2011 - 2012 College Basketball Season

[KCMax]

National coaches' polls out. North Carolina is #1.

13. Kansas
19. Texas A&M
25. Missouri

Texas is right on the edge of being ranked. K-State got two votes.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/polls

[kcmetro]

National coaches' polls out. North Carolina is #1.

13. Kansas
19. Texas A&M
25. Missouri

Texas is right on the edge of being ranked. K-State got two votes.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/polls

You forgot Baylor at #12.

[Highlander]

What? KU plays Kentucky and no discussion?

Very sloppy game.

[grovester]

yep, and Kentucky is going to be obnoxious to watch. Ah, youth.

[bobbyhawks]

KU has a number of players that have a difficult time staying in control. Robinson will travel, step out of bounds, and miss layups. Tyshawn will rush things, get lazy with passes, and drive the lane into three opposing players. Very few other players have been in a position to play more than 5 to 10 minutes in a big game. We executed relatively well early in the game and played solid defense to stay tied by halftime. We were just outclassed in the second half. Their superior talent started to play defense and we completely lost focus.

All that said, we won't face another team with this level of talent all regular season. KU still has a long way to go to gain composure and identity, but if you are going to get whipped by the #2 team in the country, it is probably best it happens early on. I have no idea how good this team will be, but I think they have the ability to be a top 10 or 15 team for most of the season. It will be interesting to see how Self builds this team for the end of the season and how they respond to losses such as this.

[KCMax]

KU has a number of players that have a difficult time staying in control. Robinson will travel, step out of bounds, and miss layups. Tyshawn will rush things, get lazy with passes, and drive the lane into three opposing players. Very few other players have been in a position to play more than 5 to 10 minutes in a big game. We executed relatively well early in the game and played solid defense to stay tied by halftime. We were just outclassed in the second half. Their superior talent started to play defense and we completely lost focus.

All that said, we won't face another team with this level of talent all regular season.

You don't think Ohio State is that talented?

Agree with most of your takes. I did see some things I liked - TRob looked pretty good at times, Withey looks MUCH better than expected, Tyshawn made his FTs. Wesley had some moments.

But this will be a maddening team. No calming guard to slow things down and stop the bleeding. No consistent post presence. Foul trouble will be a problem with TRob and Withey all year and there is no depth there. Teahen doesn't seem to know how to create a shot. Guard play will be huge and I feel they are all either too inexperienced or too bone-headed (Tyshawn) to be a consistent performer. My hope is that Elijah Johnson improves over the year and can become a competent Russ Rob-type who can distribute and play defense.

Still, they hung with one of the best teams in the country in a fairly hostile environment. Its a down year for the Big 12 so I still feel good about their chances for another conference title and who knows, maybe they get it together in March and make a surprising run.

[NDTeve]

as KU has learned in recent years...nobody cares about the regular season. I say take your lumps..will make you tougher in March.

[grovester]

Forgot about Withey, that was a pleasant surprise, but he should never bring the ball below his head.

[Highlander]

Forgot about Withey, that was a pleasant surprise, but he should never bring the ball below his head.

I thought Withey looked good. He knows where to situate himself on the court on offense and defense. He's not going to be a big scorer but he can impact games.

I thought the positive take away for Kansas fans was that they played defense well (although Kentucky's inept offense helped them out a lot). That should keep them in some games this year.

The concern for Kansas fans is that the Hawks may have trouble putting points on the board against good defensive teams with any size. They have a team full of decent auxillary players but only Taylor even comes close to qualifying as a scorer (and he's not going to get the benefit of a brain dead defense fouling over and over again all that often). My doubts about Robinson still stand; good kid, sensational athlete, good rebounder, not a skilled offensive player.

Frankly, I thought Kentucky looked pretty raw. They benefited from having a couple of very talented players who could make enough plays to keep them in the game and give them a lead but the team effort was poor and the offense was helter skelter bad particularly with Teague in there. Calipari is absolutely correct in saying there are a lot of teams that can beat them (maybe not 100 but quite a few).

[shinatoo]

http://www.sbubearcats.com/news/2011/11 ... 12324.aspx

Southwest Baptist wins the Alaska Invitational Tournament. Woo Hooo.

Hey, as a Royals, Chiefs and Tigers fan I have to have something to celebrate.

[KCPowercat]

I have a cbe tournament question. Where were the MU fans? Part of the reason cbe picks a local team is to sell tickets....it worked when ku played in it....it worked when Ksu played in it....hello it works pretty well when Iowa plays in it.....where are the black and gold? 11k attendance is unacceptable in my opinion.

[MoMan]

I have a cbe tournament question. Where were the MU fans? Part of the reason cbe picks a local team is to sell tickets....it worked when ku played in it....it worked when Ksu played in it....hello it works pretty well when Iowa plays in it.....where are the black and gold? 11k attendance is unacceptable in my opinion.

KC is a football town first and foremost, and Missouri is a football state. More than 11K at the Sprint Center for a basketball game on a Monday night against an unranked opponent is hardly "unacceptable," especially since the Chiefs were playing a nationally televised MNF game. I'd bet that crowd is bigger than most for holiday tournaments this time of year, and larger than any crowd in, say, Manhattan, KS for a basketball game so far this year.

Mizzou will be bringing another large crowd to downtown KC tonight and later this week to Arrowhead. How about EVERYBODY in KC, not just Tiger fans, show some gratitude for this economic stimulus?

[KCPowercat]

Cbe classic officials can't be pleased given when the see at the gate for the other local schools.....I like fooball first but if Ksu is in that tournament last night I skip mnf and watch my team in person......maybe I'm unique.

I think I'm going tonight just to warm a seat....disappointing tiger fans....disappointing.

[MoMan]

It's great that you're going!

CBE and Sprint Center officials aren't too worried about the attendance. The game drew more people than most other events at SC, and the Tigers will bring in another large crowd tonight--as they do for the many sporting events they hold in KC.

It would be even better if the basketball games were sellouts, sure. But when comparing the attendance to Kansas or Kansas State games at Sprint, please be mindful that Mizzou hasn't had the basketball success recently that those two schools have. Football is another story, and that's why the huge economic stimulus from the Border Showdown games at Arrowhead (which play to far more fans than any sold-out SC event) is fueled overwhelmingly by Tiger fans.

Again, props to Mizzou for regularly boosting the KC economy with their presence.

[KCPowercat]

Cbe officials are worried as they expect bigger ticket sales especially in recent years. Want KC to be an mu town? Not the way to accomplish it.

FYI ill say the same about Ksu fans if only 11k are sold for our game at sprint.....and Ksu won't have the advantage of what cbe organization eats up for their tournament....so really only around 9k mu fans showed up. Powerful fanbase you got there.

[AllThingsKC]

Has K-State ever played at Sprint Center (during a Chiefs MNF game) the same week KSU's football team plays at Arrowhead?

Also, I love how people are quick to point out how Mizzou has never been to a Final Four, then bash Mizzou fans for not supporting their team (to that person's expectations).

Don't get me wrong...I'd love to see more people there, sure. But, I'm not gong to bash KU or KSU if they don't sell out either under the exact same circumstances. And I'm not worried about KC not being an MU town. While KU and KSU are playing on the LHN, Mizzou will be playing on CBS.

[KCMax]

I have a cbe tournament question. Where were the MU fans? Part of the reason cbe picks a local team is to sell tickets....it worked when ku played in it....it worked when Ksu played in it....hello it works pretty well when Iowa plays in it.....where are the black and gold? 11k attendance is unacceptable in my opinion.

Aside from Kentucky, basketball just isn't a big deal in the SEC.

[MoMan]

I remember many past Mizzou games at SC that have sold out or were close to sellouts. Trust me, the CBE isn't worried about Mizzou and its fanbase.

As many Kansas and Kansas State fans have been so eager to point out, the Mizzou basketball program has dished up a lot of disappointment over the past decade. All the recent conference realignment commotion has only served to push basketball further from the spotlight, here and around the country. 11K was a healthy crowd for the game last night given the circumstances, and the crowd at Arrowhead this weekend will draw hordes of free-spending Mizzou fans. I'm not sure why you focus on some empty seats at a well-attended Monday night basketball game against an unranked opponent to make your case about weak MU support. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Nobody is seriously concerned about this city's enthusiasm for Mizzou. Between the games at Arrowhead and Sprint, far more MU fans fill seats at sporting events in KC than do fans of K-State or KU. And a look at the rosters of current and past Mizzou basketball and football teams speaks volumes about the school's appeal to area high school athletes and their families.

[MoMan]

Aside from Kentucky, basketball just isn't a big deal in the SEC.

If the conference realignment discussions have taught us anything, it's that basketball sadly just isn't a big deal anywhere.

[shinatoo]

I have a cbe tournament question. Where were the MU fans? Part of the reason cbe picks a local team is to sell tickets....it worked when ku played in it....it worked when Ksu played in it....hello it works pretty well when Iowa plays in it.....where are the black and gold? 11k attendance is unacceptable in my opinion.

Aside from Kentucky, basketball just isn't a big deal in the SEC.

SEC has five top 25 teams right now. Big 12 has four, two of which will be leaving for the SEC next year. SEC basketball seams like a pretty big deal.