- Frank Haith has employed a non-traditional team-building strategy during his tenure in Missouri, but it appears that it was out of necessity instead of preference. After filling his current squad with impact transfers, the second-year coach is expected to receive letters of intent from Johnathan Williams III, Wesley Clark, and Torren Jones. Rivals.com lists Williams and Clark as four-star recruits, while Jones garners a three-star rating. Missouri hasn’t had a Top 25 recruiting class since 2004, when Quin Snyder was at the helm. Haith has developed a great deal of momentum since he arrived in Columbia two summers ago, and it appears that he’s putting his program in a great position to ensure long-term success.
- SEC foes certainly aren’t excited to face John Calipari’s seemingly endless supply of elite athletes, but his dominance in the recruiting world is a definite benefit for the league. The conference’s basketball reputation has been lagging over the past several years, but with almost half of the ESPN’s top 15 2013 recruits committed to SEC schools, a resurgence appears to be in the cards. Furthermore, among the uncommitted top 15 players, each remaining player lists an SEC school as a serious option for their commitment.
- As Florida’s top scoring option, Kenny Boynton is at his best when he’s using off-the-ball screens to make space for an open shot or a drive to the rim. Unfortunately, it’s tough to get in those positions when you’re the one making the pass, and with Scottie Wilbekin’s ongoing suspension, Boynton will remain the Gators’ primary point guard. The results so far haven’t been ideal. In Florida’s game against Georgetown (which was called at halftime with the Gators ahead by four), the senior committed four turnovers to only three assists, a performance that he admits will have to improve. “I went back and watched over the first half,” said Boynton, “Those turnovers could have been prevented. It’ll get better in time.” Hopefully he doesn’t need much more than 24 hours. Wisconsin comes to Gainesville tonight, and Ken Pomeroy’s 5th-ranked team won’t allow the makeshift floor general much room for error.
- A loss to Duke hurts for any Kentucky fan, but there are positives coming from the Tuesday night Atlanta match-up in the Champions Classic. “I can’t stand losing, but it was a good game,” said John Calipari after the game. “I think it helped our team.” The frontcourt combination of Alex Poythress and Nerlens Noel, which didn’t impress against Maryland in the opener, showed their talent against the Blue Devils, combining for 36 points and 16 rebounds. Miles Plumlee’s fourth foul in the early stages of the second half appeared to give the Wildcats an opportunity to exploit their frontcourt size disparity, but a youthful group wasn’t yet capable of taking advantage.
- In the opening game of college basketball’s most competitive preseason tournament, Missouri didn’t allow any doubt that their team is ready to compete with the nation’s top teams. Hosting Alcorn State Tuesday night, the Tigers displayed their class with a 61-point second-half performance, providing Frank Haith with momentum going in to his team’s match-up with a much-improved Stanford Cardinal in the true Battle 4 Atlantis opener. Haith continued to tinker with his lineup, enabling him to see increased minutes from freshman big man Stefan Jankovic. The Serbian national exhibited the potential for an all-around contribution for the Tigers, contributing four assists, three blocks, and two steals to go along with eight points and five boards. Alex Oriakhi and Laurence Bowers certainly aren’t in danger of losing their starting positions, but a multi-faceted reserve forward like Jankovic could be invaluable as the Tigers move into a tougher portion of their schedule.