ChiefsPlanet - KU **** OFFICIAL 2012-2013 Kansas Basketball Repository Thread ****

The 15 Or So Most Watchable Teams In College Basketball: A Ranking

Matt Giles
A weekly (or so) ranking of college basketball teams on the basis of watchability and with very little regard to how good they might be.
1. Kansas. No one stands out like a 7-footer on the bench. Two years ago, Jeff Withey was known, if he was known at all, for being a former McDonald's All-America who could never get any time on the court, despite his manifest physical gifts. He played 6.2 minutes a game and otherwise sat around blocking sightlines for paying customers. This season? Withey is the anchor of a top 10 team and has an outside shot at Player of the Year honors. His strength is not his offense. He scores mostly on dunks, alley-oops, and putbacks. When Kansas does look for Withey on the block, the primary purpose is to reverse the ball and create space. (The Jayhawks are a case study in how to create open shots through simple ball reversal.) It's on defense where he makes his mark. He was a volleyballer as a youth, and it shows in his superb timing and quick second jump. At his current rate he is blocking a shot on 19 percent of opponents' two-point attempts, which is nuts, and that doesn't even account for all the shots he affects. In Kansas's recent win over Ohio State, Withey had only one block, but he made the Buckeyes look like a bunch of kids playing driveway ball under a low-hanging eaves.
Next game: Saturday at Texas Tech
2. Kentucky. During his second season in Lexington, coach John Calipari instructed his squad to take the air out of the ball on offense. Part of his rationale was to cut down on turnovers, but he also slowed the pace to force his team into a halfcourt offense. This season, though, UK is one of the nation's youngest teams—newcomers have accounted for 80 percent of the Wildcats' total minutes played—and the squad has had trouble picking up Cal's offensive schemes. Drives stop awkwardly; shots get rushed; iso's go slack and result in aimless passes instead of buckets—all of which explain why Calipari is trying to quicken the pace. UK manages nearly 70 possessions per game, the fourth most in the conference. The Wildcats are not a bad offensive team; they just need to run to get out of their own heads. In a recent loss to Louisville, Kentucky spent the first half kicking the ball around its half of the court. Out of sync, UK managed just 32 possessions and 28 points. In the second half, though, Calipari opened things up: 39 possessions, 49 points. It was the difference between having your guys run plays and letting your guys make them.
Next game: Saturday vs. Texas A&M
3. Ole Miss. If you happen to catch an Ole Miss game on television, make sure to watch for #22, a lanky 6-foot-2 guard with a shaved head. Marshall Henderson transferred from Utah to Ole Miss because then-coach Jim Boylan reportedly didn't understand Henderson's "individuality," a funny word that means, in this context, Henderson's desire to jack nearly 11 threes per game. During the Diamond Head Classic, Henderson took 28 threes, making 46 percent of those tries. He typically camps on the perimeter and either waits for a teammate's pass or runs off screens set on his right shoulder. Henderson is also on a quest to surpass 380 three-point attempts in a season, a feat that would put his individuality in the NCAA record books. For Henderson to reach that figure, he'll need to take at least one more three per game for the remainder of the season, which we don't think will be too hard for the guard—during a win at Tennessee, Henderson attempted 12 threes.
Next game: Saturday vs. Missouri
4. Colorado State. Larry Eustachy's teams have always been big on crashing the offensive glass. These Rams are no different, pulling in 45 percent of their misses—an astonishing rate that isn't so surprising when you see the mid-size sedans that make up Colorado State's frontcourt. There's hulking Minnesota transfer Colton Iverson, who in his Big Ten days seemed to begin every game with three fouls; and there's Greg Smith, who is adept at clearing out interior space; and there is Pierce Hornung, who is the most effective Ram of all. He's a tweener at 6-foot-5, built more along the lines of a tight end, but a not insignificant portion of Colorado State's scoring comes from his ability to create separation and outmuscle his defender, snag the board, and then convert the put-back.
Next game: Saturday vs. San Diego State
5. Temple. Khalif Wyatt does not look like anyone's idea of an elite athlete. He hides his 6-foot-4 frame in a T-shirt worn under his Temple uniform, like the biggest kid at the swimming pool. But watch him next time he's on TV. He has the wheels to get past just about any perimeter defender, and he has the hangtime, the contortionist's limbs, and the pool-hall-massé touch to convert seemingly impossible shots. He's crafty as hell, too. He kicks his left leg whenever he shoots, and he uses his off-arm to keep defenders from pressuring the ball, a trick that is rarely (in Wyatt's case) whistled a foul and that gives him enough separation to maneuver. Bill Self said he had an "old man's game," which is perfect. He's scoring 16 per for one of the most patient teams around.

http://deadspin.com/5973985/the-15-o...sional-ranking