Kansas University’s men’s basketball team has been tapped third in the Big 12 Conference in a vote of the league’s coaches.
Texas received 10 first-place votes and topped the poll, while Oklahoma was second, garnering two firsts. KU was third, followed by Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Texas A&M, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas State and Baylor.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.
“The favorite in our league is Texas,” KU coach Bill Self said. “They have the best returning guys. When you talk about Daniel Gibson, who was a potential lottery pick, and P.J. Tucker, who was the best player on the U.S. team that won gold last year in Canada (FIBA Under 21 team). :
“Then you have LaMarcus Aldridge, who is another potential lottery pick, and a few other guys. You’re talking about a selection of guys there that will put them as a preseason top two or three team.”
As far as the rest of the league :
“Oklahoma will be very good,” Self said. “Texas Tech will be good. Oklahoma State is very young, with the exception of (JamesOn) Curry. Colorado has all five guys back; A&M has a majority of guys back, with the exception of Antoine (Wright).
“Iowa State has the best returning backcourt in the league, no doubt about that.”
What about KU, which along with Oklahoma State placed first in last year’s poll?
“One thing different about Kansas: We’ve got good players; we don’t have any returning guys. Our leading returning guy (Christian Moody) averaged 5.8 points a game last year. We will be a young team that returns very little experience, but by the Big 12 (season), we could be a team well beyond its years because we were forced to play young guys,” Self said.
But the Longhorns, he said, were the elite squad.
“That doesn’t mean anybody is giving it to them,” he said. “This is based on preseason.”
¢ Add another player to the list of high school recruits who will attend Friday’s Late Night in the Phog. Gani Lawal, a 6-foot-8 junior forward from Norcross, Ga., will be on hand with AAU teammate Lance Storrs, 6-4 from Decatur, Ga. Others to attend: Darrell Arthur, 6-9, Dallas; Sherron Collins, 5-11, Chicago; Cole Aldrich, 6-10, Bloomington, Minn.; Tyrel Reed, 6-2, Burlington; George Goode, 6-8, Raytown, Mo.; Travis Releford, 6-4, Kansas City; Xavier Henry, 6-5, Putnam City, Okla.
