Break from football - Lets talk College Hoops!

Well it's time to talk a little hoops as the college season is in full force.  I have had time to digest what is happening around the country in what is shaping up to be a great college season.  Here are a few thoughts of mine from the early season.

Duke took a major blow in losing Kyrie Irving for what might be the rest of the year.  For those of you who think this will take them out of the hunt, go back and re-evaluate things.  Irving is sensational and gave Duke a tremendous advantage at the point guard slot, but losing him doesn't diminish the other players Duke has.  Id argue that losing a post player would hurt them much more as Duke has a bunch of depth on the perimeter.  Nolan Smith can lead this team and Curry and Dawkins can fill in his scoring role.  Duke will be there in the end, but they aren't the unbeatable force they were 2 weeks ago.

Ohio State isn't getting enough love.  The Buckeyes have everything you need to cut down the nets in April and are my early year pick to get it done.  They have Leadership in 5th year senior David Lighty, a huge post player in Sullinger and awesome cohesiveness.  I really enjoy watching them play as they get up on you defensively and really execute on the offensive team.  Thad Matta has been close before, losing in 2007 to Florida, but this year he has what it takes to finally gt it done.

Kansas is better than last year and its not even close.  Last years team depended too much on Sherron Collins and his inconsistent play.  Sure, Sherron was a competitor and really elevated his game at times, but he also never learned to defer to the hot hand and always seemed to play to "get his".  This years Kansas team plays together and plays really hard.  Adding Selby to the lineup isnt fair to the rest of the country.  With the Morris twins holding down the paint and a bundle of shooters around the perimeter Kansas can attack defenses on every level.

North Carolina isn't going to the NIT, but they aren't back on top yet either.  UNC came into the year with high expectations and they still should.  It takes time for a team to gel, especially one with 1 transfer senior and a butt load of freshman and sophmores learning how to play together.  They need to move the ball better to create easier looks and shots simply have to go in.  I think they're on the right path as long as they learn from mistakes and continue to get better at execution.  This team is a year away, and if they are lucky and get everyone back, watch out.

Kemba Walker is playing out of his mind.  Its been a long time coming for this junior point guard.  He came to UCONN with grat expectation and is finally living up to his high school reputation.  Im happy for him and I think he can take UCONN on a great journey the rest of the year.  If he continues to get help from his young supporting cast, he'll give them a chance in every game.

Charles Jenkins is a senior guard at Hofstra University and is really a very underrated player nationally.  Hes 6'3 and averages roughly 25ppg.  If this guy was 2-3 inches taller he would be talked about as a lottery.  In any case he will play NBA ball and he will have a long career.  Nothing is more valuable to any team than a go-to scorer. 

Kansas State is really struggling to put the ball in the hole and it starts and ends with Jacob Pullen.  In games he has struggled KSU has been terrible.  They arent a efficient defensively as last year so they really need him to play well. 

Heres to hoping this year ends how it has started.  Theres a lot of unpredictability in college hoops.  These are 18-22 year old kids and its hard to predict how pressure is going to affect them.  The stars will shine in the end and it might not be who we thought it would be.