Kansas vs Kentucky
Neither one of these teams should be ranked in the top 20. Both are super athletic and that is pretty much it. Its basically a game of drive one on one or get a fast break off a turnover. I cant believe Kansas is ranked 7th.
December 1st, 2020 at 11:57 PM ^
They actually got that call right and overturned and made it a 3.
We wouldn't get that shit reversed at HOME.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:14 AM ^
I agree that it was the right call and I also agree there is no way we get that call home or away.
On another note, Jalen Wilson is a damn fine player. Wish he would've stayed committed.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:07 AM ^
For whoever downvoted me here are the game stats. Kansas shot 29.9% on twos and 23.8% on threes. Kentucky shot 36.1% from two and 14.3% from three. Kansas was 66% at the line and Kentucky actually a respectable 75%. Kansas had 9 assists and 11 turnovers and Kentucky had 8 assists and 16 turnovers. Yes, super efficient basketball!
December 2nd, 2020 at 9:07 AM ^
BTW, Kentucky show 0/10 from 3 against Richmond and 36% from 2. If they didn't have 20!! OREBs they would have lost by 30.
December 2nd, 2020 at 10:06 AM ^
The first 5 minutes of that game were about the ugliest basketball I have seen from two "blue blood" programs in a long time. Terrible turnovers and shots that were way off.
Granted, both teams are super athletic but that was initially like a high school all star game without the all stars.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:13 AM ^
Jalen Wilson was ballin
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:16 AM ^
Yes he was. He would've fit in nice here with position-less basketball. Hard to say whether he would be starting or not but he would be getting some serious run.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:29 AM ^
I’m looking forward to Illinois v Baylor tomorrow (after M’s game of course). This one didn’t interest me.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:41 AM ^
Going so long without sports and with Michigan football looking atrocious, I actually watch any basketball games i can catch on tv. It was an awful game to watch, though. That actually should be a really entertaining game. I want to see how good Baylor is and also this is the first real test for Illinois.
December 2nd, 2020 at 3:17 AM ^
Can Michigan fans really talk after going to OT with Oakland
December 2nd, 2020 at 6:29 AM ^
But I bet MGoBlog would beat the sh*t outta OakGoBlog!
December 2nd, 2020 at 5:10 AM ^
Yikes! Purdue 93, Oakland 50
December 2nd, 2020 at 7:26 AM ^
Holy shit. Well, I'm hoping that gets chalked up to the randomness of CBB.
December 2nd, 2020 at 7:33 AM ^
Chalk that up to 5 games (3 on the road) in 8 days and 1 of those games being an OT game.
December 2nd, 2020 at 6:45 AM ^
Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Not a fan I just like that phrase/chant.
December 2nd, 2020 at 7:43 AM ^
The game was a shit show. Kansas isn’t that good, UK is just as we expected. They will take months to get in rhythm. Cal is starting a (should be) senior HS point guard that cannot do shit. The offense is atrocious, but the D is hella good. Isiah Jackson is a monster in the making. Boston and Clarke so far are overrated and need to learn to pass. The officiating was complete garbage as well. Wilson ended up winning the game for KU. Looks like he is the highlight to that team.
December 2nd, 2020 at 7:57 AM ^
COVID caveats apply with limited practice time, etc, but the college basketball product is absolutely horrible at this point. Its getting to the point where it is nearly unwatchable.
For context, the Indiana/Texas game between a top 20 team and a fringe top 25 team yesterday had a combined 29 points................13 minutes into the first half.
The talent at the HS level has consistently declined over the last 5 years and we're seeing the results at the college level.
December 2nd, 2020 at 8:28 AM ^
Any particular reason why the HS talent level has declined? That seems like an odd thing to happen randomly. Are you comparing HS ball to AAU ball? Or just the overall talent level of the high school age group? Genuinely interested in this.
December 2nd, 2020 at 8:51 AM ^
I have to disagree with this take. The talent at typical HS games has declined but the overall talent coming out of the HS level is better than it has been in the last 15 years. AAU and these All Star HS teams that travel and play against each other is next level. The number of of players 6-6 and taller with guard skills is really impressive now. That's why these mid majors are competing with the top 30 teams in the country now. Just IMO, and Matt knows way more than me, but these kids are more ready to compete and play as freshman, than any time I can remember.
December 2nd, 2020 at 10:28 AM ^
To be honest, taller kids focusing primarily on guard skills is part of the problem IMO. You end up with 6'8 prospects that don't know how to set a screen, have sub-par motor in terms of rebounding, no desire to rim-run, etc. "Position-less" basketball also has cons to go along with the obvious advantages. It's the reason a guy like Porzingis is close to being a net-neutral despite his ridiculous offensive skillset.
December 2nd, 2020 at 9:12 AM ^
Every once in a while I have been around the gym when our local HS team is practicing. Today's game is all about knocking down threes...and that is all you see the kids practicing while they are warming up. The majority of HS kids are not physically ready to shoot threes proficiently. Nobody is practicing anything involving beating their man off the dribble and knocking down a mid-range jumper from the elbow. Mid-range shots are not well-supported by the advanced stats so that is how defenses are being played-giving you the mid-range 2. Acquiring the 3-point skill is dominating the kids' attention-at the expense of all the other fundamental skills required to play this game well. This has to be a part of the answer.
December 2nd, 2020 at 10:23 AM ^
The talent within the HS age group has declined significantly. The 2021 class is generally considered the weakest class in modern history by those of us in the evaluation industry. I don't necessarily think it can be attributed to coaching, as coaches have access to more tools than ever before, and are generally more informed.
I always like to refer back to previous recruiting classes for context. Looking back just 4 years ago at the 2017 class, a kid like Kris Wilkes ranked as the #23 prospect in the country per the 247 composite. That is comparable to former target/FSU commit Jalen Warley. Now I think Jalen Warley will eventually develop into a good college player............but the difference between Wilkes and Warley at the same age is striking.
Wilkes would unquestionably be a top 10 overall prospect in the 2021 class. There is a significant talent decline in the last 5 years.
December 2nd, 2020 at 10:28 AM ^
What is the cause of HS talent decline?
December 2nd, 2020 at 11:18 AM ^
If I could pinpoint that, I'd likely be in for a healthy salary increase. I'm simply not that intelligent.
It's likely that multiple factors are in play here - obsession with 3pt shooting from bigs and in general, more ball-dominant guards as opposed to facilitating PGs, increased athleticism, the stigma surrounding mid-range shots (which oddly enough, is damn near mandatory to win an NBA championship).
December 2nd, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
You want to know what else is the reason for the decline in talent?? All these basketball factories popping up. I watch some of these games on tv and the lack of coaching at some of these places is just astounding. It’s a glorified open gym run posing as a game
December 2nd, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
I agree with this take. One example for me is Caleb Houstan. Now, I believe Caleb Houstan is a very good high school basketball player and will be very good in college, but he is not what I would call a "top 10 prospect". But he is for 2021 because the talent has dropped significantly, as Matt said, in the last 5 years.
Go back and look 5 years ago at the 2016 high school class. Top 10-ish prospects include: Josh Jackson, Lonzo Ball, Harry Giles, Markelle Fultz, De'Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo.
There's a reason hardly any of the 2021 recruits are a threat to go pro (G League).
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:04 PM ^
No question about it, that's why I try to provide further context beyond numerical rankings with my categories of 5stars such as "True One and Done/Legit NBA Player" vs "Return Value 5star".
Being a top 10ish prospect in a given class doesn't mean much if that class is extremely weak.
Houstan is very much a return value 5star IMO, he has NBA positional size but lacks NBA caliber agility. In other words, he's probably going to need to produce to get drafted in the first round.
Moussa Diabate is closer to a "True One and Done/Legit NBA Player" because he has NBA caliber agility and tremendous upside.
For me, Moussa is a a true top 10-25 prospect in any class, whereas Houstan is more of a 25-50 prospect depending on the class.
December 2nd, 2020 at 12:14 PM ^
I still have no idea why the mid range has fallen off other than anslytics people. It’s ridiculous. If I have a kid who can hit a mid range consistently and he is getting that shot regularly he better be shooting it! It might be the best shot we can get in a possession
December 2nd, 2020 at 8:44 AM ^
There are 2 elite teams in the country, Gonzaga and Baylor, then I honestly think there are 4 Big Ten teams better than the rest (Wisc, Illinois, Iowa, and MSU). The rest are teams trying to develop into great basketball teams. There will be a ton of movement and the Big Ten is going to be absolute murderer's row.
Kansas plays defense, but they are really disorganized on offense. Defense travels though, they could be great as the year goes on.
December 2nd, 2020 at 9:40 AM ^
UK regularly starts slow with all the new faces. They are long and athletic. My guess is they’ll be much improved by March, and also worth noting that Soph Keion Brooks didn’t play.