It didn't start off too pretty but the Jayhawks regrouped at halftime and eventually pulled away from Pitt State to win 84-55. Kansas had just a 5 point lead at the half but scored 52 points in the second half en route to the win.
More tomorrow when I do the recap, but this game doesn't really tell us anything we don't know: depth should be an issue and one of Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson or Thomas Robinson will need to be on the floor at all times. I think we did learn, however, that Jeff Withey and Nadir Thaarpe can put in some good minutes when those guys aren't in the game. All Withey did was collect a triple double (too bad it won't count officially), scoring 18 points, grabbing 12 boards and blocking 10 shots. Tharpe had 12 points and 8 assists, and while he did turn it over 9 times, 7 of those were in the first half when he was no doubt nervous, and at least three of those could be credited to bad catches on the other end. It's way early, but he definitely looks like a player so far.
On the negative side, way too many turnovers. I'll have the percentage tomorrow, but 23 is way too many. Last year it was ok because the team shot so well, but this year I don't think offense will come very easily, so making sure we don't lose possessions is essential. I don't like singling out college kids, but Travis Releford needs to get a lot better in a hurry. He was just 4-9 from two, 0-2 from three, and 2-7 from the line. He did well running the floor but he looks pretty lost in the half court right now. Granted I bet he hasn't spent much time playing with the guys he did in practice, but it's not a lock that he'll always be out there with the first teamers in games so he needs to learn how to score a bit more efficiently.
I'll of course have the more detailed recap tomorrow but for now what are your first impressions for the game?