Rumors are circulating in the basketball world that Cole Aldrich will commit to KU this week.

Aldrich is KU’s #1 2007 target. He is Scout’s #1 ranked C and the 8th overall ranked player in 2007.

Aldrich recently narrowed his list to 3 schools: KU, Minnesota, and UNC. He was overwhelmed by the number of calls, mail, and inquiries of his family and coaches. He hoped by narrowing his focus to 3 schools, the recruiting frenzy would slow down and allow him to concentrate on school. That, of course, did not happen to the extent Aldrich hoped. One sure way to slow the recruiting process is to announce a decision. Making a commitment will take what must seem like the weight of the world off his shoulders.

Of the three finalists, UNC has given scholarships to two 2006 players that play the same position as he does (actuall one true C and one is a combo PF/C). At Minnesota, he would be close to home and would be “the man,” but he would not have the supporting cast around him like he would at KU and UNC. KU has given one 2006 scholarship to a PG (Sherron Collins) and is focused on PF with the remaining scholarship. KU seems like the logical choice for Aldrich, and he has visited KU on a number of occassions, including Late Night festivities this year.

GoldenSports.net, a Minnesota site, attempted to contact the Aldrich family to verify rumors that Aldrich will commit to KU. Cole is apparently trying to focus on his classwork right now and was not available for comment.

According to this blurb from the Sun-Sentinel:

In addition Posey and Anderson being out, center Michael Doleac said he remains limited by a strained left calf, an injury that likely will keep him out for opening night. … With the NBA’s new game-by-game inactive list, it means Posey, Anderson and Doleac likely will be designated with that status for Wednesday’s game. That would create active-roster spots for guard Dorell Wright, forward Wayne Simien and possibly center Earl Barron, pending the team’s final trim to 15, which could come today.

Mediocrity reigns once again as our neighbors to the East fail again to live up to their own gaudy, delusional expectations. KU’s defense absolutely dominated Mizzou, and it’s no wonder why.

Despite the fact that KU’s offense has placed such a burden on the defense, KU’s run defense is after today’s game is the best in the nation (thanks to PGo for pointing that out) Update: second best in the nation to OU. Give those guys a hand. They deserve it.

It was a glorious day in Lawrence. There are few finer things in sport than watching a mob of win-crazed students carrying goalposts off to Potter’s lake as the sun shines on Mt Oread.

Rock Chalk Jayhawks.

Look forward to next week, by the way, because the streak, which is 9 years older than me, will end, and it will end in front of a packed house.

This link wasn’t working forever, but you can finally check out the interview KU head basketball Coach Bill Self had with 810WHB’s The Border Patrol.

Here’s the link, you’ll have to paste it into a browser: http://www.810whb.com/soundBites/1968/self.wma

You’ll need Windows Media Player to stream the audio.

It’s early here on Saturday and we’ve got about 11 hours left before kickoff, so I thought I’d drop my prediction for the Border Kerfuffle.

KU 28 - MU 17

Just look at this compendium of rankings. KU is only ranked in three of them. It’s no surprise given that we lost about 75% of our scoring, 6 of our top 9 minute-users and that our best returning player is a former walk-on.

Actually, given those facts, it’s surprising we are still playing.

That’s the actual headline of this LJW article.

I’m going to think of it as a metaphor for Saturday’s game:

Police spokesman Sgt. Dan Ward said the transient was sleeping under a blanket near 10th and Massachusetts streets about 11 p.m. Wednesday, when the 40-year-old suspect approached him and began hitting him with a machete.

Ward said the 42-year-old victim’s blanket and multiple layers of clothing prevented him from suffering any injuries.

Machete?

Kellis Robinett of the Daily Kansan rates the road venues in the Big 12:

Ranking the Big 12: The best place to watch a game

The Big 12 Conference is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and like every large organization, it demands an award show.

Ever since the old Big 8 merged with four teams from the Southwest Conference to create the Big 12, fans have seen everything from a national championship in football to a major NCAA scandal in men’s basketball.

We could look back at these highlights and rank them, but anyone can look in a record book and find out which teams won what games. We college students need something we can use.

In an attempt to both honor the Big 12 and give readers something tangible, I have taken it upon myself to rank the best places to watch a game in the conference, excluding Kansas.

After traveling to Boulder, Colo., last Saturday, I have finally watched a football or men’s basketball game at every campus in the Big 12.

I’ve seen games from the stands as a fan, covered games from the press box as a member of the media and joined in on local night scenes as a college student. After seeing everything these Big 12 cities and colleges have to offer, here’s where they rank.

1. Texas A&M

The school’s fight song begins with the words, “Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck

Frank Burlison notes CJ Giles as one of his breakout players for the coming year.

CHESTER GILES (6-9, So., Kansas)

LAST SEASON: 2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 8.3 mpg in 21 games, five as a starter.

WHY HE’LL BREAK THROUGH: He’s one of three highly recruited post players who saw limited duty as freshmen. And here’s saying that the graduate of Rainier Beach High (also the alma mater of the New York Knicks‘ Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson, as well as Kansas teammate Rodrick Stewart) in Seattle will be the one to become a full-fledged Big 12 big man this season following the departure of Wayne Simien.
He might barely break into double figures as a scorer but he should be one of the conference’s best rebounders and shot blockers this season.

The whole thing is worth a read. Here’s their conclusion.

For the first time in recent memory, Kansas enters this season in a rebuilding mode. The talent is there, but it’s still raw and untested. Even if Chalmers, Downs and Wright mature quickly, the Jayhawks will have a tough time challenging experienced teams like Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech for the Big 12 title.

Like his players, Self hopes KU fans show patience as the Jayhawks search for an identity.

“We’ll be inconsistent early on,” Self says. “But by the time conference play gets here I hope we’ve become a consistent team that is tough for anyone to deal with.”

A couple of blurbs in today’s LJW are worth repeating.

First of all, KU tickets this year are going digital. No longer will ticket attendants be forced to touch your tickets and tear them in half. Now they will simply shoot a laser at your tickets. If it doesn’t fry the tickets, your ticket is deemed to be real. The price you pay for the light show? Getting to show up early to avoid a line. Ain’t progress grand?

Event staff will use hand-held scanners to electronically read the barcode printed on the ticket, a technology first used by the KU Athletic Department earlier this fall at Horejsi Center.

The new system also is designed to help people whose tickets were lost or stolen, though fans will be charged a replacement fee.

To keep the new system from causing long, slow lines, ticket holders are urged to arrive early and have their tickets out and ready for scanning at the gate. Also, ticket holders are being asked to not fold tickets along the barcode, so as not to cause delays.

Gone is ticket folding. Well, they can’t take away my dignity.

However, they are taking away student tickets entirely. Yes. No more tickets. One step closer to the Mark of the Beast as tickets will be able to be purchased online, then digitally encoded into a student’s KUID card.

Students now have the option of purchasing tickets online for a $1 charge, instead of repeatedly standing in line at Allen Fieldhouse throughout the season to buy tickets. Also, there will be no hard tickets. Instead, student IDs will be swiped, and the scanner will show whether that student purchased a ticket for that game.

All of you mid-twenties professionals packing your KUID and pretending to be students, well you can pony up to pay for tickets like your parents.

The law of unintended circumstances will be having a party with this decision, in my very humble opinion.

Now, students won’t be able to trade tickets. Will it hurt student attendance? I don’t know, but it’s hard to see how it will help when Johnny can’t go to the game and give Joey his ticket so Joey can go in his stead. Now Johnny will have to give Joey his ID. And thus ends a beauteous grey ticket market.

Hat tip to Tom Light at Phog.net for noticing this, but Gregg Doyel at CBS is ranking the Big 12 tops in basketball this year.

1. Big 12: From Final Four contenders at the top (Texas, Oklahoma) to Top 25 teams in the middle (Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas) to potential NCAA Tournament sleepers down the ladder (Iowa State, Nebraska, Texas A&M), the Big 12 is the strongest league this year. Next year? Probably not, what with Texas and Oklahoma anticipating huge NBA hits. But next year is next year. Live in the moment, people.