NCAA Basketball: Under-evaluated headlines of the week (Josh Perkins cited)
Oct 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo speaks with the media during Big Ten media day at the Marriott Washington Wardman Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
What stories, news and notes were under-evaluated this week in the world of college hoops?
It’s now the middle of October! Recruits are taking visits, teams are well into their fall practices, coaches are approaching crunch time, late night madness’ are taking center stage this weekend and fans are increasingly gaining excitement as the regular season is just about a month away.
Just think, very soon we will be evaluating teams on the court and players will begin to either stand out or become bust material.
We cover all the major headlines and preview the world of college basketball here at Busting Brackets, but every week there will be under-evaluated storylines that need some extra attention.
Sure, they may not be breaking news stories, similar to a monster commitment or a surprising transfer, but they are important in terms of tracking your favorite recruit, team, player or even coach.
In the lead up to the start of the college basketball regular season in mid-November, Busting Brackets will have those under-evaluated headlines covered at the end of every week.
This week we continue with four stories, including, Big 12 expansion, Oregon reeling in a four-star recruit, Tom Izzo speaking highly of his freshman small forward and Gonzaga’s point guard getting cited.
Mar 13, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the championship logo mid-court before the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Baylor Bears during the semifinals round of the Big 12 Championship at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
4. Big 12 expansion to be delayed?
Since the Big 12 Conference announced in July that it will formally explore expanding the league with two or four teams, there has been a plethora of talk about potential candidates.
Weeks ago, the Big 12 cut down their candidate pool to 11 finalists: Air Force, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado State, UConn, Houston, Rice, SMU, USF and Tulane. BYU, Cincinnati, UConn and Houston are believed to be the favorites.
While a decision on the topic was expected to come following the upcoming league president’s meeting on Sunday and Monday, CBS Sports is reporting that putting off an expansion decision is a possible option at this point.
Multiple sources told CBS Sports that putting off an expansion decision has emerged as a possible option. The league’s presidents meet Sunday and Monday in Dallas. Among other items on the agenda is a discussion on expansion but not necessarily a resolution.
In the rabid speculation that has raged since July, delaying a decision has hardly been mentioned. But one source said, if it goes that way, a resolution on expansion may not come until at least after Christmas.
Another said there would be no surprise Monday “if this is not going to have a lid put on it yet.”
The Big 12 could also opt to end this discussion by choosing not to expand at all. In fact, sources told CBS Sports that they don’t believe there are enough votes for any expansion candidate to join the conference. In the Big 12, eight of the league’s 10 schools have to sign off if a new member is to join the league.
They could also decide to expand with one or two football only schools. Kansas head coach Bill Self spoke to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein about this issue recently.
“I don’t have any idea or any insight at all to what the presidents are thinking,” Self said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “I think there’s a chance that we could expand. I don’t see it in the immediate (future), but I think we could. I think if we do there’s a better chance of doing football only. I don’t think it would affect the basketball.”
“I could see it going any three ways,” Self added. “Adding two, adding four, adding all sports. And I could also see not doing anything. Or I could see a hybrid of that — adding football only. That would be my gut hunch right now, but that’s without any true knowledge.”
Oklahoma president David Boren was originally credited as the man who has helped generate the expansion talk. However, he hasn’t kept that momentum moving forward, backing off his opinion as of late.
If the Big 12 does expand, they are weeks (and possibly months) away from an actual decision. Standing pat seems to be the correct option at this point in time though.
March 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman watches game action against Duke Blue Devils during the first half of the semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro USA TODAY Sports
3. Oregon receives commit from Abu Kigab
After receiving a commitment from ESPN top 100 four-star shooting guard Victor Bailey Jr. earlier this week, the Ducks added four-star small forward Abu Kigab on Friday evening.
Kigab chose Dana Altman’s squad over offers from Baylor, Creighton, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio State, Providence and Villanova.
Extremely blessed to say that I have committed to the University Of Oregon #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/XKIZdqADv1
— Abu Kigab (@Abu_Kigab23) October 14, 2016
The 6’6″, 215 pound St. Catherines, Canada native is ranked as the fourth best recruit north of the border and the 26th best player at the small forward position in the class of 2017.
The best asset of Kigab’s game is his versatility. He can play the three or four position on the offensive end and can guard 1-through-4 on defense. If he improves his shooting and ball handling, he could also slide into an occasional offensive role at point guard and shooting guard.
Kigab is a solid rebounder because of his length and toughness. He attacks the basket at ease, can finish through contact and also possesses excellent vision and passing ability.
The Prolific Prep prospect will join up with Bailey in the Ducks’ 2017 class. Oregon may lose the services of Dillon Brooks to the NBA following the 2016-17 season, so Kigab could help replace his versatility and impact starting next year. If Brooks doesn’t decide to head to the NBA, then Kigab could slowly grow into his role and adapt to the increased speed of the college game.
Mar 30, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; From left to right McDonald’s All-Americans Miles Bridges (0) and Joshua Langford (25) who both will be attending Michigan State pose for a group photo before the McDonald’s High School All-American Game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
2. Tom Izzo calls Miles Bridges a ‘blue-collar superstar’
If Michigan State is going to have success in 2016-17, Tom Izzo’s top recruit, five-star small forward Miles Bridges, will have to play like a Big Ten All-Conference player.
The 6’7″, 225 pound McDonald’s All-American is ranked 8th in ESPN’s top 100 for the class of 2017. He is an elite athlete and a potent transition player, but he must improve his jump shot and overall offensive game.
Regardless, Izzo has already given Bridges high praise despite the fact that the freshman hasn’t played in a single game.
Now, it appears Bridges could be the cornerstone of Izzo’s next best chance to get that elusive second national title. He’s that good, we’re told, as versatile as anyone Izzo has had since Jason Richardson and capable of following in the footsteps of former Spartans from Flint, including Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and Charlie Bell.
“I think Miles Bridges is going to be the next Flintstone that has great success at our place,” Izzo said Thursday at Big Ten media day. “And I know everybody gives coach speak and says the right things, but that’s not my style. He just wants to learn, wants to get better. He has no ego and that started in recruiting, really. It was just, ‘I’m coming,’ and that was kind of the way he was.
“He’s a blue-collar superstar, if you ask me. He’s got a lot of work to do, he’s got to get better at some things and needs to make a lot of progress, but he’s been fun to coach and has been a great teammate. Sometimes guys come in with high accolades and are not good teammates. He’s been a great teammate.”
Bridges’ versatility and unselfish mentality will help the transition from an ‘old’ team to a younger, less experienced team become more manageable. Izzo trusts Bridges to play any position on the floor, even point guard. He’s a terrific, underrated passer and is interested in winning games, not playing simply for his NBA stock.
On top of his offensive game, Bridges can rebound, defend and has all the intangibles to be a potent force in what is expected to be his lone year of college hoops.
There are some questions regarding Michigan State and how they will overcome the losses of Denzel Valentine, Matt Costello and Bryn Forbes. One way to do that: Bridges has to have a monster freshman campaign.
Mar 19, 2016; Denver , CO, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Josh Perkins (13) and Utah Utes guard Brandon Taylor (11) scramble for a loose ball in second half action of Utah vs Gonzaga during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
1. Josh Perkins cited, charged with misdemeanor
In an off-season that presented a bout of good news (Przemek Karnowski is on track to play at the start of the season), Gonzaga is heading into the 2016-17 season with two pieces of disappointing developments.
First, freshman big Jacob Larsen suffered a season ending injury. Then on Friday, The Spokesman Review reported that the Zags’ starting point guard Josh Perkins was cited on Sunday for physical control of a vehicle while under the influence.
It is unclear if the sophomore point guard was driving the vehicle or was parked, but either way, Perkins is facing a misdemeanor charge
“We take this situation very seriously and we will give Josh the support that he needs to help him learn from this,” head coach Mark Few said in a statement. “He understands the serious nature of the charge and has made a commitment to the process within the University.”
Perkins has not been suspended and there has been no announcement of any discipline. The school is likely to gather the facts and will potentially wait for the legal process to play itself out.
If Perkins does indeed receive a suspension, the Bulldogs will lose valuable depth and experience in the backcourt. The Zags still would have Washington transfer Nigel Williams-Goss and Silas Melson as ball handlers. But Perkins is expected to be the team’s starting point guard.
He averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game last season. He struggled to adjust to his new role at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, but something clicked at the end of the season. Perkins scored in double figures in four of Gonzaga’s final six games, including 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting in a five-point loss to Saint Mary’s.
It’s obviously not a given that Perkins will be suspended, but this is not exactly the publicity that the Bulldogs want heading into the season. This is the most talented team that Mark Few has ever had in Spokane, and they cannot afford to ruin it by lose key players.
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