Running 2010-11 BKC thread

Appalachian State leading at Mississippi State 73-68 with 1:30 left

Coach Jason Capel's team stormed back from first half problems.

Dude named Donald Sims has 40 pts. so far, chasing his career high of 44

EDIT: State won 76-74. Sims got 41, I think.

 

41 is a nice game. The Illini beat Maryland. Unranked Minnesota beat UNC. Perhaps the Big Ten will win the Challenge for the second straight year after losing it for 10 consecutive college basketball seasons.

 

Clearly I haven't been paying enough attention ...

You mean to tell me the voters couldn't find FIVE guys that had played college basketball for a year to select to the AP preseason all-America team?

And Mr. All-America tonight? Triple-single, highlighted by an 0-for-14 from the field.

 

KU beat North Texas 93-60 tonight, but the real news came off the court. The NCAA finally ruled on Josh Selby, who will miss the team's first nine games and must repay more than $5,700 in improper benefits to the charity of his choice.

First game for Selby will be Dec. 18 against USC.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2010/nov/19/josh-selby-nets-nine-game-suspension/

 

Almost identical to MSU, which has all-league PG Dee Bost and potential NBAer Renardo Sidney both sitting for nearly 10 early games due to an improper retreat from NBA Draft consideration and long-ago AAU benefits, respectively.

Last year, an opening loss to Rider wound up costing them an NCAA bid. Alums are glad to see the comeback, from 9-down, tonight against AppState.

 

Alabama has the potential to be bad this year. Can't defend the 3 and got run out of the gym by Iowa today.

OTOH, Auburn has the potential to be the worst team in SEC history. 0-3 in their new home arena with losses to UNC-Asheville, Samford, and Campbell.

 

The SEC is going to suh-diddly-uck this year.

 

The 2009-10 Pac 10 will be happy to pass that title on, I would assume.

 

Arguably the top guard prospect in the nation, Josh Selby, has been cleared to play in December. For those who don't know, he was held out pending an NCAA investigation into his relationship with one of Carmelo Anthony's managers. Selby measures in a bit undersized for an NBA 2-guard, but still projects to be a mid-first round pick at this point in time. We'll see how his stint in college affects that placement.

I've got the chance to UNC a couple of times already and Harrison Barnes appears to be the real deal. He struggled a ton against a very quality Minnesota team last night, but he displayed a very good stroke the night before that and will successfully get to the rack in more games than not. He definitely has some learning to do. He's not the typical flamboyant, top prospect that we see these days. He seems a bit quieter and perhaps a little less confident. Roy Williams alluded to how nervous he was for a game, and I think a big part of that has to do with the different type of environment in big-time college basketball compared to the type of ball played in a state like Iowa. In the end, I expect him to cement himself as one of the first players taken in this year's draft.

I've projected his fellow UNC forward John Henson very favorably since seeing him last year as well. Henson is very underdeveloped offensively, but is showing signs of improvement with more playing time this year and is an absolute monster defensively. His height, athleticism, and upside will make him a mid-first round pick at worst whenever he decides to come out. For comparison's sake, I'll liken him to Tyrus Thomas with a higher ceiling.

On the bad side, Vanderbilt sophomore forward Jefferey Taylor had an incredibly disappointing weekend thus far. Taylor is one of the better returning players in college basketball with a polished mid range game and nice athleticism and defense. He probably projects as a lottery-first round pick as a result. But he couldn't get anything going offensively this weekend. He struggled mightily against a tall Nebraska team, failing to finish around the rim. Then he practically took himself out of the game against West Virginia due to foul trouble. He plays UNC Sunday, and given the funk he's in, I don't see him doing any better in that affair.

 

Auburn's the worst of the bunch. Getting skunked at home to Middle Tennessee State after losing their first three to UNC-Asheville, Samford, and Campbell. Don't shoot well, don't defend threes, brand new arena looks about 20% full. Just nothing much to recommend.

 

Maybe they can buy a few guys. ;-)

 

Vandy and UNC look like they were introduced to the sport on the flight down to Puerto Rico