Oklahoma guard Young impresses early in season
Lexington Herald-Leader
As the Christmas break approaches and full-bore conference play is right around the corner, a look at who’s up and who’s downin college basketball:
• Up: Trae Young. The Oklahoma freshman guard and former Kentucky target not only leads NCAA Division I in scoring at 28.7 points per game, but also inassists at 10.4 per game.
After the Sooners’ upset of Wichita State last weekend, Oklahoma jumped into the AP Top 25 at No. 17.
• Down: Florida. After an impressive 5-0 start catapulted the Gators all the way to No. 5 in the AP poll, Mike White’s club has stumbled, losing four of its past seven
A frequent-flyer schedule with stops in Portland for the PK80 and New Jersey for a win against Cincinnati may have contributed tothe Gators’ undoing.
• Up: Arizona State. Looks like the third year is the charm for exDuke point guard Bobby Hurley, who after going 15-17 and 15-18 his first two seasons in Tempe has the red-hot Sun Devils off to a 10-0 start. Arizona Statewas unranked when the year started, but wins against then-No. 15 Xavier and then-No. 2 Kansas, in Lawrence, have skyrocketed the Devilsall the way to No. 3.
• Down: Kansas. Speaking of the Jayhawks, an unsettled roster has caused things to go sideways on Bill Self’s squad. Back-toback losses to Washington in Kansas City and Arizona State at Allen Fieldhouse dropped the Jayhawks all the way to No. 14 in the rankings. Reinforcements could be coming, however. Self hopes to get freshmen Billy Preston and Silvio De Sousa eligible before Big 12 play begins.
• Up: Texas A&M. Kentucky was the media’s preseason pick for SEC champ, but the Aggies have had the better non-conferenceseason. Billy Kennedy’s club is 11-1. Ken Pomeroy’s numbers rank A&M No. 3 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 7 overall. Those Cats-Aggies matchups on Jan. 9 (Lexington) and Feb. 10 (College Station) should be special.
• Down: Cody Riley and Jalen Hill. The freshman duo of 6-7 power forwards was supposed to bring immediate help to a UCLA team that lost Lonzo Ball, T.J. Leaf and Bryce Alford off of last year’s squad. Alas, Riley was one of three Bruins indefinitely suspended after being accused of shoplifting in China. LiAngelo Ball withdrew from school, but head coach Steve Alford hopes a decision on the status of Hill and Rileywill be made soon.
• Up when you thought it would be down: Missouri. Michael Porter Jr., considered the top freshman in all the land, played all of two minutes before being taken under the knife for back surgery. No problem. Firstyear coach Cuonzo Martin has Mizzou at 10-2 entering Saturday night’s game. Last season, the Tigerswon eight games.
• Down when you thought it would be up: Vanderbilt. After a strong finish secured the Commodores a spot in last year’s NCAA tournament, Bryce Drew may have overscheduled for his second season in Nashville. Off to a 5-7 start, Vanderbilt has lost to USC, Virginia, Seton Hall and Arizona State, all of whom are or havebeen ranked.
• Up, but now back down: Indiana. So far, new coach Archie Miller’sfirst year in Bloomington has been a roller-coaster ride. The Hoosiers lost to Indiana State 90-69, but later went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Duke before losing 9181. Last weekend, they upset No. 18 Notre Dame in overtime, then turned around Monday and lost to Fort Wayne for the second consecutive season — this time by 20 (yes,20) at home.
• Down, but now back up: It was a horrific start for Arizona. Sean Miller’s top recruiter was snagged in the FBI investigation. Ranked No. 3 in the preseason, the Wildcats dropped successive games to North Carolina State, SMU and Purdue (by 25). Miller appears to have pulled the car out of the ditch, however, with wins against Texas A&M, Alabama, New Mexico and Connecticut.