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Kansas lands commitment from five-star guard Bryce Thompson

By Rob DausterNov 12, 2019, 11:26 AM EST
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Kansas landed a commitment from five-star combo-guard Bryce Thompson on Tuesday morning.

Speaking at his high school in Tulsa, Thompson announced that he will be heading to Lawrence to play his college ball over the likes of North Carolina as well as in-state programs Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Thompson is the third player to commit to Kansas in the last 30 days, which is telling.

The Jayhawks were hit with a Notice of Allegations earlier this fall that alleged head coach Bill Self and the program itself of five Level I violations. From the outside, the future of the program does not appear to be on stable ground, which is what makes this commitment so significant.

I’ve made this point before, but the most disruptive force in recruiting for programs at this level is uncertainty. It’s questions about whether or not the coach is going to last or if the program is going to face significant sanctions in the future. That’s why Arizona lost an entire recruiting class when it seemed like Sean Miller was going to be fired and why they were able to land Nico Mannion, Josh Green and Zeke Nnaji when it was clear he wasn’t. It’s why North Carolina had a couple of down years recruiting while they were dealing with all of their NCAA nonsense and why, with that in the past, they are getting the likes of Cole Anthony, and Coby White, and Nassir Little.

That Bill Self is still landing players of this ilk tells you something about how the industry views that program’s future.

Monday Overreactions: The Pac-12’s start, Texas is a contender, Florida’s overrated

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By Rob DausterNov 11, 2019, 10:18 AM EST
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky

Maxey was the best player at the Champions Classic last week, scoring 26 points in the final 30 minutes as the Wildcats picked off then-No. 1 Michigan State.

I wrote about it from Madison Square Garden. Kentucky was looking for a star heading into this season. We didn’t know who their best player was going to be this year, and to be frank, we don’t know for sure if it actually is Maxey or if he just got hot at the right time in the right building.

But if Maxey can end up being something close to the guy that we all saw in the World’s Most Famous Arena on Tuesday night, it is unquestionably a difference-maker for the Wildcats. The knock on this group was that there was no clear answer about who is the go-to guy, who is going to be asked to have the ball in their hands, who is going to be capable of making plays at the end of a clock.

Well, now it seems that we have an answer.

It’s Tyrese Maxey.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Texas Longhorns

Texas went into Mackey Arena on Saturday evening and knocked off No. 23 Purdue, 70-66. There are a number reasons why this performance was impressive, from the emergence of Jericho Sims and Gerald Liddell to how well Matt Coleman played to the toughness shown by Andrew Jones in grabbing the game-sealing rebound and knocking down four straight free throws in the final minute.

But to me, what was so impressive about this win was that Texas actually looked like a competent offensive team. We knew this group was going to be able to guard. They’ve always been able to guard under Shaka Smart, and this season they added defensive mastermind Luke Yaklich to the coaching staff. No, the reason to be bullish on Texas – the reason I think that they are the second-best team in the Big 12 – is because they sliced and diced a good Purdue defense.

There are shooters on this roster. There are multiple playmakers on the floor at any given time. They may not have the lottery pick, but Jericho Sims can do a lot of the same things.

Watch out for the Longhorns.

MONDAY’S OVERREACTIONS

THE PAC-12 IS ACTUALLY GOOD

Last season, the Pac-12 was an utter disgrace. The league put three teams in the NCAA tournament because Oregon found a way to win the automatic bid. They got their brains beat in during non-conference play, and there wasn’t a single team from the conference that finished higher than a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament.

This year is an entirely different story.

Five days into the college basketball season, the Pac-12 is 18-1 overall, and there are some pretty good wins in the mix. Arizona smacked around Illinois. Washington beat Baylor on a neutral court. Oregon has a couple of impressive wins over Mountain West teams. Oregon State beat Iowa State. Utah beat Nevada. Hell, the only loss any team in the Pac-12 suffered came when Arizona State lost to Colorado, another Pac-12 team, in China in a non-league game.

At this point last season, the Pac-12 only had three losses to their name. But they had not won a single game against a high-major opponent had seen Washington get blown out by Auburn, Cal get blown out by Yale and USC to lose to a Vanderbilt team that went winless in the SEC.

ARIZONA IS THE BEST TEAM IN THE PAC-12

I came into the season thinking that Oregon would probably be the best team in the conference. After watching them comeback against Baylor on Friday, I thought that Washington would be the best team in the league.

But at this point, I think I’ve come around to the idea that it’s Arizona. Nico Mannion looks like he is going to be the real deal. He put 23 points and eight assists on Ayo Dosunmu and Illinois, who forced Cassius Winston into a nine-turnover game last season. Josh Green is making shots from the perimeter. Zeke Nnaji has been one of the biggest surprises of the early season.

I’m buying this Arizona team early. Get on board while you can.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

JADEN MCDANIELS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE

To be clear, I don’t think he’s the best player in the league. I don’t think he’s the most valuable player in the league. Hell, I don’t think that he is either of those things for his own team.

But McDaniels is the guy that is going to determine who wins the Pac-12 this season. He’s just such a weapon in this zone because of his length. Mike Hopkins has been using him at the top (in the two) of his 2-3 zone, and that created a lot of problems for Baylor shooters getting used to his 6-foot-10 frame. And then there are the things that he can do offensively, where he has so much more skill and polish than I initially thought he would.

Put another way, McDaniels was just fantastic during the comeback against Baylor. If the plays like that as opposed to playing like a 195 pound wing that hasn’t quite grown into his height, the Huskies are going to be a nightmare.

FLORIDA IS OVERRATED

I was very surprised by just how slow and small Florida looked when they took on Florida State in Gainesville on Sunday afternoon. Granted, this was a tough matchup for the Gators. The Seminoles overplay passing lanes and switch everything, and that basically dares opponents to try and beat them 1-on-1. That’s tough to deal with for anyone.

But it’s particularly problematic for a Florida team that lacks playmaking and features a point guard that is, relatively speaking, slow and unathletic. Nembhard couldn’t create off the bounce, and when he couldn’t create, Florida’s offense slowed to a crawl.

There aren’t many teams out there that can guard the way Florida State can, and the Gators were certainly not aided by the fact that their good three-point shooters spent Sunday firing up brick after brick, but I’m much more concerned about Florida’s future now than I was before Sunday.

AUBURN’S WIN SAID MORE ABOUT DAVIDSON THAN IT DID ABOUT AUBURN

I really thought Davidson was going to have a chance to win the Atlantic 10 and make a run to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. I’m not sure I believe that anymore, not after they were completely taken out of anything they want to run by Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers. Davidson just could not deal with that level of athleticism. They missed roughly 800 layups  on Friday, they committed head-scratching, self-inflicted turnovers and they couldn’t keep out of foul trouble thanks to a lack of size inside.

And yet, they were a bucket away from having a chance to win this game on the road.

That’s not a good sign for Auburn.

College Basketball Top 25 Power Rankings: Kentucky’s No. 1 as the top reshuffles

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By Rob DausterNov 11, 2019, 7:00 AM EST
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There was definitely some shuffling at the top of the rankings this week.

Kentucky jumped up to No. 1 after they, as the No. 2 team in the country, knocked off then-No. 1 Michigan State. The Spartans fell to No. 4, behind No. 2 Louisville – who looked awesome in two wins, including a road win against Miami – and No. 3 Duke – who knocked off No. 5 Kansas.

To be perfectly frank, I don’t really see all that much difference between the teams in the top five, and if you were going to tell me that any one of them actually was the best team in college basketball, I might believe it.

Hell, I think that Villanova and Gonzaga probably belong somewhere in that conversation, too. Maybe even a team like Arizona or Washington as well.

It’s early in the year so these things are going to constantly change, but this is where I currently stand.

1. KENTUCKY (2-0, Last week: 2)
2. LOUISVILLE (2-0, 4)
3. DUKE (2-0, 6)
4. MICHIGAN STATE (1-1, 1)
5. KANSAS (1-1, 3)
6. VILLANOVA (1-0, 5)
7. GONZAGA (2-0, 8)
8. MARYLAND (2-0, 9)
9. VIRGINIA (2-0, 10)
10. TEXAS TECH (2-0, 11)
11. OREGON (2-0, 12)
12. SETON HALL (2-0, 13)
13. NORTH CAROLINA (2-0, 14)
14. ARIZONA (2-0, 16)
15. UTAH STATE (2-0, 15)
16. SAINT MARY’S (1-0, 17)
17. XAVIER (2-0, 18)
18. LSU (1-0, 19)
19. FLORIDA (1-1, 7)
20. MEMPHIS (2-0, 21)
21. WASHINGTON (1-0, NR)
22. AUBURN (2-0, 22)
23. TENNESSEE (1-0, 23)
24. OHIO STATE (2-0, 25)
25. TEXAS (2-0, NR)

NEW ADDITIONS: No. 21 Washington, No. 25 Texs
DROPPED OUT: No. 20 Baylor, No. 24 VCU

Dotson scores 22 points as No. 3 Kansas beats UNC Greensboro

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Associated PressNov 9, 2019, 12:58 AM EST
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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Devon Dotson and No. 3 Kansas got back on track.

Dotson had 22 points and six assists and Udoka Azubuike added 10 points and 10 rebounds in Kansas’ 74-62 victory over UNC Greensboro.

“I thought Devon played great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “That was a different Devon than we saw on Tuesday night.”

The Jayhawks rebounded from a loss to No. 4 Duke on Monday night.

“We had a tough time dealing with him (Dotson) tonight, staying in front,” UNC Greensboro coach Wes Miller said.

After leading by four points at the half, the Jayhawks (1-1) shot 41.7% from beyond the arc in the second half to pull away. Kansas shot 45.8% from the field overall and outrebounded the Spartans 42 to 35.

“I think our team got kind of relaxed and fatigued, and they took advantage of us,” Isaiah Miller said.

Miller led Greensboro (1-1) with 19 points, and Kaleb Hunter had 17 points.

A late 9-0 run brought the Spartans within 10 points.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas: Having fallen 68-66 to Duke in a matchup plagued by 28 Kansas turnovers, the Jayhawks turned the ball over 10 times amidst the full-court pressure from Greensboro.

UNCG: After routing North Carolina A&T 83-50 on Tuesday and hanging tight early with Kansas, the Spartans take considerable momentum home to Greensboro Coliseum in preparation for the Spartan invitational next week.

TURNING POINT

While the Spartans kept it close early, a critical three-ball by Isaiah Moss extended the Kansas lead to 42-34 at the 17:30 mark, forcing a UNCG timeout and shifting momentum in favor of the Jayhawks. Moss finished with eight points after receiving the second-half starting nod.

“That was his first official game, so he had to get his feet under him,” Dotson said of Moss. “He’s getting the flow, and once he gets that, comfortable, he was fine. He’s only going to get better from here.”

ROLE PLAYER

Contributing 20 minutes off the bench, Tristan Enaruna provided a much-needed spark for the Jayhawk offense, recording nine points and corralling five rebounds, seeing quality minutes through the first two games of his collegiate career.

“I think it’s just a switch you have to turn on, and once you’ve done that it’s just all automatic,” Enaruna said.

INJURIES

After missing the Jayhawks’ season-opener due to an ankle injury, Jalen Wilson saw only a few seconds of action Friday before limping to the sideline and asking Self to call a timeout, not facing any contact.

“He broke it and requires surgery early next week,” Self said. “Time table on return will probably be close to three months. I’m not going to tell you he will sit the rest of the year, but the likelihood of that is pretty strong.”

UP NEXT

Kansas: Hosts Monmouth on Nov. 15.

UNC Greensboro: Hosts Averett on Monday in the opening game of the Spartan Invitational.

Best Bets: Previewing Auburn-Davidson, Baylor-Washington, Texas-Purdue

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By Rob DausterNov 8, 2019, 12:50 PM EST
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As of this publication, the lines for the Friday games were the only ones posted. Games on Saturday and Sunday will be discussed using projections from KenPom.

No. 24 AUBURN vs. DAVIDSON, Fri. 6:00 p.m. (CBSSN)

  • SPREAD: Auburn (-2.5)
  • TOTAL: 144.5
  • IMPLIED SCORE: Auburn 73.5, Davidson 71
  • KENPOM: Auburn 75, Davidson 72

This has all of the makings of a bet that I love to make in November. Davidson is one of the most well-coached and experienced teams in college basketball, bringing back their top six from last season. That includes Kellan Grady, who is now healthy, and Jon Axel-Gudmundsson. Grady was the Preseason Atlantic 10 Player of the Year last year as a sophomore. Jon-Axel Gudmundsson won the award. This is a top 25 basketball team.

And they’re taking on an Auburn team that lost their three best players on a neutral floor. I’m not sold on J’Von McCormick being the answer to their problems, and I’m not sure that Samir Doughty is going to be able to replace what they lost in Jared Harper or Bryce Brown. I do like Isaac Okoro and I think he’ll give the Wildcats some issues with his athleticism and versatility, but to me this is a pick-em. If you’re telling me I can get points – or a ML that is around +110 – on Davidson, I’m in.

PICK: Davidson (+2.5)

WASHINGTON vs. No. 16 BAYLOR, Fri. 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)

  • SPREAD: Baylor (-5)
  • TOTAL: 137.5
  • IMPLIED SCORE: Baylor 71.25, Washington 66.25
  • KENPOM: Baylor 71, Washington 66

Washington lost their top four scorers from a season ago and will replace them with a point guard that transferred in from Kentucky (Quade Green) as well as a pair of five-star freshmen. Isaiah Stewart is a monster, but I’m not sold on Jaden McDaniels stepping in and dominating as a freshman. Those two will be going up against a Baylor team with one of the biggest and toughest frontlines in America.

(You’re going to notice trend here.)

But I’m going to be on Baylor. They bring almost everyone back from last year’s 20-win team that went 10-8 in the Big 12, but in their season-opener on Tuesday afternoon, they started three guys – Tristan Clark, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell – that did not play during Big 12 play last season. Clark was injured and the other two sat out due to transfer rules.

Oh, and should I mention that the Bears were second in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage last season while Washington plays a zone? With two freshmen on their frontline?

PICK: Baylor (-5)

ARIZONA STATE vs. COLORADO, Fri. 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

  • SPREAD: Colorado (-5.5)
  • TOTAL: 146.5
  • IMPLIED SCORE: Colorado 76, Arizona State 70.5
  • KENPOM: Colorado 78, Arizona State 72

I really do not have any feel for this game, but considering that it is being played in China and that it is the first game of the season for both teams, I think I lean towards the under here. But that’s it. I’m mostly just interested in figuring out what to make of both of these teams. Colorado brings everyone back from a 23-win team, while Arizona State has a roster with some talent that has done nothing but underperform against Pac-12 competition the last two years.

PICK: Under 146.5

TEXAS at No. 23 PURDUE, Sat. 7:00 p.m. (FS1)

  • KENPOM: Purdue 72, Texas 63

I don’t think that this line is going to open up at Purdue (-9), but if it does, then Texas seems like the easy play. We know they are going to be one of the nation’s best defensive teams, and getting nine points is a lot of points in a game that I think will be played in the high-50s or low-60s. Throw in the fact that Purdue lost their top two scorers from last season and this feels like the line should be closer to 4.5.

PICK: Texas (+9)

FLORIDA STATE at No. 6 FLORIDA, Sun. 1:00 p.m. (ESPN)

  • KENPOM: Florida 69, Florida State 65

The Seminoles are coming off of a loss at Pitt in their season-opener and will take on a Florida team that most people expect to be an SEC title contender that has a chance of winning a national title. I liked Florida State on the road (-4.5) against Pitt, but I do not like the Seminoles on the road in a rivalry game.

PICK: Florida (-4)

ILLINOIS at No. 21 ARIZONA, Sun. 9:00 p.m. (PAC-12)

  • KENPOM: Arizona 76, Illinois 70

This is going to be a nightmare road trip for the Illini, who are playing at Grand Canyon on Friday night and have to follow that up with a visit to Tucson on Sunday night. The Wildcats looked good their first time out, getting 20 points from Zeke Nnaji in a blowout win over Northern Arizona. Illinois got taken to overtime by Nicholls State at home.

PICK: Arizona (-6)

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

BINGHAMTON at No. 1 MICHIGAN STATE (-35); 141, Sun. 7:00 p.m.

Michigan State will be looking to bounce back after a loss in the Champions Classic. I don’t think that foul trouble will be much of an issue in this one.

EASTERN KENTUCKY at No. 2 KENTUCKY (-29.5); 149.5, Fri. 7:00 p.m.

Let’s see what Part II of the Tyrese Maxey Show has to offer.

UNC GREENSBORO at No. 3 KANSAS (-16); 144.5, Fri. 9:00 p.m.

It sounds like there’s a chance that Isaiah Moss plays in this one, and I fully expect the Jayhawks to bounce back from an ugly loss in a big way. I know UNCG is good, but Kansas I think Kansas is the best bet for a heavy favorite this weekend.

COLORADO STATE at No. 4 DUKE (-24); 146, Fri. 7:00 p.m.

Niko Medved is a good coach, Duke is built on their defense and the Baby Blue Devils will be playing their first game in Cameron. Let’s see if Coach K can work through some of these offensive issues against someone that isn’t a title contender.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE at No. 5 LOUISVILLE (-26); 150, Sun. 2:00 p.m.

Jordan Nwora was terrific in the opener. Now that the Cards aren’t playing ACC teams, let’s see if they can find a way to get their point guard play up to snuff.

RHODE ISLAND at No. 7 MARYLAND (-12); 146, Sat. 9:00 p.m.

Rhode Island is probably a top five team in the Atlantic 10 this season, and that actually carries some weight this year. The Terps struggled early with Holy Cross. I think the Rams make this a game.

ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF at No. 8 GONZAGA (-32); 140, Sat. 8:00 p.m.

Gonzaga is banged up and thin in their backcourt. They should still roll.

No. 9 NORTH CAROLINA (-22.5) at UNC WILMINGTON; 161.5, Fri. 7:00 p.m.

Cole Anthony will take centerstage once again, this time playing his first true road game as a collegian. Credit to Roy Williams, who is not afraid to play in-state mid-major competition in their building.

JAMES MADISON at No. 11 VIRGINIA (-24); 126, Sun. 6:00 p.m.

Virginia just gave up 34 points to Syracuse. KenPom has JMU’s team total at 51. I think if I’m going to bet this game, I’ll bet that under.

STONY BROOK at No. 12 SETON HALL (-21); 143, Sat. 2:30 p.m.

The Myles Powell Show heads into game No. 2. Seton Hall rolled in the opener despite not having Kevin Willard on the sideline.

BETHUNE-COOKMAN at No. 13 TEXAS TECH (-28); 146, Sat. 8:00 p.m.

Texas Tech looked better than I expected in the opener for a team that is as young as they are. I’ll be very curious to see what Jahmi’us Ramsey’s progression looks like this season.

UIC at No. 14 MEMPHIS (-20); 156.5, Fri. 7:00 p.m.

James Wiseman will be back in action after popping off for 28 points in his debut.

BOISE STATE at No. 15 OREGON (-11); 139, Sat. 11:00 p.m.

Payton Pritchard popped off for a monster game in Oregon’s opener against Fresno State. They continue their tour of the Mountain West with a date against Boise State.

UMASS-LOWELL at No. 18 OHIO STATE (-24); 144, Sun. 4:00 p.m.

The Buckeyes went eight minutes without scoring to open up their season at home against Cincinnati. I don’t think they’ll have that issue against UMass-Lowell.

SIENA at No. 19 XAVIER (-20); 143, Fri. 7:00 p.m.

I really like Siena in this game. I have a lot of respect for Carmen Maciariello and his ability to coach, and the truth is that Siena might have the best player on the floor in Jalen Pickett. They’re not getting 20-pieced.

BOWLING GREEN at No. 22 LSU (-13); 156, Fri. 8:00 p.m.

I’m high on this LSU team, and I think that they are undervalued heading into this season. I’ll lay the 13 points.

NORTH TEXAS at No. 25 VCU (-16.5); 134, Fri. 7:00 p.m.

North Texas is bringing back four starters. VCU still can’t shoot and wins with their defense. I think Grant McCasland and the Mean Green can hang in there and keep this respectable.

Film Room: Kansas has a big (man) problem

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By Rob DausterNov 7, 2019, 4:56 PM EST
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One of the main story lines heading into Tuesday night’s Champions Classic opener, at least in regards to what Kansas is actually going to be on the court, is who Bill Self planned on using at the four.

As it turns out, Kansas started both of their seven-footers, with sophomore David McCormack getting the nod alongside All-American Udoka Azubuike. The biggest concern with this pairing is going to be on the defensive end of the floor, and there were times where Duke was able to expose them. Matthew Hurt knocked down three threes, including a pair of triples where he simply squared up McCormack, used a jab-step to create space and let fly, and Jack White hit one as well.

There was also this three that Hurt hit, but we’re going to come back to that in a second.

But to be honest, I thought McCormack did an admirable job defensively. I get that this Duke team is not exactly what you might call “good” offensively, but Hurt is super-skilled and he finished the night 4-12 from the floor. I think you live with that if you are Bill Self, just like you live with Vernon Carey hitting threes or Javin DeLaurier trying to go 1-on-1 from 17-feet out.

No, the problem the Jayhawks had was on the offensive end of the floor.

Breaking news, right?

Has anyone pointed out that Kansas turned the ball over 28 times yet?

Just me?

Anyway.

The issue here isn’t necessarily the spacing or the lack of perimeter shooting when playing two bigs. Kansas can scheme their way through that, as Bill Self is a master at diagramming sets that get a defense to move the way he wants them to move. On two separate occasions – once in the first half and once in the second half – Self was able to use exchanges on the baseline to get Jordan Goldwire set up to be burned by a backdoor cut from Ochai Agbaji:

Early in the second half, Marcus Garrett took advantage of Hurt’s inexperience when he was able to get a layup as Hurt stuck too close to McCormack. Six minutes later, when Kansas ran the same play, Duke overhelped and the ball ended up with Agbaji, who missed a wide-open three. Two bigs were on the floor in both instances:

Here’s another one. Self puts McCormack on the opposite wing, and knowing that Duke was icing ball-screens, has Garrett ghost the ball-screen, which creates a lane for Dotson to get to the rim:

This even works when Azubuike gets the ball on the block. I don’t think anyone is ever going to confuse him with Nikola Jokic, but Doke actually passed out of those doubles fairly well. He hit McCormack and De Sousa diving to the bucket, and this kick out resulted in him catching a lob:

Here, Dotson comes off of a ball-screen and has both McCormack and Azubuike open before he decides to throw the ball into the third row:

I think the biggest issue that Kansas is going to face is that their bigs just are not good decision-makers. That’s what they are lacking. This example is the exact same play as the last one, and while Duke’s able to ice and keep Dotson from using the screen, he twice gets the ball to Doke in a 4-on-3 situation – what he’s supposed to do – but nothing good comes of it because that’s not what Doke does:

Frankly, this might have cost Kansas the game. The Jayhawks get the ball to McCormack in the short corner, but since he’s not comfortable throwing the lob – which Doke is asking for – Jack White is able to recover and instead of a dunk and the lead, Kansas has to foul:

Then there’s the high-low game, which was so successful during the weeks where Doke and Dedric Lawson shared a frontcourt last season. There were too many instances during the game where McCormack was unable to get the ball to Doke when he had his man pinned. This last example ties a nice little bow on it all. McCormack misses a 17-footer he shouldn’t be shooting instead of hitting Doke on the block and then fails to locate Hurt in transition:

What could have been a six-point lead is now just a one-point lead.

There are plenty of mistakes that Kansas can clean up, but I’m not sure that there is a way to make this two-big lineup work.