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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 | 3
sportsstaff Editor: Amrith Ramkumar
Graduate student forward Amile Jefferson is back for a fifth year after a medical redshirt | PAGE 5
Managing Editors: Sameer Pandhare, Sam Turken
Big-man balancing act
One thing is clear in Duke’s crowded frontcourt—Marques Bolden is the anchor as a natural center | PAGE 6
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Positionless basketball is more than a catchphrase for these versatile Blue Devils | PAGE 10
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No positions, no problem
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Our Sameer Pandhare and Hank Tucker debate whether or not the No. 1 Blue Devils can realistically go undefeated | PAGE 15
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COACH ON THE FLOOR
‘HE JUST CARES ABOUT WINNING’
Amile Jefferson expanding his game ahead of fifth and final year as a Blue Devil Mitchell Gladstone The Chronicle When it was announced that Amile Jefferson would be out indefinitely with a right foot injury last December, Blue Devil fans began anxiously awaiting the 6-foot-9 forward’s return. Jefferson was in the midst of his best season since arriving in Durham—he set career highs in points, rebounds, assists and blocks while averaging a double-double during Duke’s first nine games last year. But suddenly, the then-senior was sidelined. Weeks passed and calendar pages flipped, first to January and then February. Jefferson remained on the bench for all of the Blue Devils’ final 27 games, but even as Duke progressed into the meat of its ACC schedule, he could not shed his walking boot. And just hours before the Blue Devils’ regularseason finale against North Carolina, the inevitable outcome was made official— Jefferson’s season would not be salvaged. “It was just about not rushing it,” Jefferson said at ACC media day last week. “Not coming back and being a shell of myself for six, seven games and taking advantage of the opportunity to get my body to 100 percent…. Taking my time was the best thing I could have done and it really worked out perfectly.” Thanks to a medical redshirt, the Philadelphia native is back for a fifth season at Duke, and for a third consecutive year, Jefferson will be one of the Blue Devils’ co-captains—the first three-time captain in program history. With a roster that features 10 underclassmen, Duke will need the experience of its vocal leader more than ever. “Me, Grayson [Allen] and Matt [Jones,] we’ve been around. We’ve seen the ups and downs, we know what it takes to win,” Jefferson said at the team’s media day in early
We accept
October. “We get what the coaches expect. We get what it means to have preseason to work hard to be a Duke basketball player. What we’re doing now is trying to instill that in our younger guys.” For much of his first four seasons with the Blue Devils, Jefferson worked as a grinder—making his mark as a rebounding and defensive specialist. He often used his 224-pound frame to impact the game down low, averaging 5.7 rebounds in 115 career games and blocking a trio of shots during the 2015 NCAA title game. But with nearly 10 months away from live game action, the graduate student had a unique opportunity. Rather than simply building on past successes, Jefferson focused on expanding his game. During the summer, the Blue Devil forward stayed in Durham, continuing to rehab his right foot while also improving his dribbling, passing and shooting—three areas which had never been Jefferson’s strengths. “He’s just evolving. He’s a really good basketball player, and he doesn’t have a position,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said at the team’s media day. “If he gets a rebound, he can bring it up the court and he’d be our so-called point guard. He can make really good decisions and he can defend multiple positions, and he’s a great guy to lead our full-court pressure.” In the Blue Devils’ first exhibition contest against Virginia State Friday, Jefferson showed that his coach’s comments were not just preseason rhetoric. On a number of his 10 rebounds, Jefferson grabbed the ball off the glass and dribbled up past midcourt to initiate the Duke offense. Although Jefferson finished the game just 1-of-4 from the field,
Ian Jaffe | The Chronicle Amile Jefferson missed most of last season with a foot injury after helping the Blue Devils capture their fifth national championship as a defensive stopper.
he tallied four assists and showed confidence playing on the wing. Along with freshmen Jayson Tatum, Marques Bolden and Harry Giles—as well as sophomore Chase Jeter—Jefferson is part of an athletic and versatile frontcourt unlike any Krzyzewski has ever had. If four years were not enough for the forward to develop into one of the Blue Devils’ most important pieces—both on and off the court—Jefferson now has yet another season. And many within the Duke program expect him to return from injury better than ever. “Amile has been working on his shot, so that’s definitely better,” Jones said at the team’s media day. “Other than that, Amile is going to always be Amile—the hard worker, the tenacious rebounder and a great teammate.” With the Blue Devils’ high aspirations of earning the sixth national title in
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program history, there may be no player more important than Jefferson. Despite coming to Durham as a soft-spoken and sometimes tentative player just four years ago, Jefferson has grown into Duke’s “point guard on the court.” His head coach has even compared him to Blue Devil legend Shane Batter—an NCAA champion and National Player of the Year in 2001 when Duke captured its third national title—and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. “He just cares about winning,” Tatum said at the team’s media day. “He’ll do anything to help his teammates out or do what the coaches say, just to win. That’s what we’re worried about this year—coming together as a team to win, and he’s showed us how to do that.” Amrith Ramkumar, Brian Pollack and Hank Tucker contributed reporting.
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BIG-MAN BALANCING ACT
Bolden anchors stacked frontcourt Hank Tucker The Chronicle
Sanjeev Dasgupta | The Chronicle and Chronicle File Photo Marques Bolden and Chase Jeter are among the only Blue Devils with defined positions entering the season.
T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y
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When five-star center Marques Bolden committed to Duke in May, for many he was seen as a luxury—not a necessity. Blue Devil fans have been spoiled lately, and as the last of four fivestar prospects to commit to Duke, Bolden was a bit of an unknown when the freshmen arrived on campus this summer. But fast forward six months, and the Blue Devils’ rookie class looks very different—now Bolden may prove to be the most valuable freshman this year. As the third highly-touted center to arrive in Durham in as many years, he has shown glimpses in the preseason that his impact on the team may be closer to Jahlil Okafor’s in 2014-15 than Chase Jeter’s was last season. With Jeter as the only other true big man on the roster, Bolden is making the most of his opportunities. Duke’s offense revolved around Okafor during its last national championship year, but Bolden may be at his best on the defensive end of the floor. The 6-foot-11, 245-pound big man had five blocks in the Blue Devils’ first exhibition against Virginia State, and could arguably be Duke’s most effective rim protector since National Defensive Player of the Year Shelden Williams more than 10 years ago. “Marques is the biggest guy on the team,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said at the team’s media day in early October. “He’s going to be a really good low post scorer and shot-blocker.” As a true center, the DeSoto, Texas, native’s presence under the basket will make the game easier for the rest of his teammates. One of the biggest changes is that forward Amile Jefferson can now step out and play on the wing this season with Bolden securing the paint. The Blue Devils relied on Jefferson to crash the boards last year before his season-ending foot injury, but he can be more of a facilitator this season with another consistent double-double threat as a teammate. “Me and [Marques] are getting a good relationship down where I know where to find him for easy scores,” Jefferson said. “For me, it’s just getting him in position where I can throw him easy lobs and get him easy baskets.” Although Bolden and Jefferson appear to be the top big men on the depth chart, Jeter is also set to be a major contributor after a disappointing freshman campaign. The 6-foot-10 sophomore averaged just 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last season. He committed 59 fouls and had just nine blocks all year in 7.9 minutes per game. “A lot of people doubted, and I was cool with that because I knew that I’m the type of guy that might take a second to learn,” Jeter said. “Now, it’s a completely different game. It’s slowed down tremendously for me.” Jeter’s renewed confidence was hard to detect in last Friday’s exhibition, when he shot 1-for-5 from the field with a few misses from point-blank range. Although he blocked two shots and calmly shot 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, the Las Vegas native will need to be more consistent to maintain a major role before Duke’s sleeping giant returns from the sidelines. Bolden, Jefferson and Jeter would make a very capable frontcourt, but freshman Harry Giles is the wild card See FRONTCOURT on Page 18
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Khloe Kim | The Chronicle Freshman Harry Giles has been sidelined to start the season following a knee scope.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 | 7
2. NORTH CAROLINA
Preseason ACC Player of the Year Grayson Allen is one of three The reigning ACC regular season and tournament champions veterans guiding the Blue Devils’ latest crop of standout freshmen. return three starters after falling in the national title game.
2015-16 record: 25-11, 11-7 in the ACC (Sweet 16) Head coach: Mike Krzyzewski Tenure at Duke: 37th season Career coaching record: 1,043-321 Home court: Cameron Indoor Stadium Starters: G Grayson Allen, G Matt Jones, G/F Jayson Tatum, F Amile Jefferson, C Marques Bolden The Blue Devils have reloaded and replenished what was a short and depleted roster, entering this season as the consensus top team in the country. Even without fivestar freshman Harry Giles—currently out following knee surgery—Duke has three five-star freshmen to complement returning starters Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and AllAmerican Grayson Allen. Allen enters the season as a frontrunner for National Player of the Year, but will almost certainly get fewer shots thanks to the sheer number of offensive weapons the Blue Devils boast. Tatum, who stands 6-foot-8, has
Grayson Allen wowed during the preseason with his versatile game on the wing, and Jackson should give Duke’s attack a shot in the arm at either guard position. Jones and sophomore Luke Kennard may see fewer touches but remain deadly if left unguarded. In the frontcourt, Jefferson returns as a graduate student after missing the majority of the 2015-16 season with a foot injury. The Philadelphia native will anchor the Blue Devil defense and lead a deep frontcourt featuring Giles, Marques Bolden and Chase Jeter. Jefferson’s versatility epitomizes Duke’s brand of positionless basketball. —Brian Pollack
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2015-16 record: 33-7, 14-4 in the ACC (National runner-up) Head coach: Roy Williams Tenure at North Carolina: 14th season Career coaching record: 783-209 Home court: Dean E. Smith Center Starters: G Joel Berry II, G Nate Britt, F Justin Jackson, F Kennedy Meeks, F Isaiah Hicks After dropping a heartbreaker in the national title game when Villanova’s Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, North Carolina is hoping to move past the agony. The Tar Heels have to replace double-double machine Brice Johnson and All-ACC guard Marcus Paige, but have a number of key pieces coming back. Guard Joel Berry II returns after finishing second on the team with 12.8 points per game last season and is joined by the duo of Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks down low. Both Meeks and Hicks can expect to see their touches increase as the Tar Heels look to find
Joel Berry II a go-to option for late-game situations. One area where North Carolina will look to improve is perimeter shooting. With the Tar Heels losing their best deep threat in Paige— who shot better than 38 percent from behind the arc during his college career—Justin Jackson and Nate Britt will have to develop into players that can space the floor around North Carolina’s size in the post. Like Duke, the Tar Heels recently got bad injury news—junior Theo Pinson will be out several months after breaking a bone in his right foot. —Michael Model
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3. VIRGINIA
4. LOUISVILLE
Tony Bennett’s team has the talent to replace a decorated The Cardinals’ depth up front and full-court press make senior class and rally around its famous pack-line defense. them an ACC contender if they can get perimeter shooting.
2015-16 record: 29-8, 13-5 in the ACC (Elite Eight) Head coach: Tony Bennett Tenure at Virginia: 8th season Overall record: 234-105 Home court: John Paul Jones Arena Starters: G London Perrantes, G Kyle Guy, G/F Marial Shayok, F Austin Nichols, F Isaiah Wilkins Led by ACC Player of the Year Malcom Brogdon, the Cavaliers were a force in conference play and made a run to the Elite Eight last season. But after finishing in the top two of the regular-season ACC standings the last three seasons, Virginia will be tasked with replacing its ninth-leading scorer in program history. The Cavaliers will turn to guard London Perrantes to step up and fill some of the holes that remain on both ends of the floor. The senior was a preseason first-team AllACC selection. Virginia will also be replacing
London Perrantes forwards Anthony Gill and Mike Tobey, who were the team’s second- and fourth-leading scorers last season. The Cavaliers’ biggest addition is Memphis forward Austin Nichols, who averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game with the Tigers. Along with Nichols, Virginia will also add five-star recruit Kyle Guy and bring back experienced forwards Isaiah Wilkins and Marial Shayok. If either player can take a major step forward, Virginia should find itself competing for the regular-season conference title once again. —Riley Pfaff
2015-16 record: 23-8, 12-6 in the ACC Head coach: Rick Pitino Tenure at Louisville: 5th season Career coaching record: 745–262 Home court: KFC Yum! Center Starters: G Quentin Snider, G Donovan Mitchell, F Deng Adel, F Jaylen Johnson, F Mangok Mathiang After sanctions kept the Cardinals out of the NCAA tournament a year ago, Louisville enters this season with a deep roster and a chip on its shoulder. With head coach Rick Pitino on the sidelines, the Cardinals will again utilize their full-court press and look to force turnovers that can turn into easy transition points. After losing big man Chinanu Onuaku to the NBA Draft, Louisville will turn to Mangok Mathiang and a new crop of big men to control the paint. In the backcourt, returning starters Quentin Snider and Donovan Mitchell should
Donovan Mitchell receive the bulk of the minutes with last year’s two leading scorers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis gone. The Cardinals also added V.J. King—the first McDonald’s All-American to sign with Louisville in five years. A big key for Louisville will be to get one of its perimeter players to develop a consistent jumpshot. Although Snider is the only returning player who shot better than 35 percent from deep for the Cardinals, the addition of Pennsylvania transfer Tony Hicks could allow Louisville to space the floor more on offense. —Steven Gitsin
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Positionless basketball
The common saying is more than a catchphrase for this loaded Blue Devil squad Sameer Pandhare The Chronicle After collecting a rebound on a Virginia State miss in Duke’s season-opening exhibition, graduate student Amile Jefferson looked to guards Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard on his left and right. But instead of dishing the ball to one of his guards, the forward did something that may be common by the end of the season—he dribbled it up the court and set up the Blue Devil offense. “I would hope that you wouldn’t look at our team in a conventional way,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said at the team’s media day in early October. “We’re not going to have a so-called point guard where one guy just brings the ball up.” Although freshman Frank Jackson most resembles the archetype of what a floor general is supposed to look like, the Blue Devils enter the season with a roster loaded with versatile players who can handle the ball and play at multiple positions on the floor. The different combinations Duke can use to bring the ball up the court could set the offense up to exploit mismatches across the court. Unlike last season—when the Blue Devil offense centered around Allen and Brandon Ingram, both of whom had usage rates higher than 25 percent—Duke has a number of talented scorers on this year’s roster. “That poses a problem for other opponents when you got a guy like Amile or Jayson [Tatum] coming down the court, and then you have a wide variety of things, whether it be a ball screen or a handoff and things like that,” senior Matt Jones said. “That has to keep the defense on their toes. It gets them talking, and it puts us in positions where guys can take advantage of mismatches.” The Blue Devils’ lack of defined positions stretches even beyond the point guard spot. As is the case with Jefferson, Jones has shown the ability to bring the ball up the court or play on the wing as needed. Other than centers Marques Bolden and Chase Jeter—who play as more traditional back-to-thebasket big men—every rotation player has the skill set to make an impact at multiple spots on the floor. Tatum epitomizes the matchup problems Duke could create this season and is a big reason “positionless basketball” references crop up any time the Blue Devils meet with the media. At 6-foot-8 and 205 pounds, Tatum has the speed and agility to get past slower forwards, but the size to bully guards in the low post and at the elbows. The freshman came to Durham as the No. 3 recruit in his class and has been one of Duke’s stars in preseason practice, putting up a game-high 18 points in the Blue Devils’ 20-minute Countdown to Craziness scrimmage. Despite suffering a mild foot sprain last week, Tatum—who is expected to be out another week—
was named to the preseason All-ACC second team and finished second in preseason ACC Rookie of the Year voting. Although the St. Louis native has yet to take the floor against an actual opponent, Tatum’s teammates are not the slightest bit worried about the freshman’s game after seeing what he did on the court against former Duke stars currently in the NBA this summer. “Jayson has gone at the pros the same way that Brandon [Ingram] did last year,” Jeter said. “It’s fun to see people grow because when you see someone going at a pro guy like that and not being intimidated and not backing down, you just know something special is going to happen with this kid.” Once the season opener rolls around, all eyes will turn to Tatum and comparisons will begin between him and the one-and-done talents to come through the Blue Devil program in the last five seasons. But do not be surprised if the freshman does not immediately put up the gaudy numbers his predecessors did. This season, Tatum figures to be both a scoring option and a decoy to spring open shots for teammates. With the extra attention paid to the freshman as he sets up at the 3-point line on one possession and in the paint on the next, Tatum has the ability to draw defenders away from the likes of guards like Allen and Kennard. That scenario illustrates why the Blue Devil offense should be lethal this year—Krzyzewski said Kennard has been Duke’s best player in practice after the sophomore had 30 points in Duke’s first exhibition last week. “[The coaching staff] talks about how every team is going to put their best or second-best defender on me to make it difficult for me,” Tatum said. “So I have to learn different ways to be able to create and get my shot off.” Not wanting to characterize players by specific positions is nothing new for Krzyzewski, but this year’s team has the potential to play a brand of positionless basketball that is unique in the college game and more closely resembles the way NBA teams play. It remains to be seen whether this style will lead to more turnovers and disrupt the offense’s flow in critical moments. But throughout the preseason, one thing has been clear—the traditional positions used in basketball have been scrapped from Duke’s lingo and will likely be nonexistent in the future. “I don’t like when they introduce at guard, at forward, why do we do that?” Krzyzewski said. “Our game is not like that. In over 30 years, I’ve never coached it that way, so I’m not going to coach it this way now. “ Although the way players are introduced at games will not change, the Blue Devils’ positionless play on the court with Tatum as a driving force will be something to watch all season. Hank Tucker and Brian Pollack contributed reporting.
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Carolyn Chang | The Chronicle
Back to basics:Man-to-man defense returns in full force Amrith Ramkumar The Chronicle Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is known for his ability to adapt. Whether it is changing his coaching style to fit his players’ skillsets in the one-and-done era or allowing NBA stars to create their own standards as head coach of the U.S. men’s national team, the five-time college champion avoids putting players into the systems that define other top programs like Syracuse and Virginia. But that does not mean that Krzyzewski lacks preferences for how he wants his teams to play. And when it comes to defense, players say the 69-year old has one ideal scheme in mind entering the season. “Coach K is real traditional and he thinks that man-toman is the best way to go, so that’s what we’re going to play,” freshman center Marques Bolden said at the team’s media day in early October. Five years ago, it would have been unthinkable for one of the Blue Devils’ newest players to answer questions about what defense Duke would employ. Like many other top programs, the Blue Devils traditionally utilized a full-court, man-to-man defense predicated on sound fundamentals and team discipline. When one Duke player was beaten off the dribble, one of his teammates would slide over at the right time to cut off penetration, then another Blue Devil would neatly fall into place to help the helper. The strategy made Duke one of the most dominant programs in the country in the early 2000s. From 2002 to 2010, the Blue Devils finished in the top five nationally in defensive efficiency as measured by basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy six times. But with freshmen commonly leaving school after one year and the number of transfers across the country shooting through the roof, the continuity and depth needed to effectively play man-to-man defense has become increasingly rare. Duke has had to learn that lesson the hard way, as it finished 78th in defensive efficiency in 2011-12 and suffered a Round of 64 upset at the hands of 15th-seeded Lehigh. Two years later, Duke finished 87th in defensive efficiency when it lost to 14thseeded Mercer in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils were relying on lineups that had not played together often, and it showed when Duke’s man-to-man defense was a step slow in critical situations. For perspective, only one team in the last 15 years has won the national championship that finished outside the top 15 in defensive efficiency—the Blue Devils are projected to finish 18th in the category this season. After the 2014-15 Blue Devils looked downright lost defensively early in ACC play—they fell from 11th in defensive efficiency to 67th in two games—Krzyzewski decided to mix in some zone to spark his team. The change of pace worked brilliantly in the regular season, as Duke relied on its new wrinkles to overcome limited depth and inexperience in road wins at Louisville and Virginia. By emphasizing the importance of communication, the Blue Devils
went on to address their midseason defensive woes, eventually peaking in the NCAA tournament en route to the national championship. Led by Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson on the defensive end, Duke finished that season 12th in defensive efficiency after almost exclusively playing man-to-man in the NCAA tournament. But last season, with Jefferson missing most of the year with a foot injury and Jones forced to play through his own ailments, the Blue Devils never found a comfort level on defense. Whether it was zone, man, or the combination that fueled Duke the previous year, the Blue Devils’ lack of depth caught up to them as they finished 86th in defensive efficiency—the third time in five seasons Duke was outside the top 75. The Blue Devils will count on another crop of talented freshmen and likely boast another high-powered offense again this season—Duke has finished in the top 10 in Pomeroy’s offensive efficiency stat every year since 2009. But the team’s history begs the question: What type of defense will we see from this year’s Blue Devils? So far, the answer seems to be Duke’s traditional bread and butter. “We are going to be a team that will attempt to play full-court, man-to-man defense. It won’t be the only defense we play, but it will be our primary one,” Krzyzewski said at the team’s media day. “We just have to make sure we’re cognizant of team fouls, not just individual fouls, so we don’t have our aggressiveness go against us in that regard and slow the game down.” With more depth and athleticism at each position than the Blue Devils have had in quite some time, this year’s Duke team could make its mark on the defensive end. The Blue Devils have a natural rim protector in Bolden, a ball-hawking guard at the point of attack in freshman Frank Jackson and a trio of seasoned veterans in Grayson Allen, Jones and Jefferson—meaning they might not need to switch defenses as often as they have the past two seasons. Throw in versatile freshmen forwards Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles and Duke’s full-court, trapping defense has the potential to wear teams down that can’t match the Blue Devils’ depth. “We can be very versatile. We can have guys like Jayson, who’s 6-[foot]-8, 6-[foot]-9, playing the point guard,” Jones said at the team’s media day. “Obviously, Frank is very athletic, so I know he can defend the ball better than anyone in the country, so with guys like that and me and [Grayson] bringing the physicality of it, we can definitely pose a huge matchup problem for the other opponents.” The entire season likely will not be smooth sailing for Duke defensively given the number of new pieces it still has to integrate. But how the Blue Devils respond on that end of the court will likely determine how far they go this year given their number of offensive weapons, and no one is more cognizant of that than the player who might set the tone in Duke’s full-court press. “When I came here, I made it a goal to myself to kind of lock in and be the best that I can be as an on-ball defender and offball defender,” Jackson said. “This year, that’s definitely going to be a huge part of my game.” Hank Tucker and Sameer Pandhare contributed reporting.
12 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
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6. VIRGINIA TECH
After a surprising Final Four run, the Orange hope new The Hokies return three double-digit scorers and need guards can pick up the 2-3 zone and give the team a spark. another strong year defensively to make up for their lack of size.
2015-16 record: 23-14, 9-9 in the ACC (Final Four) Head coach: Jim Boeheim Tenure at Syracuse: 40th season Career coaching record: 888-347 Home court: Carrier Dome Starters: G Frank Howard, G Andrew White III, F Tyler Roberson, F Tyler Lydon, DaJuan Coleman Despite making a Final Four run as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament, Syracuse struggled for most of the regular season a year ago during head coach Jim Boeheim’s suspension. But the Orange found their footing a bit before losing five of their last six games prior to the NCAA tournament. Syracuse will enter this year without its top two scorers from last season—guard Michael Gbinije and forward Malachi Richardson. But the cupboard is far from bare for the Orange. The returning duo of Tyler Lydon and Tyler Roberson will provide Boeheim with two versatile forwards that can score in
Tyler Roberson the post and on the perimeter. Syracuse also landed Nebraska transfer Andrew White III, who finished sixth in the Big Ten with 16.6 points per game a year ago. Guard Tyus Battle and forward Matthew Moyer headline the team’s freshman class and will have a chance to earn playing time from the start of the season. Although Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense can be tough for newcomers to pick up, the Orange should have enough returning pieces to develop into one of the top teams in the ACC as the year progresses. —Michael Model
2015-16 record: 20-15, 10-8 in the ACC (NIT 2nd round) Head coach: Buzz Williams Tenure at Virginia Tech: 3rd season Career coaching record: 184–123 Home court: Cassell Coliseum Starters: G Seth Allen, G Justin Bibbs, G Justin Robinson, G/F Chris Clarke, F Zach LeDay Virginia Tech made huge strides in head coach Buzz Williams’ second season at the helm, improving its ACC record from 2-16 in 2014-15 to 10-8 last year, and has the look of a team on the rise heading into this season. Nearly the entire rotation returns for the Hokies with the exception of guard Jalen Hudson—who transferred to Florida after averaging 8.4 points per game last season. Forward Zach LeDay led Virginia Tech with 15.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, providing an interior presence with his 6-foot7, 235-pound frame for a squad that otherwise
Seth Allen lacks quality options down low. Sophomore Chris Clarke could be a difference-maker, but his health remains a question mark after he had an injury-riddled freshman season. The Hokies’ strength lies in the backcourt, where guard Seth Allen returns along with Justin Bibbs to give Virginia Tech a pair of double-digit scorers to complement LeDay. The Hokies do not shoot the ball particularly well, but ranked second in the ACC in opposing 3-point percentage last season—leading to a lot of defensive, grindit-out games. —Brian Pollack
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7. FLORIDA STATE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 | 13
8. CLEMSON
Freshman star Malik Beasley is gone, but Dwayne Bacon First-team All-ACC forward Jaron Blossomgame makes returns to give the team one of the most talented ACC rosters. the Tigers dangerous any time they take the floor.
2015-16 record: 20-14, 8-10 in the ACC (NIT 2nd round) Head coach: Leonard Hamilton Tenure at Florida State: 15th season Career coaching record: 456-397 Home court: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center Starters: G Dwayne Bacon, G Xavier-Rathan Mayes, G Terance Mann, F Jonathan Isaac, C Michael Ojo Even with the loss of freshman phenom Malik Beasley, who was taken 19th in the NBA Draft, Florida State has the potential to improve on last season’s 11th-place ACC finish. Sophomore Dwayne Bacon will lead the way for the Seminoles and could emerge as one of the best players in the country after being named a Freshman All-American a year ago. The guard averaged 15.8 points per game—the highest ever by a Florida State freshman—and also led the team on the glass with 5.8 rebounds per contest. Bacon will be joined in the backcourt by
Xavier Rathan-Mayes junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes and classmate Terance Mann. But the player that could really help take the team to the next level is freshman Jonathan Isaac. The forward has drawn comparisons to NBA All-Star Kevin Durant and provides some serious athleticism and scoring potential at his position on the perimeter. If the Seminoles can get 7-foot-1 center Michael Ojo healthy and jell as a unit, Florida State could have a complete roster from topto-bottom and enough talent to make some noise in the NCAA tournament. —Ben Leonard
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2015-16 record: 17-14, 10-8 in the ACC (Missed postseason) Head coach: Brad Brownell Tenure at Clemson: 7th Season Career coaching record: 274-172 Home court: Littlejohn Coliseum Starters: G Avry Holmes, G Gabe DeVoe, F Jaron Blossomgame, F Donte Grantham, C Sidy Djitte After struggling in the nonconference portion of their schedule last year, the Tigers upended three consecutive ranked opponents—including then-No. 6 Duke—for the first time in program history. Although Clemson cooled off for the remainder of the season and missed the NCAA tournament, the Tigers laid the groundwork for what could be a special season. Clemson returns a veteran squad led by forward Jaron Blossomgame, who averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season. The redshirt senior was tabbed as a preseason first-team All-ACC selection and
Jaron Blossomgame hopes to get the Tigers back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011. But in order for Clemson to compete with the best teams in the conference, the Tigers will need someone other than Blossomgame to step up. The duo of Donte Grantham and Avry Holmes returns for Clemson after averaging 20.2 points per game combined last season. Although Texas A&M transfer Elijah Thomas will not take the floor in the first half of the season due to transfer regulations, the redshirt freshman could develop into a solid scoring option in the post once ACC play comes along. —Alex Sanfilippo
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14 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
9. NOTRE DAME
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10. N.C. STATE
The Fighting Irish have one of the nation’s best offenses Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year Dennis Smith Jr. is but enter the season searching for answers down low. a highlight-reel waiting to happen for the Wolfpack.
2015-16 record: 24-12, 11-7 in the ACC (Elite Eight) Head coach: Mike Brey Tenure at Notre Dame: 17th season Career coaching record: 455–288 Home court: Purcell Pavilion Starters: G Matt Farrell, G Steve Vasturia, F V.J. Beachem, F Bonzie Colson, F Martinas Geben Despite being traditionally viewed as a football school, Notre Dame has had some of the strongest teams on the hardwood in recent years and has advanced to the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons. The Fighting Irish lost two key players—guard Demetrius Jackson and center Zach Auguste—but return standout guards V.J. Beachem and Steve Vasturia. Although guard Matt Farrell appears set to take over as the starting point guard, four-star recruit T.J. Gibbs has the skillset to eventually become the Fighting Irish’s floor general. After having high-powered offenses led by Jerian Grant in 2015 and Jackson last year, Notre
Steve Vasturia Dame will need to find a go-to scorer early this season to compensate for its deficiencies on the other end of the floor. The Fighting Irish will miss Auguste’s defense and forward Bonzie Colson—who stands only 6-foot-5—may struggle to match up with bigger players down low. Hailing from Vilnius, Lithuania, junior Martinas Geben will need to clean up the boards and anchor the team down low as one of its only true big men. Although they may not be as talented as in years past, the Fighting Irish will likely compete for positioning in the middle of the ACC. —Andrew Donohue
2015-16 record: 16-17, 5-13 in the ACC (Missed postseason) Head coach: Mark Gottfried Tenure at Pittsburgh: 6th season Career coaching record: 386-224 Home court: PNC Arena Starters: G Dennis Smith Jr., G Maverick Rowan, G Terry Henderson, F Abdul-Malik Abu, F BeeJay Anya The 2015-16 season was one of the lowest points of the Mark Gottfried era as the Wolfpack missed the tournament and finished 13th in the ACC. To make matters worse, twin brothers Cody and Caleb Martin announced in May that they would be transferring to Nevada, leaving N.C. State with just nine scholarship players after losing leading scorer Anthony “Cat” Barber to the NBA Draft. But despite significant losses, the Wolfpack will have some familiarity on the court with four returners in the starting lineup. N.C. State’s frontcourt features
Abdul-Malik Abu senior BeeJay Anya and junior Abdul-Malik Abu—both of whom appeared in every game for the Wolfpack last season. The biggest story in Raleigh will be freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who will replace Barber as the Wolfpack’s primary ball-handler. The Fayettevile, N.C., native was the No. 4 recruit in the Class of 2016 and is already pegged to be one of the top selections in the 2017 NBA Draft. The high-flying Smith Jr. will be joined in the backcourt by sophomore sharpshooter Maverick Rowan and redshirt senior Terry Henderson. —Mitchell Gladstone
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 | 15
DUELING COLUMNISTS
Can the Blue Devils go undefeated? Immense talent makes it possible Earlier this offseason, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino compared this Blue Devil team to his 1996 Kentucky team that finished 34-2 and won the national championship. Although those Wildcats were one of the most dominant teams in history with an average margin of victory of more than 20 points and nine players that played in the NBA, it’s possible that Pitino’s praise may not have gone far enough. Duke has a legitimate chance to go undefeated. With one look at the Blue Devil roster, it becomes immediately clear that this is not just some talkinghead argument looking to get attention. Duke has assembled a team with six former five-star recruits and three fourstar prospects. Along with just pure talent, the Blue Devils also have three captains—graduate student Amile Jefferson, senior Matt Jones and junior Grayson Allen—that have already climbed the mountaintop and claimed a national championship for the program. Add in a year of development for sophomores Luke Kennard and Chase Jeter, and it’s evident that Duke has more experience than people think. The biggest argument against the Blue Devils making a run similar to that of Kentucky in 2014-15 is their schedule. Whereas the Wildcats faced a soft schedule in the SEC—to say the least—Duke plays in a conference that is widely respected as the nation’s best and could earn as many as 10 bids in the NCAA tournament this spring. But a closer look shows that the Blue Devil schedule may not be as daunting as it initially appears. Arguably the biggest challenge for Duke will come in just two weeks when they take on Kansas in the Champions Classic. With freshmen Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles still working their way back from injuries, the Blue Devils may be short-handed against a Jayhawk team that made the Elite Eight a season ago and brought in Josh Jackson—the second-
Sameer Pandhare
ranked recruit in the country. But Kansas has won just once in its five appearances in the premier early-season event and is generally a more dangerous team to face once the conference schedule comes around, so I am confident Duke can navigate past the Jayhawks. The Blue Devils should then breeze through the rest of their nonconference slate with the only other neutral site games coming against Penn State and either Cincinnati or Rhode Island in the Hall of Fame Tipoff event before Thanksgiving, Florida in Madison Square Garden— almost Duke’s second home— for the Jimmy V Classic and UNLV for the opening of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. And don’t expect the Blue Devils to have much trouble at home during the nonconference portion of their schedule—Duke rides a 125-game nonconference home game winning streak into this season. And then comes the dreaded ACC. But many forget that the Blue Devils are no strangers to the challenges they will face this upcoming season. Duke beat a significantly more talented Virginia team a season ago and Miami—which has beaten the Blue Devils two consecutive times—lost the majority of its top scorers. Although Duke killer Bonzie Colson still suits up for Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish don’t seem anywhere close to competing at the the top of the conference without Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste. People worried about Duke’s chances of winning on the road against North Carolina may want to consider that Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams still struggles to manage late-game situations and that the Blue Devils have won four of their last five visits to the Dean Dome. Of course, every road conference game turns out to be a test and Duke will surely face a few of them this season. But when the Blue Devils are in tight battles with the likes of Syracuse, N.C. State and Louisville, See POINT on Page 18
History shows it can’t be done Seven National Players of the Year and 32 first-round draft picks have all played for head coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. None of them have ever lost fewer than two games in a season. The Blue Devils did not go undefeated in 1992, with the entire core back from their first national championship team, nor in 2001, when Shane Battier and Jason Williams split National Player of the Year honors in the same season. They didn’t run the table in 2006, when all-time leading scorer J.J. Redick and National Defensive Player of the Year Shelden Williams were both seniors. And we think a team with a bunch of unproven freshmen and all of four players that have spent significant minutes in a Duke uniform can do what its storied predecessors could not? Not a chance. Since Indiana went 32-0 on its way to a national championship, four teams have entered the NCAA tournament unbeaten—Indiana State in 1979, UNLV in 1991, Wichita State in 2014 and Kentucky in 2015. All of those teams played in conferences without another team in the top 15 of the final AP poll. The Blue Devils play in the ACC. It is hard to make it through an ACC slate unscathed any year, but the conference is particularly strong this year. Five ACC teams are in the top 12 in the nation in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy’s preseason projections, and Duke has to face North Carolina, Virginia, Louisville and Syracuse on the road. The showdowns in Chapel Hill and Charlottesville, Va., will be tossups by themselves, and if Duke escapes those hostile environments with two wins, there will still be 38 other games on the schedule to win. The Blue Devils may have a good chance to win each individual game, but there are too many chances at slip-ups for Duke to win every game.
Hank Tucker
It is not impossible to run the table in ACC play, though—in fact, Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils did it in the 199899 season. That team might be a reflection of the best-case scenario this year’s squad, with a plethora of young talent and four eventual lottery picks in the 1999 NBA draft. Duke coasted past a No. 4 Maryland team on the road and routed the Tar Heels by 20 in the Dean E. Smith Center, winning every ACC regular-season and tournament game they played by at least eight points in the midst of a programrecord 32-game winning streak. But by the time those Blue Devils got to ACC play, they had already lost to then-No. 15 Cincinnati in November. Young teams that get tested early often falter, and Duke is less than two weeks away from a Champions Classic matchup with Kansas, which is right behind the Blue Devils at No. 2 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. The Jayhawks return upperclassmen Frank Mason, Devonte’ Graham and Landen Lucas and are also adding 6-foot-8 wing Josh Jackson, ESPN’s second-ranked freshman in the class. They could easily derail Duke’s bid at a 40-0 season before it picks up steam. Although the Blue Devils have the other two-thirds of this season’s top three freshmen, Harry Giles has not played basketball in nearly a year and seems unlikely to recover from a knee scope in time for the Kansas game. Jayson Tatum—currently sidelined with a foot sprain—is expected to be back for the start of the regular season, though, which could set up a highly anticipated matchup between the 6-foot8 swingman and Jackson reminiscent of the 2013 Champions Classic game between Jabari Parker’s Blue Devils and Andrew Wiggins’ Jayhawks the last time the two teams faced off. Kansas won that battle. There is no yellow brick road to perfection in the regular season for Duke. Its schedule is too strong, and there are too many questions marks surrounding the team. Nobody knows if Giles will return and be a major factor this year, and post depth could wind up being a weakness for the second straight year. See COUNTERPOINT on Page 18
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16 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
11. MIAMI
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12. PITTSBURGH
The Hurricanes lose their senior backcourt leaders but have a With Jamie Dixon no longer the head coach, veterans Jamel touted freshman duo and three returners hungry to fill the void. Artis and Michael Young lead an undersized Panther team.
2015-16 record: 27-8, 13-5 in the ACC (Sweet 16) Head coach: Jim Larrañaga Tenure at Wake Forest: 8th season Career coaching record: 588-391 Home court: Watsco Center Starters: G Ja’Quan Newton, G Bruce Brown, G Davon Reed, F Kamari Murphy, F Dewan Huell
Ja’Quan Newton
2016-17 record: 21-12, 9-9 in the ACC (First round NCAA tournament) Head coach: Kevin Stallings Tenure at Pittsburgh: 1st season Career coaching record: 455-283 Home court: Peterson Events Center Starters: G Chris Jones, G Jamel Artis, G Cameron Johnson, F Sheldon Jeter, F Michael Young
After a solid season in 2015-16 that ended with a loss in the Sweet 16 to eventual national champion Villanova, the Hurricanes enter this season with more questions than answers. Head coach Jim Larrañaga has instilled a winning mentality in Coral Gables, but will need to find some new offensive firepower following the graduation of guards Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan. Luckily for Miami, it reeled in a pair ESPN 100 commits during the offseason who are expected to play and make an impact right away. Bruce Brown was tabbed as the No. 5
shooting guard in the nation, and Miami native Dewan Huell was the No. 7 power forward. The slender 6-foot-11, 220-pound forward will be counted on to fill the void on the glass left by 7-footer Tonye Jekiri. The freshman duo will be complemented by returning players Ja’Quan Newton, Davon Reed and Kamari Murphy. All saw extensive playing time last season, and Reed averaged more than 11 points and four rebounds per game. Newton also averaged double figures as a reliable scorer off the bench. —Brian Mazur
In March, the Panthers suffered an unexpected blow when their 13-year head coach, Jamie Dixon, left the program to coach his alma mater TCU. Pittsburgh quickly found a replacement in Kevin Stallings—then the head coach of Vanderbilt—who plans to implement his up-tempo system with the Panthers. Although Pittsburgh’s rotation will not include anyone taller than 6-foot-9, the Panthers have several players who can create mismatches. Redshirt senior Jamel Artis— who averaged 14.4 points per game last season—has slid over to point guard after
Jamel Artis playing as an off-ball wing. Pittsburgh also returns senior forward Michael Young, who led the team with 15.7 points per game a season ago. The greatest concern for the Panthers is defense. With an undersized frontcourt, Pittsburgh may struggle to defend and rebound against taller and more physical players. Considering the top teams in the ACC all have talented big men, the Panthers may find this weakness too much to overcome in conference play. —Sam Turken
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 | 17
ALLEN’S ACADEMICS
Grayson Allen’s unique academic approach in the one-and-done era home environment that lends itself to studying much better than a dorm filled with video games and late-night chats. The Chronicle Although the real stress of the regular season—or finals, By now, most people know about Grayson Allen. They for that matter—has not fully hit yet, it seems Allen is doing see his name in the headlines and his face on ESPN just fine keeping himself on track, both on the court and highlight reels—every move he makes is magnified. They in the classroom. “G seems like he’s been handling it really well,” Jones see him diving all over the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium, continuing to cement his place in a lineage of said. “Obviously, it’s two huge commitments, one to graduate next year with me and then having basketball Duke players who draw national ire. here at Duke, but G’s been around the block a couple But most do not see him in the classroom. In the one-and-done era—the Blue Devils have had five times now, so he knows how to handle that.” Ian Jaffe | The Chronicle such players in the last three years—top prospects value the All-American Grayson Allen elected to return for his junior season rather than enter the NBA Draft. Hank Tucker contributed reporting. “college” aspect of college basketball less and less, with few, if any, vying to earn a degree. After a sophomore season in which he averaged 21.6 points per game and netted All-American honors, many thought Allen would follow the path of his contemporaries and parlay his collegiate success into NBA riches. Instead, he is back in Durham for another season—and to finish his degree. “Following the season, he put a lot of thought into an important decision that will impact the rest of his life,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said last April after Allen announced his decision. “In the end, he chose to remain at Duke, where he will pursue an undergraduate degree and develop even more as a man and basketball player.” Allen has a history of success in the classroom— graduating cum laude in high school. Last season, the Jacksonville, Fla., native continued to shine in both arenas, becoming just the sixth Blue Devil ever to earn Academic All-American status and on-court All-American recognition in the same year. He stayed in Durham for the summer and took two full-credit classes in each summer session, bringing him closer to earning a Duke degree. “From a young age, my parents and grandparents have always stressed the importance of academics,” Allen said in a video he released detailing his decision to return. “Getting a Duke degree has always been a goal and a dream of mine. For me coming back next season, it just gets me closer to that goal.” At the team’s media day in early October, Krzyzewski said Jason Williams was his last player to graduate early, making Allen the first Blue Devil in nearly 15 years to attempt a feat that is rare even for regular Duke students. Allen will not quite finish all his requirements by the end of the spring semester—he will still have one or two courses left to take. The junior guard has shouldered a heavy academic load throughout his career, always with the intention of completing his degree. The University Club, a private fine dining club located in the Duke students take an average of four classes per penthouse suite of the University Tower, is offering SPECIAL semester, and many athletes take only three during their competition season due to rigorous training and practice Non-Member dining privileges to Duke University students, schedules. Allen said he has previously taken four classes each semester, but is overloading with five courses both parents and alumni. semesters this year. This fall, the psychology major is enrolled in corporate finance, oral history, Spanish, sports psychology and cultural anthropology. Allen said after the Blue Devils’ first exhibition game that after his basketball career, he might want to go into sports psychology. After being constantly battered with questions about his tripping incidents or status as the new Duke villain in the past year, Allen brightens considerably when the focus of interviews switches to academics. Balancing an extra class in addition to the commitments involved with being a captain for the Blue Devils’ top-ranked squad is no easy task, and the 6-foot-5 guard said he is certainly going through an adjustment period. “It’s tough. I have a lot of days where I start with a lift at 8 in the morning and don’t finish until my night class at Call Eleanor Richardson at 919-323-4816 to reserve your stunning window table 9 o’clock at night,” Allen said at Duke’s media day in early with panoramic views of campus! Advance reservations are required, October. “So it’s learning to manage your time. When you get a 30-minute window, you can’t lay down—you have to call ahead for the 2015-2016 season today! take advantage of it. I’m adjusting to it, I’ve learned a lot of time management since I’ve been here, but this year is going to be the most important for that.” It certainly helps that both of Allen’s co-captains, Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson, share his focus on academics. A senior, Jones will complete his undergraduate degree in May, and Jefferson—a four-time Academic All-ACC honoree as an undergraduate—is now working toward a master’s degree in the Divinity School. The three veterans share an off-campus apartment together, giving Allen a
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FRONTCOURT from page 6 that could take the Blue Devil unit to another level. The Winston-Salem, N.C., native has not played since he tore his ACL last November, and he underwent an unrelated knee scope at the start of October that kept him off the court again. There is no timetable for his return, and Krzyzewski cautioned at ACC media day last week that it may not be simple for Giles, who has been unable to practice, to develop chemistry with his teammates if he is healthy enough to enter the rotation. “The team will be at a different phase, so Harry has to go blend into that phase,” Krzyzewski said. “He may add a dimension that we don’t have. I don’t what that is—rebounding, energy or whatever, and then all of a sudden, that will give him the confidence to blend more.” If Giles can be the same player that averaged 23.9 points Sanjeev Dasgupta | The Chronicle and 12.5 rebounds per game as a high school junior, his Marques Bolden blocked five shots in his first 20 minutes of versatility could complement Bolden’s more defined role as action during Friday’s exhibition opener. a true center well.
“They’re both so athletic, especially Harry. Marques is really skilled down low,” Jeter said. “Having a skilled big and an athletic big, that tandem works well together.” There are still question marks surrounding Giles’ availability, but even without him, the Blue Devils will still look inside more frequently on offense than they did last year. Starting center Marshall Plumlee was a good defender and played hard in a breakout season—which was enough to get him an NBA contract with the Knicks this year— but he was hardly a threat to score on anything other than a dunk in the post. Although Jefferson averaged a double-double when he played, he was sidelined after nine games. With the Philadelphia native back and Bolden entering the fold, it will likely be a different story this year, lifting the burden that was placed on Duke’s backcourt last year to create a shot on nearly every possession. “At a big position, it’s all about working hard. It’s all about being physical, about fighting,” Jefferson said. “For me, it’s just about showing them what it means to come in every day, put your hard hat on, and bang it out down low.” Sameer Pandhare and Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.
POINT from page 15
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Duke will have the fortitude of Allen and Jefferson or the talent of one of the team’s many freshmen to turn to. With almost every lineup, the Blue Devils should have at least two of the three most talented players on the court. One key for Duke to really solidify its chance to run the table will be to get significant contributions from the highly-touted Giles. The 6-foot-10 power forward was the crown jewel of Duke’s recruiting class and comes with tantalizing potential after being compared to the likes of Kevin Garnett in high school. Giles would add just another big man to head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s arsenal and immediately shore up any deficiencies the Blue Devils may have with rebounding or defense. Without Giles, Duke is a step ahead of the rest of the college basketball world. With him, the Blue Devils are a dominant force that could truly turn in one of the most memorable seasons in college basketball history. Pitino will get to watch Duke firsthand when the Blue Devils take on Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center in January. But time will tell whether the praise he heaped on the Blue Devils is still relevant—my bet is it will be.
COUNTERPOINT from page 15 It will be hard enough for Duke to get to 31-0 entering the postseason, and that is not to mention the NCAA tournament, which is a different animal in and of itself. It takes a lot of talent and a little luck to conquer, and a lot of the Blue Devils’ greatest teams have come up short. It is ridiculous to think Duke can enter the postseason undefeated, something even Krzyzewski has never done as a coach, and it is rational but wishful thinking to believe Duke will win the NCAA tournament. Putting the two perfect segments together will be nearly impossible.
Sanjeev Dasgupta | The Chronicle Freshman guard Frank Jackson is expected to spearhead Duke’s full-court, man-to-man defense.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 | 19
REST OF THE WAY
No. 2 recruit Josh Jackson joins a battle-tested backcourt as the Visit dukechronicle.com for previews of the rest of Duke’s Jayhawks look to continue their dominance in the Big 12. nonconference opponents, including No. 12 Michigan State, No. 23 Rhode Island and more. The final three ACC team capsules can also be found online. Full nonconference schedule Nov. 11 vs. Marist Nov. 12 vs. Grand Canyon Nov. 15 vs. No. 3 Kansas (New York) Nov. 19 vs. Penn State (Uncasville, Conn.)
2015-16 record: 33-5, 15-3 in the Big 12 (Elite Eight) Head coach: Bill Self Tenure at Boston College: 14th season Career coaching record: 592-188 Home court: Allen Fieldhouse Starters: G Frank Mason III, G Devonte’ Graham, F Josh Jackson, F Carlton Bragg Jr., F Landen Lucas After losing nine games and falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2015, Kansas rebounded last year, winning the Big 12 tournament for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons. Although the Jayhawks entered the NCAA tournament as the overall No. 1 seed, their run ended when they fell to eventual national champion Villanova in the Elite Eight. This season, Kansas will be without Wayne Selden Jr., Cheick Diallo, Jamari Traylor and leading scorer Perry Ellis. However, the Jayhawks managed to retool this offseason, bringing in the a top-20 recruiting class, headlined by No. 2 recruit Josh Jackson. At
Nov. 20 vs. Cincinnati/No. 23 Rhode Island (Uncasville, Conn.) Nov. 23 vs. William & Mary Nov. 26 vs. Appalachian State Frank Mason 6-foot-7, the swingman is versatile and capable of scoring both at the rim and from the wing. He will benefit from playing alongside junior point guard Devonte’ Graham, who will keep opposing defenses honest after averaging 11.3 points and 3.7 assists per game during his sophomore season. The Jayhawks will start the year ranked third in the country, playing top-10 opponents in their first two games—Indiana Nov. 11 in the Armed Forces Classic and Duke Nov. 15 in the Champions Classic—and battling preseason No. 2 Kentucky in late January. —Ben Golbin
Nov. 29 vs. No. 12 Michigan State Dec. 3 vs. Maine Dec. 6 vs. Florida (New York) Dec. 10 at UNLV Dec. 19 vs. Tennessee State
Gavin Schilling
Dec. 21 vs. Elon
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