more likely that Texas A&M will decline, rather than rise up, despite adding a recruiting class that hovered in and out of Rivals' Class of 2009 rankings, before finishing just outside the Top 25.

Although the Aggies lost only two significant players off last year's team, only Oklahoma lost two more significant starters. Josh Carter and Chinemelu Elonu by far were A&M's two best players in 2008-2009. Carter, a four-year starter and the Aggies' leading scorer last year, graduated, while Elonu, the team's leading rebounder who already had earned his bachelor's degree, tested the NBA draft waters and was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luckily for A&M, Donald Sloan and Bryan Davis did not follow Elonu's lead, and instead pulled out of the draft to return for their senior seasons. Good thing, too, or the Aggies would have lost four starters and been totally decimated.

Sloan is one of the league's better point guards and Davis should step up to fill Elonu's void as the team's leader in rebounding.

The other returning starter is Derrick Roland, who rivals Dominique Sutton and J.T. Tiller in terms of defensive intensity. He has been bothered by injuries the past few seasons, but assuming he stays healthy, he should lock up the off-guard position all year.

Projecting the other two starters is trickier. I'm pretty sure that Nathan Walkup, who played in all 32 games last season, will figure into the equation, though. At 6-7, Walkup offers nice size at the wing position, and he probably can also hold his own in the post, in a smaller lineup.

The fifth starter probably will be situational. My projections use a traditional PG-SG-SF-PF-C lineup, so I went with James Blasczyk, a 7-footer who is the tallest player left on the roster. But Blasczyk is coming off a redshirt season and hasn't yet played a game in Division I, so it's a stretch to say he will be a consistent starter.

It's more likely that the Aggies will go with a smaller lineup when the opponent's makeup presents the opportunity. In that case, Davis would shift to the 5 and Walkup to the 4, and B.J. Holmes probably would come in as a third guard.

Holmes was the Aggies' "sixth man" last season and replaced Roland as a starter whenever the latter was out with an injury.

Dash Harris (what a great name for a point guard!) was one of the conference's most impressive freshmen last year.

He is a solid backup for Sloan and will continue to play understudy to the senior, in preparation for next year when he will be counted upon to fill Sloan's considerable shoes. David Loubeau rounds out the 7-8 players I see making up the Aggies' primary player rotation. He's a solid reliever in the frontcourt with some size (6-8, 230).

Marshall Carrell as primary backup at center is a stretch. I mainly picked him there because at 6-9, he's the tallest player (other than Blasczyk and Davis) on the roster. But he is a role player who has played sparingly in years past, and that highlights one of the primary problems the Aggies face this season. Other than Davis and maybe Loubeau, there are no experienced centers on the roster. When A&M faces frontcourts such as those of Kansas, Kansas State or Texas, they are going to be challenged and they probably won't be able to measure up, due to a lack of depth. When Davis gets into foul trouble (and he does that a lot), the Aggies will lose games.

Other than Mark Turgeon, nobody knows much about Chris Chapman, Andrew Darko, Derrek Lewis or Shawn Schepel, because they have played next to no minutes. One or more could surprise, I suppose, but there's nothing there in the track record to make you think it's imminent.

Khris Middleton doesn't really stand above the other incoming freshmen, but I liked the unconventional spelling of his name, so he rounds out the projected two-deep. Jeremy Adams, Naji Hibbert and Ray Turner complete a solid, but not heralded, recruiting class. How they develop in the years to come could indicate whether Turgeon really is a great coach, or merely is coasting with players inherited from Billy Gillispie.

Projected Big 12 Starting Lineup


Donald Sloan	Derrick Roland	Dash Harris	Nathan Walkup	Bryan Davis
1	2	3	4	5

Projected Top Big 12 Reserves


B.J. Holmes	Derrek Lewis	Naji Hibbert	Khris Middleton	David Loubeau
1	2	3	4	5

The Final Verdict

OK, I was wrong about the Aggies on a few fronts.

My projections of Turgeon's 10-man rotation were off because he's not using any of his traditional centers, choosing instead to go small with a three-guard lineup. So, scrap Blascyzk and Carrell, substitute Harris into the starting lineup (he's started all 11 games so far), and move Lewis (who has played sparingly) and Hibbert into the second row.

I did call Walkup as a starter when most media outlets were projecting Loubeau, though, if I might toot my own horn for a moment.

The other thing I was wrong about was the Aggies' finish. I had them in 6th place, but that assumed Oklahoma would not suck as much as they have. It's pretty clear now that Texas A&M probably is about the fourth-best team in the conference, and most likely will collect a first-round bye in Kansas City, despite my earlier pessimism.

That said, I think the Cats are a notch better against a tougher schedule and should be able to hold them off in Bramlage, and for third place in the Big 12.

Update: Less than two hours after I posted this, the Aggies lost Derrick Roland to a gruesome leg injury, likely for the season. While this is a blow for them, I will stand by my prediction because they are deep at guard and I think Davis will be the big difference between them and a lot of other teams. Look for B.J. Holmes to step into the starting role, as he did last year when Roland was plagued by nagging injuries in the middle of the season.

Big 12 preseason prediction: 5th

My predicted finish: 4th (was 6th)

Best-case scenario: 2nd (was 4th)

Against K-State?: Loss in Manhattan

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

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Missouri (T-9th with Iowa State)
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California at Kansas Hoops Open Thread

Avinash — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:23:34 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

Browse more photos »

For those watching the Vegas Bowl, scroll down or click here to discuss. CAL HOOPS ONLY ON THIS THREAD.

TV: ESPN2, online at ESPN360. Stream links will be posted in the comments before tipoff.
Radio: 1550 AM KFRC
Kansas Blog: Rock Chalk Talk (check out both of the Q&As, ours and theirs!); they've done a great job breaking down the game and you should definitely click over and peruse!
Announcers: Brent Musburger, Bob Knight
Time: 9 PM EST/6 PM PST

Injury report: DJ Seeley will miss the game due to a death in the family.

SoCal Oski posted this earlier, but please people, check out this awesome Randle profile by Andy Katz, which displays his competitive spirit on and off the court.

When he was older, he got to the park but wouldn't get picked, as his mother said. That stigma of being the short guy stuck with him when he was at high school and then into his early career at Cal, where his scoring average went from 6.5 to 11.8 points per game in his first two seasons under then-coach Ben Braun.

"I don't know why people make such a big deal out of height," Randle said. "I'm playing against guys who are 6-5 and up and I'm still able to do things that I want to do. That's life. I'm all about proving people wrong, and that's Jerome Randle. Jerome Randle is about proving people wrong. I love it. It really motivates me to prove everyone wrong that doubts me, that don't think I can play at this level or the next level."

A KenPom Preview: California Golden Bears

rockchalk — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:27:24 -0000

More photos » by Dino Vournas - AP

California's Jerome Randle, the leader of the Golden Bears.(AP Photo/Dino Vournas)

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The Background

Don't let the 6-3 record fool you.

Sure, it doesn't look like your typical record of a preseason Top 10 team, at least one that hasn't completely choked on its high ranking. But the three teams its fallen short against (Syracuse and Ohio State in New York, @ New Mexico) have a combined 2 losses. Both of those belong to the Buckeyes; one against the defending National Champions and the other sans Evan Turner, the best player in the entire Big 10/11.

This is still the same Cal team it was expected to be entering the season, and they are playing like a Top 10 team. At least according to KenPom. They have played like the 10th best team in the country so far, according to good ol' KP, highlighted by their stellar, 4th rated offense. The defense is still formidable, too, posting a 38th ranking.

They are good. They have good players. They might be the Pac 10's best team, although that has as much to do with nearly all 10 schools having a simultaneous down year as it does with Cal actually being a dominant team. But they have the tools in place to be one.

They have a coach, Mike Montgomery, who has led #1-ranked teams before. They have a point guard, Jerome Randle, who is among the best in the country. They have the offensive stalwart on the wing, with two first names no less, in Patrick Christopher. And perhaps most importantly of all, they have size, size and more size down low, headlined by one of the best rebounders in the country (seriously), Omondi Amoke (no, not Amobi Okoye).

Preseason, this game kinda freaked me out. Especially considering it comes just three days prior to Christmas. But the past couple of weeks, I haven't really been that concerned. For whatever reason, I don't know. After taking just a look-see at their KP page, though, oh my word. I'm like freaked out now. Of course, even given their high standing in KP's eyes, the only numbers only give them an 18% shot at losing. But really, that's pretty sizable. 1/5 isn't that big of an upset.

Anyone else concerned yet?

The Offense

Like I said, they're an offensive team. 4th in the country usually means you're better at scoring than preventing it. However, they aren't particularly awesome at any one aspect.

eFG% (84th) -- Good, not great. Relatively, they're better at threes than twos, which jives with what common knowledge tells you about the Bears. They are also a very good free throw shooting team, shooting over 75% as a team. Also interestingly: they are shooting exactly 50% from inside the arc. So, basically, Cal's two-point attempts are just like flipping a coin.
Turnover% (36th) -- This would be their primary strength on offense, particularly not getting it stolen away (where they rank 14th). This goes back to great point guard play, which makes sense given Jerome Randle. However, it isn't just Jerome that takes care of the rock -- the entire team's TORate is pretty low, including nationally ranked TORates for Patrick Christopher and Omondi Amoke. Last year, our bugaboo was the turnover battle. It may end up being the same thing this year (check out Warden's FanPost on the topic), so this will be interesting to watch.
Off. Reb. % (83rd) -- This is almost entirely due to one man. Amobi Okoye. Wait, I mean Omondi Amoke. When he's in the game, 18.3% of his team's misses end up in his grasp, an absurdly high percentage that ranks him 8th in the country. He can rebound opponent's misfires as well, but specializes in his own team's misses. Fellow starting forward, Jamal Boykin, and reserve 7'3" Chinaman Max Zhang also contribute on the offensive glass, combining to make it a formidable offensive weapon.
FTA/FGA (303rd) -- Not a big free throw shooting team, which makes their impressive percentage from the line less worrisome. This, again, makes sense. They like shooting threes more, and you don't get fouled nearly as often outside the arc as inside it. Omondi Amoke has a decent FD/40 (Fouls Drawn/40 minutes), but nothing remarkable.

The Defense

It isn't a bad defense, for certain. Looking at the four factors, two of them are averagely done, one of them stellarly and one of them not-so-much. That's about what you would expect from a good defense, which is what I would classify #38 in the country.

eFG% (119th) -- They're better against the three, worse against the two. As good as Omondi is, he is only 6'7", and fellow frontcourt mate Boykin is only 6'8". Cole should have a height advantage all night, except when 7'3" Zhang is in, so we'll see how that goes.
Turnover % (291st) -- Yuck. They don't force a whole bunch of turnovers, instead electing to just play solid defense for long periods of time. They don't go for steals much at all, or at least don't succeed very often. Again, I'm fascinated with all turnover-related things and this team, so we'll see if we can entirely limit turnovers against a team that doesn't force any.
Off. Reb. % (13th) -- We're ranked 15th in the country in offensive rebounding. They're 13th in defensive rebounding. Should be a clash of titans. Cole and Emondi are the headliners of the story, based off of numbers and reputation and all of that. And for good reason. But I think the battle will be determined by how all of the extra players around them act. Most notably, the Morris twins for Kansas and Boykin, Zhang and Christopher for Cal. The Morris twins have both had some excellent games recently (Markieff in Los Angeles and Kansas City, Marcus in eco-friendly home games), so let's see if they can both have one at the same time. Or, at least, one of them dominates for the fourth straight game.
FTA/FGA (178th) -- Let's do some quick math. 178*2 is 356. There are 347 teams in Division 1 college basketball. So, yeah, they are average at sending you to the free throw line. Making this entirely irrelevant.

The Players

G Jerome Randle -- Point guard who doesn't really turn it over, who can shoot the three (last year he shot 46%, this year only 39%), doesn't foul and will get to the free throw line at a decent rate. A really good player, all around, and a defensive challenge for Sherron or Tyshawn or whoever.
G Jorge Gutierrez -- The glue guy for the Golden Bears, doing all of the little things that coaches seem to love. High assist rate, low turnover rate, decent defensive rebounder, solid defender. He can also shoot the rock from distance, if not from the charity stripe (50% from the free throw line, 59% from three in 17 attempts).
G/F Patrick Christopher -- Kinda the offensive star, I guess. Can shoot the three (35%), can drive, has a nice pullup jumper IIRC from last season. We'll see how we're using Brady Morningstar, because last year this is for sure the guy he would have been tasked to guard. Despite Christopher's biceps being as large as his thighs. Now, I don't know. Xavier matches up with him size-wise, so maybe that's the direction Bill will go in.
F Jamal Boykin -- Highly, highly effective shooter. Stays inside, knows his range of 15 feet, and consistently hits shots. Rarely gets to the line. Really solid rebounder, especially on defense.
F Omondi Amoke -- Absolutely fantastic rebounder, as mentioned before. Not much of an offensive threat, with most of his production coming off of putbacks and such.

The Verdict

So, yeah, the Golden Bears are a really good team. I promise. It won't be a cakewalk. However, we should still win. They are pretty deep, and they have talent. They are a good team. But we are deeper, and we have more talent. And we're at home. We don't often lose in Allen Field House. What's the streak at now? 47? Yeah, that's a sizable amount.

As long as we limit stupid turnovers, don't give up a bounty of offensive rebounds and get some solid production, we'll win.

Kansas 84 Cal 77

Kansas Takes on Cal Tonight in the Phog

Denverjhawk — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:00:19 -0000

Kansas vs. California

No. 1 Kansas (10-0) continues is home stand against Pac-10 power California (6-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The Jayhawks and Golden Bears are favored to win their respective conference races in 2009-10. KU was consensus preseason No. 1 nationally, while California entered the year in many top 10 polls. Kansas is coming off a 75-64 win against Michigan on Dec. 19, while California last played on Dec. 9, posting a 69-45 win at Pacific.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
CAL	79.1	46.6	75.1	38.1	40.2	12.8	27.4	15.3	12.4	5.1	3.0	18.2
KU	88.8	51.3	67.7	43.0	43.0	13.8	29.2	19.3	12.1	9.2	7.3	17.9
CAL Opponents	68.0	41.2	67.2	31.5	33.1	10.3	22.8	12.4	12.8	5.1	4.3	16.8
KU Opponents	58.3	34.5	67.2	26.9	33.7	13.7	20.0	11.5	16.0	6.2	3.0	20.0

Rank and Records	CAL	KU
RPI	#14	#13
Strength of Schedule	#6	#160
Overall	6-3	10-0
Conference	0-0	0-0
Home	5-0	7-0
Away	0-1	1-0
Top 25	0-1	1-0
RPI Top 50	0-1	0-0

About Kansas

Kansas followed final exams with a 75-64 win against Michigan on Dec. 19. Kansas averages 88.8 points per game, is giving up 58.7 points and ranks in the top five nationally with a +30.5 scoring margin. KU is shooting 51.3 percent from the field, while its opponents are shooting 34.5 percent.

Sophomore forward Marcus Morris is coming off his second double-double of the season with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds versus Michigan. He is a starter who is scoring 11.1 points and pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game.

Xavier Henry leads the team with a 17.7 point scoring average. He is making 53.5 percent of his shots from the field and 49.1 from three-point range. Xavier leads KU with 26 threes and 18 steals. Senior guard Sherron Collins scores 13.9 points per game, including 19 against Michigan, and he has made 20 three pointers. Collins leads the team with 42 assists, two ahead of sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor (6.8 ppg). Taylor has 15 steals, two ahead of Collins (13). Junior center Cole Aldrich leads the team in rebounds with 9.7 per game and had 11 boards against Michigan.

About California

Located in Berkeley, Calif., and coached by Mike Montgomery, California (6-3) has won two straight and four of its last five games. The Golden Bears defeated Big 12 foe Iowa State 82-63 on Dec. 5 in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series matchup and also won convincingly at Pacific 69-45 on Dec. 9. Cal averages 79.1 points and is giving up 68 for a +11.1 scoring margin. The Golden Bears average 40.2 rebounds per game and have a +7.1 rebound margin.

Four Cal players average in double figures led by senior guard Jerome Randle who is scoring 19.6 points per game. Randle leads the team with 46 assists and 23 three-point field goals. Senior guard Patrick Christopher is next in scoring at 15.6 points and he leads Cal with 14 steals. He is also a solid rebounder with his 5.6 boards per game.

Senior forward Theo Robertson was welcomed back to the lineup last game after missing six games due to injury. Robertson averages 14.7 points in his three games played this season. Senior forward Jamal Boykin is a starter who is second on the team in rebounds with 6.9 per game to complement his 12.2 scoring average.

Sophomore forward Omondi Amoke leads Cal in rebounds with 7.2 per game. He scores 5.8points per contest. Sophomore guard Jorge Gutierrez (7.0 ppg), sophomore center Max Zang (4.5 ppg) and junior center Markhuri Sanders-Frison (2.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) round out the California regulars. Zang is 7-3 and leads the team with 12 blocked shots in his eight games played.

Meet the Opposing Coach

Mike Montgomery is in his second season overseeing the California program. He has a 28-14 record with the Golden Bears and a 575-258 (.690) overall mark that includes eight years at Montana and 18 seasons at Stanford. Montgomery has coached teams to the NCAA Final Four (1998), four Pac-10 regular-season crowns (1999, 2000, '03, '04) and one Pac-10 Tournament title (2004), as well as one NIT title (1991). He was named the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2000 and is a four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, '03, '04).

The Series

Kansas leads the overall series with California, 14-3, and has won the last eight meetings with Cal. This series dates back to 1929 when the two teams met Jan. 3-4-5 in Oakland, Calif. The following year, the teams clashed Jan. 2-3 in Kansas City, Mo., and Jan. 4 in Lawrence. Of the 17 matchups between KU and Cal, only one has been played in Berkeley, Calif., and two in Lawrence. The rest have been in Oakland, Kansas City, Mo., Anchorage, Alaska, St. Louis, Mo., and Lahaina, Hawaii. KU won the last meeting on Dec. 10, 2005, at the Kemper Shootout in
Kansas City, Mo., during KU's third season under head coach Bill Self.

KU-Michigan Leftovers

The Jayhawks attempted 29 two-point field goals, KU's lowest this season.
The game marked the second time all season the Jayhawks committed more turnovers than their opponent.
Sophomore forward Marcus Morris recorded his fourth career double-double with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus' last double-double came against Oakland on Nov. 25.
Marcus was also 8-for-8 from the free throw line. The eight makes were the most by a Jayhawk this season and 100 percent from the line is the highest percentage by an individual this season with at least seven attempts.
Junior center Cole Aldrich registered 11 rebounds tying him with Kenny Gregory for 22nd on the all-time rebounding list. It also marks the fifth time this season he has had 10 or more boards.
Senior guard Sherron Collins moved into fifth place on the career three-point field goal attempts list with 474, passing Brandon Rush.
Junior guard Brady Morningstar logged 22 minutes in his first appearance of the season.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#23	P. Christopher	9	7	32.889	15.556	43.7	76.5	34.7	5.444	1.778	3.667	2.111	1.778	1.556	0.0	2.222
#3	J. Randle	9	8	32.333	19.556	44.7	93.5	39.0	1.667	0.333	1.333	5.111	3.111	0.444	0.0	1.667
#10	J. Boykin	9	9	25.667	12.222	63.0	66.7	0.0	6.889	2.111	4.778	1.0	1.444	0.889	0.222	2.0
#2	J. Gutierrez	9	8	21.667	7.0	47.8	50.0	58.8	3.222	0.667	2.556	3.0	1.111	0.667	0.111	2.333
#21	O. Amoke	9	0	17.111	5.778	42.1	80.0	0.0	7.222	2.778	4.444	0.111	0.889	0.222	0.333	1.556
#45	M. Sanders-Fris	8	3	17.25	2.875	34.6	83.3	0.0	4.375	1.25	3.125	0.75	0.5	0.375	0.25	3.125
#14	M. Zhang	8	4	14.5	4.5	64.0	33.3	0.0	3.75	1.375	2.375	0.25	0.625	0.25	1.5	2.625
#13	N. Knezevic	8	0	11.625	3.25	34.8	75.0	33.3	0.375	0.0	0.375	0.625	0.875	0.625	0.0	0.5
#24	T. Robertson	3	2	30.0	14.667	60.0	76.9	57.1	4.0	1.333	2.667	1.0	2.0	0.0	0.333	2.333
#12	B. Smith	9	2	8.333	1.333	31.2	0.0	40.0	0.333	0.0	0.333	1.111	0.444	0.111	0.0	0.556
#1	D. Seeley	9	2	8.222	1.778	28.6	75.0	14.3	1.667	0.333	1.333	1.0	0.556	0.111	0.111	1.0
#15	B. Bak	5	0	7.0	1.2	12.5	100.0	0.0	1.4	0.4	1.0	0.2	0.6	0.0	1.0	0.4
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	10	10	29.8	13.9	46.2	77.8	41.7	2.0	0.2	1.8	4.2	2.0	1.3	0.0	1.4
#1	X. Henry	10	10	27.7	17.7	53.5	80.6	49.1	3.8	0.9	2.9	1.7	1.9	1.8	0.7	2.0
#45	C. Aldrich	10	10	26.0	11.3	54.1	68.8	0.0	9.7	3.2	6.5	1.3	1.4	0.6	3.5	1.9
	T. Taylor	10	8	23.5	6.8	39.7	68.4	29.4	3.0	0.6	2.4	4.0	1.9	1.5	0.2	1.9
#22	M. Morris	10	8	23.4	11.1	57.6	73.8	36.4	5.8	2.5	3.3	1.3	1.5	1.0	0.5	2.4
#21	M. Morris	10	2	16.0	8.1	69.8	65.4	66.7	5.7	1.9	3.8	1.2	0.9	0.7	0.9	2.2
#14	T. Reed	10	0	15.6	4.9	43.6	75.0	38.7	1.6	0.1	1.5	1.4	0.4	0.9	0.1	0.9
#0	T. Robinson	10	0	11.9	5.1	46.2	44.1	0.0	4.8	1.7	3.1	0.7	0.5	0.4	1.2	1.9
#15	E. Johnson	9	2	12.222	4.333	51.7	55.6	36.4	2.111	0.889	1.222	2.667	1.111	0.667	0.0	1.889
#2	C. Teahan	7	0	7.286	2.714	50.0	66.7	42.9	1.429	0.857	0.571	0.857	0.429	0.286	0.143	0.571
#13	C. Henry	5	0	8.6	5.2	60.0	50.0	53.8	1.2	0.2	1.0	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	1.2
#12	B. Morningstar	1	0	22.0	2.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	3.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	2.0

		#0 Bryan Davis Senior Forward 6-9 \| 250 Dallas, Texas Bio 23.2 minutes per game \| 9.1 points per game \| 6.9 rebounds per game

		#2 Derrek Lewis Junior Guard 6-5 \| 195 Tulsa, Okla. Bio 3.2 minutes per game \| 0.8 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#3 Derrick Roland Senior Guard 6-4 \| 190 Dallas, Texas Bio 25.9 minutes per game \| 11.1 points per game \| 3.2 rebounds per game

		#5 Dash Harris Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 175 Los Angeles, Calif. Bio 24.5 minutes per game \| 5.3 points per game \| 3.3 rebounds per game

		#10 David Loubeau Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 230 Miami, Fla. Bio 21.5 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#11 B.J. Holmes Junior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 21.4 minutes per game \| 9.7 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#14 Andrew Darko Junior Guard 6-1 \| 175 Conroe, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0.3 point per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#15 Donald Sloan Senior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 30.7 minutes per game \| 17.4 points per game \| 4 rebounds per game

		#24 Shawn Schepel Junior Guard 6-3 \| 205 Dallas, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 1 rebound per game

		#31 Chris Chapman Senior Guard 5-11 \| 175 Houston, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 2 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#33 Marshall Carrell Junior Forward 6-9 \| 230 Paris, Texas Bio 2 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#45 Nathan Walkup Junior Forward 6-7 \| 210 Houston, Texas Bio 19.3 minutes per game \| 6.3 points per game \| 3.5 rebounds per game

		#21 Ray Turner Freshman Forward 6-8 \| 220 Houston, Texas Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game

		#22 Khris Middleton Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 215 North Charleston, S.C. Bio 14.1 minutes per game \| 4.3 points per game \| 3 rebounds per game

		#23 Naji Hibbert Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 15.5 minutes per game \| 2.5 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#25 Jeremy Adams Freshman Guard 6-5 \| 195 Madison, Miss. Bio 0 minutes per game \| 0 points per game \| 0 rebounds per game