The Formidable Foe
The Kansas Jayhawks entered the season with high expectations, ranked third in both the AP and ESPN/Coaches Polls. This is rare for a team that has not won an NCAA Tournament game in two years (Bucknell Bison, Bradley Braves). This history of being defeated by weaker opposition has continued into the 2006-07 season, in which Kansas dropped the ball against Oral Roberts and Depaul.
The Jayhawks are definitely beatable, but their preseason ranking was not a gross oversight. Kansas is loaded with talent, and will likely make a run at the National Championship under Bill Self.
The Jayhawks have no seniors on the roster, and their inexperience as cost them early-on. Boston College understands the importance of senior leadership, as Sean Marshall and Jared Dudley have successfully dug the Eagles out of an early hole.
Last year's fab freshmen are now sophomores. Wingman Brandon Rush, guard Mario Chalmers and point forward Julian Wright each are instrumental to the Jayhawk's success. In addition, Kansas' roster features some of the best freshman talent in the country. Darrell Arthur leads the team in scoring with nearly 14 a game in under 22 minutes.
Two areas where Kansas struggled a year ago were turnovers and free-throw shooting. Out of 326 Division I teams, the Jayhawks ranked 228th in turnovers (15.6) and 226th in free-throw shooting (67.2 percent). The team was focused on improving these numbers this year, but little progress has been made thus far. They average 14.9 turnovers a game and a free-throw percentage stuck at 67.2%.
The Jayhawks led the nation in field-goal percentage defense last season, and that tradition has translated into an opponent's shooting percentage of 37.7% this year. That's a scary notion for the Eagles.
The Jayhawks are definitely beatable, but their preseason ranking was not a gross oversight. Kansas is loaded with talent, and will likely make a run at the National Championship under Bill Self.
The Jayhawks have no seniors on the roster, and their inexperience as cost them early-on. Boston College understands the importance of senior leadership, as Sean Marshall and Jared Dudley have successfully dug the Eagles out of an early hole.
Last year's fab freshmen are now sophomores. Wingman Brandon Rush, guard Mario Chalmers and point forward Julian Wright each are instrumental to the Jayhawk's success. In addition, Kansas' roster features some of the best freshman talent in the country. Darrell Arthur leads the team in scoring with nearly 14 a game in under 22 minutes.
Two areas where Kansas struggled a year ago were turnovers and free-throw shooting. Out of 326 Division I teams, the Jayhawks ranked 228th in turnovers (15.6) and 226th in free-throw shooting (67.2 percent). The team was focused on improving these numbers this year, but little progress has been made thus far. They average 14.9 turnovers a game and a free-throw percentage stuck at 67.2%.
The Jayhawks led the nation in field-goal percentage defense last season, and that tradition has translated into an opponent's shooting percentage of 37.7% this year. That's a scary notion for the Eagles.
This Saturday, it is very important for the Eagles to get out to a fast start. The
Jayhawks have been tremendous in the first half, outscoring their opponents 389-255.
Both of the Eagle's losses resulted from slow starts, in which they could not battle
back. Hopefully, this Saturday will be a different story. Look for the Eagles to
embrace the opportunity to play in front of a national audience. Showtime
Sean Marshall loves the limelight.... There is some serious ESPN Top Ten potential.
posted by EagleAlum07 @ 6:03 PM
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