Baylor might be the best case study regarding how much stock should be placed in exhibitions. Scott Drew's Bears were picked seventh in CBS Sports' Big 12 preview. That was far more optimistic than the Big 12 preseason poll that tabbed Baylor 10th!
Both look iffy right now, though, after Baylor knocked off No. 1 Florida (in Jacksonville, aka the Gators' backyard) and No. 3 Illinois (in a true road game) in its first two exhibitions. The reality is that numerous things can be true: Baylor is clearly much improved, but I don't think rushing to crown the Bears as a no-doubt, top-20 team is the way to go quite yet. Check back in on Dec. 1 after Baylor heads to Las Vegas for the Player's Era.
We'll know if the exhibitions were a sign of things to come or just utterly pointless. With that in mind and context at the forefront of the discussion, let's dive into what's maybe real and maybe fake from the wave of college basketball exhibitions. What might be real: The Mason Williams emergence.
The stocky 6-foot-3 freshman guard was not a top-100 recruit, but he is already a major part of this Kentucky puzzle. He deposited 14 points and made numerous winning plays, including collecting a huge offensive rebound that led to a Milan Momcilovic dagger with less than two minutes to go. He takes the easy stuff and provides another knockdown shooter who can play on or off the ball.
He played five more minutes than Washington transfer Zoom Diallo and was on the floor during winning time. What definitely isn't real: Texas Tech's style of play right now is not going to be the same once JT Toppin heals up and Jamichael Stillwell gets clearance from a judge in the 5-in-5 saga. Those are two major difference-makers for this Texas Tech frontcourt.
Grant McCasland basically played four guards and 6-8 forward Josiah Moseley as a small-ball center for half the game. The lack of size impacts literally everything on offense and defense and basically forces Texas Tech to need to make double-digit triples to win. That being said, Texas Tech still was very live to win this game.
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