KU basketball to play Creighton in next Big 12-Big East Challenge at Allen Fieldhouse
Creighton’s men’s basketball team is slated to play Kansas in the Big 12-Big East Challenge during the upcoming 2020-21 nonconference season at Allen Fieldhouse.
A source close to the situation confirmed to The Star a report by CBSsports.com’s Jon Rothstein that the Jayhawks and Bluejays will meet on a yet-to-be-announced date (likely early December) in KU’s tradition-rich building.
The other matchups as reported by Rothstein: Kansas State at Butler; Villanova at Texas; Baylor at Seton Hall; Providence at TCU; St. John’s at Texas Tech; Oklahoma at Xavier; West Virginia at Georgetown; Oklahoma State at Marquette and DePaul at Iowa State.
Creighton, which went 24-7 a year ago and 13-5 in the Big East, will be led by former Eudora High standout Mitch Ballock, who will return to play in Allen Fieldhouse his senior season.
Ballock, a 6-5 guard, averaged 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season. He hit 93 of 214 threes for 43.5%. He had 95 assists against 28 turnovers while starting all 31 games for the Bluejays. He hit a school-record 11 threes in a single game, against DePaul last season.
Other area players on the Creighton team: Jett Canfield, sophomore from Topeka Hayden High; Christian Bishop, junior, Lee’s Summit West and Nic Zeil, sophomore from Park Hill High
KU also will play in the four-team Wooden Legacy tournament Nov. 26 and 27 in Anaheim, California. The teams to compete: KU, Georgetown, UCLA and Virginia. The matchups have not yet been announced.
The Jayhawks will meet Kentucky in the 2020 Champions Classic on Nov. 10 at Chicago’s United Center. Also, KU is scheduled to play a road game in the Big 12-SEC Challenge in January. The opponent has not yet been announced.
NBC lists Doke, Dotson as 1st-rounders
Kansas guard Devon Dotson and center Udoka Azubuike are listed as first-round picks in NBCsports.com’s latest 2020 NBA mock draft, released Wednesday.
Dotson, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Charlotte, North Carolina who recently announced plans to turn pro on April 13, is projected by NBCsports.com’s Rob Dauster to be taken at No. 29 overall in the June 25 draft. Azubuike, 7-foot senior from Delta, Nigeria, is right behind at No. 30.
The draft, which figures to be delayed because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, consists of 60 total picks covering two rounds.
Meanwhile, the two KU players are listed as second-rounders in the latest draft prospect rankings of CBSsports.com. Dotson is listed at No. 32 overall and Azubuike No. 55.
KU ranked No. 6 in ESPN poll
KU is ranked No. 6 in the country in ESPN.com’s latest preseason rankings for the 2020-21 season, announced Monday.
Villanova is No. 1, followed by Gonzaga, Baylor, Virginia, Iowa, KU, Duke, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Arizona State. Other Big 12 schools mentioned: Texas Tech at No. 11 and West Virginia No. 23.
“Losing All-Americans Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike is going to be difficult for coach Bill Self to overcome, but he has lost players to the NBA before and not missed a beat. We expect that to continue,” writes Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com.
“He also has plenty of talent left on the roster. Marcus Garrett, arguably the best defensive player in college basketball, should be one of the best overall players in the country next season, and Ochai Agbaji decided to return and not even test the NBA draft waters. The Jayhawks are bringing in two very talented perimeter pieces in five-star guard Bryce Thompson and elite junior college prospect Tyon Grant-Foster. There are two big questions I have for Kansas. First, point guard play. Garrett can certainly initiate the offense, but expecting him to be a dynamic playmaker in the mold of Dotson, Devonté Graham, Frank Mason, etc., seems to be a lot to ask. Then there’s inside play. Azubuike was the most dominant physical force in college basketball; is David McCormack ready to fill his shoes?” Borzello adds.
Jayhawks to be a No. 2 seed?
Kansas is predicted to be an early No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional of next year’s NCAA Tournament, according to the latest bracketology from ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi.
The other No. 2 seeds listed: Duke, Michigan State and Wisconsin. The No. 1 seeds: Villanova, Baylor, Gonzaga and Virginia. Missouri, Kansas State and Wichita State were not predicted by Lunardi to make the tournament.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 9:59 AM.
