The Washington Husky basketball team takes on defending National Champion Kansas tonight on supposedly neutral ground in Kansas City.
Kansas is in rebuilding mode since most of the players from last year's National Championship team have either graduated or moved on to the pro's. Just two reserve players from the title team return, 6'11" sophomore center Cole Aldrich and junior guard Sherron Collins. Both are former high school All-Americans, who are now getting their first chance to shine.
Bill Self will be filling in the rest of the lineup with JC All-American Mario Little and freshman starters in 6'9" forward Markieff Morris and point guard Tyshawn Taylor, both from New Jersey.
Huskies reserve forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who missed the first three games due to leg injuries, is expected to make his season debut tonight against the Jayhawks and that should take a lot of pressure out of Wooden Award nominee Jon Brockman, who has been fighting double teams in the first three games.
This should be a pretty even game since both teams are trying to find themselves in the early part of the season. For Washington to win they are going to need better play offensively and defensively out on the perimeter. Isaiah Thomas showed some spark in the last game and he is going to have to provide at least 30 minutes of it tonight for the Huskies to pull off the upset.
Quincey Pondexter is another guy that has been inconsistent that needs to start showing up. Pondexter has NBA type potential that really hasn't developed since he has been at UW. He needs to start putting it all together on a nightly basis for UW to make a serious run this season.
CBE Classic Schedule
Today
Syracuse vs. Florida,
4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Washington vs. Kansas,
7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Tuesday
Consolation game, 4:45 p.m. (ESPNU)
Championship game,
7:15 p.m. (ESPN2)
Radio: KJR (950 AM)