Kansas, Kentucky and Purdue seemed destined for deep NCAA Tournament runs a week ago, but are they exposed now after the top three ranked teams in the country lost this weekend? Here’s what those losses revealed about each team:
Kansas » Oklahoma State shot 60.4 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc in Saturday’s win over the Jayhawks. Kansas center Cole Aldrich has been dominant on defense — averaging 3.7 blocks a game — but he had a pedestrian performance against the Cowboys (11 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block). Aldrich’s scoring average has dropped from 14.9 last season to 11.4. Kansas needs production out of Aldrich on both ends of the floor.
Kentucky » The Wildcats shot a season-low 35 percent from the field in Saturday’s loss to Tennessee. Kentucky may be the country’s most talented team, with four NBA prospects, but they are really young. Kentucky relies heavily on three freshmen — John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe. Aside from Carmelo Anthony in 2003, freshmen don’t lead teams to titles.
Purdue » The Boilermakers have had problems scoring this season, including their 44-point performance in Sunday’s loss to Michigan State. Purdue has been held to 66 points or less in its four losses. And with Robbie Hummel (15.7 points a game) done for the season, the Boilermakers may continue to have problems on offense.
