The hype has started

[tmcats]

zero hype in this piece if that's what turns you on.

Player of the Year hopefuls:
Lagerald Vick, G, Kansas: Vick averaged 12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds a game as a junior, and will have high expectations in his final go-around in Lawrence. The last two Big 12 players of the year — Devonte Graham and Frank Mason — were both senior guards on the Jayhawks as well.

Dedric Lawson, F, Kansas: The transfer from Memphis could the Jayhawks’ best player you've never heard of. He averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds a game in two seasons for the Tigers. He has the potential to flourish in Lawrence as a consistent double-double threat.

Sagaba Konate F, West Virginia: Konate is a defensive force who was third in the NCAA with 3.2 blocks per game last season and who earned All-Big 12 defensive team honors. His full impact doesn’t often show up in the box score, but his value to the Mountaineers is sky-high.

Lindell Wigginton, G, Iowa State: Wigginton is a potential sleeper if he can build off of his impressive freshman season in which he averaged 16.7 points a game.

[katlander]

Vick over Wade & Brown. Genius. I think there is a chance Vick won't even start unless he gets his head together.

[Wildwilly73]

He's truly a head case! Along with the writer! Dean will be hands down!

[tmcats]

10. Kansas State: The Wildcats made a stunning run to the Elite Eight and return every key piece. Dean Wade was hurt for all but one game during the tournament. He’s back and so are Barry Brown Jr., and Xavier Sneed. The Kansas-Kansas State games this season will be the most anticipated in this series for quite some time.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-me ... 36-college

[KsJoey]

Vick being on that list is laughable. He'll get less minutes than he did last year... unless his teammates aren't as good as advertised. The other 3 on the list you can make cases for, but leaving Barry and Dean out while putting Vick in, shows that the writer doesn't know much about the subject he's writing about.

[tmcats]

2. Kansas State runs it back
It took something like 500 words to get here, but I’m actually going to discuss – actually even just name – a Big 12 team other than Kansas now.

Let’s head west to Manhattan, where Bruce Weber has his entire team back after a surprise Elite Eight run. It’s a rather astounding turnaround for a coaching tenure that looked cooked in February 2017 when Kansas State had lost eight of 10, looked primed to miss the NCAA tournament for the third-straight year and Weber was under intense pressure.

Dean Wade is a legitimate All-American candidate, Barry Brown isn’t far behind and Xavier Sneed, Carter Diarra and Kamau Stokes are all proven Big 12 difference-makers. The Wildcats are going to have a level of continuity that is exceedingly – maybe entirely – rare in college hoops today. If that stability can keep them strong defensively – they make opponents grind out possessions when they’re not turning them over – and make strides offensively – they ranked outside the top-100 in eFG% last year – then Weber and the Wildcats might have a busy March once again.

https://sports.yahoo.com/2018-19-big-12 ... 27713.html

[KsJoey]

There's not a single KU fan that wouldn't rather have a guy like Barry or Dean on their team instead of Vick. Many KU fans were happy to see Vick declare and move on. Sure, most are glad to have him back and return "Experience" with a team that has so many new faces, but they're also concerned Vick will take time away from more talented guys.

All in all... i'm not saying Vick is a bad player at all. He got better as the season progressed last year and was playing well. However, it's just a bit crazy to be project him as 1 of the 4 guys with the best chances as POY. He's being talked only because he started for KU last year, and he's now a senior.

[AJcat7755]

There's not a single KU fan that wouldn't rather have a guy like Barry or Dean on their team instead of Vick. Many KU fans were happy to see Vick declare and move on. Sure, most are glad to have him back and return "Experience" with a team that has so many new faces, but they're also concerned Vick will take time away from more talented guys.

All in all... i'm not saying Vick is a bad player at all. He got better as the season progressed last year and was playing well. However, it's just a bit crazy to be project him as 1 of the 4 guys with the best chances as POY. He's being talked only because he started for KU last year, and he's now a senior.

KU fans were glad to see Vick gone because it opened up a spot for some hopeful 5* recruit to come in. As they started to lose on recruits, and now with these FBI issues around SDS, they welcomed him back like leftovers in the fridge that are good because you have nothing else to eat.

Dean Wade averaged 16.5 ppg (2nd returning in the Big 12 behind Wigginton) and 6.3 rebounds per game. Barry Brown was 16.0 ppg. And both of those did it as juniors as well and they don't have McD players wanting to take their spots if they fail like Vick.

Also not sure how a writer can say Lawson can be a consistent double double threat if he didn't even average double digit rebounds per game at Memphis. Now with more talent around him where he doesn't have to do as much, and in a more talented league, he will eclipse his average? Udoka Azubuike will soak up a lot of rebounds on his own as KU's returning RPB player, and then there is the prediction of Vick improving on his RPB.

As an example of KU having more talent around Dedric then while at Memphis, Memphis's 2nd leading RPB and 3rd leading PPG when Lawson was playing was his brother KJ, who won't break the starting lineup at KU. KJ might actually be the 3rd big off the bench behind McCormack and De Sousa (if eligible).

[katlander]

Interesting you should mention DeSousa. KU is in a spot with him right now. If they jettison him they are admitting guilt and may be forced to forfeit games on the way to a final four season. Also it may weaken their case as they try to prove their innocence. But if they play him they may have to forfeit this years games as well. Oh what a tangled web the poor victims are now in.

[Sir Ocelot]

A tangled web that couldn't happen to a more deserving program.