Honestly, I'm not so sure we win this game. The Vols are extremely dangerous, and if we don't take extra steps to make sure they don't grab every rebound in sight, it could be a long day on the boards.

I will say, though, that we do, somehow, win today. I'll say it's because Cole Aldrich schools Brian Williams and one of the Morris twins (I'll take Marcus, simply because of personal preference) shows up in a big way. I'm talking 17 and 10 big. And, hell, maybe, if Mario Little plays as has been speculated, that will give us the spark we need.

Kansas 78 Tennessee 69

Here it is.

What we've all been waiting for.

It should be a decent game, against a mostly quality opponent, in a game that most college football fans couldn't care less about. Plus, with its banishment to the always-awesome-but-exclusive NFL Network, it shouldn't draw too many eyeball.

But as long as we win, it doesn't matter much. That's the key, here. Win. I want to start some long-ass bowl winning streak. It stands at 2 currently, obviously, but I want to go up, up, up. And while the most important aspect of getting into bowl games is to get those extra practices, it is fun to win them as well. So hell, why not win?

I bet we do win, in fact, although they keep us on our toes for the first 3 quarters-or-so. I bet Eric Decker burns us at least once, and their newly-developed power running game might give us some fits. But our offense is too explosive to be contained for too long, and I bet Dezmon Briscoe explodes.

Kansas 38 Minnesota 20.

I will be at the game, but if any of y'all want to chat the game up, make sure and drop in here.

As I said, who the hell knows how this will all turn out. Should be fun, though, and definitely a good test to see where we're at.

The key will be Brady on Budinger, IMO. If Brady can keep Budinger from completely going insane, our superior talent just about everywhere else (Hill is good, yes, but Aldrich is better and I'll take Collins + Taylor against t heir backcourt duo any day of the week and twice on Tuesday nights) should allow us to win. So, Brady, I'm looking at you. Make us all proud.

My prediction? I'll say that Brady does a pretty good job on Chase, and one of the Morris twins (my bias will take Marcus, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it be Markieff at all) blows up. Kansas 78 Arizona 67

But again, that is purely a guess. There are far too many teams to identify which one is going to show up for both teams, making predictions pretty much impossible.

I should be here for game time, by the way, if you want to stop by and chat during the game. I'll be flipping back-and-forth between the KU-AZ game and the end of the sure-to-be-epic San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl between Boise State and TCU, but should still be plenty active.

ROCK CHALK!

Should be interesting to see how we handle coming off a loss where we played abosultely terrible. Plus, Temple is a really good basketball team, and Dionte Christmas is ridiculous. Of course, as good as the Owls can be (evidenced by their shellacking of Tennessee last Saturday), they have already lost three games this year, including by 16 to Miami-Ohio.

It is certainly possible we lose that game. Combining that with how we shit the bed last Saturday, and today figures to be an incredibly telling look as to where our team stands now. And, for those worriers out there, a loss here would start to put some pressure on the 'Hawks to win, say, @ Arizona on Tuesday night. I don't think it is really possible we miss out on the NCAAs this year, but it would be nice not to go into a mid-December tailspin.

My prediction? We come out too amped up after our loss and commit plenty of turnovers and miss some shots. We fall behind early, Sherron shoots way too many forced jumpers and Christmas goes off. Losing by 12 at some point in the first half. Then, we come raging back, this time led by the Morris twins and Tyshawn Taylor, and are tied at half. We come out on fire in the second half and comfortably win by fifteen-or-so: Kansas 76 Temple 63

There hasn't been too much content regarding this game for two reasons. For one, it has been fun to follow along with the recruiting exrtravaganza that was this week, both in football and basketball.

But for two, it is because the Minutemen just aren't that good. In the preseason, way back when we didn't know how our freshmen would react and just how good of a coach Derek Kellogg would be, I circled this game as one where our freshman-ness would rear its head and we could fairly easily lose. Of course, now that the Minutemen have gone 1-5 in the regular season (although three of their losses have been by a combined 5 points, and one of them was an OT loss to Boston College) and our freshmen have far exceeded my expectations, especially that one kid who stole Chalmers' number, this one shouldn't be too close.

It should be a lot like the Kent State game, actually. I think Kent State is a better team, but we also had Allen Field House on our side that time, and while the 96% Kansas Sprint Center will certainly be biased, it won't be the same rockin' place like AFH.

However, UMASS isn't an absolutely terrible team. Chris Lowe (#14) is a ridiculous assist-man, averaging over six a game. Tony Gaffney (#24) is a tall, lanky white guy who is a masterful tipper. No, not waitresses, I'm talking basketballs around the rim. He will be a really good test for our young kids to work on that whole boxing out thing,

But, most of all, watch out fo #5 Ricky Harris, their top scorer. He is averaging more than 21 points a game, and is shooting about 43% from three-point range, so he should be a good test for Tyshawn Taylor or whoever else happens to be matching up on him.

So, in short, here is my summation of the Minutemen. They don't have too much of a shot to actually pull off an upset, but they have three really good players that could put enough of a scare in Kansas that fans will question why it is this close against a 1-5 team. Don't panic, this team has talent and much of the early-season losses can probably be attributed to the coaching change from Travis Ford to Derek Kellogg.

Still, I'm not too worried. Like, at all. Kansas 86 UMASS 71

And that is with a late, mini-run by the Minutemen.

This game should be over before it even starts, and should be a blowout before the under-eight-minute timeout in the first half. They could very well be the worst team we've played yet, although Florida Gulf Coast probably still holds that honor.

In any case, this is a completely non-pressure game, so much so that I will be flipping away on commercials to watch other, more pressing athletic events, namely some college football, with a couple of college basketball games sprinkled in.

So, enjoy yourself, don't yell at the TV, and see if your freshmen have developed any more since Wednesday night. My guess is yes.

Kansas 88 Jackson State 56

Yeah, it's a blowout.

Sorry for the lack of preview, as I would have liked to get one up as this game is pretty large. Sure, Kent State doesn't have the name value that a Washington or Syracuse has, but their is certainly an argument to be made that they are a better team than Washington (I'm good with that one), or even Syracuse, although that one would likely be more hotly contested.

Last year, watching random, assorted college basketball games, I discovered the Kent State Golden Flashes. Well, I didn't discover them, like at all, as it was mid-February when I first saw a large majority of one of their games. But, the first time I saw them, they were fantastic, and I instantly fell in love with them. I particularly fell in love with one player, Al Fisher, who was one of the most exciting players I saw all of last season. I pegged them as a team I would have go quite far in the NCAAs, my sleeper pick that I had a inside scoop on (i.e. I had actually seen them play).

Of course, they ended up as the 8/9 seed and the #1 seed in their section of the bracket? Uh, yeah, that'd be us, the Kansas Jayhawks. So, for obvious reasons, I couldn't have them go too far in the NCAAs. And they lost in the first round anyways, so whatever.

But enough dialogue about last year. Because we are clearly not the same team as last season. Kent State, however, is largely the same team. They only lost two players from last season, although those two players were prevalent characters on last season's team. One was Haminn Quaintance, a 6'8" F that was the key player in the post for them. He specialized in the trade of swatting the shots, averaging 2 blocks a game. So, no more of that. And the other was another starter and the other main low post presence, 6'7" Mike Scott. Scott was more of the scorer down low, as opposed to Quaintance's reputation as the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and outright dominant defender.

So who are they returning? Well, Al Fisher, for one. Including Fisher, they are returning 66% of their scoring, 58% of their rebounding and only 29% of their blocks. So, not in a complete-and-utter rebuild like us, but they lost two of their three best players from last season, leaving All-Everything Al Fisher to lead the Golden Flashes to their eleventh straight 20-win season. Or something like that.

As we conclude the longest intro to an Open Game Thread of all time (although, I get a free pass because it also serves as a preview), here are the other, non-Al Fisher players to watch out for.

• Mike McKee is a junior G who has seen a six-minute bump in PT this year. He is their second best three-point shooter (after Fisher), currently sitting at 39%.
• Chris Singletary is another junior G, one who has seen his minutes rise from 23 to 30 minutes this year. He isn't a great outside shooter, judging by the numbers, but is a great slasher and is averaging 15.2 points a game.
  
• The low post minutes are primarily distributed between Brandon Parks (a junior C), Julian Sullinger (senior 6'5" F) and Anthony Simpson, a true freshman.
  

Sure, they have already lost twice this year, but that was in a six-point loss to Illinois in overtime and to Texas A&M by only six as well. Fisher scored 18 against Illinois and 24 against the Aggies, so yeah, dude can score.

Still, we are pretty awesome defensively for how young we are. So, I'm not too worried about the game from a won-loss standpoint, just worried that a closer-than-expected finish might cause some of the fanbase to worry. But who cares what they think anyway, right?

I'll take the Jayhawks, obviously, 78-69. Close until about 2 minutes left.

Here we go.

This is the game that we have been waiting for since last year's not-so-fun finish.

Of course, even an upset win, and it certainly would be an upset, does little to diminish last season's monumental win by the Tigers. So, it isn't like this is a revenge game. Just a good, ol' fashioned rivalry game. Any time Missouri and Kansas get together, there is hatred and reveng and anger and desire and all of that fun stuff involved. That goes without saying.

And we will have to take advantage of those qualitative categories to win, because let's be honest; the quantitative numbers don't stack up. Not by a longshot. We are still a good team, and we still possess plenty of damn good football players that were around last year that made the game what it was, Armageddon at Arrowhead.

Todd Reesing. Kerry Meier. James Holt. Dezmon Briscoe. The list goes on and on. But we clearly aren't the same team as last year, as is painfully obvious, and while we can get into reasons later, Missouri is just about as good as last year. Not as good, no, but closer to last season's team than we are to ours.

So, given last year's loss, this year's chances don't look so hot. I will certainly be watching and cheering actively, it is the Border War afterall, but don't expect a profound showing from our football team.

Not to be negative and piss on the parade, but I just don't see it adding up. And still, just because I can't pull myself to actually pick the Tigers to beat our Jayhawks, I'll still take Hot Toddy and Company to pull off the upset. And, just for the record, it wouldn't be a tremendous upset. I would probably give us, oh, about a 38% chance of winning today. not incredibly long odds by any stretch of the imagination, but not exactly confidence-inspiring numbers either.

Kansas 35 Missouri 34

Rock it. Chalk it. Talk it.

Oh, and I'll be here for the duration of the game, so check on in.

Tonight should be oodles of fun. Syracuse is clearly a better team than we are, and I have kinda-sorta been expecting a loss to the 'Cuse/Florida winner all along. That isn't to say we won't win, in fact, given last night's performance, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see us win.

But it is nice for us to play an intense game this early on in the season, and I am legitimately excited for it. Much more excited than I usually am about college basketball in November.

No keys tonight or nothing, I really don't know too much about the Orange. However, I will say one thing: we have to make outside shots. It is near-impossible to beat a zone without knocking down threes, and we haven't really shown an ability to make outside shots thus far this season. SC can, sure, but I can't say with a straight face that anyone else definitively can. Tyrel Reed probably can, from everything I've read and some flashes I've seen, but he has yet to come out and prove it. Tonight would be a mighty fine time to break out, Tyrel. Or, really, anyone not named Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins.

With all of that said, I'll take the optimistic route. I rarely, if ever, actually predict us to lose a game on these Open Game Thread thing-a-ma-bobs, and I certainly am not going to predict a loss tonight. We start off a little shaky, but Cole keeps us in the game throughout the first half and we knock down enough shots in the second half, led by a breakout performance from my boy, Tyrel Reed, (well, Travis Releford is more of my boy, but he certainly isn't Bill Self's boy, as evidenced by his playing time) who will knock down 4 treys. Yeah, boy.

Kansas wins 72-67.

And check back in after the game, as we will breakdown the game tonight, hopefully. The rest of the week will mostly be devoted to the football team, however, as we apparently have some rivalry game on Saturday. Still, there will be some basketball content, particularly concerning Self's updated rotation and all of that fun stuff.

Oh, and I should be here ALL night tonight. At least hopefully.

Rock it. Chalk it. Talk it.

Well, here we go. Our first real test of the season, although even this one looks to be a should-be win. Sure, it is entirely possible we lose, but I'd be plenty happy to wager that we are the better team, and we will win tonight.

But maybe I'm being too optimistic. Maybe I'm expecting too much from our young players, because no matter how good the relevant returning duo are, we will need at least two-or-three other players to come out and play, at the least, decent. Because, while the Washington Huskies are also riddled with youth, they do possess Jon Brockman, who is an absolute beast. It should be a great barometer on where Cole Aldrich currently stands in his defensive game. And it's really nice that, even if it is in November, he will face at least one All-American-quality big man before he has to match up with Blake Griffin, who is probably the best player in the country.

However, beyond Brockman, the Huskies have very, very little. At least, very, very little experienced talent. Sound familiar? And while there certainly are some similarities between the two teams, and they do possess the better humongous white post guy, there are three key reasons why we will win this game.

1. Sherron Collins - It's pretty simple, really. Sherron Collins will be the best perimeter player on the court at all times tonight, and it won't be too close. He seems to be at that magic weight, under 200, if just barely, where he can skeedattle in-and-out of the lane with ease. It's a blast to watch him play, and it should be quite fun to watch him, at times, take over the game.
   
2. Our Young Talent is, well, More Talented - Sure, it may sound snooty and, in all honesty, we can't say for sure right now. That is the whole meaning of the word 'young'. But, by all accounts, our young crop of freshmen figure to be significantly more talented and more ready for primetime action this early on in the season. So, while both teams are riddled with some unproven commodities, ours are better commodities.
   
3. Homecourt Advantage - Yes, I know this isn't Allen Field House. Trust me, if it was, this would have been #1. But while it doesn't have all of those cool banners that freak you out, or the tradition seeping out of the walls, or the goosebump-filled pregame video that makes you want to jump around and scream, especially when that one shot from Mario Chalmers sinks, it will have plenty of Kansas fans. Plenty of 'em. I guess that is sort of the added bonus to playing a November Tournament Classic less than an hour from your home.

So, yeah, tonight should be fun. At the very least, it should be mildly nerve-racking in the first half, likely because of some Jon Brockman-inspired U-Dub run. But it ain't happenin'. We are going to win this game. If you want a more-specific prediction, I'll give you 79-63.

Oh, and I should be here throughout the game, finally, chatting up Jayhawk hoops. Hope you can join in.