Friday observations: UNLV has toughness, but still with issues
Mike Moser isn't a three man, UNLV has no point guard and though Anthony Bennett is a beast, he doesn't really know how to play just yet.
Moser, after sitting two games recovering from his dislocated elbow and then coming back too soon, played a bit of three for the Runnin' Rebels, but the reviews are just OK. Moser is most effective as an undersized four man who can shoot some, handle some and board a lot.
Khem Birch has good timing as a quick-jumping shot blocker and he has a quick first step getting into his low-post game, but he is not a scorer by any means. Bennett can do it all, but late in the New Mexico game he just tried to shoot over the defense instead of facing his man up and driving him.
| More on college basketball |
| Analysis |
 |
| Related content |
The Rebels have veteran toughness in Moser,
Keep an eye on
Georges Niang made himself a known commodity to Big 12 fans with a stellar performance at Kansas on Wednesday Night. Niang looks like he is set for an old man league game a 9 at night, but Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg loves him for his skill and basketball IQ. The secret to Iowa State's success against KU was simple -- play small so that Jeff Withey had to come out from under the basket. Withey is such a dynamic shot blocker when he is allowed to sit in the lane, but take him out and the Jayhawks looks mortal.
Can't figure out
There is no way Duke wins a national championship without Ryan Kelly. Kelly's shooting is a big reason for Duke's success. Duke has become a much better offensive unit compared to last year as there is no one with a big shot ego. Kelly, Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry are allowing their sets to work, while Quinn Cook has provided something that Duke hasn't had in a couple of years -- an end-of-the-shot-clock point guard who creates. Much of that creation is based off near perfect spacing, which is helped greatly by Kelly spacing to three.
The Big 12 is the only league with a true round robin of the traditional big six leagues, and because of that the league almost guarantees four sure wins. Chris Walker's Texas Tech team just doesn't have the talent to compete with the top of the league and even the Red Raiders manhandled Trent Johnson's first TCU team. TCU has a rare combination of injuries and a lack of talent. It is really hard to see TCU offering much resistance, but a loss to the Frogs is the type of bad loss that keeps a team out of the field of 68.
I'm always amazed at the Wooden Award Finalist list. Elias Harris is a heck of a player, but he isn't even Gonzaga's best or most important player. Kevin Pangos has a far greater effect on the game.
Twitter is an untapped frontier in NCAA recruiting rules. While coaches cannot tweet players, fans at many schools follow players and tweet them often. There is almost no possible way for the NCAA to manage social media nor has the NCAA made much of an attempt.
Adam Zagoria from Zagsblogpoints out that Roy Williams is making a huge late personal push to land Andrew Wiggins. Remember that Williams and North Carolina came from nowhere to land Harrison Barnes, who everyone thought was going to Duke. Williams, long before Coach Cal, has always been known as the best head coach recruiter in the country because he sits front row as often as possible and makes players feel personally connected to him.
Watch Doug Gottlieb on Lead Off, weeknights at midnight ET on CBS Sports Network, and listen to him on CBS Sports Radio weekdays from 3pm - 6pm. Follow Doug on Twitter @GottliebShow.
