RaceToTheTop

Ballo is visiting today through Tuesday.

Cool. If you want to field the team from the 1970s and 1980s when the landscape was different and was controlled by just a few teams, you are free to....but those guys are in their 50s and 60s. Meanwhile, if getting players all-conference players from a P5 conference (which, BTW, Ware wasn't close to being at Oregon) is something you can't enjoy, I think that isn't saying anything about the player and more about your MO.

Drexel's Amari Williams will be visiting Kentucky immediately after next week's IU visit.

And now he has Kentucky, Louisville, and a return to BYU as his final three. Kentucky gonna be really bad next year. https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1779554354153828788

Yeah, but one of them is Will Berg. Not sure he counts. Redshirted one year and still only played 50ish minutes last year.

We should check the website to BtownBurners AMIRITE

Not sure we should worry about who is starting and who isn't when the roster isn't set. Also thinking starting is irrelevant It's all about minutes and combinations on the floor.

So much arguing as we start locking players up. Personally I'm glad to be in conversations about WHICH talented player we are bringing in. Two years ago we were googling Michael Durr.

I was going to state this as well -- Tucker's dad has been very active in the path his son has taken and was helping making the decisions for Bryson to not play AAU ball but rather work on skills and play some international ball in the offseason. Also indicated that they were necessarily looking to be one and done. Remember that Bryson won't turn 18 until the summer so he's young for his class. Dad probably thinks that going pro that quickly isn't wise.

They did and the one they lost could be a real unicorn. Played half a season for them last year -- Croatian kid who didn't cleared by the NCAA until second semester. Name is Zvonimir Ivisic. Played in 15 games, averaged 12 mpg, 5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg. The unicorn part is he's 7'2" and not plays the post but can shoot as well -- made 6 of 16 threes in those 15 games last year and shot 77% from the line. Shot blocker as well.

Or he could be posting a picture of two players because of two commitments.

There are a few expectations: 1. Players numbers improve as they get older. The biggest jump is from freshman to sophomore but there is a smaller jump from sophomore to junior. 2. Someone going from a mid major conference would expect to see their numbers drop because of better competition. The average defense rating of the MVC by KenPom would have been 13th in the Big Ten. Basically you would expect Carlyle's numbers to increase and Conwell's to decrease. If they do, the question is then by how much. I am expecting that numbers in the end will be relatively close. If that's the case, I want the guy who wants to be at Indiana more.

Will Kentucky have a team next year? Znovimir Ivišić enters the portal. 7’2” croatian player. Was not given eligibility until Jan 20th. 5.5 point's, 3.7 reb and 1.3 blocks in just over 11 mpg. And he shoot the ball, not just an interior player. PLEASE keep Paintef away from him.

At this point Minnesota seems to just try to reload with players from low to mid majors. They've been able to keep Dawson Garcia in the fold but little else. But it does seems like even if they develop talent, that talent then transfers out.

Yes...it's kind of mixed bag. Although they were horrid last year, they did have a few talented players but most of that talent entered the portal. Dug McDaniel transferred to Kansas State while Terrance Williams and Tarris Reed are in the portal. I think they only guy they retained from the starting lineup was Nimari Burnett. Sounds like they in good shape with the center from FAU as well as the center from Yale as well as Conner Essegian. In on some others as well. Johnell Daniels is probably the key as May is in danger of potentially losing him to Louisville.

So does 247 have crimson colored glasses in having him as a top 20 portal pickup? Did the Pac 12 poll having him as Pac 12 freshman of the year have crimson colored glasses? I'm certainly not clear how getting a 14 point scoring freshman guard wasn't a need.

Chris Youngblood, South Florida, commits to Alabama. Averaged 15 ppg, shot 46/42/83

Your comment was about Leal and Cupps getting more shots. Leal played 24 minutes in 2023 and was hurt most of the year, so I'm not sure of the what you are trying to say. For the record, Anthony Leal shooting 31% from three entering 2023. No one ever would say "you know what the 2023 team needed? More Leal." I liked Leal in very spot minutes but calling him a 47% three point shooter is sus. He took 19 threes last year, pretty much all open ones, and is a career 35% three point shooter.

The net was set much wider this year in the portal, FWIW. I think the list you put together was like 40 targets we had contacted. Last year I'm not sure even by the end it went beyond 20.

You are focusing on Leal and ignoring the two that were put together for the original stat -- the other being Cupps. And the answer to the Cupps item is that there were more shots there. He chose not to take them.

FWIW, the Kyle Macy Freshman All-American team picks 30 freshman for its All-American freshman team. Myles Rice was picked for it; no Big Ten player was.

Not sure, but there are two guards on the current roster and one guard in the NBA who committed in the fall of 2021. Tucker is also a wing and its yet to be seen how he will be used.

BTW, Fidler has said he will announce Monday. His final four are Nebraska, Wisky, Michigan State, and Creighton. He set this date before his last visit -- he is currently visiting Michigan State. I would give the advantage to either Nebraska or Michigan State.

I wouldn't really call him pretty good....shoots the three okay for his size but don't really see anything else he really excels at. That said, recall that a couple of years ago he took some time off from basketball during the season due to mental health/depression issues. Getting away from a father as short fused as his dad might be good for him.