After one view, Kansas no doubt better than predicted
Published 12 hours and 25 minutes ago Last updated 10 hours and 52 minutes ago
Mike DeCourcy Sporting News
LAWRENCE, Kan.—For anyone who makes predictions about sports and publishes them for public discussion, there are going to be moments when it becomes clear a prognostication is just flat wrong. Usually, that occurs after some games have been played but it turns out that is not a prerequisite.
I had been experiencing some second thoughts lately about Sporting News' decision to place Kansas as our No. 12 team ahead of the 2012-13 college basketball season, in part because it's quite obvious we did not factor in our own belief the Jayhawks lack a serious challenger for a ninth consecutive Big 12 championship. After all, we have no other team from the conference in our top 25.
After watching the Jayhawks practice Thursday along with Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla of ESPN and Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star, it's apparent that there's more to it.
KU is very good.
The Jayhawks have an abundance of players who can score and will develop into another of coach Bill Self's typically stingy defensive teams. It is not likely to be a No. 1 seed, though that's not impossible, but Kansas will be a fixture in the top 10.
I told those in attendance at "A Courtside View," a panel discussion Thursday night arranged by Self as a fundraiser for his foundation, that the practice convinced me that was our first error of the year. I told them we're already 0-for-1 on our picks, that the Jayhawks are better than what we've suggested.
That opinion was endorsed by each of the other panel members, save for Self, who insisted, "I don't think we're all that good."
He is viewing the Jayhawks as they are, which is his job.
Ours is to see them as they will be in March.
We missed on that. Only by a little, but a miss nonetheless.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-bas...than-predicted