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Who: #3 Missouri Tigers (25-2, 12-2 Big 12) @ #5 Kansas Jayhawks (22-5, 12-2 Big 12)
Where: Phog Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS
When: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific
Why: The top two teams in the Big 12 clash again after the Tigers pulled out a victory in their first matchup in Missouri. With tied records in conference, the Big 12 title hangs on the line.
Game one of the series was an excellent matchup, with the Tigers eking out a 74-71 win at home on February 8th. Now the Jayhawks will get a chance to play with homecourt advantage, and has won 89 of their past 90 victories in the Phog.
Thomas Robinson, my vote for the NCAA Player of the year, had 25 points and 13 boards against the Tigers in Missouri and should be heavily featured in this contest. He’s a top 5 selection should he enter the NBA Draft this season (see my breakdown on his draft stock) and he’s going against a fairly weak Missouri big man core.
But every time Missouri faces a big time challenge, they’ve nearly always prevailed (see my Team of the Week article for more on the Tigers). They beat Kansas already this season, blasted Baylor twice, and overcame a big time injury to Senior big man Laurence Bowers that could have crippled their season. Missouri has a mini team-of-destiny thing going on.
A underheariled tidbit going into the game – with Missouri leaving the Big 12 at the end of the season and joining the SEC next year,
Projected Starting Lineups:
For Missouri -
Ricardo Ratliffe (13.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, .9 BPG, 72.9% FG, 66.2% FT)
Kim English (14.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 50.4% FG, 73.7% FT, 46.2% 3P)
Marcus Denmon (17.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 46.1% FG, 89.9% FT, 40.6% 3P)
Matt Pressey (6.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 40.5% FG, 34.6% 3P)
Phil Pressey (10.0 PPG, 3,4 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.1 SPG, 41.8% FG, 30.7% 3P)
For Kansas -
Jeff Withey (9.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.4 BPG, 56.7% FG, 83.7% FT)
Thomas Robinson (17.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 BPG, 54.8% FG)
Travis Releford (9.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 52.3% FG, 66.2% FT)
Elijah Johnson (8.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 39.1% FG, 29.2% 3P)
Tyshawn Taylor (16.6 PPG, 5.1 APG, 1.7 RPG, 3.7 TPG, 46.7% FG, 66.2% FT)
Matchup to Watch For: Ricardo Ratliffe vs. Thomas Robinson
Robinson has a huge advantage the last time these two teams met when he scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while shooting 11-17 from the field. While Ratliffe is a good scorer (he’s shooting an absurd 72.9% from the field) he’s not a great defender and Robinson should have a field day.
Keys for Missouri:
1. Guard play: This one is obvious as the Tiger start four and have five very dangerous guards on their roster. There is no doubt that they have the firepower to best the Kansas defense, and while it was Marcus Denmon who lit the Jayhawks up last time Kim English is just as likely to erupt. But they’ll need someone to come up big and the rest of the guards to continue running their excellent passing offense.
2. Force Turnovers: Last time these teams met, the Tigers forced 16 turnovers, five of which came from Robinson and six of which came from Tyshawn Taylor.
3. Get the Crowd out Early: Kansas’ homecourt advantage is legendary. If Missouri has any chance, they need to quiet the Jayhawks faithful quickly.
Keys for Kansas:
1. Size Advantage: Aside from Robinson, I expect Jeff Withey to fare better in this contest than in the last matchup when he had no points and only four rebounds. The Tigers start four guards and only one forward, so while they have the advantage of speed, the Jayhawks have a huge advantage of size.
2. Stop the Tigers Passing Game: The Tigers are the top offense in the NCAA and have one of the best passing games in recent years. Their unselfish play makes them very, very dangerous. Kansas is 30th in scoring defense, giving up 60.4 a contest, but the Tigers score over 79.9 points a contest. Something has to give.
3. Tyshawn Taylor: Taylor is having a break out season scoring wise, and his efficiency has skyrocketed over the past few weeks. Now he’ll need to focus mainly on defense—in the Tigers win last month, Marcus Denmon had 29 points and nine rebounds. Taylor and the Jayhawks guards MUST slow him down.
Prediction: Robinson feasts on the homecourt energy and the Tigers lack of size inside, and Kansas secures the Big 12 regular season crown with the win.
Kansas 66, Missouri 63
Posted in College Basketball | Tagged Game of the Week, Kansas Jayhawks, Missouri Tigers | Leave a comment
Name: Bradley Beal
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Physicals: 6′ 4″, 205 lbs, 18 years old
College: Florida
NBA Position: Shooting Guard
Current Stats: 14.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.2 TPG, 1.3 SPG, 42.6% FG, 75.8% FT, 32.8% 3P
Florida guard Bradley Beal was rated pretty dang high entering the season, but he’s fallen a bit thanks to some inconsistent play on his part. While the court competitiveness and overall skills for Beal is unquestioned, he’s shooting just 42.6% from the field this season and isn’t wooing with his efficiency.
In his defense, he is playing next to two very ball dominant guards, Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton Jr., but the low shooting percentage is making him fall a bit on the draft boards. He’s a very capable shooter and there is little doubt that he will improve as time goes on, but he may need another year in college to prove it.
Beal is a well-rounded scorer and can get to the basket, but he is a bit of a tweener and his bread-and-butter is obviously the pull up. He’s got an excellent array of shooting moves though, and has the quickness necessary to make the stop-and-pop pretty dangerous. His high basketball IQ really shines on the offensive end and even though his shots aren’t falling this year you can see the potential.
Beal reminds a lot of scouts of Ray Allen or Eric Gordon because of his skill set, but I’m a little hesitant of the Allen comparison because Beal isn’t as efficient a shooter yet as Allen was as freshmen. His first year at UConn, Allen averaged 12.6 points a game, and while Beal is relied upon more than Allen was his freshman year, Allen shot a ridiculous 51% from the field.
Beal isn’t, at least right now, close to as efficient a shooter or a scorer as Allen was, but the Gordon comparison is spot on. In Gordan’s one year in Indiana, he averaged 20.9 points a game on 42% shooting, but he really picked up that efficiency in the NBA when he shot 45% (and 38.9% from downtown) his rookie year for the Clippers.
There is no reason to think that Beal can’t also improve his field goal percentage with time. While he may never be as legendary a shooter as Ray Allen, a slightly-less-talented-Eric-Gordon seems very reasonable.
While he shouldn’t ever be relied upon soli to play the point, Beal can certainly handle the ball and does for a good amount of time at Florida. He’s a very unselfish player, has a very high basketball IQ, and makes some very smart passes, although his ball handling will need to improve at the pro-level.
Body wise, he doesn’t have much to worry about but he isn’t going to wow anyone either. While Eric Gordon was deceptively athletic, Beal will be about average for his position in the NBA. He’s certainly not small—6’4” is about the average for a shooting guard, and he’s decently sized at 205 pounds—but his wingspan is just 6’7”, slightly below average.
He’s a very solid defender and his competitiveness and court intelligence will help him overcome any physical limitations in the NBA. He’s a good thief, as evident by his 1.3 steals a contest.
Current Mock Draft Rankings:
Draftexpress.com: 10th Overall
NBADraft.net: 9th Overall
ESPN.com: 8th Overall
Draft Watch: As I mentioned in my article about UConn’s Jeremy Lamb (seen here), Lamb and Beal will be battling for the top shooting guard spot in the class of 2012, should they both leave school for the draft. The major scouting sites are all split on the two—ESPN’s Chad Ford ranks Beal at 8th and Lamb at 10th, where as DraftExpress has Beal at 10th and Lamb at 12th. NBADraft.net has Lamb at a ridiculously high 5th with Beal at 8th.
I believe that if both players entered the league this year, Lamb would be more NBA ready, but Beal has the higher potential. Lamb comes with questions about his leadership and his drive to succeed—Beal has no such limitations. Yet where Beal is somewhat limited physically, Lamb has no such limitations. It’ll be very interesting to see how NBA teams work the two guards out come time for the draft.
One benefit that Beal has over Lamb is his willingness as a passer, and while he won’t be a NBA point guard his unselfish play may be a selling point. Lamb has a tendency to force some bad shots and doesn’t look at much for the pass, where Beal is anything but a ball-hog.
Phoenix seems a logical fit for Beal, where he could learn from Steve Nash, one of the best shooters/passers in the game. The Suns lack any talent on the wings, and with Beal’s potential, he could be an excellent selection should he improve his shooting efficiency.
Cleveland would be another good fit, where Beal could slide right on in next to Kyrie Irving. Irving is excellent at slashing to the basket, and with Beal’s shooting potential he’d be an excellent weapon and his competitive streak would fit in right with Irving. The combo would be an excellent one-two guard punch for the rebuilding Cavaliers.
A final fit could be New Orleans, especially if the Hornets think they will be losing Eric Gordon in free agency. The Hornets own the Timberwolves pick, which figures to be late lottery, and they need talent wherever they can find it. If they could snag Beal at around picks 12 through 14 it would be a very nice steal.
Overall, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Beal go back to college and not enter the 2012 draft. He’s got the potential to go higher in a less-stacked draft, and if he improved his shooting percentage he could go a lot higher in 2013. But he also has to consider that the class of 2012 is mainly bigs, and if he goes into the draft this year, he’d be one of the few wings and that may benefit his positioning.
Conclusion: While he is hardly the most efficient scorer, his potential as a shooter is very high and with his strong competitive nature and excellent basketball IQ he’ll make a very solid wingman in the NBA.
Posted in Draft Prospects | Tagged Bradley Beal, Florida Gators | Leave a comment
If you looked at the Missouri Tiger’s roster on October 5th, you’d be forgiven if you’d thought their season was over before it had even began.
Senior big man Laurence Bowers had just been sidelined for the year with a torn ACL, and he left the Tigers with a huge hole in the middle. Considered a fringe top-25 squad at the beginning of the season, the loss of Bowers could have easily sunk Missouri.
So how in the world are the Tigers currently #3 in the rankings, with a 24-2 overall record and an excellent shot at the Big-12 title? They’re doing it with, quite simply, the most balanced and effective offense in the nation.
They’re eighth in the nation in points at 80.3 a contest, and third in the nation in field goal percentage with 50.1 percent makes on the season. They’re 17th in assists per contest at 16 a game, and only give up 10.8 turnovers a contest, seventh best in the nation. And perhaps most impressive is their scoring differential – with their 80.3 scored a contest, they give up just 64.0 points a contest, a difference of 16.2 points. That’s third best in the NCAA, behind just Kentucky and Ohio State.
It’s hard to show just how effective Missouri’s offense in statistically, because the beauty of it is that it’s so dang beautiful to watch. Coach Frank Haith has done a great job working with a very talented group of guards and wings that win, despite having a lack of size in the middle. The Tiger’s ball movement and spacing, and overall willingness to pass and find a better shot, is absolutely top-notch.
Missouri has four players who score in double figures, led by senior guard Marcus Denmon who averages 17.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals a contest while averaging 46 percent shooting and 40 percent from downtown. Next is senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe, the Tigers’ lone force in the paint, who averages 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds on an absolutely ridiculous 73.4 percent shooting.
Next is senior guard Kim English, who averages 13.6 points on 50 percent shooting and 46 percent from downtown, and junior guard Michael Dixon who notches in 12.5 points and 3.0 assists on 47 percent shooting. The Tigers top four scorers all shot better than 46 percent from the field—further proof of their absolute offensive dominance. Sophomore guard Phil (Flip) Pressey rounds out the top five, scoring 9.8 points on a slightly low 40.8 percent shooting, but he makes up for it with 5.9 assists and 2.2 steals a contest.
And yet, again on paper, their lack of size in the middle really SHOULD hurt this team. After all, they are in a conference with both Kansas and Baylor, both of whom have big men who will go in the lottery of the 2012 NBA Draft (Thomas Robinson from Kansas, Perry Jones from Baylor). How do they manage it?
Simply, they just outscore the other team. They’re going to give up points in the middle (Robinson had 25 points and 13 boards the first time these teams met, but Jones averaged just 6 points and 5.5 boards on 31 percent shooting) but their stellar guard play continues to win it for the Tigers. They’re 3-0 against Kansas and Baylor so far this season, with one contest left in Kansas against the Jayhawks that will likely decide the conference regular season title.
How long can they keep this up? It seems every time Missouri is doubted, they come up even bigger than before. Even if they hadn’t lost Laurence Bowers to begin the season, a 24-2 record would be dang amazing—without him, it’s utterly unbelievable. There hasn’t been a better coaching job done this season than the one that Frank Haith has been doing, and the Tigers continue to prove you cannot count them out.
Posted in College Basketball | Tagged Missouri Tigers, Team of the Week | Leave a comment
Name: Jeremy Lamb
Hometown: Norcross, GA
Physicals: 6′ 5″, 185 lbs, 19 years old
College: Connecticut
NBA Position: Shooting Guard
Current Stats: 17.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 2.3 TPG, 47.3% FG, 853.5% FT, 35.0% 3P
Stepping out of the shadow of Huskie legend Kemba Walker, sophomore guard Jeremy Lamb has had a very good season and has set himself as a near lock for the lottery should he come out in 2012.
Lamb has all the scoring abilities you look for in a wingman—he’s very quick, able to get to the basket despite his skinny frame, and is deceptively athletic. He’s also an excellent shooter with fantastic range, and with his complete package and natural scoring instincts, he’ll be able to make an immediate impact in the NBA.
The one concern on the scoring end for Lamb is his size. He’s got the right height for the position, and the arms of a power forward, but while he can use his quickness and hops to score easily in the NCAA, his 185 pounds will be a serious issue in the NBA. He’s far too skinny and really needs to bulk up.
With his athleticism and super long frame he’s a good defender, but he’ll need to improve his technique in the NBA. He’ll never be a lockdown defender for sure, but he has good instincts and is a fairly good ball hawk, getting 1.4 steals a contest.
Lamb struggles from the same disease that is striking the whole of the UConn squad—he’s not really a leader. This isn’t really a problem, especially when he’s going to the NCAA, but the Huskies, despite being very talented, are unable to find consistency in their game and really, REALLY miss Walker’s leadership.
He’s also a bit too laid back at times, and there are some questions about his work ethic. Certainly he’s show remarkable improvement since last season, which speaks highly of his will to improve, but you can see on the court at times he just doesn’t seem to care as much as you’d expect from a guy with lottery level talent.
The bigger problem for Lamb is his shot selection, which is very poor at times. But we saw last season that he readily defers to a true #1 option—he was great as second fiddle to Kemba—so there is confidence that when he gets into the NBA, he’s not going to demand the ball and cause problems.
Current Mock Draft Rankings:
Draftexpress.com: 12th Overall
NBADraft.net: 5th Overall
ESPN.com: 9th Overall
Draft Watch: The general consensus about Lamb is he’ll end up in the later lottery (although as obvious by NBADraft.net, which has him at 5th over guys like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones, scouts are still split).
Luckily for Lamb, a good number of teams from the 8-13 area could use a shooting guard with such excellent scoring talents. Utah could be one, if they decide that Alec Burks is already not a sure-fire starter, although their need is far greater for a point guard and I would not be surprised to see them trade out of the lottery.
Another fit would be Cleveland, where he could fit well alongside Kyrie Irving. As he was with Kemba Walker, he’d not being the top option when he’s playing next to a superstar.
A final fit could be Phoenix. The Suns really really lack for talented wing players, and a youngster like Lamb with the potential that he has could be a Godsend. If Nash remains in Phoenix (I doubt he’ll be there come the trading deadline) he could help give Lamb some leadership and maybe work on his dedication issues.
The bigger question when the draft draws nearer for teams who are considering Lamb—who between Lamb and Florida’s Bradley Beal is a better player? Beal is a better ball handler and actually has some point guard skills, but their potentials are a toss-up. While the big attention will be on the bigs in the draft as Jared Sullinger, Thomas Robinson and Perry Jones jockey for position, the fight for top shooting guard is simply between Beal and Lamb.
Conclusion: His scoring talents give him a great case to be the top shooting guard in this draft, but his size issues, along with concerns about his intensity during games lower him a bit. Still, he’s a lock to go lottery.
Photo Credit: Chris Williams/Icon SMI
Posted in College Basketball, Draft Prospects | Tagged Connecticut Huskies, Jeremy Lamb | 1 Comment
Who: #9 Duke (19-4, 6-2 ACC) @ #5 North Carolina (20-3, 7-1 ACC)
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
When: Wednesday, February 8, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific
Why: The greatest rivalry in modern day College Hoops. Need I say more?
Projected Starting Lineups:
For Duke -
Mason Plumlee (11.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 59.2% FG, 48.8% FT)
Josh Hairston (3.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 44.2% FG)
Andre Dawkins (9.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 42.9% FG, 40.8% 3P)
Tyler Thornton (3.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 45.1% FG, 44.1% 3P)
Austin Rivers (14.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.0 RPG, 47.7% FG, 67.3% FT, 38.2% 3P)
For North Carolina -
Tyler Zeller (15.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 52.2% FG, 79.2% FT)
John Henson (14.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.2 BPG, 51.8% FG, 44.3% FT)
Harrison Barnes (17.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 47.7% FG, 72% FT, 44.1% 3P)
Reggie Bullock (8.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 43.5% FG, 80% FT)
Kendall Marshall (6.5 PPG, 9.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 43.9% FG, 68.3% FT)
Matchup to Watch For: Austin Rivers vs. Kendall Marshall
It’s a matchup of two serious NBA prospects figured to go in the mid-first round, but if you could find a way to combine them into one player, that player would probably be a top selection.
On one hand, you have Rivers, a combo guard with excellent scoring instincts and athleticsm, but who also seriously struggles with his shot selection and getting his teammates involved. On the other hand, you have Marshall, a fantastic floor general who really lacks scoring skills.
Who means more to their team? Marshall, by far, but Rivers is also far more explosive. Whichever of the two guards fares best in their own way (Marshall with his passing, Rivers with his scoring) will likely lead their team to victory.
Aside from this being a rivalry game, both teams really need this game. Like, really bad. North Carolina needs this because they’re tied with Florida State for the top of the ACC, but Florida State already holds the tiebreaker and the Tar Heels can’t afford another step back.
Meanwhile, Duke has already lost two conference games and needs to gain back lost ground. They’ll have two home games against Florida State and North Carolina after this, but after a loss to Miami last week Duke relaly needs to get the momentum going. Thanks to their inconsistency, it’s hard to get a read on just how good the Blue Devils really are this season.
Keys for Duke:
1. Keeping up the Depth: Coach K’s team is pretty deep and with Seth Curry (who may tie with Rivers as the Blue Devil’s best player) coming off the bench, Duke can run a good number of lineups until they find one that works.
2. Defense, defense, defense: The Tar Heels have so many different weapons and that’s a huge problem for Duke, who haven’t been exceptionally great defensively this year. North Carolina is the top scoring team in the nation and on the season are shooting 47% from the field. Duke is 217th in the nation in field goal defense, allowing 43.8% FG.
3. Get the Tar Heels out of Sync: The worst game of the season so far for North Carolina was against Florida State, when the Seminoles took them completely out of their rythum. The Tar Heels look daunting with their talent, but when the machine starts to struggle it’s shown it can collapse pretty quickly. If Austin Rivers can stiffle Kendall Marshall, that’d be a great first step.
Keys for North Carolina:
1. Make Duke take Tough Shots: The Blue Devils are 21st in the nation in field goal percentage with 48.2%, and that number has been improving all year. North Carolina is a tough defensive team and should make it difficult for Duke to get the high quality shots they are used to. If Austin Rivers starts chucking long shots, you’ll know they’re getting to the Blue Devils.
2. Control the Paint: It’s a nice matchup inside between Tyler Zeller and Mason Plumtree, but John Henson vs. Josh Hairston? Not so even… big advantage for North Carolina. And while Harrison Barnes rarely drives the ball with the intent of fully attacking the rim, he has a good size advantage against most players who will be guarding him.
3. Contain the Heat: Both Seth CUrry and Austin Rivers can catch fire at any moment, Curry with his shooting ability and Rivers with his ability to attack the basket. I could definetly see the Tar Heels taking a big lead early and letting up, only to find Rivers and Curry carving them up.
Prediction: This should be a fantastic matchup between two great rivals, both with exceptionally talented squads. But I’ll give the edge to the home team and the squad with the bigger advantage inside.
North Carolina 67, Duke 62
Photo Credit: Chris Keane/Icon SMI
Posted in College Basketball | Tagged Duke Blue Devils, Game of the Week, North Carolina Tar Heels | Leave a comment
Name: Meyers Leonard
Hometown: Robinson, IL
Physicals: 7′ 0″, 245 lbs, 19 years old
College: Illinois
NBA Position: Center
Current Stats: 13.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 2.0 BPG, 2.1 TPG, 57.7% FG, 71.6% FT
Illinois big man Meyers Leonard is having one of the biggest breakout seasons in the NCAA. After being a top 10 recruit in the class of 2010, Leonard played just eight minutes a contest for Illinois last season and was anything but effective. This season, he’s exploded for the 16-6 Fighting Illini and is quickly winning over scouts.
Scouts really started to pay attention to him as an NBA prospect in last summer’s Under-19 games, where he played for Team USA and was impressive. Leonard is best on the defensive end, where his excellent athleticism and length make him an imposing force. He averages two blocks per game for Illinois, and with a near to NBA size body already, the transition into the pros won’t be that difficult for him defensively.
Offensively he’s making significant strides. While he still doesn’t have a go to move and needs to improve his skill set, he’s a good scorer around the basket, averaging 13.5 points on 57.7 percent shooting. His speed and athleticism make him difficult to cover, and he’s also got an improving jumpshot.
The main question marks about Leonard is his consistency and his drive. He’s had some breakout performances so far this season—he had a 22 point, 15 rebound, five block performance against Richmond and a 21 point outing against then #18 Gonzaga—but he’ll also have games where he’s fairly invisible. In last Tuesday’s 42-41 win over #10 Michigan, he had just four points and six boards on 2-7 shooting.
Scouts also question his motor—at times he looks a bit lazy or unconcerned, and he’s known for straying from the paint in favor of longer jumpers of even threes (he’s shooting just 12 percent on the season from three). And he had an utterly disappointing Freshman season where he averaged just two points and a rebound per game.
But to his credit, he’s drastically improved this season, which speaks just as much about his drive as his sometimes-lazy play does. His talent is obvious, and as long as he wants to improve, he has the potential to be a lottery selection, even in a dramatically deep draft class.
Current Mock Draft Rankings:
Draftexpress.com: 14th Overall
NBADraft.net: 10th Overall
ESPN.com: 11th Overall
Draft Watch: It’s a bad class to be in if you’re a big man. Most of the lottery selections will be post players, most of whom are more talented than Leonard (Jared Sullinger), have higher potential (Andre Drummond) or have a far more consistent motor (Thomas Robinson, John Henson).
If he enters the 2012 draft, he’ll have to duel up against the best of the best in workouts to prove he really belongs. Defensively, he’ll fair well—although the only matchup this season he’s had with a top selection is a 79-74 win over Ohio State, where Jared Sullinger had 21 points and five rebounds on 9-16 shooting. Leonard had 14 points and five boards in the win.
He has another matchup with Sullinger scheduled for February 21st, but this time it’ll be a road contest. On February 9th, the Fighting Illini travel to Indiana to face Cody Zeller and the Hoosiers in a match-up sure to make any scout drool.
I currently have him behind Anthony Davis, Drummond, Robinson, Sullinger and Perry Jones in terms of big man, and currently #9 on my Mock Draft going to Houston.
The Rockets could use a young big man to go with Luis Scola and Samuel Dalembert. They have Patrick Patterson and Jordan Hill, but neither are centers or have the potential that Leonard has.
Another fit would be Golden State, if the Warriors get to keep their pick (if it’s below seven, they send it to the Jazz). Leonard is a lot like Andris Biedrins, right up to the inconsistency and questionable motor, but the Warriors could use another center who can rebound and is a above-average defender.
A good number of late lottery-mid teen teams could eagerly swipe him up—Milwaukee, Memphis, Boston, and Portland would all love a young big with Leonard’s potential. If he falls too far because of the questions about his motor, he could end up being a steal of the draft should that snubbing motivate him.
Conclusion: In such a deep big man draft, it’s hard to predict who will go where. He’s clearly less talented than a good number of the early lottery bigs, but when you get to picks eight and on, it could really shuffle as we get closer to June. His defensive skills and improving offense will make him a lottery selection whenever he comes out, but don’t be surprised if he stays in college another season and comes out in 2012 when there are less bigs to compete with.
Photo Credit: Damen Jackson/Icon SMI
Posted in Draft Prospects | Tagged 2012 NBA Draft, Illinois Fighting Illini | Leave a comment
The 22-2 Saint Mary’s Gaels head to Spokane next week to face their old rivals, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, in a WCC Showdown highlighted as one of the best rivalries in the west. And while the game will certainly mean a lot for rankings, for NCAA Tournament seeding and for gosh-darn bragging rights, for the first time Saint Mary’s doesn’t actually NEED to win for their WCC Regular Season Title.
They just NEED to win to prove they belong amongst the NCAA’s consistently respected teams. No pressure there, Gaels.
The Gaels sit at 11-0 in conference play, and even if the Bulldogs win on Thursday, Saint Mary’s will still sit in command of the WCC. Gonzaga is just 7-2 in conference play, already having suffered losses at Saint Mary’s and at BYU.
The magic number for Saint Mary’s to secure the long-awaited WCC Regular Season Title stands at four with five games to play. So while Randy Bennett’s squad will most certainly be ready as effort for their tussle on Thursday, if they lose, they’re still in command.
Still, Saint Mary’s need only remember last season if they begin to feel over-confident. Last January, the Gaels went into their road contest against Gonzaga needing a victory to give them a shot at the regular season crown.
Saint Mary’s pulled off a 73-71 win in Spokane, handing Gonzaga their first three game losing streak since 1997. But thanks to a late season meltdown and an eventual loss in their own building against the Zags just two weeks later, the hopes of that Regular Season crown evaporated, and the eventual tie for the title felt hallow for most Gaels fans.
Of course, it got much worse in the later weeks. After once being a lock for the NCAA Tournament, the Gaels late season losses put them squarely on the bubble, and after a 75-63 loss in the Conference Championships—to who else but Gonzaga, of course—Saint Mary’s was relinquished to the NIT Tournament.
And so here they are again, with an excellent shot at the title and a near lock for the NCAA tournament. Saint Mary’s continues to make improves every season and seems to come out with a stronger and stronger team as time goes on.
This year’s squad is highlighted by junior guard Matthew Dellavedova, a leading candidate for the conference Player of the Year award. He averages 15.5 points and 6.4 assists for the Gaels while shooting 46% from the field and 40% from downtown. Senior forward Rob Jones is only a step behind Dellavedova in the hunt for the Player of the Year award, averaging 14.8 points and 10.4 rebounds on identical 46% shooting from the floor.
But aside from the two stars, the Gaels have been so excellent this season because of surprising contributions and excellent depth. Sophomore guard Stephen Holt averages 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals a contest, but the real surprise has been the play of freshman Brad Waldow. Since the start of conference play, Waldow has been stellar, with a 17 point/10 rebound game against Gonzaga, a 14/16 game at Santa Clara, and a 19/8 game at BYU.
Saint Mary’s thrives with one of the best offenses in the country, scoring 77 points (29th in the NCAA) on 48.1% shooting (22nd) and getting 16.5 assists (14th) a contest. But of all of the Gaels recent success in the past few seasons, this is also the best defensive squad Head Coach Bennett has worked with, giving up just 60.9 points a contest, 39th best in the nation. The Gaels only two losses this season have come to 19-2 Baylor (#3 RPI) and 16-7 Denver (#97 RPI).
The Gaels earned another big vote of confidence when they were selected to face undefeated Murray State (19-0, #31 RPI – see this article on Murray State for more info) in the Bracketbuster challenge. But if the Gaels really want to plant themselves in the upper tiers of NCAA basketball, they need to beat Gonzaga on Thursday and all but secure the Regular Season Title. And likely they’ll have to beat them again in March, in the WCC Championships in Las Vegas.
Saint Mary’s hasn’t secured a regular season WCC championship since 1989 (they’ve shared the title twice). It’ll be hard to get a better shot at winning one than the shot they have here.
Posted in College Basketball | Tagged Saint Mary's Gaels, West Coast Conference | Leave a comment
One of the few benefits of this pushed back NBA season is that NBA draft fans won’t have a break in their NBA action. The NBA Finals, should the basketball gods bless us and give us a seven games series, can last until June 26, 2012. The NBA Draft, meanwhile, is scheduled for just two days later, on June 28th.
There are pros and cons to this, of course. The cons are easy to point out—teams, especially those in the playoffs, will have less time to focus solely on the draft prospects. The coverage of what should be one of the best NBA drafts in recent history will be covered up by the Playoffs, and you have to feel bad for whatever teams are in the Finals—it’s not like they’ll have any time to figure out what their draft strategy will be.
The obvious pro—man, the Finals and the Draft in one week? It’s like Christmas in June.
So with the draft just 146 days away (or 3514 hours, give or take) it’s not THAT early to star taking a look at how the draft may go down in June.
Most of the players listed, of course, could return to school… but should a vast majority declare for the draft as expected, 2012 may go down as one of the deepest classes in NBA history.
Without further ado, let’s get to the first mock of the season—how would the lottery selections go if the standings stay the same?
Hit the jump for Bryant’s mock draft…
Posted in College Basketball, Draft Prospects | Tagged 2012 NBA Draft | Leave a comment
Who: #15 Marquette (18-4, 7-2 Big East) @ Notre Dame (14-8, 6-3 Big East)
Where: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, South Bend, IN
When: Saturday, February 4th, 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific
Why: Notre Dame is suddenly very relevant after three great wins and if they can beat #15 Marquette they’ll instantly jump into the top #25.
Projected Starting Lineups:
For Marquette -
Jae Crowder (16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 50% FG, 40% 3P)
Davante Gardner (9.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 57.7% FG, 74.2% FT)
Darius Johnson-Odom (18.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 44.9% FG, 39.7% 3P)
Vander Blue (7.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 42.8% FG)
Junior Cadougan (6.4 PPG, 5.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 37.9% FG, 22.7% 3P)
For Notre Dame -
Jack Cooley (10.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.5 BGP, 59.4% FG, 71.8% FT)
Pat Connaughton (6.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 39.3% FG, 32.3% 3P)
Scott Martin, (9.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 37.0% FG, 22.9% 3P)
Eric Atkins (12.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 40% FG, 40.8% 3P)
Jerian Grant (12.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 42% FG, 36.6% 3P)
Matchup to Watch For: Darius Johnson-Odom vs. Eric Atkins
Johnson-Odom has been on a tear recently and is one of the more talented scorers in the Big East, and Notre Dame will throw everyone they have at him. It’s hard to pick out who exactly will match up against Johnson-Odom because, where Marquette has a star, Notre Dame wins with a completely balanced offensive attack.
When Notre Dame lost their best player—senior forward Tim Abromaitis—just two games into the season, the Fighting Irish were expected to go down in flames. Instead, they’ve recovered with a fantastically varied offense and a collection of very solid players. In their last three wins (67-58 against #1 Syracuse, 55-42 against Seton Hall and 50-48 against #19 UConn),they’ve had three different top scorers.
There’s no confusion as to who makes Marquette dangerous. Big man Jae Crowder is a very solid player, but he’ll be matched up against an excellent defender in Notre Dame’s Jack Cooley. It’ll be Darius Johnson-Odom who will frighten the Irish faithful all game.
Keys for Marquette:
1. Size Inside: Notre Dame’s Jack Cooley is a very solid defender and should make life miserable for Jae Crowder, but Marquette will still have an advantage against the Fighting Irish, who start four guards alongside Cooley.
2. Moving the Ball: With Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue running the floor, the Golden Eagles average 16.6 assists per contest, seventh best in the NCAA. Against Notre Dame’s tought defense, ball movement will be key. They’ll need to keep… Dishing the Rock, so to speak.
3. Stomp the Irish early: Notre Dame has momentum from their past week and a half, when they knocked out two top 25 squads. Marquette is more talented than Notre Dame, but with the FIghting Irish’s recent success, Purcell Pavilion will be expecting another fantastic game and will need to be shut up quickly.
Keys for Notre Dame:
1. Continue the defense: In their last four games against three good offensive teams, the Fighting Irish have held their opponents to 52.6 points per game. That’s nearly a ten point improvement than their seasonal average of 62.2. The Golden Eagles score an average of 76.5 points a contest, so Notre Dame will have their hands full defensively.
2. Find the Offense: The Fighting Irish have won their best games with their defense, but they need to keep working on their offense. They score just 67.4 points a game, 190th in the nation, and shooting just 42.9% from the field, a 194th in the nation. They need to get far more consistent if they’re going to make a real run at the Big East.
3. Perform in the clutch: As evident by their recent success (a 67-65 double overtime victory at #10 Louisville and a 50-48 win at UConn) the Fighting Irish can perform in late game situations. With a team as talented at the Golden Eagles coming to town, they better be ready to do it again.
Prediction: Marquette is more talented, but Notre Dame has the momentum and look like serious Big East contenders in the old “team of destiny” fashion. This one should be close, but I’ll give the nod to the Irish at home.
Notre Dame 54, Marquette 51
Photo Credit: Robin Alam/Icon SMI
Posted in College Basketball | Tagged Game of the Week, Marquette Golden Eagles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Leave a comment
Name: Kendall Marshall
Hometown: Arlington, VA
Physicals: 6′ 4″, 180 lbs, 20 years old
College: North Carolina
NBA Position: Point Guard
Current Stats: 5.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 43% FG, 64% FT, 25.7% 3P
It’s easy to find faults in the potential of Kendall Marshall. He’s not a good scorer, he’s certainly not at an NBA level athletically, and his shooting stroke is very inconsistent.
What he is, however, is college basketball’s best pure point guard, and one of the smartest players in the potential draft class of 2012.
Marshall looks a lot like a poor man’s Ricky Rubio, mainly without the potential stardom. Like Rubio, Marshall is a fantastic point guard with great court vision and excellent passing skills. He’s unselfish, almost to a fault, and is thriving on a team with a ton of talent that benifits from spacing the floor.
He is shooting just 43% from the field, and just 25% from three-point territory while averaging just 5.9 points. To his credit, he isn’t being asked to score for North Carolina, as they have tons of weapons (Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, John Henson) and Marshall fits in fantastically as a guy who just runs the offense.
He’s fantastic at his job, running the NCAA’s best offense while averaging an astounding 9.5 assists per contest. His feel for the game is incredible as he’s easily got the best basketball IQ of any prospect this season.
He certainly isn’t going to wow you with speed or athleticism. He’s a decent sized point guard, standing 6’3” and weighing at 180 lbs. He’s quick enough to keep most college defenders honest, and his defense is strong enough that he can guard nearly all his opponents at North Carolina. But it’ll become a bigger problem in the pros when he ends up facing Chris Paul, Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook.
While he’ll be drafted because of his floor general talents, he really needs to continue working on his shooting. If he doesn’t, teams won’t have to worry about him scoring and can focus on keeping him from running the floor. If he can get a consistent jumper, then he’ll become a much much better dual threat.
He may be an unorthadox player and it’s hard to gauge where he’ll end up should he enter the draft, but his floor vision will certainly find a place for him in the NBA.
Current Mock Draft Rankings:
Draftexpress.com: 19th Overall
NBADraft.net: 14th Overall
ESPN.com: 26th Overall
Draft Watch: Scouts are split as to Marshall’s complete potential, but everyone agrees he won’t ever be a top-tier point guard. His willingness to pass and his basketball IQ are top-tier, but without a consistent jumper or an explosive athleticism—one of the two, at least.
Ricky Rubio tearing up the NBA is a huge benefit to Marshall. While Rubio’s athleticism isn’t as low as Marshall’s is, Rubio is proving that a player without consistent scoring abilities can flourish if he has an excellent passing game. If I was Kendall Marshall, I’d send a pretty big thank you note to Rubio ASAP.
Marshall shouldn’t even really hesitate to enter the 2012 draft for two reasons—one, his best teammates (Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson) are all almost certainly going into the draft this year and he’d be left with a very young team to run. And two, there are no point guards in this draft. Despite his serious weaknesses, he’s arguably one—if not the—best point guards in this draft.
The immediate NBA fit for Marshall would be New York, where his passing skills combined with the Knicks current roster would be a dream come true for coach Mike D’Antoni. He may not be as good a shooter as D’Antoni would like, but his court vision would be a dream.
While the Kings currently are a lottery pick (and they wouldn’t use that on Marshall), if they could get a second selection, Marshall would be fantastic. The Kings desperately need an unselfish ball handler to mesh with their scoring guards and Marshall’s IQ is seriously needed in Sacramento.
And while it’s unlikely the Mavericks will own their pick this season (they traded their 2012 selection for Lamar Odom, but the pick is top 20 protected) Marshall would be a great replacement for the aging Jason Kidd. But then again, the Mavericks are hoping to swipe up Deron Williams over the summer.
Conclusion: Marshall would be great for any team that needs to work on building an offensive gameplan, and as long as they don’t expect him to score, Marshall’s passing and instincts will make him a solid pro. If he eventually adds some consistency to his jumper, he could be a steal of the draft.
Photo Credit: Lance King/Icon SMI
Posted in College Basketball, Draft Prospects | Tagged Kendall Marshall, North Carolina Tar Heels | Leave a commentBut The Game Is On Sports Network
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