NC Central at Kansas Preview
After a long and eventful offseason, college basketball is back and the Kansas Jayhawks begin their latest quest for another national title. The first opponent is North Carolina Central, who will visit Allen Fieldhouse Monday as part of the first McLendon Classic in honor of John McLendon, who was a Kansas graduate and NCCU’s first head coach.
Opponent Overview
Team: NC Central
Record: 0-0
Line: KU -28.5
Team Form
NC Central went 18-12 a season ago – and 10-4 in the MEAC, good for a second-place finish behind Howard – and finished No. 186 in KenPom. But this is not the same team. All five starters from that team are gone and head coach LeVelle Moton brought in 10 transfers and 11 new players in total to go along with six returning players from last year’s squad. KenPom has NCCU at No. 306 to start the season. Though, the Eagles are picked to finish third in the MEAC.
KU is not the only power-five team on the Eagles' schedule this year. NCCU will also play Georgia next week and return to Virginia in December after the Eagles only lost by 12 against the Cavaliers to start the season last year.
Players to Watch
Moton tapped the junior college ranks to replace last year’s team, with the most notable statistically being Kyle Dickson, a 6-7 Canadian forward who averaged 21 points a season ago at Grayson College. Other JUCO transfers are Po’Boigh King (13.4 ppg at Harcum College) and Josh Smith (13.9 ppg at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas). NCCU also brought some size with 6-9, 230-pound sophomore Perry Smith Jr. – who came from the University of Vermont and played just shy of 10 minutes per game as a freshman – and Emmanuel Izunabor, a 6-8, 225-pounder who played the past four seasons at High Point but never averaged more than 5.1 points and 5.4 rebounds for a season.
Among the returners from the 2022-23 Eagles are Fred Cleveland, who averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 assists in 14 minutes per game, and Ja’Darius Harris, a 6-2 guard who averaged 4.4 points in 11 minutes.
Matchups to Watch
Moton teams have historically had better defensive efficiency than on the offensive side of the ball, and specifically, NCCU has been solid at defending the three-point line. But that’s not where Kansas is going to look to exploit the Eagles. And with its tallest player being 6-9 (Smith Jr.) and only one other who is 6-8 (Izunabor), the Jayhawks have a clear advantage down low.
Another massive issue for the Eagles last year was taking care of the ball. NCCU turned it over 22.6% of the time, which was 335th nationally (10 spots from being the worst). And given that it’s a completely new roster and the first game of the year, it’s hard to think that problem is now going to be solved, which plays directly into KU’s hands. The Jayhawks want to run in transition and turnovers help make that happen.
Prediction
The Jayhawks haven’t looked exactly like world-beaters in the two exhibition games, but the idea that they’re wildly flawed is also a massive overreaction. Kansas has its own mix of new pieces trying to acclimate with one another, while also feeling the nerves of playing in Allen Fieldhouse for the first time.
Not to mention, KU shot the ball worse than what it will likely average over the course of the year and Johnny Furphy is still coming back from an injury. Hunter Dickinson should be able to get 20 and 10 Monday without having to exert too much effort, and while Moton has proven to be a good mid-major coach, it’s hard to think that players who have been at the junior-college or mid-major level will walk into this type of environment and not be a bit phased.
The spread is a big number, as it’s tough to beat any team by nearly 30 points. I think Kansas cruises and it’s never in doubt, but also that Bill Self uses this opportunity to play a lot of younger guys and that could lead to an Eagles back-door cover.
Kansas 87, NC Central 62
Record ATS: 0-0
Record Straight Up: 0-0
(Last game: N/A)
