to get into him and be physical from corse178's blog
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Kevin Love Jersey . -- Oklahomas wild ride to the Final Four last spring was fueled by Buddy Hields shooting, Isaiah Cousins court vision and Ryan Spanglers power in the post.All of them are gone this season.The turnover isnt limited to the Sooners, either.Of all the leagues playing major college basketball, perhaps none will have a fresher look this season than the Big 12. The old guard that became household names -- Georges Niang at Iowa State, Devin Williams at West Virginia and Perry Ellis at Kansas -- either graduated or left school early, leaving in their wake dozens of starting jobs at schools across the league.Given the number of seniors we had graduate last year, a lot of new roles and minutes available, Sooners coach Lon Kruger said. Its not great to be young in any league, the Big 12 especially.Indeed, looking at the All-Big 12 teams of a year ago is likely to make some fans feel nostalgic, especially when you consider that the entire first team and 11 of the 15 players overall have departed.That includes Hield, Niang and Ellis, who were joined on the first team by Texas guard Isaiah Taylor and Baylor forward Taurean Prince. Williams and Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr. left school after their junior years, while the Cousins and Spangler joined the Mountaineers Jaysean Paige and big man Rico Gathers of Baylor in exhausting their eligibility.Every day we find something new about our team, said Sooners senior Jordan Woodard.Those veteran departures are certain to cause some coaches plenty of heartburn.Theyre also welcomed by a couple whose teams return intact.You lost a lot of valuable members of teams, some of the greatest players in the history of the Big 12, from Buddy to Georges to Perry, said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, who managed to weather his own growing pains with a bunch of newcomers last year.Those guys, if you look at those teams, they seem to have parts back, Weber said, but youre not sure about other people. I think thats the case with a lot of teams.The Sooners still have Woodard and junior Khadeem Lattin. The Bears will rely on juniors Al Freeman and Johnathan Motley along with senior Ishmail Wainwright. And even the Jayhawks have seniors Frank Mason III and Landen Lucas to go with junior Devonte Graham.Theyll be backed by some of the top freshmen in the country.Kansas guard Josh Jackson is considered by many the No. 1 recruit, and some analysts predict hell be chosen first in next years draft. Texas reeled in five-star prospects Jarrett Allen and Andrew Jones, and new TCU coach Jamie Dixon landed his first premier prospect in guard Jaylen Fisher.NEW COACHESThree new coaches will give the league an even fresher look.Dixon took over for the fired Trent Johnson after 13 seasons at Pittsburgh that included 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Chris Beard parlayed a 30-5 record in his only season at Arkansas-Little Rock into the top job at Texas Tech. And three solid seasons at Stephen F. Austin landed Brad Underwood the job Travis Ford held for eight seasons Oklahoma State.All have at least some ties to the Big 12: Dixon played for the Horned Frogs in their Southwest Conference days, Beard was an assistant to Bob Knight and Pat Knight at Texas Tech, and Underwood played at Kansas State and returned there as an assistant under Bob Huggins and Frank Martin.I dont consider our job a rebuild, said Beard, who also a student assistant at Texas under Tom Penders. We have eight returners and eight newcomers. Our job is to go to the next level.SURPRISING RETURNIowa State coach Steve Prohm said he was as surprised as anybody when guard Monte Morris returned for his senior season. Morris would likely have been a first-round draft pick, and was voted the leagues preseason player of the year.CLEAR FAVORITEThe Jayhawks were a unanimous pick to win their 13th straight title, which means they also got first-place votes from the three new coaches. That streak would match UCLA for the longest stretch of consecutive conference championships.Kansas dominance, it really comes down to three things: They have a great coach, great players and they never lose at home, Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins said. People have to go into Allen Fieldhouse and win once in a while, because the rest of us lose at home. J.R. Smith Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. LeBron James Jersey . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. http://www.cavaliersbasketballpro.com/terrell-brandon-cavaliers-jersey/ . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis exuded an unmistakable swagger as he strode slowly toward the charged-up crowd behind the basket where hed just rolled in an off-balance scoop while being fouled. Then, he exchanged a congratulatory five with Arcade Fire singer Win Butler, who was sitting along the baseline.The Pelicans star wasnt going to be denied -- and neither, for that matter, was the rest of his recently resurgent team.Davis finished with 45 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans won their fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-96 on Wednesday night.Were just playing great and when our crowd is into it like they were in it tonight, it gives us juice, said Davis, who hit 17 of 27 shots that included thunderous dunks, 3-pointers and just about everything in between. My teammates are doing a great job of just finding me and vice versa. Were all just locked in, playing well together, clicking.Terrence Jones scored 17 points for New Orleans, which trailed early in the second half before Davis scored eight points during a 13-2 run that gave the Pelicans the lead for good.Im amazed every time at the shots he makes. You know, hes able to do it with double-teams and triple teams -- MVP performance, guard Tim Frazier said. He just came out there and he led us.New Orleans led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter and cruised to its sixth victory in eight games. ETwaun Moore added 12 points, and Tim Frazier had 11.Zach LaVine scored 26 for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves lost their third straight.We have to play tougher, Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. We are not playing any defense, and if you are not doing that, you cant win.Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng each had 13 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns grabbed 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which did not shoot well. Wiggins was 2 for 19 and the Wolves hit only 38 percent (33 of 86) of their shots. New Orleans shot 544 percent (45 of 83). Tyrone Hill Jersey. e have to change something, said Minnesota guard Ricky Rubio, who did not score and had five assists. We have to change our mentality.TIP-INSTimberwolves: The Timberwolves opened a three-game road trip by dropping to 1-6 on the road this season. ... Minnesota shot 3 of 17 from 3-point range.Pelicans: The Pelicans are 4-0 since Jrue Holidays return. After scoring at least 15 in each of his first three games, he had seven points and eight assists against Minnesota. ... F Dante Cunningham left the game early in the second quarter. Team officials said he had a left knee bruise.STAR POWERThe game featured a pair of dominant former Kentucky big men in Davis and Towns, but it was the Pelicans who owned the paint, where New Orleans outscored Minnesota 66-44. The Pelicans also outrebounded the Wolves, 45-41.I just tried to get into him and be physical, Davis said of his approach against Towns. I know its tough for me when teams get physical with me. Its tough to get into a groove and get into what you like. So thats all I tried to do, knowing hes a big key to their offense, just try to take him out as much as possible and have other guys beat us.MOMENTUM SWINGSDavis had 12 points in the first seven minutes, including a 12-foot jumper that gave New Orleans a 21-9 lead.But the Timberwolves closed the gap late in the third quarter and surged in front in the second period with a 11-0 run capped by Diengs foul-line jumper as he was fouled by Omer Asik, putting Minnesota up 46-38.New Orleans, however, closed the half on a 10-0 run during which Jones hit two free throws and dunked twice -- once on a put-back of Davis miss -- to put the Pelicans back in front, 53-50.UP NEXTTimberwolves: Visit Phoenix on Friday night.Pelicans: Visit Portland on Friday night. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
The Wall