Kansas Jayhawks News

Two national title contenders. At least three stars in the running for National Player of the Year. The Big 12 is second to none this season, and Kansas is the best of the best, Gary Parrish says.

Kansas vs. Fort Hayes State Random Thought Roundup

Five Questions For... Big 12 basketball

LAWRENCE, Kan.- Kansas, as you may have heard, is loaded, the best team in the country.

Back in the Saddle Again

LAWRENCE, Kan.-Sherron Collins scored 19 points and Cole Aldrich had 13 points and 13 rebounds, leading No. 1 Kansas past Fort Hays State 107-68 in an exhibition game Tuesday night.

The most interesting thing about the preseason All-American team compiled by the Associated Press is that the consensus of 65 voters somehow turned out a squad that did not include: • The most talented returning player in college basketball, Oklahoma's Willie Warren. • The most talented newcomer to college basketball, Kentucky's John Wall. They're at the bottom of a list the AP released of "others receiving votes" — although their placement is an alphabetical issue, not a function of votes... attracted. It is curious that neither of these players moved the voters, though, given that the postseason All-American teams, the ones that count, generally are loaded with players bound for the NBA lottery. Of the 15 consensus All-Americans since the NBA draft age minimum was imposed — counting Tyler Hansbrough three times, because he made it in '07, '08 and '09 — 11 eventually were chosen in the lottery portion of the draft. And that's where Warren will end up after he makes All-American this year. We at Sporting News did not include Wall on our first team, either, thinking back to when Derrick Rose became the best player in the 2008 NCAA Tournament but spent the season as clearly the second-most influential player on his team, behind Chris Douglas-Roberts. The players the AP voters did choose: Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, Duke's Kyle Singler and both Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich of No. 1 Kansas. In the strictest sense, players don't have to do anything to make a preseason team. They just have to be enrolled in college. So what are the chances that the AP will have the same team next March? Let's look at it case-by-case: Luke Harangody As long as he stays healthy, Harangody will find a way to produce in the neighborhood of 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. He averaged double-doubles the past two years. He might actually put up bigger numbers if that's what it takes to keep Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament hunt. And, with the Irish missing forward Scott Martin because of a preseason knee injury, that'll probably be necessary. If ND flounders without Martin, though — which isn't out of the question given the depth of the Big East — even great numbers might not keep Harangody on the top tier. Postseason All-American chances: 88 percent Patrick Patterson We put Patterson on the All-American team for the Sporting News College Basketball yearbook because we expect him to have a sensational season and to be the leader of a team that ranks in the top five most of the year. Also, Wall ought to have at least some period of adjustment. But there's an excellent chance Wall will be such a force in his one college season that he'll be UK's All-American, and not Patterson. Postseason All-American chances: 65 percent Sherron Collins The point about Wall vs. Patterson is germane because it almost never happens that two players from the same team are named first-team All-American at the end. AP reports Collins and Aldrich are the sixth set of teammates to make the preseason team since 1986-87. But only three sets of teammates have made the consensus postseason squad during that period, the most recent being J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams at Duke in 2006. Picking two guys from the same team is kind of like choosing the defending champion to repeat. Even when it seems likely, it rarely happens. We went with Collins because he led last year's team in scoring and assists, and it seems likely that'll happen again. But if it does come down to a choice between him and Aldrich, that could go either way. Postseason All-American chances: 65 percent Cole Aldrich Excuse a little metaphor mixing here, but if Collins will be the engine driving Kansas' pursuit of the 2010 NCAA championship, Aldrich will be the foundation. He gives KU a shot-blocking presence who also can score in the post. If the Jayhawks win as much as we expect them to, how can we expect such an important player not to be an All-American? That's a fair question. Postseason All-American chances: 55 percent Kyle Singler In March, somebody wrote a column suggesting Singler might be the nation's most underrated player, given that he didn't even make first-team All-ACC. That's no longer a problem, obviously. This is a sign he's gaining the level of respect he deserves. Ending up in this position might be a tougher matter. Singler tied for the Duke lead in scoring last season. With co-leader Gerald Henderson gone to the NBA, Singler will become the team's clear No. 1 option. But the way the Devils are built, it's likely he'll end up leading them with something like an 18-point average, while guards Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer both score in the 14-16 range. Duke will surprise a lot folks who are suggesting a dip this season, and Singler will appear heroic as a result. But somebody's got to make room for Warren. Postseason All-American chances: 48 percent Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.more>>

The 2009-2010 college basketball season can officially start being discussed now that the first batch of preseason rankings are available.

LAWRENCE, Kan.-A second Kansas basketball player has been given a chance to wipe his record clean of drunken-driving charges.

Kansas was not supposed to be as good as they were last season. After winning the national championship and having their roster gutted by the NBA in 2008, the Jayhawks were expected to be a middle-tier team with a lot of question marks on their roster.

Big 12 Preseason Predictions and awards

Official BMW Preaseason Poll...