The beginning of the End?
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Congrats to our beloved Jayhawks for not only bringing home the gold. Yet also playing together playing tough and becoming the team in such a short time.
The sad part is now you’ve stroked my addiction (as I am a KU junkie) and will be sitting around with the shakes and my mind and heart swirling waiting for the season to start. Maybe I should seek help? 
The WUG’s was quite the experience for not only the players but it’s fans too. Getting up in the middle of the night or the crack of dawn to watch a game was new one on me. I’m kind of glad that stuff is over. I was quite disappointed in the media coverage of the WUG’s. Now I wasn’t expecting full blown coverage or anything, but come on a fan should be able to find out when the game starts and what the finally score was. Not to mention a little analysis could’ve added to the experience. After all it was USA basketball. No wonder Espn is losing money. Their east coast basis may in the end cost them everything they accomplished. As technology advances and makes it easier and cheaper for fans to connect to their teams, the old tried and true broadcasting methods become obsolete. No Espn not everybody wants to watch the Red Soxs and Yankees play. NO REALLY.
It seems even HCBS has learned a thing or two in this WUG’s. He was able to see all his players get playing time against decent to pretty good teams. Bragg and Vick got much needed practice and playing time to help further their development for the college game. In fact these WUG’s may have helped Bragg and Vick the most. When the college season starts they should be able to hit the ground running. Wish Diallo could’ve been there.
However the most intriguing lesson I believe HCBS learned was letting his players play. HCBS is a system guy to the very core of who he is. We’ve all seen him call a timeout when play seemed to get wild and loose? When every KU fan hears the term high/low visions of HCBS fill the head. Though HCBS is the best at in game adjustments there is. He never really varies from the system. He just makes you think he has. However the WUG’s was just as much an experince for the coaches at KU as it was the players and fans. With the shortened play clock all the way around, and the different substitution format. HCBS had to adjust, he had to adjust his game plan, he had to trust in his players and let them play. Sure HCBS still looked and wanted to go inside, but there wasn’t enough time to really just pound the ball inside. HCBS was forced to let his players play. Now KU and HCBS will gain a few more seconds on the play clock as the college game starts, but I’m not sure the lesson that HCBS and the KU players learned about themselves and as a team in a faraway land will be forgotten as some passing memory. I believe that KU fans though not aware at first began to sense the change in how KU was handling business too, and you know what you liked it.
HCBS is a system guy and will always be, but the game is changing and he knows it. HCBS was always good about finding talent and forming, molding that talent. Yet the WUG’s taught him when you have the best talent, sometimes you just let them play.
Is this the beginning of the End? I don’t know, but something happened over there in the WUG’s that could change everything.
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I wouldn’t mind Self being more free with the offense, especially letting players create their own shots.
I think Selden, Mason & Ellis all excel at this style of play (our 3 top scorers). Hint Hint.
Will he let that happen in games that count is another question.
Maybe it will be called the freelance Hi/Low if Self was to consider tweaking it. Sometimes individual play as we saw from Selden most of the tournament can be more beneficial then relying on a system to do it for you.
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Did anyone notice that Selden and Mason have been sending us subliminal message all along as to when the will explode? Look a the the back of their jerseys…Selden “JR”, Mason “III”, so this is truly their year…
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@JayHawkFanToo good one!
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@DoubleDD u need to start fantasizing which player on big 12 teams are going to guard diallo!
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Cant leave Graham or Greene open either.
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Its a luxury to have 6 guys that could go for 20pts on any given night! Diallo, Ellis, Greene, Selden, Mason, and Graham could each score 20 pts and most of them are capable of a double double. The rest of the bench could reach double figures on any given night as well!
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Ok, we’ve seen what our guys can do when they are not under the strict restrictions of “system.”
This should help a little bit in permitting those without a critical eye to gain a more critical eye regarding Self’s restrictive offensive system.
Imagine Wiggins in South Korea. Yikes.
It is not free lance, or run and gun, or scrimmage stuff … it’s just loosening the system enough to take advantage of each player’s unique talents. And trusting guys to a larger degree to make plays. It is important to have the system. Just looser.
@DoubleDD I upvoted your post. Then came back to it and wanted to upvote it again. I share your optimism.
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@JayHawkFanToo think this could be franks last year?
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@Crimsonorblue22 Noooooo!!! Don’t even think it Crimson! We need Mason for 2 NCs! This & next year
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No, Mason will likely be a 4 year players but this is the year that the explodes and dominates. The trend in the NBA now is to have taller PGs so he really will be going against the odds to make it in the NBA. Here is a list of the top 10 players under 6 feet, you will notice that most are right at 6 feet. Having seen how determined he is and ho much he has improved I would say that the odds are considerably better now than they were one year ago, but still long.
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@Crimsonorblue22 if Mason was 6’2 then yes. But his size will prevent him from being a no brainer early exit since we won’t be in the lottery.
But he could run into a situation where his stock will be as high as it can go and make for a nerve racking offseason just waiting a announcement.
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@HighEliteMajor I think that the new clock has turned Self into a coach that knows that players who can create their own shot will be the ones on the court. That being said, Greene would be the one that will have to put in the work to get the minutes. Bad Ball will have to be the offense of the past. It worked last year because nothing else did. By the way, It must have done your heart good to see that no one was yanked for shooting a three and that we were taking those threes at the end of the game. I agree with you that they should not have gone to Perry in the 4th Quarter when he had nothing left, but Perry should have dished more because of his exhaustion. There is no time to try and get the ball to the third side for the high/low unless we hurry to get the ball across half court. Stay happy this year.
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Great post!
Don’t forget ESPN throwing their lot in with Bruce/ Caitlyn Jenner this year at the ESPY’s. This was obviously done to appease their liberal agenda and resonate with the LGBT community, which is fine, but I think it will backfire on them. More and more people are getting sick and tired of having that lifestyle shoved down our throats by the media. And now we have to stomach it in our sports too!!! Ridiculous. And I don’t think twice about turning the channel when ESPN is on, unless there is something in the world of sports that I want to see the results of when college bball season isn’t on. ESPN is simply getting too big for it’s own good, and when that happens, usually a fall in predictable. We may be, indeed, witnessing the beginning of the end for ESPN. Let’s all hope.
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@JayHawkFanToo Thanks Mr. Reality!
Now I’m hoping and praying that my Mason will be an exception to that height rule in NBA I can dream for the kid, can’t I? Just knew Mason will get us there in Gwangju, and did he ever. He was the driving force behind 2 OTs (KU Athletics site)!!! He won’t give up or give in. That kid is really something. http://kuathletics.com/galleries/?gallery=479“It was a tough game for 50 minutes,” Klein added. “I think we fought pretty good. At the end of the day, they made better plays than we did…" Mason scored 11 points in the last 14 minutes with Germany’s guards and forwards trying to stop him from driving into the paint. http://www2.kusports.com/news/2015/jul/13/germans-lament-blown-opportunities-double-overtime/
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Word from Matt Scott & Ryan Noel is they have heard rumblings Mason could declare after this year. Remember he’s got a baby to support. But most of it comes from D’Aaron Fox’s interview saying that he thinks Mason could be gone next year which intrigues him to play for KU. We know he likes KU but if Mason & Graham are here still then its hard to imagine he signs… Especially with Texas full court pressing him.
As far as Frank himself, he’s an elite athlete for his size. You see him sky for rebounds, or get shots at the rim against bigger guys with success. His height will always be an issue but he certainly is talented enough to get drafted and stick. He’s got great quickness and can defend. If he has a great season where KU ends up in the F4 or more he’s going to get a lot of looks…
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@Statmachine don’t forget Mykhailiuk
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The entire Jayhawk nation is hoping he will make it and if anyone can do it, I would say Mason is the one .
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@ZIG ABC/Disney is the same way…don’t turn em on, cause ya can’t turn THEM off …
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@TheDrunkenJhawk I know Mykhailiuk is supposed to be a draft pick but we haven’t really seen anything that might suggest he is going to light it up for 20+ points as of yet. I hope he gets some pt but I think our rotation is going to be crazy this year and if BG has his mojo back Mykhailiuk might get buried behind depth?
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@Statmachine There is room for five … I tend to think that unless the three point shot is given more value, Greene will be our 5th perimeter guy. Mason 32 mpg, Selden 30, Graham 25, Svi 20, Greene 13. It can work. If Greene’s hot, maybe he gets more.
I could also see Greene really getting zeroed out if Svi is a even a bit better shooting. Svi is basically the same height, but quicker, a much better ball handler, drives to the hoop better, a better defender, and a better passer. Greene is a better spot up shooter (which is a big deal) and a better rebounder.
If Self prefers ball handling guards, Svi has an immediate role as the backup to Mason and Graham; whereas Greene is only truly suited to the three spot backing up Selden – all if we are to focus on this ball handling thing.
And I think we are, given the Nic Moore experience over the last few weeks. Very nice to have that second dude in there all the time.
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@HighEliteMajor So you don’t think Vick will factor into the equation at all this year? I really like BG a lot and I agree with your breakdown of him vs Svi but think it could possibly bump BG to 6th in the rotation. Vick looked really good at times in the WUG. I have a suspicion that there may be a medical redshirt coming BG this year, it might be a wise move.
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@RockkChalkk I was about to throw my 2 cents in on Vick. Guess my question is will next year be better for BG to get mins? Just looks like we are recruiting pretty hard at the 2/3 spots.
I dont think Vick will play much this year, but man next year I could see him starting unless we get a O&D like Jackson.
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@DoubleDD Stellar post!
I was keeping track of the box score on Ku Sports during work today and I gotta say, near the end of regulation I was saying to myself," Man, those guys fought hard, they just didnt have enough left in the tank at the end against a very good German team. I’ll be happy with the Silver plus the experience those guys will be able to pull from going forward. Then, I check the score again in the middle of what I am doing and BAM, its over time!!
Right then, when I saw that, I knew KU would pull it off.
KU is a closing team and one of the best at it, despite what our recent NCAA record shows. I knew KU would bring the gold home, just not after a 2 OT game! Holy crap, that was Epic!IMO, the 3 players that benefitted the most from these games are:
Wayne Selden Jr- He was the MVP of the series. He was in attack mode the whole time, from what I read. It is very feasible to assume he will continue that trend for KU this fall. Be our Alpha dog with the killer instinct and ice in his veins.
Hunter Mick- Hey @VailHawk , Hunter is gonna start the season dude. You owe me $1! LMAO No but seriously, Hunter way out performed. No one expected him to do this! He will be a major key for us! Major! Im proud of him for what he did for team KUSA
Carlton Bragg- A freshmen, playing cojones out with a broken nose and he contributed nearly double figure minutes most games. He may not see as much court time as Diallo and Hunter but he will do some damage. Kid’s got game.
Another thing, Coach Self, he actually admitted he learned some things this tournament. Possibly a testament to what you were just saying. “HCBS is a system guy and will always be, but the game is changing and he knows it. HCBS was always good about finding talent and forming, molding that talent. Yet the WUG’s taught him when you have the best talent, sometimes you just let them play.”
That speaks volumes about our season coming up. If he can just let go of the leash sometimes and let our boys play, they will be a very deadly team in March. Very deadly indeed.Im going to put this out there. KU could go undefeated this season. It could happen. Is it likely? Hell no. I dont even believe it myself! But, with what we just witnessed, it sure is fun to think about.
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@Crimsonorblue22 dammit, I didnt mean to flag that!
I meant to hit reply. Im just off work and having a celebratory drink, or two. HA!
Ok seriously, NO I dont think Frank declares early. Sherron didn’t.
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@HighEliteMajor during an interview Svi said he has grown some this year. I don’t remember where I read it but I am positive I read it.
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@Lulufulu Sherron’s stock did drop after his senior year. Don’t jinx him!
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@JhawkAlum They also found out he had trouble with his weight during the off season that year too. That didn’t help him at all!
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@JhawkAlum No Jinx, I was merely stating that Mason is every bit as good as Sherron was and maybe even better at some things. I was saying this last year before the season started.
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2 minutes left…down by 4 …GOTTA GO TO WORK…NOW!!! So, I missed it all. Missed the heroics on top of heroics.
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@KUSTEVE How important is your job, really?
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Several available spots after the upcoming season.
- Leaving - Ellis, Traylor, Mickelson
- Likely leaving - Diallo, Selden
- Probably leaving- Svi
- Possibly leaving but not likely - Mason, Bragg, Vick
In short we will have 3 players leaving for sure and anywhere between 2-6 others that could leave, most likely 2-3, so 5-6 potential spots will be available…that is a lot of spots to fill although Coleby is already on board. Thoughts?
I understand that Thon Maker has made a lot of progress during the Summer and after next season, he wants to go to college. KU was the leader before so it is possible that we get him for one year.
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@nuleafjhawk I watched the replay. Looks like Frank bailed us out, and Nic won it for us. Give us that desire and hustle every game this upcoming year, and we might bring home another National Championship. I was wondering if there are any pictures of the “flight attendants” that awarded the gold medal to each of our guys. What do they have…wings?
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Interesting, because if this team were to make the F4 or better it could happen where more than 5 leave because their stock could be high (its been said this could be a weak draft class).
Svi & Diallo are the big wildcards. If Selden slides to the 3 for the year then you’d have to assume Graham would play alongside Mason to capitalize on the 2pg style. Svi figures to get good minutes but how much? If he’s starts he has a chance to show enough for scouts to want him. Diallo is being projected lottery at this point and if he starts and gets enough minutes might show enough to jump. I think he might stay to work on his offensive game but at this moment it seems popular that he could be an OAD.
Good thing we are after some really good players most notably ( Fox, Ferguson, Bolden, Jackson) among others. Could be a great recruiting class and it looks like we will really need it.
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@BeddieKU23 Ahhh man, I dont want to worry about who we are going to lose next spring!
Lets just focus on bringing another NC back to Larrytown, this season!#RCJHKUALLDAY!
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This is shaping up to be a special year for Kansas basketball. Recruiting is also going to be crazy to follow early on as right now, KU could potentially lose up to 7 players to the draft and graduation. I think 4-5 ends up being the number, but going off of previous what happened in Korea combined with previous projections, it could get up to 7 players gone.
The front court needs to be the heavy emphasis because KU is most likely looking at replacing 4 players in the front court. I know some still think Bragg is a possibility, but that thought needs to end now. He will be a good to great 2-3 year player for KU, he’s just not going to be a OAD player. Bragg’s body and game really reminded me of T-Rob in Korea. Great motor and we can see the potential, but it’s going to take a year or two for his body to fill out enough to show off that potential. I do sincerely believe he will be a lottery puck one day, that day just won’t be in 2016.
The back court is going to be really interesting to follow in recruiting this year. Svi is the only projected back court player to be drafted in 2016, but Selden’s performance in Korea is certainly going to have him on NBA radars going into the season. Self has almost always used a 5 man back court rotation which likely leaves Lagerald Vick out of the equation this year and possibly 2016-17 as well if KU doesn’t lose anybody in the back court after this season. How hard Self and staff go after the guards in 2016 will be the biggest indicator of how many, if any, guards Self expects to lose when the new year starts.
Recruiting should be fun to follow because of the uncertainty of the status of KU’s guards moving forward
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I can see Vick getting some spot minutes this year but I don’t see how this kid rides the bench for 2 years. No way, No how. The kid runs like a gazelle. I can’t remember a kid that glides like he does. If he can learn to stay in front of his man I could see the kid getting some playing time this year. Highly unlikely as he does need some time with Hudy.
As for Bragg I believe it is still to early to say no way he doesn’t leave after one year. The NBA draft is after more about potential than it is the reality of the player.
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@DoubleDD Spots minutes is out of the equation for being a rotation player and if KU does return everyone in the back court, Vick will be outside the rotation looking in for 2 years.
And yes, the NBA, like every sport drafts on potential. That said, there’s potential and there’s NBA potential which are two different types of potential. Carlton Bragg is the former, he is T-Rob 2.0. It will take at least two, maybe years for Bragg to transform from potential to NBA potential. The are three things Bragg needs for his potential to become NBA potential. The most important is minutes, the second is to fI’ll out his body, and the third is to be able to play any kind of defense other than getting shoved around. He was 5th in the bigs rotation in Korea and adding Diallo to the mix will push Bragg to 6th. The 6th big in Self’s rotation doesn’t play in every game and will probably average under 5 mpg. He might get more minutes and handful of times in blow outs and the right match up, but don’t bet on Bragg playing big minutes this year. Year 2 is where Bragg projects to really be able to start to shine and why he may end up being 2AD instead of 3AD or 4AD like other KU bigs ranked in the same area Bragg was. He will get to start as a sophomore and be counted on for big minutes as a sophomore, this is where we likely see him go from having potential to NBA potential.
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Disagree on both ends. Now way Vick rides the bench for two years only seeing spot minutes. One Selden is gone and I would say Svi is too. Not even sure he rides the bench if these two come back. I’ll give you year one but come year two, everybody in the country is going to know who this kid is.
I think you’re underestimating Bragg too. He very well could be a TAD player. All I’m saying and you can’t disagree either. Is I’ve seen kids not only go into the draft but get drafted that had no rhyme or reason for being there. All it takes is an NBA team or two showing some interest and Bragg could very well be gone too. Personally I would rather have Bragg for 3 years. However I’m not going out on a limb like you and declare that no way Bragg goes OAD. Remember a kid by the name of Embiid who was considered a project player with a high ceiling. Season started and he wasn’t starting. Yet by the end of the season he was being considered the next great big man.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 I like the Bragg/TRob comparison. Only, TRob was rippling with muscle before he got to KU. Bragg’s still kinda skinny but that will change. His motor is very similar to TRobs though. I mean, fighting thru games with a broken nose? That’s just hard core.
Another thing, Bragg has a much better mid range game. Trob’s game was pretty limited to inside the paint at KU.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 Vick is too good to be sitting on the bench for 2 seasons. He already proved that. We are too deep at the moment for him to see major minutes this season. But next season with his experience level and Coach Self’s penchant for playing his upperclassmen and giving them a longer leash, Vick will see more minutes. He is just too good to keep off the court! We all saw that in the WUGs.
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Personally, I don’t like the T-Rob/Bragg comparison for much of the reasons @Lulufulu stated. They seem like different players to me. I mistakenly compared the two a while back, and I believe @konkeyDong corrected me. He pointed out that Darrell Arthur may be a better comparison. I think he is right.
Bragg is much more skilled away from the basket than TRob, and his ball handling is excellent for a post player. Really, his ball handling looks better than some threes we’ve had on the court here. TRob was about force and presence near the basket. To me, they seem like much different players. Bragg plays under control right now. TRob, it was a matter of dialing it back a bit and playing in control. While I think TRob would have progressed much quicker being thrown into the mix as a freshman, I think Bragg is game ready now. Rough edges, some silly mistakes – sure. But he is ready to play now.
I definitely agree that but for some big change, though, he won’t be a OAD.
Regarding Vick, I just don’t know how he gets PT. Six is too many. If Greene doesn’t heal fully, that will be Vick’s chance. But if not, it could be one of those frustrating deals where we have a guy worthy of playing, but numbers limit his opportunities in 2016-17. But this season, if he has to sit, that’s all in the plan.
I’m a Greene fan. Always have been. But I’ve been discouraged by how Self has used him (misused him). That’s the key for Greene. If Self does open his mind a bit after the late season offensive debacle last season, and after he “learned a lot” at the WUG, Greene may be much more of a regular force. If not, if it’s Self’s offense and system as it’s always been, and the relative disdain for the three pointer, I just don’t see Greene as a good fit.
A best right now, Greene is the 5th perimeter guy. I don’t want transfers, but if I’m Brannen Greene, I would have seriously considered it given the entire picture.
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“Getting up in the middle of the night or the crack of dawn to watch a game was new one on me. I’m kind of glad that stuff is over.”
I had 20+ years of staying up until 3am or so to catch Jayhawk games when living abroad. I had a sling box setup on my parents’ house in Kansas and I very rarely missed a game in all those years. In my first year abroad, Danny and the Miracles pulled their miracle and I watched the NC on the AFN (American Forces Network).
I know there must be a million Jayhawk fans scattered all over this world, and they are getting up in the middle of the night to watch Jayhawk basketball!
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Self already admitted that he didn’t know how his system ball would work with a shortened clock. That more guys will have to step up and create their own shots down towards the end of the shot clock.
I hope we are able to run some real offense this year, and not count just on our defense. BAD BALL can win a lot of games, but if we can dominate on defense, why can’t we dominate on offense?
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@DoubleDD Tell me where Carlton Bragg’s minutes will come from this season? He was already 5th in the rotation, Self never took him off the bench late in the 4th or OT against Germany, and this was without Cheick Diallo in the mix. Factor in Diallo’s minutes, and that equals Bragg playing mop up minutes for the most part.
I will also say that there is a much higher chance of KU returning the entire backcourt in tact in 2016-17 than there is of Carlton Bragg being OAD. We also saw in the Germany game that Lagerald Vick is not someone who is going to get any crunch tike minutes this year barring significant foul issues. The kid can make a shot, but Brannen Greene is a better shooter and better defender at this point. Lagerald Vick in 2015-16 will only play spot minutes and his 2016-17 minutes are entirely dependant upon at least 1 guard declaring early for the draft in 2016.
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I think what we see now is just an indication of what we will see in November.
But there will be a lot of ball played between November and March. Guys are bound to move around. Players will be nicked up (hopefully, not too bad).
We have to be thankful that we have the depth to develop and possibly come in when someone goes down.
Bragg and Vick will have tremendous careers… but they are fresh-cut wood… green as green can be.
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@drgnslayr Your last paragraph is exactly my point. Bragg and Vick have talent, but it takes time to refine that talent to where it benefits KU on the court during games.
T-Rob had a great junior season and there is a valid argument that he should’ve won POY over Anthony Davis. 2 years before that as a freshman, he could barely stay on the court and that was as the 4th option in 2009-10. Some people here I think already see Bragg and Vick as being more polished products than what they are at this point and that’s fine, but where were these two when KU was dead legged and gassed against Germany? Even with their fresh legs, Bill Self still favored a completely exhausted Perry Ellis over a fresh Carlton Bragg and a completely gassed Wayne Selden over a fresh Lagerald Vick. That speaks volumes about where Self views those two at this point, and to me that equals Bragg and Vick being 11th and 12th in minutes played when the season is over.
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Good points.
“Even with their fresh legs, Bill Self still favored a completely exhausted Perry Ellis over a fresh Carlton Bragg and a completely gassed Wayne Selden over a fresh Lagerald Vick.”
Yeah… I was kind of puzzled. I thought he would give our starting guys more small breaks to try to save their legs.
I think part of it was he wanted to give them some seasoning. Build some character by pushing them past the exhaustion they have ever been through and had to produce.
Luckily… we won in the end. I’m pretty sure many would have questioned all the minutes had we lost. We were clearly superior to Germany. Playing the extra game was a huge factor as well as the fact that our key starters played almost the entire game against Russia.
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Your right, Vick is the odd man out. We have to improve our FG% & PPG as a team from last year and Vick is a kid who could excel at helping both of them. Whether a spot opens for him or not by injury or what-not he’s probably not going to get much of a chance in a pressure situation to perform. The WUG did show that he could hit big shots & play in those situations with little system time. He will have to wait his turn.
Bragg should work his way to being the backup 4 to Ellis. He was getting more minutes than Traylor by the end of the tourney which to me signified that Self was comfortable with him in there. I wasn’t discouraged by the mistakes or the missed shots because all that stuff will work out for him with PT and experience with his new team. He hustles, he rebounds, he dives on the floor and we know he can make jump shots. I predict he gets around 10-12 minutes a game he’s too talented to just sit.
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Let’s be very clear on something … Self just about blew it against Germany. He changed completely from the excellent approach he had in prior games in the second half. As I mentioned yesterday, he “puckered.” That happens.
The fact is, we won. So his decisions are irrelevant to that issue now, and validated. When you win a championship, the decisions are validated. Everything he did is now “right.”
Based on our history with Self, it would seem that Bragg didn’t play solely for that reason. Because it was a crunch time deal. Self goes with what he trusts, and it just so happen that we had double OT (which is not something one generally plans for).
But that doesn’t mean it was the correct decision in hindsight (which is how everyone … coaches included … improve the next time. By critiquing themselves in hindsight).
His lack of subs late does speak volumes, maybe not to his views of players at this point. This was classic Bill Self going with comfort vs. the unknown. But it was also Self just going with the better player. Selden is better than Vick. Ellis better than Bragg. While one could view that as a comment on his view of the backups, that analysis generally applies to any back up. But I’m not dismissing it. Sure, Self could, in his mind, think Vick and Bragg are not very good at this point. But I doubt it.
Again, a championship = a full pass on everything. We won. 8-0. Can’t get any better than that. And the first 7 1/2 + games were almost perfectly coached.
I think Bragg as the fourth big is the most realistic view at this point.
As @BeddieKU23 mentioned, Bragg should be Ellis back up – should. The minutes from last season are instructive. Bragg might get 4th post player minutes. He is the second best “4” we have right now.
Of course, as usual, Traylor’s minutes could screw it all up.
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While I don’t necessarily disagree with your post, there are a couple of items I would mention. TRob did not play much in his freshman year but a lot of it was due to his failure to stay out of foul trouble; once he learned to play under control be became a much better player and the key to the 2012 team.
As far as playing tired players. most if not all coaches will play their “money” players at crunch time regardless of how tired they are since they are know quantities and they know exactly what to expect. I agree that Bragg and Vick are more polished than the average incoming freshman…but still largely unknown quantities, albeit better known (at least to us) than they were a couple of weeks ago . I have posted before that Bragg might end up being a “stretch 4” which seem to be the popular position to be in the NBA; he clearly has great form and when he steps up to the line to take a FT, you can see the confidence. If he can do this and draw the inside defense out, he might end up being the real catch of the class.
