KU Predictions: Holy Cross

Harvard is behind us, and it sure didn't go as well as we hoped. With another tune-up to go before meeting with Oregon State this weekend, can Kansas show the potential is no longer just potential?  Our writing staff weighs in.

NineToesBlogging: Kansas is ranked as the number two team in the land. I was starting to think the other night that this KU Jayhawks squad has been given extremely high expectations. Though this is the case every year, this year feels different. Selden is playing well. Frank is controlling the tempo. Defensively the unit is fierce. I like Kansas. They don't give you a lot of reasons not to like them in any given game. Kansas 85, Holy Cross 72

dnoll5: I’ll be at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time in a few years, so here are some things that I’m hoping I get to see in person  1. Cheick Diallo with twenty plus minutes, even if things don’t seem to be as fluid as they could be because the kid needs reps before conference play.  2. Same goes for Carlton Bragg, get the kid minutes in this one.  3.  Bill Self said that he wants to figure out his big man rotation, so why not throw a healthy dose of Mickelson in there as well? 4. With all this size and with Perry and Frank getting to the rim, I’d like to see some finishing from two feet away; it’s not too much to ask. 5. A game where KU gets called for less than three moving screens. Kansas 88, Holy Cross 66.

mikeville: I think this game is going to be much more about Kansas than it is about Holy Cross.  But was Harvard enough of a wake-up call to where we’ll see the team we expected to see last weekend?  The Crusaders were not picked very high in their conference in preseason poll and haven’t exactly started strong this year (3-5), but they do have a one-point win over mighty Harvard this season.  So by using #SimpleMath, that means they’re one point better than Harvard. Kansas 75, Holy Cross 70.

KU Grad 08: I’m going to this game, which is almost always a guarantee that KU will play like complete dog crap. I think KU makes enough plays to win, but will suffer from a few bone-headed moments and scoring droughts. Kansas 74, Holy Cross 66.

Hammen: This game will surely go smoother than the Harvard game, but not a lot smoother-- especially if Self is going to use the game to tinker with the big man rotation, as he said he was.  This is what December is for, though.  I’d rather figure out our rotation and possibly struggle with cupcakes than go down to Gainesville and get drilled. Kansas 78, Holy Cross 64.

fizzle406: I think Kansas gets it going tonight. Holy Cross should be weak on the offensive boards which will be good for Kansas. I also expect to see a good game out of Wayne Selden tonight and maybe even a Hunter Mikkelsen sighting or two. Kansas 77, Holy Cross 60

Winmore: Ho - ly Cross! Sounds like a milquetoast curse. I’ll never forget how the Crusaders put the scare in #1 seeded Kansas in the opening game of the 2002 tournament. That was the first time I ever heard of the school. That ‘Hawks team went on to make the Final Four, but for about an hour and a half into the tournament the Crusaders had what was, arguably, Roy Williams’ most offensively explosive Kansas team on the ropes. After Kansas looked to be on their way to rolling Harvard this past Saturday, the Jayhawks played like ass down the stretch before preserving the win. I think that scare at home was probably good for them. This is a refocus game. Kansas 92, Holy Cross 63.

LAHawk - Kansas hasn't put together 2 solid halves since the UCLA game and I look for them to change that against the Crusaders. Although we might see some unbalanced lineups because of Self’s tinkering, I think the Jayhawks play inspired ball because individuals know that there are minutes for the taking. Speaking of individuals, the matchup I am looking forward to is Diallo vs. HC’s 6’11 Matt Husek. Husek gets about 24 MPG which is a number that Diallo can get to tonight, especially if Perry sees deceased time because of his hip. I would love to see Diallo outmuscle and rebound Husek on his way to 10+ rebounds. Kansas 83, Holy Cross 67.

misterbrain: I fully expect tonight's game to be like my kids’ reactions when I told them who we play tonight - “Holy Crap?!?” The problem is I don't know if it will be a “holy crap, we have no bench!” or a “holy crap, this team is stacked!”. I'm thinking these freshmen will show us some flashes of brilliance and KU shows why people think they are the number two team in the country. Kansas 93, Holy Cross 71.