KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cincinnati coach Wes Miller is excited about the future of freshman star Shon Abaev. Oklahoma State counterpart Steve Lutz is just as happy with his team's ability to play on the road, where the Cowboys struggled so mightily last season.
The good feels don't just come from practice, either.
As the coaches and players gathered for the Big 12's annual media day Wednesday, they were doing so after the Bearcats and Cowboys picked up a couple of impressive exhibition wins last week. Cincinnati beat No. 7 Michigan 100-98 at the Crisler Center, while Oklahoma State beat No. 20 Auburn 97-95 in overtime in Birmingham, Alabama.
“If you look into our team last year, we really struggled on the road, especially in conference play,” said Lutz, who took Oklahoma State to the quarterfinals of the NIT in his first season in Stillwater. “We got a win on the road, which is a good start.”
Even if it doesn't count.
The NCAA men’s basketball oversight committee approved a rule change in January that allows Division I programs to play two exhibition games without requiring a waiver. The committee also eliminated a requirement that proceeds be donated to charity, which means the lucrative exhibition games can produce more than just on-the-court benefits for the schools involved.
There are plenty of games on the horizon, too, before they start counting the first week of November. No. 19 Kansas heads to No. 11 Louisville on Friday night, the same night Kansas State visits Missouri — its old Big 12 rival — and Utah goes to Oregon.
On Sunday, Arizona State plays Texas A&M and No. 2 Houston plays Mississippi State in a Big 12-SEC exhibition doubleheader.
Such exhibition games, once played against amateur and semi-pro teams sponsored by companies, have perhaps never been more important. The explosion of the transfer portal means that most teams undergo major overhauls every season, and high-level games give players and coaches alike an opportunity to better prepare themselves.
“Feels good to play against a different team,” said Utah forward Keanu Dawes, whose team also played Nevada last week. “You play against each other in practice, but you don't know how anything goes until you step on the floor, and then obviously the fans are involved, real referees and stuff. It's just good to kind of get out there and play.”
About the G League
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson was stunned to read this week about Michigan State coach Tom Izzo bemoaning the fact that some G League players could be heading to college. London Johnson, who played three seasons in the minor professional league, has committed to Louisville, while another player, Thierry Darlan, is planning to go to Santa Clara.
Sampson was stunned because he didn’t even know G League players could be recruited. The NCAA has long barred anyone who played for pay, though more recently, rules have been bent for international prospects. And now, evidently, the G League.
That wasn’t the end of Sampson’s surprises, either.
“I realize I’m old and out of step with most things, but I did not know about that rule,” said Sampson, who then approached his son and assistant, Kellen Sampson, about it. “He said, ‘Yeah, we’re recruiting somebody.’
"I didn’t know we were recruiting someone. I didn’t even know the rule. I don’t know what all the rules are sometimes.”
Run it back
JT Toppin could have entered the NBA draft after a sophomore season in which the Texas Tech forward was voted a second-team All-American, the Big 12 player of the year, and led the Red Raiders to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, he chose to come back and chase a national championship.
Toppin's decision means that he could make some history. Raef LaFrentz of Kansas and Buddy Hield of Oklahoma are the only repeat winners of the Big 12 player of the year; LaFrentz won the award in 1997 and ‘98 and Hield in 2015 and ’16.
“Really, just keep the same mindset, the same work ethic,” Toppin said. “I felt like I had more pressure last year coming from a mid-major to a big stage, so it's not really pressure. It's just being humble and playing for my teammates.”
Close but not quite
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, who lost all of his starters from an injury-filled season, was asked Wednesday what it would take to lift the Sun Devils from last place in the Big 12. He seemed to bristle at the question, and for good reason.
“I think we were second to last,” he replied," but you're close."
Hurley is among the Big 12 coaches on the hot seat. The Sun Devils are coming off consecutive losing seasons.
“Making sure we stay healthy would be the one priority,” said Hurley, whose rebuilt roster features seven international players with loads of experience. “We lost a number of key players to significant injuries last year. Had some tough luck there.”
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