Stacked Post on Big 12, Roby, Jackson, Bohn

Kansas showed again the potential is there for dominance.

Jayhawk fans just want to see that translate into consistency.

KU went on the road and ripped a good South Carolina team, 70-54, with torrid shooting and its' vaunted recruits.

The Jayhawks hit 59 percent of its' shots from the floor and despite shooting only five free throws, still won big.

Point guard Mario Chalmers continues to surprise as a scorer, leading KU with 19 while jocking up and recording five steals; freshman forward Darrell Arthur finished with 17 and Brandon Rush showed off a complete game with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Julian Wright chased down seven rebounds and had three rips, including one for a dunk, but remains an enigma offensively.

Black and Gold Truth: The Jayhawks beat Florida, win in Southeastern country but just isn't as dominant as normal at this time of year. Why? Despite the talent on this team, all the prep stars, the offense remains inconsistent and no one or two players have stepped up, proving themselves to be legitimate no. 1 and no. 2 options. Leadership is lacking and maybe confidence. KU is picked to win the Big 12 and the talent is there but without the "head"working, they may not achieve that goal.

Roby analysis wildly divergent

"NBA scouts seem confused about Colorado junior swingman Richard Roby, who has been in a slump all season. One Western Conference scout said Roby "has digressed" as an NBA prospect and had a slim chance at getting drafted at all, while an Eastern Conference scout said Roby was a mid-to-late first-round pick."

Marc Spears, Denver Post

BGT: What a bunch of junk that is -- not Spears' writing but the scout that thinks Roby can't play, which is the only reason he would not be drafted. Roby has regressed but not because he is a fraud but because he is playing with the daycare bunch and he is expected to carry the team by himself, which is resulting in him pressing.

What, he just all of a sudden lost his skills?

Any scout who has seen Roby's first two seasons knows the CU swingman has talent worth bringing to an NBA camp, worth being drafted. As has been written before, remember when Michael Finley looked great at Wisconsin, struggled the following season in college, slipped in the draft and became a steal for years. Remember in football, as has also been written here, when the same happened to some quarterback named Dan, ah, wait a second, what was his name, um, you know, that quarterback from Pitt, ah yeah...Marino. Roby can ball. He will get drafted. The NBA drafts on potential more than production.

Bonus

Here is some courtside insight from Patrick Ridgell of the Daily Camera.

BGT: How strong does the Big 12 look to you now? Is KU as good as they were predicted to be, is Oklahoma State going to be a power broker this season, is Texas A & M real, UT capable with all its' freshman, Missouri a player?

Ridgell: "I am a little surprised by the success of Missouri and Oklahoma State. Both those programs had a lot of talent last year, though, so I'm not totally stunned by their starts.

"Iowa State is better than I thought it'd be. Billy Gillespie is the kind of hire at a previously downtrodden program like A&M that should plant hope at CU that if the committee lures the right person for the job, success isn't far away.

"KU is very well coached, which combined with Brandon Rush's awesome talent gives it a chance to win the national title.

"Everyone is saying Kevin Durant (Texas) will be the second pick in the draft next summer, and after watching Saturdays' game, I can see why.

"There are so many ebbs and flows in college basketball, and I've seen so many teams, especially past Kansas clubs, strut into January and February and then fold in March. So, yeah, I think the league looks good so far. But let's wait until the Sweet 16 is here before we go ga-ga for any of these programs."

Buffs, Pokes getting writeups

"As ugly as it was at Colorado this season, all of the blame can't fall on QB Bernard Jackson (pictured), who struggled in his first year as a starter with little talent at wide receiver. To that end, CU has focused its recruiting on skill players in the passing game to help the quarterbacks--which this fall will include Cody Hawkins, son of coach Dan Hawkins. Speedy WRs Markques Simas and Kendrick Celestine are two big recruits Hawkins lured away from Southern California and Auburn, respectively. Unlike many freshman receivers, both Simas and Celestine will be physically ready for the grind of the Big 12."

Matt Hayes, The Sporting News

BGT: If Simas and Celestine qualify, which I've been told they haven't done yet, yes, the potential for immediate impact is there. No one has their fingers crossed or is praying harder for that to happen than Jackson and Hawkins. And maybe some running backs who are looking for less traffic in which to negotiate.

More Hayes...

"Oklahoma State WR Adarius Bowman says he will return for his senior season despite his performance in the Cowboys' Independence Bowl win. One AFC scout says Bowman (6-4, 220), with his size and athletic ability, could be a late first-round pick. Even if Bowman doesn't enter the draft, the football team still will have an issue: Bowman will play basketball at OSU this spring, which will take away from his ability to focus on spring practice and develop more timing and consistency with emerging star QB Bobby Reid."

BGT: Bowman had a breakout season and if he can go in the first round, you'd assume that would make his decision easy but with some big-time juniors likely coming out -- Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech), Dwayne Jarrett (USC), Robert Meachem (Tennessee) and maybe many more, Bowman would get pushed down in the draft.

By staying, if he does, his numbers probably won't go down playing with Reid, some quality backs and an offensive-minded head coach. The Cowboys know how to move the ball up and down the field, and if Bowman can duplicate or improve on his numbers, then he could shoot up the draft boards the following season.

Bohn showing wisdom

CU athletic director Mike Bohn showed some real wisdom by going back in time in hopes of creating a brighter future.

Bohn and members of the search committee for the next men's basketball coach at the school decided to meet former players to talk before the Buffs took on Texas over the weekend, according to an article by Kyle Ringo in the Daily Camera.

Ringo wrote that about 25 former players were in attendance.

Such a turnout says something, don't you think? Maybe they care deeply for the program, maybe they feel disconnected from it and maybe, they don't like that feeling.

One thing Bohn, CU and the next head coach can do and should do is create ownership of the program, and solicit former players to take a hold of it and sell it as proud Buffs.

Impressive move on behalf of CU. Long overdue.

Off the field...Reports out of Atlanta are saying Louisville coach Bob Petrino will leave the school to become the next head coach of the Falcons.

BGT: What? Not that all college success stories bomb out in the NFL but Dennis Erickson, Butch Davis, Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban were hardly slouches in the college game yet were failures in the pro game. Petrino has been a wonderful success at Louisville without all the premium talent Erickson, Davis, Spurrier and Saban had, telling me he is more coach than recruiter but Atlanta is taking a major risk, much more than Petrino, who likely will regret his decision, outside of his happy bank account. The majority of quality head coaches in the NFL have been in the "league" at the time of taking their job.