Coach's say KU " The Team "
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Kentucky has a lot of top shelf talent and for a change experience. Tyler Herro is the real deal and apparently better than anticipated. How good the team turns out to be will depend on how quick the new players develop. The KU-UK might well be the game of the year and a preview of the NCAA championship game.
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KU has an advantage early because most of their “new” players were there last year. How that plays out come March is anyone’s guess.
By March, Quentin Grimes could be the best player in the country. He could also be spending possessions camped outside the three point line waiting for a kickout that never comes.
By March, Zion Williamson could be unstoppable at the college level. He could also be injured.
Every team has these question marks. KU just has more ways to answer them than most teams do at this point.
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@justanotherfan if grimes isn’t getting the ball out there, someone’s rear is going to the bench. But, you are exactly right! Zion is injury prone and the Lawson brothers might be just feeding each other and their dad might be the ring leader. I don’t think that will happen, but…
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@justanotherfan Zion has a unique skill set of pure brawn with a decent touch. He could dominate up until the pros, but I think a mobile big could give him problems. Like Dedric…maybe Silvio.
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Kansas and Kentucky look like the best teams to me right now, because they have fewer question marks than other teams. As has been pointed out in other articles, Kansas has 5 players on their current roster who have averaged more than 12 points per game in a single season (Doke, Vick, Dedric, KJ, and Moore). What’s more, those 5 players naturally fit into a typical looking starting 5. I’m not saying they will start, but they could if they had to, and I’m willing to wager we’ll see those 5 players on the court together a fair amount this season. So you have that as kind of a base.
Now you add Dotson, Grimes, Garrett, De Sousa, and McCormack and you have another talented, albeit unproven starting 5. Oh and you also have Lightfoot and Agbaji. For Kansas to reach their full potential this season, their younger players will need to play well and live up to the hype, which they seem to be doing for the most part; Grimes was the FIBA U18 mvp; Dotson is very fast; Garrett has been working on his shot; McCormack works hard and has looked good; De Sousa ended his season on a high note. But even if all of those players have a rotten year, which won’t happen, Kansas is still left with a capable and proven starting 5. I’m sure that’s what a lot of these coaches and writers see right now when they look at Kansas - a safe team with a ton of depth that still has a lot of room for growth. My biggest worry with Kansas is the guard play. Bringing the ball up the court, handling the press, running the offense, getting the ball to the right player, will be the responsibility of freshman and sophomores. Kansas most experienced ball-handler is a redshirt sophomore.
Kentucky is similar to Kansas. They have enough depth for 2 starting 5’s that would be ranked in the top 25, some experience (though not as much as Kansas), and a lot of talent. Experience could still be a problem for Kentucky, but their depth makes it less of an issue. And it looks like they’ll have some decent 3-point shooters this season too. By far, Kentucky is the team that most worries me as a Kansas fan.
Duke doesn’t have the depth that Kansas or Kentucky do. They are hyped because they have the Top 3 freshman in the country by recruiting rankings (Barrett, Reddish, Williamson). They are all good players, but they are freshman and they all play similar positions. Duke is lacking in point guard depth. Their starting point guard will be Tre Jones (another 5-star freshman). If he struggles or gets injured, Duke will rely on Jordan Goldwire (who played 6.5 minutes per game last season) to handle point guard duties. They also have nowhere near the big-man depth that Kansas and Kentucky have. Coach K is high on Marques Bolden (he says he can be as good as any big man in the country next season), but he only averaged 12.9 minutes, 3.9 points, and 3.6 boards per game last season. Other than that they have Javin DeLaurier (12.7 minutes, 3.4 points, 4.0 boards), Antonio Vrankovic (4.7 minutes, 1.0 points, 1.1 boards), and Justin Robinson (4.8 minutes, 1.4 points, 0.6 boards). Even if Barrett, Williamson, and Reddish live up to the hype, I’m not sure Duke can be as good as Kansas or Kentucky without Jones and Bolden playing well too.
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@KirkIsMyHinrich Damn! Good job. You a pro at this?
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I’m more scared of Duke than UK, personally.
Nobody on that UK team looks like they can carry the team when they need it. Rim protection looks like it will be a challenge for them. And nobody that looks like they will be a threat both from 3 AND off of the dribble. To me, look like a bunch of one dimensional offensive players that will be easy to guard.
Duke on the other hand, scares me. I think they have 2 guys that can legit carry the whole team. So, even with a lack of depth, they worry me. They have a great lineup to be able to play a lot of position-less basketball. Which, to me, is the new advantage in basketball. The Zion factor is real to me. I think, if the refs let him, he could just physically take over a game and there would be nothing you could do about it.
I would also throw Nevada into the ring as a Top 5 team I would not want to face. I may be scared of them more than any other team. The Martins are able to play positions 1-4. They return 67 PPG, added a Top 20 recruit and a 13 PPG Grad transfer (Both PFs). Should allow them to play the Martins on the perimeter, or post up smaller players. They will be the longest team in CBB this season and a ton of fun to watch.
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The Grimes-Herro battle will be the second coming of the Graham-Hield battle. Hero is the biggest surprise for UK and the go-to guy it has been waiting for. This going to be a great season.
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@mayjay Nope. Just another Jayhawks fan.
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@JayHawkFanToo Herro probably won’t even start.
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@Kcmatt7 Duke is going to be scary. During their summer trip to Canada they had 2 guys average 29.7ppg! Williamson finished with (29.7 per game) and 35 boards (11.7 per game) for the entire Canada Tour. Barrett also end up averaging 29.7 points across the Blue Devils’ three summer exhibition games!
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Duke was also short 2 starters and their 6th man. Zion and RJ were the only offense the entire trip
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Unlike other players that can either score inside or outside only or need to be set to shoot, Herro is a natural scorer that can can create his own shot and score from anywhere, in transition and as a spot up shooter as well.
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@BeddieKU23 Be that is it may, that’s still impressive. I don’t know if any of the current Kansas roster could carry that much of the scoring load, maybe Dedric. I really hope Duke’s freshmen play like freshmen in the tournament.
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Will the UK-Duke game at the Championship Classic feature the most 5 star/McDonals All Star players ever? No doubt the MSM will anoint the winner of that game the favorite…until KU beats UK at Rupp in January.
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dylans said:
@BeddieKU23 Be that is it may, that’s still impressive. I don’t know if any of the current Kansas roster could carry that much of the scoring load, maybe Dedric. I really hope Duke’s freshmen play like freshmen in the tournament.
Grimes could, definitely Dedric.
Missing 3 guys definitely inflated their numbers, Barrett was out there jacking up shots like Kobe for parts of those games.
Zion showed a lot during that trip. He’s the very definition of a freak athlete, generational type really. He also showed he’s an elite rebounder. I saw plays where kids were afraid to get in front of him in transition. I can’t say I blame anyone getting out of the way of an 280 pound manchild. He’s the key to their season
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I’m just excited that the Champions game will be the first game so we don’t have to stay up til 1 am listening to Dick Vitale
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@JayHawkFanToo I just said that I don’t think he starts.
Not arguing with you that he can shoot. But I think he probably has some limitations that keep him out of the starting rotation.
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Also, great opportunity for the staff to scout both Duke and UK playing superior competition.
Zion is a LeBron class athletic freak but he is carrying 280 pounds and an injury or season long durability are definite issues for him. I suspect Duke will limit his playing time to minimize risk although it does not have the bench depth that KU and UK have so production will suffer some when the stars rest; they really don’t have Devonte like players that can play 38 mpg.
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I agree. With as many stars as UK has… and with some returning for a change, hard to tell who will start. Like KU, UK will have a deep bench but, if their recent Bahamas trip is an indication, Herro will play substantial minutes and likely be matched with Grimes when KU plays them.
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Duke doesn’t have the depth to sit Zion. This is a 7 deep roster. Past that they will struggle. They better hope he stays injury free which was an issue for him this past year.
Lebron is an appropriate comparison for him. It’s truly amazing at his weight how athletic he is. Skies in the air for 1 hand rebounds. Dunks from the FT line. It’s basically unheard of
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Duke better be praying that a couple of bench players develop quickly like KU did last season until Silvio was able to play. No margin of error for Duke.
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@JayHawkFanToo my projections for UK:
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PG: Hagans
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SG: Quickley
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SF: Johnson
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PF: Washington
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C: Travis
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- Herro
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- Green
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- Montgomery
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- Richards
The thing I see from UK, bad defense. Again. Their rim protection got worse this season unless one of Richards or Montgomery are a big surprise and play 25 MPG. They really don’t have much returning, imo. Basically two starters (if you include Travis) and a backup PG. I expect Richards, Washington and Green to basically be the exact same player they were the season before. So nothing special from any of them.
I just struggle to see where they upgrade over last season’s squad. They will probably be forced into a 4 guard scenario multiple times this year due to lack of post depth. Both PJ and Richards were in foul trouble A LOT last season. EJ Montgomery probably won’t be an exception, as most freshman bigs are notoriously bad at fouling.
I see an 8 loss team. Probably even double digits if the SEC pans out the way I think it could. Tennessee, Florida, LSU, MSU, Auburn, Mizzou, A&M, Vandy and Bama will all be tough this season.
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I believe Quade Green starts at SG and Hagans at PG, but still, a pretty loaded starting 5 with 3 returning players (including Travis), and the bench is talented albeit unpredictable. With Herro it has a better shooter than any they had last season but overall defense is still a question mark depending on how good of a rim protector Richards becomes or Montgomery plays.
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Their 7 will get them a long ways most of the time.
Bolden/Delaurier is their weakest position, no post depth.
Perimeter shooting will be one of the biggest concerns for them as well. Their best shooter will come off the bench.
The 3 headed monster of Reddish, Barrett & Zion is scary if they mesh. That’s 3 top 10 picks
Their PG missed the trip with injury. Some fans are a bit worried there because the backup is a 3 star recruit.
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Bolden was highly ranked out of HS and even KU recruited him heavily but so far he has been a disappointment. He will be a junior that has yet to be a starter. I am sure he could have developed much more at a different school where he would not have been recruited over time and again.
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Bolden has dealt with injuries but it may be a case where his HS ranking was a bit inflated to his true ability. I haven’t seen much from him that made him that coveted recruit a few years back.
He was good defensively for them on the trip but struggled offensively. The 5th starter in that lineup is definitely not an NBA player in waiting
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@JayHawkFanToo he should have transferred.
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Rivals 5-star, ranked#11and #1 Center. He certainly has under performed.
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Agree. Maybe he wants that Duke degree…
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Three point shooting deficiency.
Three point shooting deficiency.
Three point shooting deficiency.
Three point shooting deficiency.
Three point shooting deficiency.
No proven PG.
No proven PG.
No proven PG.
No proven PG.
No proven PG.
No proven PG.
Finally, name the last team to win the national championship with a starting center making <50% of his free throws?
Otherwise we have a lot of good players that will be fun to watch develop.
