The thing ASU has going for it is that folks seem to universally believe that Hurley's players play hard for him...that, with an influx of talent could get them to 5th, I suppose. Personally (get ready to check me into the crazy house) I think Oregon St. could make a leap like that, especially with so many unknowns among the middle of the pack squads.
USC at 2? I'll believe THAT when I see it.
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
USC is absolutely stacked and is a clear #2 in the conference next year. Will likely be pre-season top-10. They return their entire team from last year, which includes some very good players (Boatwright, Metu, McLaughlin, Stewart, Melton, Aaron, Matthews, Rakocevic), plus they add former Duke PG (and former 5* recruit) Derryck Thornton, a 5* freshman (Charles O'Bannon Jr), and two 4* freshman.
ASU is ranked too high. Two teams I would keep an eye on are Stanford and OSU. Reid Travis might be the best player in the conference next year, and Stanford adds a very good recruiting class (including returning basically their entire team from last year). Plus, it appears that Haase can coach.
OSU (as long as Tinkle stays healthy) will make a seismic jump from last year... McLaughlin/Thompson/Tinkle/Eubanks is a very good foursome. Add Stevie Thompson's little brother who's a top-50 recruit and they'll be at the very least middle tier in the league.
I fully expect the top of the conference to be: Arizona, USC, UCLA, Oregon. The bottom will be: Wazzu, UW, Cal, CU. Then I think the middle tier will be a dog fight between Utah, Stanford, OSU, ASU.
I see the Pac-12 being a 4/5 bid league next year.
USC is loaded and is a very clear #2 in terms of talent. I am not the least bit sold on Enfield as a coach so I still expect them to underwhelm until proven otherwise. They'll be very good and in a ton of games but not as many as they should and I will be keeping a close eye on them as a team that could be an early upset in the NCAA tournament.
Oregon will be interesting as they lose basically everyone that played. Seriously, is Pritchard their only rotation guy who came back or am I forgetting someone? I know they've got talent coming in but it's going to have to gel awfully quickly. The good thing for them is that Altman is a great coach who always seems to get the most out of his players. Three years ago they had a similar mass exodus (following the scandal) and were still very good the next year.
I've been following the NBA draft chatter lately and was thinking about how I like Derrick White and wouldn't mind the Jazz taking him. That got me to thinking about how fortunate CU is that he showed up and was so good. I think White really covered up how badly that program has derailed. It will be interesting to see if they get back on track anytime soon. They have almost no history of success prior to Boyle so I think they will be patient with him. It will probably help if the football program continues to win and keeps basketball under the radar a little bit.
It was always surprising to me that OSU was so awful even without Tinkle. They had talent to be better than they were. I wonder if having so many coaches' sons on the team is a detriment in the locker room.
I think Bobby Hurley is going to burn out spectacularly at ASU. It's going to be something to watch.
Yes, I'm pretty much betting on Altman's coaching ability for putting them in the top 4 of the conference. You're right, they lose everyone except for Pritchard (who's a good, not great player). But they do bring in Troy Brown from Vegas (top-15 recruit), Elijah Brown from UNM (who will average 18 ppg next I'd bet), a solid transfer from Illinois St, and a few other nice recruits. Like you said, Altman's been here before and done just fine.
I think CU is in for a pretty bad year. Derrick White did A LOT for them last year. Plus they lose Xavier Johnson, Wesley Gordon, Josh Fortune, etc. They bring in a solid recruiting class (including an eligible transfer who many here will know... Namon Wright), but no one who will come close to replacing the production that White had. I'd be very surprised if CU has anything close to winning conference record next year.
Utah replaces the Xavier home game with another home game of equal...
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"Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum
"And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla
Let's get to know the Northwestern State Demons:
2016-17 Record: 13-16, finished 10th in their league, but ended the season on a 3 game winning streak, beating New Orleans (eventual conference champ), Stephen F. Austin, and Central Arkansas, though they did not make their conference tournament. Their two top leading scorers were seniors, so they return one guy who averaged double figures and another guy who nearly averaged double figures. You are welcome to follow them on Twitter @NSUDemons
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
I don't know if I'm happy or sad about this. Another win, which like last year, we will need, but another game I'm home by 10.
It's too bad. I miss the rocking Huntsman Center.
This year's NBA draft is a crap shoot to predict, the mock drafts generally deviate starting with the 2nd pick.
But I've seen a couple of seemingly credible mock drafts having Kuzma going in the 1st round. One prediction had him going to the Lakers, after De'Aaron Fox is picked #2 by them. Another had Kuz getting picked before Frank Jackson.
Kuzma could be a pretty good "filler" type player - not going to dominate a game with his athleticism, but he can score, rebound and pass well enough to find a way to contribute off the bench. If he can find consistency in his long game, he could have a nice career.
I hope it happens, it would be great to see that skinny kid from Flint make his hometown and the Utes proud.
I'll bet you $20. Not because I think you're wrong. I certainly don't know, the mock drafts are all over the map.
My hunch/hope is based on a general tendency to underestimate the familiar. I don't think anyone would have guessed Jon Fanene would have gone from weed-wacker to most of a decade in the NFL. We all thought Steve Smith was talented, but crazy... certainly not a Hall of Fame level player. (Tons of other examples, both ways.)
Based on watching them play up close in Berkley, I would take Kuzma over Ivan Rabb. I think he's on the rise, I think he'll sneak into the 1st round.
If I'm wrong, I owe you $20. If I'm right, we all celebrate, no money involved.
I'm in.
According to Larry in his interview with Bill today the schedule will be out in the next couple of days and its 'top 25' tough.
So I said to David Eckstein, "You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
--fjm.com
Depends on which part of the schedule he's defining as "top 25 tough".
If it's the non-conference portion, he's delusional. Only one team with a top 25 non-con SOS per Pomeroy is from a power league (Florida). Almost all the others are from low-major leagues who never get more than 1 team in the Dance.
I suspect he means the schedule as a whole, and there things look more favorable. 19 of the top 25 overall schedules were from teams that made the NCAA Tournament, and all were from power leagues (Also, none of those 25 teams were from the Pac-12 -- the highest SOS for any Pac-12 team was Stanford at No. 41 -- Utah was No. 85 -- worst in the Pac-12).
Larry very well could be right when he says Utah has a top 25 schedule, but that's probably going to come in part from improved teams in the league (USC, Oregon State, Stanford, Arizona State), and possibly combined with the fact we don't get to play ourselves twice.
Also, Larry hinted in his radio interview that Bill Riley will like one of our matchups. Given Bill's connections to the Jayhawk State, that KU and K-State have already released their non-conference schedules while Wichita State has not, coupled with the fact that our last H-H with WSU was a win-win for both schools, I suspect another H-H has been inked with the Shox.
SoCalPat thinks it's another home and home with the wheat shockers.
Edit: What ^he^ said.
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One theme I feel like I keep hearing between the lines when Larry speaks is that he didn't believe in the squad this year. Maybe it was his thyroid issue in the off-season, maybe the personalities didn't blend, etc. He just really seems exasperated when talking about last year's team. His tone with the 17-18 Runnin Utes seems totally different. Now, obviously, hope springs eternal, but I do think it is interesting to see that he is excited to see this group play together here in a few weeks in Europe. Every presser there towards the end and all interviews since he's kind of sounded like "oh, those guys, do we really need to talk about that still?" I don't know, maybe I'm inferring too much there.
When talking about the schedule, he mentioned the games we know about (the two in Vegas, @BYU, vs. USU, @Butler) and did mention a marquee home game, so it will be interesting to see how things look when the schedule comes out. With the teams already mentioned, it probably is better than last year...plus you'll probably add H/H with Arizona, USC, and UCLA as part of the rotation, so that will certainly add to the degree of difficulty.
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
Kuzma to the Lakers with the 27th pick!
Way to go, Kyle!
Way to go, Utes! 3 First Rounders in a row.
Looks like I will get to see Kyle play in person right here in La La Land.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
No money involved, brother. We get to celebrate three 1st rounders in 3 years.
I love Kuzma, but I don't think he'll become a starter anytime soon, if ever. Today's NBA is about having a bench that doesn't drop off, that produces when your starters are getting rested. Kuzma is a "fill the gaps" kind of player, not a guy who will take over a game in the 4th. If he can develop his outside J, he could have a decent career like Trevor Ariza. Pretty damn good for a skinny kid from Flint.
It's also telling that Kuz went before Ivan Rabb, Frank Jackson, Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell, etc.
Just fulfill your potential, Kyle, you'll make us proud and have a respectable career.