Official SMU-Rice Game Thread

[Hoop Fan]

Speaking of Shumate, and Dement for that matter, I don't think guys that are "wound tight" work well at SMU. In Dements 5th year, he had it teed up nicely, but he was too uptight to manage the egos and the team played as a reflection of its coach down the stretch, very tight. Lets hope Doherty has really changed. There are several reasons that uptight coaches don't thrive at SMU, the biggest is that there is not enough fandom or adulation from fellow students to carry a team through the ups and downs of the season. The coach at SMU needs to create an "us versus the world" feeling in the lockerroom, not an ultra authoritarian rigid atmosphere. I really believe that. Tubbs unfortunately got more uptight when he took the reins and it too backfired on him. June Jones is great in that regard, he has the magic touch and despite his wardrobe and leis, his style works very well at SMU. Dohs style works well with alums and the cigar club, i still wonder if this new style can withstand adversity. Maybe he had a near-death experience in his career and is truly changed and the new formula will work. I still see alot of the same problems this year as in past years, including long scoreless stretches at crunch time too often. And like others have said, lets hope Mangino does not bolt like other assistants have in the recent past.

[ponyscott]

AAU ball is not sophisticated, its mostly bad coaching and bad habits. yes, some of these kids play a ton of games, and if they don't burnout, they are more college ready sooner because of the competition they play, but its all relative anyway. You cannot convince me that college level experience and strenght and development don't matter in hoops. Maybe not as much as in football, which is obvious by the fact that freshmen in basketball do not normally redshirt and never have. Doherty played the "we're young" card over and over again the past few years. Was that all BS? No, he will play the inexperience card next year too, and it will be a factor. A better example of collective experience than the 92 football squad, is actually the 92-93 basketball team. That was a below average group in the previous couple seasons, added Mike Wilson and it all came together in the senior year of Mason, Allen, Lewis and Kinzer. This is the year that should have come together for SMU at least somewhat with Dia and company with so much D-1 and CUSA experience and a pitifully weak non-conf schedule. It was often said around campus that the 93 team won despite Shumate...I watch other programs who have highly touted freshmen these days, not top 10, but top 150 players and they invariably struggle as young players in the college game 90% of the time even in the hyper-AAU era.

Of course I agree that AAU is not ALL sophisticated and hasn't known to be in the past, but many now are with skill coaches, strength coaches on staff etc. as its all competive for the players out there but yes generally in the past AAU coaches were known to just throw the ball out there and let you play, but that is changing in the higher level teams. The point really is that in basketball you can now play literally a 100 games a year AFTER high school season and play against high level players that can help increase your skill set, even with bad coaches. Its all relative ...yep it is. But the level of play at SMU with real, high level 3 and 4 star recruits playing here just has to level the playing field......doesn't it?....hope so.

The fact that 'one and done' players now go into the NBA on a regular basis now and can excell in their first years in the NBA is what is trending. You dont have to be big and muscular to make it happen, it helps, but K Durant is an example of one who excells with NO strength.

Oh yes the inexperience card will be played, but the guys on the bench that are practicing all year now and getting stronger will be a bigger factor than we think next year.

[ponyte]

Out of curiosity, Has the same admission straitjacket that has hampered the football team been a factor for Doh?

[PonyDoh]

AAU ball is not sophisticated, its mostly bad coaching and bad habits. yes, some of these kids play a ton of games, and if they don't burnout, they are more college ready sooner because of the competition they play, but its all relative anyway. You cannot convince me that college level experience and strenght and development don't matter in hoops. Maybe not as much as in football, which is obvious by the fact that freshmen in basketball do not normally redshirt and never have. Doherty played the "we're young" card over and over again the past few years. Was that all BS? No, he will play the inexperience card next year too, and it will be a factor. A better example of collective experience than the 92 football squad, is actually the 92-93 basketball team. That was a below average group in the previous couple seasons, added Mike Wilson and it all came together in the senior year of Mason, Allen, Lewis and Kinzer. This is the year that should have come together for SMU at least somewhat with Dia and company with so much D-1 and CUSA experience and a pitifully weak non-conf schedule. It was often said around campus that the 93 team won despite Shumate...I watch other programs who have highly touted freshmen these days, not top 10, but top 150 players and they invariably struggle as young players in the college game 90% of the time even in the hyper-AAU era.

I don't think people are saying experience doesn't matter, it does, but it's not near the factor that talent is. I don't know what college games you're watching where Top 150 kids don't contribute mightily from Day 1, especially in mid-major leagues. Just look at our PG search last Spring. Those weren't even truly marquee kids, none in the Top 150 except maybe Jon Loyd, and half are double-digit scorers as frosh. Even our boy Frog is having a very reputable freshman campaign. We missed on Jordan Clarkson and he's very good for UTEP etc. At least 5 teams in the ACC start or give the majority of their PG minutes to a frosh. The best player in the country, on the #1 team is a frosh. The best player on Duke and UNC is a frosh. Two of our 3 best players are frosh(Vilde & smith). I could seriously go on forever.

[PonyDoh]

Out of curiosity, Has the same admission straitjacket that has hampered the football team been a factor for Doh?

Hoops tries to push through exceptions, just like football, there are just far greater numbers in football. As someone who has had some access to who we've recruited and why, over the years, I can tell you flat out that we just can't recruit our fair share of kids. Also, the hoops staff has a tremendous amount of respect for June, but they've had some huge chuckles over a couple of kids June tried to pass off, in the last few years. A certain coach and myself got hysterical over the RB that just got out on a murder rap last year. Meanwhile, people here flipped out that we wouldn't accept him lol. Only June gets to run that stuff up the flagpole.

What I will say is that hoops gets more latitude w/international kids. We have two props this year, but both weren't seen as risks academically, once admitted. They are intelligent kids, a few of which speak multiple languages, but were raised on different academic platforms, or spent years in the euro academy system. To admissions, that's easier to take a flyer on, than an american kid that just hasn't cut it in our system, w/its incredibly lax requirements. In short, the kids that didn't get in last summer, had every opportunity to perform in our system, and basically didn't and never had. Admissions thought they'd get hammered once they got into college. Judgement call

[Mitch McConnell]

But are we saying the academic kids we couldn't take in 2007, we can now have a chance to take in 2011?

I'm trusting that's the case since this policy should be universal toward all SMU-sponsored sports.

Your answer was a bit odd.

[Harry0569]

I don't think people are saying experience doesn't matter, it does, but it's not near the factor that talent is. I don't know what college games you're watching where Top 150 kids don't contribute mightily from Day 1, especially in mid-major leagues. Just look at our PG search last Spring. Those weren't even truly marquee kids, none in the Top 150 except maybe Jon Loyd, and half are double-digit scorers as frosh. Even our boy Frog is having a very reputable freshman campaign. We missed on Jordan Clarkson and he's very good for UTEP etc. At least 5 teams in the ACC start or give the majority of their PG minutes to a frosh. The best player in the country, on the #1 team is a frosh. The best player on Duke and UNC is a frosh. Two of our 3 best players are frosh(Vilde & smith). I could seriously go on forever.

Captain Nitpick here. Isn't Clarkson at Tulsa?

Now that Irving is hurt, I'd say Duke's best player is Nolan Smith.

It is embarrassing that Harrison Barnes was a pre-season 1st Team All-American.

But yes, unlike any other sport, frosh bball players with little to no experience can thrive in college. See Kevin Durant, and so many others.

[Hoop Fan]

Barnes might be UNC's best player, but how's that working out for them? Hasn't been pretty so far, unranked and not getting any votes in the polls either. Pretty ugly for UNC. Duke is Duke, they get the best of the best and they have tons of experience in the current lineup back from a national champ team, which makes their freshmen even better. Sullinger is a freak of nature at OSU, their freshman guard Craft is really good too. But they also have Lighty and strong senior leadership. My point is not that freshman cannot play at a high level and contribute, they can, my point is you can't roll 4 or 5 newcomers out there and expect to be good most of the time, even in CUSA. Look at Memphis. They lost to us!

[Mitch McConnell]

I just want to get my home CBI tickets soon.

[Stallion]

Barnes might be UNC's best player, but how's that working out for them? Hasn't been pretty so far, unranked and not getting any votes in the polls either. Pretty ugly for UNC. Duke is Duke, they get the best of the best and they have tons of experience in the current lineup back from a national champ team, which makes their freshmen even better. Sullinger is a freak of nature at OSU, their freshman guard Craft is really good too. But they also have Lighty and strong senior leadership. My point is not that freshman cannot play at a high level and contribute, they can, my point is you can't roll 4 or 5 newcomers out there and expect to be good most of the time, even in CUSA. Look at Memphis. They lost to us!

What about Lew Alcindor and Wilt Chamberlain-they were pretty good as freshman. Geez. And BTW don't our opponents sign the same AAU players. The transition will be a little easier because 3 of these kids are already in the program-essentially redshirting but there will be a learning curve. Anybody remember Papa Dia? Nykundi?

[Hoop Fan]

Barnes might be UNC's best player, but how's that working out for them? Hasn't been pretty so far, unranked and not getting any votes in the polls either. Pretty ugly for UNC. Duke is Duke, they get the best of the best and they have tons of experience in the current lineup back from a national champ team, which makes their freshmen even better. Sullinger is a freak of nature at OSU, their freshman guard Craft is really good too. But they also have Lighty and strong senior leadership. My point is not that freshman cannot play at a high level and contribute, they can, my point is you can't roll 4 or 5 newcomers out there and expect to be good most of the time, even in CUSA. Look at Memphis. They lost to us!

What about Lew Alcindor and Wilt Chamberlain-they were pretty good as freshman. Geez. And BTW don't our opponents sign the same AAU players. The transition will be a little easier because 3 of these kids are already in the program-essentially redshirting but there will be a learning curve. Anybody remember Papa Dia? Nykundi?

you forgot about freshmen ineligibility back in the day. Wilt was a YouTube sensation like Vilde though. It will help alot that they are in the program already no doubt. And Giles is an older kid now who has been around plenty, but after playing 100s of AAU games as a highschooler, he has barely seen any gametime for the past what three years? We'll see, I'm just ready to get on with it. There is nothing worse than playing meaningless games with seniors and upperclassmen on the floor. We do have a semi-meaningful game on Wed night though to see if we can hang around in the upper half of CUSA. At least its something at this point.

[Harry0569]

I just want to get my home CBI tickets soon.

Screw that NIT baby..if we go 9-7, 10-6 in Conference, and FINALLY FINALLY!! win a game in the C-usa tournament.

[PonyDoh]

Barnes might be UNC's best player, but how's that working out for them? Hasn't been pretty so far, unranked and not getting any votes in the polls either. Pretty ugly for UNC. Duke is Duke, they get the best of the best and they have tons of experience in the current lineup back from a national champ team, which makes their freshmen even better. Sullinger is a freak of nature at OSU, their freshman guard Craft is really good too. But they also have Lighty and strong senior leadership. My point is not that freshman cannot play at a high level and contribute, they can, my point is you can't roll 4 or 5 newcomers out there and expect to be good most of the time, even in CUSA. Look at Memphis. They lost to us!

That's a weak weak argument when it comes to UNC. Their shortcomings are on Roy, not Barnes. Look at Barnes second fiddle at Ames High School, Doug McDermott. He's the leading scorer for Creighton. Look at Memphis, they are like 16-4 after playing a very good OOC w/basically all frosh.

Of course having senior leadership can help, but it's all about talent. Guess where Lighty was ranked coming out etc. Sullinger/Crafts AAU team would be better than OSU, if they had all gone to the same school. Talent>>>>>>>>maturity, most every time.

[ponyscott]

Sorry but I agree as its a really Weak argument about Freshman and way behind the times...how about this from last year in Rivals about NCAA Freshman and you could follow the 'one and dones' that are doing well in the NBA already like Wall:

Rivals.com 2010 Freshman All-America Team
Rivals.com
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff
MORE: Non-Big Six Freshman All-America Team
John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Derrick Favors were the most highly hyped freshman players heading into the season, and each of the trio helped their teams get into the NCAA tournament a season after being bypassed for the field of 65.
Wall was the No. 1 player in the class, and he actually may have exceeded expectations in helping Kentucky win the SEC and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney. His cause was helped by the presence of Cousins, the No. 2 player in the class, who was a load in the low blocks.
Favors, meanwhile, teamed with Gani Lawal to give Georgia Tech a big-time frontcourt, one that helped the Yellow Jackets advance to the second round of the tournament. Favors was the No. 3 player in the class.
Each of the top three made the Rivals.com Freshman All-America team. Here is a complete look at the three teams.
FIRST TEAM
F DEMARCUS COUSINS, KENTUCKY

PARTICULARS: 6-11/270; Mobile (Ala.) LeFlore (5-star prospect)
BUZZ: The No. 2 prospect in the 2009 recruiting class lived up to his ranking. Cousins ranked 10th in the SEC in scoring (15.1) and second in rebounding (9. while playing only 23.5 minutes per game. He pulled down nearly 100 more rebounds than any other freshman in school history and recorded 20 double-doubles, the most by any Kentucky player since 1973. He has declared for the NBA draft.
F DERRICK FAVORS, GEORGIA TECH

PARTICULARS: 6-10/246; South Atlanta (5-star prospect)
BUZZ: Favors, the No. 3 prospect in the 2009 recruiting class, led all ACC freshmen in scoring (12.4) and was the conference's fourth-leading rebounder overall (8.4). He came on strong late in the season and recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds in an ACC tournament championship loss to Duke.

F DERRICK WILLIAMS, ARIZONA

PARTICULARS: 6-8/235; La Mirada (Calif.) High (3-star prospect)
BUZZ: Williams was a late addition to Arizona's signing class, but he wound up being the centerpiece of Sean Miller's first freshman group. Though he played out of position for part of the season at center, Williams led all Pac-10 freshmen in scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 per game).
G/F XAVIER HENRY, KANSAS

PARTICULARS: 6-6/220; Oklahoma City (Okla.) Putnam City (5-star prospect)
BUZZ: Despite a midseason slump, Henry finished as Kansas' second-leading scorer, behind only Sherron Collins. He averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. He declared for the NBA draft, making him Kansas' first one-and-done player.
G JOHN WALL, KENTUCKY

PARTICULARS: 6-4/195; Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God (5-star prospect)
BUZZ: The SEC player of the year and consensus All-American led the SEC in assists (6.5 per game), ranked fifth in the SEC in scoring (16.6) and third in steals (1.. He also became the first Kentucky player to record double-doubles in points and rebounds and in points and assists. Wall received the Adolph Rupp Trophy given annually to the nation's top player and has declared for the NBA draft.
SECOND TEAM
C HASSAN WHITESIDE, MARSHALL

PARTICULARS: 7-0/235; Lenoir (N.C.) The Patterson School (4-star prospect)
BUZZ: Whiteside arrived on campus as a highly hyped signee and he delivered. He averaged 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.4 blocks, which led the nation. Whiteside has announced he is turning pro and some mock drafts have him going in the lottery.
F ELIAS HARRIS, GONZAGA

PARTICULARS: 6-8/215; Speyer (Germany) Friedrich-Magnus-Schwerd-Gymnasium (unranked)
BUZZ: Harris was an under-the-radar freshman when the season began, but he quickly made his presence known. He averaged 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, and gave the Zags an athletic and physical presence in the low post.
F JORDAN WILLIAMS, MARYLAND

PARTICULARS: 6-10/260; Torrington (Conn.) High (4-star prospect)
BUZZ: Williams ranked second in the ACC at 8.6 rebounds per game and also averaged 9.6 points. He recorded five double-doubles in his last 10 games, including a 21-point, 17-rebound outburst in a first-round NCAA tournament victory over Houston.

G ALEC BURKS, COLORADO

PARTICULARS: 6-6/185, Grandview (Mo.) High (3-star prospect)
BUZZ: Colorado went from one Big 12 victory in 2008-09 to six this season, in part because of Burks. He was the league's leading freshman scorer at 17.1 points per game and also led the conference in field-goal percentage (53.8 percent), a tremendous feat for a guard.
G C.J. MCCOLLUM, LEHIGH

PARTICULARS: 6-3/165; Canton (Ohio) Glen Oak (unranked)
BUZZ: McCollum was the Ohio prep Gatorade player of the year as a high school senior, and he was the leading freshman scorer in the nation this season. He averaged 19.1 points per game, including a 26-point effort in a first-round loss to Kansas in the NCAA tournament. McCollum also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals and shot 42.1 percent from 3-point range and 81 percent from the free-throw line.
THIRD TEAM
F CHRIS GASTON, FORDHAM

PARTICULARS: 6-7/225; New Hampton (N.H.) New Hampton Prep, preceded by Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony (unranked)
BUZZ: Gaston was the only freshman to average a double-double, at 18 points and 11 rebounds. Gaston, who also averaged 1.9 blocks per game, had three games with at least 30 points and 20 games with at least 10 rebounds. Fordham suffered through another nightmarish season (2-26), but Gaston is a big-time building block for new coach Tom Pecora, who had been at Hofstra.
F KAWHI LEONARD, SAN DIEGO STATE

PARTICULARS: 6-7/225; Riverside (Calif.) King (4-star prospect)
BUZZ: Leonard was another who arrived with some hype, and - like Whiteside - he lived up to his press clippings. He was ferocious on the boards, averaging 9.9 per game, and also averaged 12.7 points and 1.4 steals for an NCAA tournament team.
F MARSHAWN POWELL, ARKANSAS

PARTICULARS: 6-7/220; Charlottesville (Va.) The Miller School (4-star prospect)
BUZZ: Powell ranked 12th in the SEC in scoring (14.9) and 14th in rebounding (6.7). His big season included a 29-point game against Appalachian State, a 27-point performance against Vanderbilt, a 26-point outburst against South Carolina and a 25-point effort at Mississippi State.

G KENNY BOYNTON, FLORIDA

PARTICULARS: 6-2/183; Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage (5-star prospect)
BUZZ: Boynton averaged a team-high 14 points per game and also led the Gators with 72 3-pointers. He closed the season by scoring 23 points in an SEC tournament loss to Mississippi State and collecting 27 points in an NCAA tournament setback against BYU.
G LANCE STEPHENSON, CINCINNATI

PARTICULARS: 6-5/210; Brooklyn (N.Y.) Abraham Lincoln (5-star prospect)
BUZZ: Stephenson led the Bearcats and topped all Big East freshmen with 12.3 points per game. The four-time Big East rookie of the week also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists, and was named Cincinnati's defensive player of the year. He is headed to the NBA.

[ponyscott]

Or should we review the 2010-2011 Freshman crop...we can go through them and beat them up as a few didn't make out as HoopFan said, but there are impact makers all up and down the list including Tristan Thompson down in Texas:

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketb ... in-2010-11



Top freshmen to watch in 2010-11

Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. Check out his Yardbarker blog.
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Updated Oct 29, 2010 6:45 PM ET
By recruiting analyst standards (and I agree), this isn’t exactly a stellar freshman class. However, there are definitely plenty of guys that will have an impact on the national level.
We’re going to give you 25 of them that you need to keep an eye on.
Two guys who we have listed with an asterisk are Josh Selby (Kansas) and Enes Kanter (Kentucky) as they haven’t yet been cleared to play by the NCAA.
FRESHMEN TO WATCH

WHAT'S IN IT FOR U?
Rick Pitino isn't coaching Puerto Rico to be charitable. Jeff Goodman knows what's really going on.
Harrison Barnes, 6-8, 210, SF, North Carolina — He was the guy that most had ranked at No. 1 in the Class of 2010 and for good reason. Barnes can do it all — he’s a long, talented wing that can score in a variety of ways, rebound and defend. His arrival in Chapel Hill should put the Tar Heels back in contention for a Final Four.
Jared Sullinger, 6-9, 280, C, Ohio State — He’s a man already and could become the most dominant post player in the nation. He knows how to utilize his big body, can score in the post and is a relentless rebounder.
Kyrie Irving, 6-2, 180, PG, Duke — He’ll step right in for Jon Scheyer in Durham and the Blue Devils won’t miss a beat. Irving is fast, makes his teammates better and will mesh well with vets Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. Irving will make Duke scary in transition.
Brandon Knight, 6-3, 195, G, Kentucky — He’s a big-time scoring guard who can put up big numbers. He’s not John Wall, but he’ll be the guy with the ball in his hands for the Wildcats this season.
Perry Jones, 6-11, 235, PF, Baylor — Arguably the most talented player in the entire class, the long and skilled Jones will be interesting to watch to see if his production can match his potential.
Tobias Harris, 6-8, 225, F, Tennessee — The New Yorker opted to go to SEC country and should make an immediate impact for Bruce Pearl. Harris is a combo forward who is a tough matchup due to his versatility.
Renardo Sidney, 6-9, 280, F, Mississippi State — He wasn’t cleared by the NCAA to play last season and will miss nine games this year. If the skilled big man gets himself into shape, he’s as talented as just about anyone on this list.
Tristan Thompson, 6-8, 225, F, Texas — The Canadian was, at one time, considered the top player in the Class of 2010 before falling down a few notches. Rick Barnes will likely utilize Thompson plenty up front after losing so many big men from a year ago.
Cory Joseph, 6-3, 185, PG, Texas — Here’s another Canadian on the Longhorns roster and he may be exactly what Barnes has been searching for since the departure of D.J. Augustin: a big-time point guard.
Jereme Richmond, 6-7, 205, SF, Illinois — Talk about versatility. Richmond can play multiple positions and will find a way to make an impact for the Illini. His numbers won’t be staggering, but he can do a little bit of everything.
Shabazz Napier, 6-0, 170, G, UConn — He was supposed to do another year of prep school, but opted to arrive in Storrs this year and Jim Calhoun won’t be shy in going with Napier — who can really score the ball. He’ll be a perfect replacement for Jerome Dyson.
Terone Johnson, 6-2, 210, G, Purdue — His stats may end up being more impressive now that Robbie Hummel is out for the season. He could wind up becoming the Boilermakers' third offensive option.
Will Barton, 6-6, 175, SG, Memphis — He was a virtual unknown until a couple years ago when the Baltimore native blew up in the offseason. He’s long and talented and has all the tools to become a big-time scorer and player.
Fab Melo, 7-0, 245, C, Syracuse — The big Brazilian should take the place of Arinze Onuaku, and he could be a force on both ends of the floor. But it also may take some time.
Reggie Bullock, 6-7, 190, SG, North Carolina — He’s kind of the forgotten man since he’s overshadowed by Barnes in the Tar Heels class, but this kid can really score — especially from deep.

GOODMAN SEASON PREVIEWS
• Preseason All-Americans
• Preseason Top 25: Who's No. 1?
• 68 things to watch this season
• Best backcourts: Super 'Nova
• Best frontcourts: Big, bad Heels
• Top transfers: Curry's 'lil brother
• Top freshmen: ACC scores talent
• Coaches on hot seat: Careful, Pearl
• ACC preview: Return of UNC?
• Big East preview: New favorites
• Big 12 preview: K-State or KU?
• Pac-10 preview: Huskies and mutts
• Big Ten preview: Power conference
• SEC preview: It's wide open
Ian Miller, 6-3, 195, PG, Florida State — The ‘Noles have everything — except for a big-time point guard. Miller, who can really light up the stat sheet, could get a chance at some point and could be the missing piece for Leonard Hamilton & Co.
Phil Pressey, 5-9, 168, PG, Missouri — The kid is a jet and is ideal for the way that Mike Anderson’s Tigers play.
Juwan Staten, 6-0, 190, PG, Dayton — He’ll get the ball from Brian Gregory from Day One and is certainly capable of handling the pressure.
Nate Lubick, 6-8, 240, F, Georgetown — He’s come a long way over the last few years and can make an impact due to his mental and physical toughness. With the departure of Greg Monroe, there’s time available for the Massachusetts native.
Ray McCallum, 6-1, 185, PG, Detroit — Spurned a ton of high-majors to stay home and play for his dad and the Titans. Knows how to run a team and has a high basketball IQ.
Eric Ferguson, 6-7, 185, SF, Georgia Southern — Here’s my one freshman sleeper of the group. Ferguson could have gone high-major, but he wanted to play for Charlton Young — who roomed with Ferguson’s dad back in college and helped raise him.
Vander Blue, 6-4, 190, G, Marquette — He’s the perfect Buzz Williams type of kid. He’s tough, hard-nosed and physical. Those attributes will get him on the court plenty.
Tim Hardaway Jr., 6-5, 185, G, Michigan — John Beilein needs him, and the son of the former NBA star should step right in and play.
C.J. Leslie, 6-8, 205, F, N.C. State — A terrific talent and a big-time athlete, Sidney Lowe will count on him to help Tracy Smith up front.
Keith Appling, 6-1, 180, G, Michigan State — With the departure of Chris Allen, there’s certainly an opportunity there for Appling to get playing time on the wing. He’s a big-time talent who just needs the chance.
WAITING FOR CLEARANCE
*Enes Kanter, 6-11, 270, C, Kentucky — All accounts point to the Turkish big man being dominant if he’s cleared, but right now he’s still awaiting word on his amateur status from the NCAA.
*Josh Selby, 6-2, 185, PG, Kansas — He’ll almost certainty have the ball in his hands in Lawrence and is one of the top point guards in the nation, but Selby is still waiting for the NCAA to determine whether he’ll be cleared to play or not.