Tag: Kai Jones

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 2.0: How has the NCAA season changed rankings?

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Former top recruits like Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs have made a great first impression and have confirmed why many already feel they are going to be solid future professionals in the NBA.

Of course, considering the unusual nature of the college basketball season, some players are struggling a bit more than others. The performance on the court will likely stray closer to the mean with a larger sample size as the year continues.

But to get a better sense of where everyone stands right now, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, The Athletic and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

We highlighted the prospects who have been the biggest risers since we published our last edition of this exercise.

College basketball standouts who have most drastically improved their draft stock through the early parts of the season include Keon Johnson (Tennessee), James Bouknight (UCONN), Jared Butler (Baylor), Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Day’Ron Sharpe (UNC), Aaron Henry (Michigan State), Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois), Marcus Bagley (Arizona State), Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky), Jason Preston (Ohio) and Luka Garza (Iowa).

Below are the rankings based on the latest mock drafts from top analysts and experts:

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

Texas advances to Maui Invitational championship with win over Indiana

Texas’ quarterfinal matchup in the Maui Invitational against Indiana was an offensive struggle. UT’s led wire to wire in the 66-44 win.

Texas’ quarterfinal matchup in the Camping World Maui Invitational against Indiana was an offensive struggle for both teams. The Longhorns led wire to wire in the 66-44 win.

Going into the game, containing preseason forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Jackson was going to be key for Texas. In Indiana’s first-round matchup against Providence, the two combined for 34 points.

On Tuesday, it was too little too late until Jackson-Davis got going. He finished with 17 points, seven of which came in the final six minutes. Jackson was not any help for Indiana either, scoring four points on 1-4 shooting.

As a whole, the Hoosiers’ 44 points were the program’s lowest total since Jan. 2014 against Northwestern. As it has been for a couple of seasons, the Hoosiers struggled from three-point range. Only attempting 10 from deep, two went in.

On the offensive end, Matt Coleman was once again the guy. He shot the ball efficiently, going 6-11, including two three-pointers. He led the team with 16 points and is now averaging 14.3 points per game.

Texas did not shoot the ball well as a team, shooting 38.6% from the field. 15 turnovers are never a positive, even in a win. While Indiana will go down as a Quadrant One victory based on their KenPom ranking, the Longhorns will need to be better offensively in the championship game.

Player of the game – Brock Cunningham

Talk about a player who can do a little bit of it all. Cunningham’s final slash line of 6 points/4 assists/11 rebounds is solid, especially when you add in the three steals. He was all over the court tonight both on the glass and guarding Indiana on the defensive end.

Cunningham is not the Longhorns’ go-to offensive threat. However, the versatility on defense, on the boards, and from behind the three-point line when left open, is incredibly valuable. It showed against the Hoosiers as the Longhorns move onto the championship game.

Highlights

Next up – North Carolina/Stanford at 3 p.m. on ESPN

Texas will be moving onto the championship game against either North Carolina or Stanford. The two teams tipped off just after the Longhorns got their victory over Indiana. No matter who advances alongside Texas, it will be a battle.

For North Carolina, it is about their excellent frontcourt led by Garrison Brooks. Roy Williams’ squad is once again a favorite in the ACC after a down year. Looking at Stanford, true freshman Zaire Williams is the real deal. The former five-star is listed at 6-8 and is incredibly athletic and a gifted offensive player.

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Texas Basketball: Longhorns narrowly defeat Davidson in Maui Invitational opener

UT’s 78-76 win over Davidson in the Maui Invitational sees them to the second round. The Wildcats had two chances to hit game-winning shots.

Texas’ perfect record remained intact after a 78-76 win over Davidson in the first round of the Maui Invitational. The Wildcats had two opportunities to hit game-winning shots with under five seconds but forward Sam Mennenga miss both.

Courtney Ramey played the hero role for the Longhorns, finding a way to the basketball to hit the game-winning layup with 0:19 left. He finished the game as the leading scorer, having 14 points on 4-11 shooting.

Defensively, Texas struggled with Davidson’s size early in the game. Mennenga was efficient all game, shooting 60%, including 4-4 from inside the three-point line.

Once Shaka Smart when towards a bigger lineup, including Kai Jones and Brock Cunningham, the defense got better. The Longhorns were also able to crash the offensive glass, securing 13 rebounds off their missed shots.

The most encouraging statistic from the win over Davidson is Texas’ 18 assists. Last season, the Longhorns ranked last in the Big 12 in assists per game, averaging 9.9. On Monday afternoon, Matt Coleman was excellent at distributing the ball, having nine assists.

Player of the game – Kai Jones

His final slash line of 13/1/2 may not raise any eyebrows but it was more about what will not show up on the stat sheet. Jones was able to bring a big presence on the defensive end, contesting Davidson shots better.

Looking back to the stats, and Jones did not miss a shot all afternoon. He went two for two from deep and rocked the rim a couple of times as well. An athletic 6-11 forward who has range is always a plus to have.

Highlights

Next up – Indiana/Providence at 12:30 pm

CST on ESPN

Indiana and Providence tipped off shortly after Texas got their win. Both the Hoosiers, out of the Big Ten, and the Friars, out of the Big East, will be excellent early season tests for the Longhorns in the second round.

Either way, the game will take play at 12:30 pm CST on ESPN. Hopefully, there will be more quality time spent with Bill Walton.

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Texas Basketball: Longhorns smother UT-Rio Grande Valley 91-55

The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team handled their business on Wednesday night. They beat UT-RGV 91-55, led by Courtney Ramey.

The Longhorns men’s basketball team got their season started against UT-Rio Grande Valley. Courtney Ramey got the scoring going early with their five points of the game. It was clear there was a talent gap between the two teams. Texas returned their entire team from a season ago with the addition of Greg Brown, more on him in a moment.

The story of the first half was the transition offense and play of Kai Jones. He led the team in the first half with 11 points and four rebounds at the half. Texas built a 45-29 lead heading into the break. Brown struggled in the first half missing all six of his shots but had two points and six rebounds at the break.

He would open the second half with a ferocious dunk.

As the game wore on, the Texas Longhorns team showed off their length and athleticism. K. Jones was able to showcase his hops with a few dunks off passes from Matt Coleman and Ramey. The Longhorns built their lead up to 81-53 late in the second half with just under five minutes to go.

Brown played much better in the second half went on, he recorded a double-double in his first collegiate game. The Longhorns expanded their lead to over 30 points in the closing minutes.

Courtney Ramey led all scorers in this game. At times looked sloppy but Texas handled an inferior opponent, which hasn’t always been the case for Shaka Smart in early nonconference play. Five Texas players would finish with double-digit scoring.

Final Stats:

Player Shooting Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks
Ramey 7-11 20 5 6 1 1
Coleman 6-10 17 1 5 1 1
Brown 2-9 11 10 0 0 0
K. Jones 6-6 14 8 0 1 0
Sims 1-3 4 10 0 1 1

 

Texas Basketball: Jericho Sims, Kai Jones and Jase Febres to miss ISU game

The Texas Longhorns will be without Jericho Sims, Jase Febres and Kai Jones against the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday.

Life for the Texas men’s basketball team has been rough going through the thick of their conference schedule. Life didn’t get any better as they prepare for their next matchup with the Iowa State Cyclones. The Longhorns will be looking for the season series sweep on Saturday, one of their lone bright spots on this season filled with disappointments.

The Longhorns will be without Kai Jones and Jase Febres for the Cyclones game and now it looks like Jericho Sims will be out for an undetermined amount of time. The latest news came as a bit of shock as he is dealing with a back injury that could possibly keep him sidelines for the rest of the season. That was a huge blow to the Longhorns basketball team that has had their own issues on the court.

Sims currently sits 8th among Big 12 rebounders with 8.2/game. The Longhorns will now need to find production with no other Texas player in the top 20 rebounders in the conference. This likely will mean more playing time for Royce Hamm Jr who is only averaging 9.4 minutes per game. He also averages 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. The Longhorns could also lean on more Kamaka Hepa to play some more minutes for Texas.

The Cyclones are dealing with injury issues of their own with Tyrese Haliburton done for the year with a fractured wrist. He was averaging 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. The Longhorns travel to Ames, Iowa on Saturday for the final regular season matchup between these two schools.