Ranked #14 by the national pundits, but picked 5th by Big 12 coaches. Can't get my head around it, as Hoiberg hasn't finished below third since his first year, and this is shaping up to be his best team yet. That said, we were picked 8th last year coming off consecutive NCAA bids and returning a shit-ton of talent. I suspect the other coaches are fucking with him.
We'll be anchored by this motherfucker:
George Niang. One of the toughest individual matchups in the country, offensively. He's slotted as a post (there aren't really true 1-5 positions in Hoiberg's system), and while not overly athletic, he has some of the smoothest one-on-one offensive moves I've ever seen. Announcers frequently refer to it as "Old man at the YMCA" style, and there's some truth to that. He isn't blowing past people, but he can just out maneuver them, get to the hole, and has a very smooth finish. He can also shoot it from anywhere on the floor, which gives us some great looks when he get him on the perimeter and have him up against a guard who is giving up 6 inches to him.
I think we'll most likely finish second in the Big 12, but have a real shot to knock off KU. If we can stay healthy down the stretch, I like our odds of getting into the third weekend of March Madness or god forbid, beyond. Looks to be a great year in Ames.
How's everyone else feeling about their squads? Our resident Kentucky fans have to be feeling pretty good about the season.
